Barax Machete in action

David Mary

pass the mustard - after you cut it
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Jul 23, 2015
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Friends, anyone who has already purchased a Barax machete, you are also welcome to post pics and videos in this thread. Videos of the machete in action either in the woods, in the garden, in the yard, in martial arts practice, etc. We want to see it all!

So with no further ado, here is the third ever Barax made in AEB-L stainless steel, and somewhere around the 10th or 11th one ever made over all. This one has a contoured and checkered python Micarta handle with OD micarta bolsters, green G10 pins, is .118" thick and is hardened to RC 61. Just a quick note: I find I like the handling and control of flat scales better than contoured for this model, but as you will see the contoured worked just fine as well. But I like flat a bit better.

I took it for a stroll out to the swamp, and here is what I subjected it to (bearing in mind I did not film every strike, nor did I keep the ones with the worst shaky cam or lighting):


It has passed its first night of hard use testing with flying colors.

Here is how it looked afterwards:

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Blood on the handle because I reached a little too close when chopping briars:

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As you can see, the python Micarta does a great job of camouflaging the blood! :D It will be easy enough to clean with an old toothbrush and warm soapy water.

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Edge shows virtually no damage or deformation (those spots near the left of the pic below are just debris; I was able to wipe them off with my fingernail):
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These two pics show literally the only damage the knife received. For reference, the blade is about .025" behind the edge.

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As you can see, the damage is very minimal, and two minutes on the Sharpmaker and strop cleaned it back up to slicing paper without snagging. The truth is, I didn't put my sales quality edge on it, but just a rough one before I headed out there. I'll refine the edge and take it out for another round, documenting again, of course. But I had fun.
 
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I've learned what I needed to from this knife. It is for sale to those who might peek into my shop and see this. It was my R&D knife, and a little rough around the edges, but it'll perform very well and give years of service. Entertaining private offers on this one (SOLD).

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