- Joined
- Nov 13, 2001
- Messages
- 234
I had some yard work to do this weekend, including cutting back a couple of 8-7 food stands of pampas grass (why the previous owners of the house thought this was decorative and attractive, I'll never know).
I should have used a machete, but I thought as long as I was going to be miserable I might as well have a little fun. So I used my Trace Rinaldi TTKK (D2 blade, carbon fiber handle) and large, plain Sebenza to do the job.
Both worked remarkably well, especially considering blade length and "hacking weight" were well short of what was required for the job. I generally grabbed a large bundle of the grass, bent it forward and attacked it at the base. If you're not familiar with pampas grass, it's quite woody. Older stalks look like thin bamboo. Some were at least an inch or two around.
Whacking at the base of the bundle, as one might with a knife designed for that purpose, worked, but not without a lot of effort (and bleeding knuckles). Neither blade had the heft to cut completely through a bundle with a whack or two. Each knife required several slashing cuts to get through a good handful of grass stalks.
More productive was slicing and sawing through each bundle. I was amazed at how well each blade handled the chore when used this way. It took only a couple of slices to get through a big bunch of grass -- except when I ran into one of the larger, woodier stalks.
Cutting ability seemed to be about the same, but if I had to choose, I'd say that the Sebenza was a little more effective. Dunno why. It just seemed to go through a little easier.
Both knives were relatively comfortable to use. I love the grip of the TTKK, but I did develop two blisters on my thumb from the file work on the back of the blade. The Sebenza didn't cause any blistering or discomfort at all. No "hot spots" or blisters anywhere else from working vigorously with the knives for about an hour.
Both knives dulled considerably during the project. They continued to cut, but needed a much more effort to get through a bunch. I have the TTKK at a 15/20 double bevel and the Sebenza at a 15 degree edge. The TTKK's cutting edge developed three small chips right where the belly begins to curve upward. The BG42 Sebenza didn't chip and stayed sharper than the D2 TTKK, which surprised me considering that I have a thinner edge on it. The TTKK sharpened up after about half an hour of work with a Sharpmaker, beginning with 50 strokes per side on the diamond stones. The chips are still minutely visible, but nothing I'm too worried about.
I have no idea if this tells us anything really useful about either knife, but it was fun to experiment. If you're planning on building a grass hut anytime soon (Ginger? MaryAnn? Wanna play hide the coconut?), definitely use a machete, cane knife, kukri or something with some weight to it. If you don't have one, the Sebenza and TTKK will work fine, but the Sebenza has a slight edge.
Chad
I should have used a machete, but I thought as long as I was going to be miserable I might as well have a little fun. So I used my Trace Rinaldi TTKK (D2 blade, carbon fiber handle) and large, plain Sebenza to do the job.
Both worked remarkably well, especially considering blade length and "hacking weight" were well short of what was required for the job. I generally grabbed a large bundle of the grass, bent it forward and attacked it at the base. If you're not familiar with pampas grass, it's quite woody. Older stalks look like thin bamboo. Some were at least an inch or two around.
Whacking at the base of the bundle, as one might with a knife designed for that purpose, worked, but not without a lot of effort (and bleeding knuckles). Neither blade had the heft to cut completely through a bundle with a whack or two. Each knife required several slashing cuts to get through a good handful of grass stalks.
More productive was slicing and sawing through each bundle. I was amazed at how well each blade handled the chore when used this way. It took only a couple of slices to get through a big bunch of grass -- except when I ran into one of the larger, woodier stalks.
Cutting ability seemed to be about the same, but if I had to choose, I'd say that the Sebenza was a little more effective. Dunno why. It just seemed to go through a little easier.
Both knives were relatively comfortable to use. I love the grip of the TTKK, but I did develop two blisters on my thumb from the file work on the back of the blade. The Sebenza didn't cause any blistering or discomfort at all. No "hot spots" or blisters anywhere else from working vigorously with the knives for about an hour.
Both knives dulled considerably during the project. They continued to cut, but needed a much more effort to get through a bunch. I have the TTKK at a 15/20 double bevel and the Sebenza at a 15 degree edge. The TTKK's cutting edge developed three small chips right where the belly begins to curve upward. The BG42 Sebenza didn't chip and stayed sharper than the D2 TTKK, which surprised me considering that I have a thinner edge on it. The TTKK sharpened up after about half an hour of work with a Sharpmaker, beginning with 50 strokes per side on the diamond stones. The chips are still minutely visible, but nothing I'm too worried about.
I have no idea if this tells us anything really useful about either knife, but it was fun to experiment. If you're planning on building a grass hut anytime soon (Ginger? MaryAnn? Wanna play hide the coconut?), definitely use a machete, cane knife, kukri or something with some weight to it. If you don't have one, the Sebenza and TTKK will work fine, but the Sebenza has a slight edge.
Chad
