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Old 11-23-2013, 08:51 PM   #121
Sam Cade
 
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Default Re: On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

For consideration:

Lynn Thompson contracts Lasher Tools in South Africa to build "machete" swords from stamped 1055 with molded on poly-pro grips.

Among them is a "Gladius" of sorts.
http://www.coldsteel.com/images/products/97GMS_m.jpg

It comes sharp-ish, with a serviceable sheath for a street price of around $30.

These aren't anything special at all, Lasher machetes are pretty far down on the list for me, but simple 1055 at moderate hardness is TOUGH.
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Old 11-24-2013, 07:14 PM   #122
Ze'Manel Cunha
 
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Default Re: On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
That sounds like rules that should be made official somewhere other than just the TL X allowing fine for base cost.
Mass produced, unsharpened, "tool" weapons giving huge negative cost modifiers.
Shortswords are assumed to be $400 for good or fine at modern TLs.
It's more about supply and demand, if the demand is there and it's something which can be supplied by mass manufacture, then the costs are going to be about a tenth base cost, call it $40 for a fine shortsword.

The thing is there is very very limited demand for anything truly functional as a fighting blade in comparison to work tools and props, but even the props range in quality from ultracheap to fine, from cheap machine stamped Pakistani steel to beautifully handworked damascus/tamahagane steel.
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Old 11-24-2013, 09:01 PM   #123
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Default Re: On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

I have a cold steel brand machete and it does a superb job at hacking bamboo and other tough weeds and other such general around the house work

WalMart sells machetes for significantly less, and I have no idea how well they do/do not work

I am sure that far better machetes can be made and exist, but, would they really work that much better at things such as 'clearing bamboo away from your driveway' and such tasks machetes are made for?

It would seem somewhere diminishing returns would kick in

I dont like most $1 kitchen knives Ive met. I am hit or miss at the $10-20 range, but some of them Ive enjoyed as much as my $50+ knives. I like all my $50+ knives
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Old 11-24-2013, 09:38 PM   #124
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Default Re: On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalzazz View Post
I have a cold steel brand machete and it does a superb job at hacking bamboo and other tough weeds and other such general around the house work

I am sure that far better machetes can be made and exist, but, would they really work that much better at things such as 'clearing bamboo away from your driveway' and such tasks machetes are made for?
The Cold Steel branded machetes are currently made by Lasher Tools in South Africa. They suffer from occasional HT related QC issues and none of them have any distal taper making them feel dead in the hand and much less efficient to use. I figure that the $20 street price on a Cold Steel/Lasher machete is just over 5 times what it is actually worth considering how superior a $7 IMACASA is.
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce...IMC503449.html*


While you might not be able to discern much of a difference wacking bamboo in your drive way for a few minutes, swinging one all day while clearing a fenceline , hacking out a garden plot or busting trail will surely tell a different tale.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalzazz View Post
WalMart sells machetes for significantly less, and I have no idea how well they do/do not work
Usually, they aren't worth even bothering.




*Error in the description. It isn't stainless, the blade is polished and clearcoated 1075.
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Old 11-24-2013, 09:54 PM   #125
Ze'Manel Cunha
 
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Default Re: On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Cade View Post
The Cold Steel branded machetes are currently made by Lasher Tools in South Africa. They suffer from occasional HT related QC issues and none of them have any distal taper making them feel dead in the hand and much less efficient to use. I figure that the $20 street price on a Cold Steel/Lasher machete is just over 5 times what it is actually worth considering how superior a $7 IMACASA is.
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce...IMC503449.html*


While you might not be able to discern much of a difference wacking bamboo in your drive way for a few minutes, swinging one all day while clearing a fenceline , hacking out a garden plot or busting trail will surely tell a different tale.

[...]

*Error in the description. It isn't stainless, the blade is polished and clearcoated 1075.
Are the IMACASAs pre-sharpened?
AFAIK that's the thing Cold Steel has going for them, they pre-sharpen the blades so they're usable right off, since half the people out there wouldn't know that they need to sharpen a work blade, far less how to sharpen it.
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Old 11-24-2013, 10:04 PM   #126
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Default Re: On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha View Post
Are the IMACASAs pre-sharpened?
Nope.
However, Condor is IMACASA's upscale premium line and condor also makes the machetes currently sold under the Marbles marquee. The Marbles machetes are nicely convexed and usually paper slicing right out of the box, have a durable orange painted blade and sell for less than $20.
To wit: $15, sharpened, with serviceable sheath and a nearly useless sharpening stone.
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce...e/MA12718.html


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha View Post
AFAIK that's the thing Cold Steel has going for them, they pre-sharpen the blades so they're usable right off, since half the people out there wouldn't know that they need to sharpen a work blade, far less how to sharpen it.
Usually they aren't sharp enough to actually use (but it is faster to get to a working edge since you don't have to hog so much metal) and they often burn the edges to the point that you have to grind WAY back before you get to steel that hasn't been annealed.
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Old 11-24-2013, 10:28 PM   #127
Ze'Manel Cunha
 
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Default Re: On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

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Originally Posted by Sam Cade View Post
Nope.
However, Condor is IMACASA's upscale premium line and condor also makes the machetes currently sold under the Marbles marquee. The Marbles machetes are nicely convexed and usually paper slicing right out of the box, have a durable orange painted blade and sell for less than $20.
To wit: $15, sharpened, with serviceable sheath and a nearly useless sharpening stone.
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce...e/MA12718.html
Nice, but if they'd painted them green they'd have a piece of the "Zombie killer" prop market like Biohazard:
http://www.amazon.com/Wartech-Biohaz...dp/B00CFOWC4G/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Cade View Post
Usually they aren't sharp enough to actually use (but it is faster to get to a working edge since you don't have to hog so much metal) and they often burn the edges to the point that you have to grind WAY back before you get to steel that hasn't been annealed.
Half the people buying them wouldn't know what a sharp blade is, they're either using it to clear a bush or two in their backyard, or they're going to be swinging it at watermelons and such, so they'll think the Cold Steel blade is better just because it's got some sort of edge.
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