Pros: Handle Material, Weight, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Overall Quality, Materials, Blade Material
Cons: Blade Sharpness
Smaller than you might expect.
Is it the most ultimate outdoors man tool? For it’s size, yes. It has no actual cutting edge, but a good starting angle; same on the sickle on the back. An hour on the grinding wheel widens the edge nicely. (Also taking off that rather unnecessary edge-cut off safety feature. Look at the zoomed image, and see how the edge stops before it reaches the end. As a brush hacking tool, that feature does hinder its abilities slightly. It’s always better to have a complete up-and-down edge with a hacking tool.) The edge sits on a slight concave curve, like a kukri. It cannot be sharpened very easily with perfectly flat whetstones, though playing around with the angle you hold the blade in relation to the stones sees it through. It is very well designed, a two-in-one tool with the sickle on the back. An ingenious edition, probably the best thick stubborn root cutter or tree-branch stripper ever. (And awfully fun to hook onto a tough branch and swing from.) Do not expect this to be a machete. At least not like the full sized ones one might be used to. Like I said, as a blade, it is in its own category. Too small to be a true machete, too knife-like to be a hatchet. But it certainly gets the job done. The thick and hearty steel is not susceptible to stress fractures, (partly because of the size), full tang with solid wood handle securely riveted in place. Overall it definitely upholds its reputation as the best woodman’s tool ever. It is small, but not in a bad way. It is quite a compact tool, still providing controlled heft with it's perfect balance. The leather sheath is also a worth-it buy. Honestly, I would like to see the Woodman’s Pal Company come up with an overall bigger version; longer blade hopefully.
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