Good "backyard thrasher" sword brands?

[gamma_nyc]

Hi,

I'm helping a friend get a "backyard" sword for his teen. It basically sounds like he wants to do machete style work, maybe some tatami mat at some point.

I'm no sword expert, but seem to find the following brands as reputable:

Paul Chen
Himilayan Import
Cold Steel
Condor Knife & Tool

Any other brands or makers you're recommend? I'm guessing sub-$200 for this item... so prioritize safety and durability over finish, adornments, sophisticated steels, etc.

 

[CA504]

What brand I’d recommend depends on the type of sword honestly. The best, toughest budget Japanese swords IMO are made by Dynasty Forge, but you won’t really find a good cutting katana for under $200 nowadays.

But for a good general starter <$200 sword, I would recommend the Cold Steel 1917 Hybrid Cutlass. It’s bombproof, no frills, and highly functional.

The blade is made from 1055 and has a full tang, so it will withstand quite a bit of abuse. The cutting performance is excellent and it will outcut some of my $500+ swords.

 

[DocJD]

Recommendation? - I need a gardening sword (aka machete)

Blackberries laugh at hedge trimmers, both powered and the big scissor-like things. It also laughs at loppers. A pole saw (chainsaw on the end of a stick) did work the year previous, but is a major pain in the ass. I'm not ready to try a scythe, so I want a gardening sword. The big home...

www.bladeforums.com

 

[353]

Hi,

I'm helping a friend get a "backyard" sword for his teen. It basically sounds like he wants to do machete style work, maybe some tatami mat at some point.

I'm no sword expert, but seem to find the following brands as reputable:

Paul Chen
Himilayan Import
Cold Steel
Condor Knife & Tool

Any other brands or makers you're recommend? I'm guessing sub-$200 for this item... so prioritize safety and durability over finish, adornments, sophisticated steels, etc.

Kailash Blades will make anything you want in good quality 5160 tuff spring steel.

 

[Kailash Blades]

Kailash Blades will make anything you want in good quality 5160 tuff spring steel.

Sure will! Sub $200 is a difficult price point for us in the sword range though. an 18" sirupate with a full tang comes out to $206 before shipping. https://kailashblades.com/product/sirupate/ Definitely tough and will handle all sorts of hardwood chopping, splitting and batoning etc better than any machete out there but also not quite as swordlike.
Has he had a chance to play around with a large machete already? Could be a good move to sort something simple and cheap out first then take the feedback from that to inform a larger purchase.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash