Important: All Mods Have Been Sacked. Winchester & Hasan Take Over

[PhuturePriest]

did i mention it's magical?

 

Samurai believed katanas were part of their very soul. That beats any silly magic.

[4588686]

Winnie, Hasan, what is thy bidding my masters?

 

 

 

Help me finish this spreadsheet of contact information for the US congress.

[Fidei Defensor]

Samurai believed katanas were part of their very soul. That beats any silly magic.

its made of unicorn tears and goblin boogers. 

[4588686]

Hopefully this will remain a thing long enough to Winchester to discover it.  

[Basilisa Marie]

THIS IS THE GREATEST. 

[GeorgiiMichael]

Hopefully this will remain a thing long enough to Winchester to discover it.  

 

Have you checked your phorum title recently, Master? Might now be a wise time to get your revenge on MIKolbe?

[Nihil Obstat]

A machete? Forget my gun. I can use my katana and snap your flimsy machete like a twig.

Highly unlikely. Your average machete is significantly thicker than a katana. For all their hype, the steel and methods used to make katana was not of particularly higher quality than a European longsword of equal value and comparable time period.

Their shape did make them particularly well suited for long, deep cuts though, which is probably where it gets its reputation of supernatural sharpness.

 

Also, modern technology has refined steel to the point that it cannot even be compared to historical examples.

[PhuturePriest]

Highly unlikely. Your average machete is significantly thicker than a katana. For all their hype, the steel and methods used to make katana was not of particularly higher quality than a European longsword of equal value and comparable time period.

Their shape did make them particularly well suited for long, deep cuts though, which is probably where it gets its reputation of supernatural sharpness.

 

Also, modern technology has refined steel to the point that it cannot even be compared to historical examples.

 

Katanas were made of both soft and hard metal. They were really hard to break as a result. A machete is probably just one sheet of mystery steel that will bend like nobody's business.

[Nihil Obstat]

Katanas were made of both soft and hard metal. They were really hard to break as a result. A machete is probably just one sheet of mystery steel that will bend like nobody's business.

Well if you compare a poor quality machete to a good quality katana, of course you will find major differences in quality. :rolleyes:

 

But that is poor methodology. 

 

Check out this small machete/large survival knife, the ESEE Junglas.

 

 

Excellent knife. 1095 carbon steel, and ESEE's heat treatment is considered top notch.

Then one step up and we are getting into, for instance, Swamp Rat Knifeworks, Rodent-9. SR-101 steel. Swamp Rat's steel really is top of the line. Your next step up from there is getting into custom knives that are going to run you around $500. Like the Busse line.

 

 

Knives like these are tanks, and a katana simply would not be able to break them. It just is not going to happen.

 

At the same time it is well established that the katana's legendary sharpness and strength are highly exaggerated, depending on your source. They were well made, for sure, but as I said if you compare a European longsword of similar value and time period, you will find that in terms of quality they are quite similar. From what I have read actually, the longsword and longsword fencing techniques are much neglected and underrated in current martial scholarship.

[PhuturePriest]

Well if you compare a poor quality machete to a good quality katana, of course you will find major differences in quality. :rolleyes:

 

But that is poor methodology. 

 

Check out this small machete/large survival knife, the ESEE Junglas.

 

 

Excellent knife. 1095 carbon steel, and ESEE's heat treatment is considered top notch.

Then one step up and we are getting into, for instance, Swamp Rat Knifeworks, Rodent-9. SR-101 steel. Swamp Rat's steel really is top of the line. Your next step up from there is getting into custom knives that are going to run you around $500. Like the Busse line.

 

 

Knives like these are tanks, and a katana simply would not be able to break them. It just is not going to happen.

 

At the same time it is well established that the katana's legendary sharpness and strength are highly exaggerated, depending on your source. They were well made, for sure, but as I said if you compare a European longsword of similar value and time period, you will find that in terms of quality they are quite similar. From what I have read actually, the longsword and longsword fencing techniques are much neglected and underrated in current martial scholarship.

 

Something tells me he doesn't have a machete of Navy SEAL quality. Just a hunch, though.

[Nihil Obstat]

Something tells me he doesn't have a machete of Navy SEAL quality. Just a hunch, though.

I hear that the equipment the military has is often not of top of the line quality, simply because of budget concerns, and because they know the knives are not going to last.

I hear people mention SOG and Cold Steel as being normal for SEALs to use. They are ok knives, but certainly on the lower end. Kabar is lower mid-range, probably. Good at what it is designed for.

I know for sure that a Busse knife is going to be incomparably better than what a Navy SEAL is issued. 

[PhuturePriest]

I hear that the equipment the military has is often not of top of the line quality, simply because of budget concerns, and because they know the knives are not going to last.

I hear people mention SOG and Cold Steel as being normal for SEALs to use. They are ok knives, but certainly on the lower end. Kabar is lower mid-range, probably. Good at what it is designed for.

I know for sure that a Busse knife is going to be incomparably better than what a Navy SEAL is issued. 

 

I like Kabars and SOGs. I find knives like Busse to be overpriced and ridiculous. I'm not spending five hundred dollars on a knife that I could be spending on something I'll actually need.

[Nihil Obstat]

I like Kabars and SOGs. I find knives like Busse to be overpriced and ridiculous. I'm not spending five hundred dollars on a knife that I could be spending on something I'll actually need.

Like I said, SOG is lower end, but still will do what you need it to do, more or less. A lot of their knives tend to be a little bit mall-ninja though, same goes for Cold Steel. And while the steel will be better than 440a, you usually will not get much better than AUS-8 or 8Cr13Mov. Not that there is anything *wrong* with those steels, but they are not high end steels like CPM S30V or D2.

For anything between $50-$200 I will go Spyderco every time. IMO the ergonomics are perfect, blade steel is excellent quality for the price, and I have yet to see any real quality concerns. Always quick to deploy, lockup is tight, and the blade shape is perfect. Benchmade are great knives too, but tend to be on the more expensive end of that price point. Kershaw are good, and often somewhat less expensive, but I am not as much a fan of the ergonomics or their speedsafe flipper system.

 

Here is the knife I carry every day:

 

 

Often this one as well:

 

 

The first one, the Manix2 XL, is a big beast of a folder. Full steel liners and G-10. CPM S30V steel, so about as good as I can afford, and that ball-bearing lock is like a vault. I love the jimping on the thumb ramp, and the curve of those finger choils fit in my hand perfectly. I love the leaf shaped blade; has a lot of body to it, and it keeps the tip nice and strong.

The Stretch is great too, but just not quite on the same level. VG-10 steel, which is great at its price point ($60-$150, depending on the model), and sharpens nicely. Really nice grain too. The FRN scales and skeletonized liners keep it quite light, but besides that the blade itself is quite slender. The Manix is definitely not a slender blade. The lockback works just fine, although it is perhaps just a little bit tight. The balance is great for deployment, especially with the larger sized thumb stud. Really makes a difference compared to the Endura, which is still also an excellent knife for the price.

[Beati Pacifici]

I love butterfly knives, but they aren't good for immediate use. With a dangerous filipino teaching you, you are set though. lol

[Nihil Obstat]

I love butterfly knives, but they aren't good for immediate use. With a dangerous filipino teaching you, you are set though. lol

Yeah, it is easy to cut yourself with a bali. They are illegal in Canada (which is stupid) so I have not been able to try myself, but I have heard several people say that if you plan on learning to flip, you will get cut.

The flashy flipping is pretty useless, but it does look cool.