Filipino Rambo 4 looking chopper!

B

bearthedog

Joined
May 17, 2006
Messages
4,290
New Chopper from the Philippines

Got this in a market right before I left. It struck me as a Rambo 4 looking knife with similar dimensions.

The Blade is about 12” long with an overall length of 18 ½” inches. Steel choice…you guessed it, 5160 leaf spring steel. Full tang with carabao scales. It has a distal taper starting around 3/16 and is a beast of a chopper weighing in at 1 pound and 9 ounces.

I think it is a perfect candidate for the Rambo V knife, if there is one!

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I eagerly asked the vendor, “what do you call it?” He answered, “Bolo.”
How original. In the spirit of a Filipino Bolo, it does have a drop from the handle to the tip of the blade. It’s not so obvious in the picture, but when holding it I can see it, especially if I turn it sideways. In addition to that, the blade near the handle is about 1 5/8 inches wide and out at the tip it is 2 ½ inches wide putting the weight forward as bolos do.

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Carabao horn is nicely textured and feels like G10.

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Size comparison

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Other Filipino Bolos
 
That full-tang "squarehead/flattop" is a fairly common design. We actually have a very old one in my mother's kitchen that's been worn down by use and resharpening. It's a bit smaller at about 9" x 1.75".

The dimensions and forward weight is maximized for a "shearing" kind of chopping (unlike a hacking-type chopping). If you've ever chopped bamboo, you'll understand what I'm trying to describe.

Carabao horn is nicely textured and feels like G10.
Click to expand...

Truth! Nature's own G-10. The trend seems to be makers coloring them nowadays.
 
I dunno if its the picture or the lighting but i think the handle is not made from carabao horn.... might be made from PVC Pipe which is exactly that color and would feel like g10... carabao horn is a bit different in texture.... plus i have never seen carabao horn colored... it is always black.
 
Guille said:
I dunno if its the picture or the lighting but i think the handle is not made from carabao horn.... might be made from PVC Pipe which is exactly that color and would feel like g10... carabao horn is a bit different in texture.... plus i have never seen carabao horn colored... it is always black.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I might have to go to the market and look at them up close.
 
Guille said:
I dunno if its the picture or the lighting but i think the handle is not made from carabao horn.... might be made from PVC Pipe which is exactly that color and would feel like g10... carabao horn is a bit different in texture.... plus i have never seen carabao horn colored... it is always black.
Click to expand...

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Top is Carabao while the one under it is PVC. They feel very different.
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Here the top is carabao and the bottm is PVC again.

-RB
 
hmmm.... it just i have never seen blue carabao horn here in the Philippines... i have a knife that has the same handle material as the one you mention but is a plastic of sorts... i could be wrong though....
 
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