Merrill's Marauder's - Branton Knife Company and Walter Brend collaboration

[Yvsa]

I just happened to get nosy, been wondering what this new knife company is about, and finally checked and found the thread below.
It's too bad about photopoint because it knocked down many, many business people as well as the photo that was supposed to be in the link.
I found this thread to be particularly interesting since it's a
"combat knife built with a 7 1/4 inch Kukri type blade for chopping with a deep recurve for close quarters combat." and of course the history of Merrill's Marauders and the khukri goes hand in hand.

Another thing I found of the utmost interest is the cost of the Brend made knive's in this model!!!! $950.00!!!!!!! And this is for a kukri *type* measly little blade of 7 1/4 Inches!!!!!!
If anyone had any doubts that Himalayan Imports is the best kept secret (Unintentionally) and cheapest source of the Absolute Finest Handmade Khukuris in the world this should make them set up and take notice!!!!!!!!

Check it out!!!!!!!! Read the whole thread and then the link. I found this to be realy interesting!!!!

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=180787

Walter J. Brend has teamed up with Bobby Branton of Branton Knife Company and with The “MERRILL’S MARAUDERS” Association to present you with the first piece of cutlery to bear the name and logo of the famous “Merrill’s Marauders”. The Marauders knife was designed by Walter Brend and Army Ranger Justin Gingrich and was tested and approved by the Army Rangers at Fort Benning Ga. The Marauders knife will be available only through Branton Knife Company. Below is a little history on “Merrill’s Marauders”.
In August 1943 at the "Quebec Conference", President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and other allied leaders decided that an American Long Range Penetration Mission behind the Japanese Lines in Burma was needed to destroy the Japanese supply lines and communications and to play havoc with the enemy forces while an attempt was made to reopen the much needed Burma Road.
The Unit was officially designated as the "5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)" Code Name: "GALAHAD", later it became popularly known as "MERRILL'S MARAUDERS" named after its leader, Brigadier General Frank Merrill.
For more information on “Merrill’s Marauders” go to www.marauders.org/history/htm
The Marauders knife is a combat knife built with a 7 1/4 inch Kukri type blade for chopping with a deep recurve for close quarters combat. Made from D-2 steel hand ground by Master knifemaker Walter Brend. The Marauders knife has Walter’s signature ergonomic model # 2 handle style slightly dropped for effective chopping ability. Below are the specs for the Marauder knife.


Design – Kukri type combat with deep recurve, integral guard and dropped handle.
Blade Steel - D-2
Finish – Hand rubbed satin
Blade length - 7 ¼ inch
Overall length - 13 ¼ inches
Handle - black canvas Micarta
Sheath – kydex
Features – limited edition will be numbered 1-25 and will bear the “Merrill’s Marauders” logo
Price $950.00 Visa, Mastercard and Discover accepted

A pic can be seen at http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...threadid=179450

 

[fausto nasafiaschi]

That is around 126 $/inch (and I do not really see for what)! I wonder if that one guy who has paid 400 $ to spend his Xmas holidays inside a bunker would go for it.... (he sounds like a possible candidate)
Fausto

 

[Walosi]

Walter Brend is one of the masters, and just him name adds $ to a knife. The "semi production" blades will also be well made, I'm sure, under his inspection, and at $300/per. This may be, however, proof that even the greats can step in it if they go too far out of their own pasture. I wouldn't buy either one so long as HI is around, but I would love to see a test comparison. I'm sure it would perform well, and maybe as well as a comparable HI, but the difference in cost could never justify the performance, no matter how good. Then, when you consider getting three to nine HIs, for the same money, it would have to perform three to nine times as well. Unless he's found Bura's secret to the magic blade

 

[SamuraiDave]

OAL .... 13.25"
$$950

And for 1/10 of that I can get a 12" that will be in the family for god knows how long. For a around 1/2 I can get a beautiful museum piece that will probably last twice as long because everyone who sees it wont want to use such a beautiful blade. Geez....

 

[Yvsa]

I would dearly love to have a Brend Bowie!!!!!!!
I could probably be easily talked outta precious part of my anatomy in payment for one.
And Bro I agree it's gotta be some kind of blade.
It all goes back to that matter of perspective we have after having khukuri's in our possession for any length of time, a 7 1/4 inch blade becomes small to us.
It's gonna be interesting to see what Tsimi has to say about this since he's so down, or says he is, on the little 12" khukuris.
This knife is only and 1 1/4" longer!!!!!!!

Actually it will be about the same size as my little balance model that I've carried out to Oxley Nature Preserve several times.
I have permission to gather certain herbs, mushrooms and medicinal plants from there because I'm trusted by the people that work there and oversee the place.
The little balance model doesn't cut like an 18" AK of course, but it doesn't do bad for a blade of its size.
I still would prefer it over the Utility Kabar with its similar size blade for more reasons than a couple.

 

[BruiseLeee]

950 bux :eek

Too sweet for my meager income ... I wonder how it would compare in a test with the 12" AK?

 

[Will Kwan]

I actually bought the 20 th anniversory Brend hatchet and have a few of his knifes. They can use more of a forward angle. I can't comment on how they perform as I have not used any of them yet. They do not have the weight or size to match the chopping performance that we are use to here, but thats like comparing apples to oranges.

If Bobby had Brend make a true khukuri say similary to a M43 I would have probably sold the car to get it. There are quite a few pictures with khukuri's on the belts and packs of the Maurders.

Yvsa, I can't recall exactly where but I saw a Brend bowie for sale. You might have had to sacrifice a kidney and spleen.



Will

 

[not2sharp]

... I wonder how it would compare in a test with the 12" AK?

You can't compare this to your AK. Brend knives are currently a prestige line. It's like buying a Harley. You can find cheaper alternatives that perform better, but, only a Harley has the distinctive sound, look, and feel.

Walter Brend makes excellent tools. The knives will be perfectly ground and tempered, and you can count on the knife and sheath being made from good materials and solid designs. As long as you are using the knife within it's design parameters these knives will perform reliably. With Brend you never have to worry about whether the knife will do what it is suppose to do; you can bank on it.

HI knives have a very different emphasis. The khukuries are over engineered and come in a large variety of designs to better fit the user with the task. They are produced and fitted individually by hand which gives the knives their character and performance without perfecting a design. They are a pre-industrial crafted product. You will never find two identical HI khukuries, or probably even two that are similar enough to share a sheath.

You have to approach these knives differently. If I wanted a reliable knife that I could just buy and place in a kit for expedition, perhaps for a team doing a trans polar trek, then I would probably buy a Walter Brend. On the other hand, I know that if I wanted to find an ideal comfortable knife for myself I would go with an HI khukuri. I may have to go through a few HI knives, and I certainly would want to test it, but at the end of the day I would have a knife that would fit me and my needs like a nicely broken in pair of boots. It really doesn't get any better then that; but, you have to invest the effort to get there. HI will never make a perfect knife, but they will make the perfect knife for you.

n2s

 

[Rusty]

Playboy centerfold. Doesn't look as beautiful arriving at the photo studio before makeup or leaving afterward, gets much of her beauty in the camera angle, lighting, background... Fantasy.

The HI is the special woman honestly pretty to start with and acquires more beauty with every day you use it, with every ding and scratch lovingly polished back to not quite perfection. Good woman that keeps getting better and more loved each day while doing more than her share. And doing you proud and helping make your efforts look better.
If you have the real thing ( even if she does come to bed with cold feet sometimes ) who needs the fantasy?

 

[Bill Martino]

Don't want to sound like sour grapes but every pix I've ever seen of Merrill's Marauders at work show them with a substantially larger khukuri and the few contacts I have with folks who saw MM khukuris up close and personal tell me they were good sized blades.

A tidbit about prices -- About 80 percent of my customers tell me our prices are quite fair. About 10 percent tell me the prices are too high. About 10 percent tell me prices are too low and about one out of 80 or 100 customers after receiving their first knife will send a check for generally $100 to be distributed among the kamis or else to be given to the kami who made their knife. All of which tells me we are in the ballpark.

 

[jim_l_clifton]

NDN,
I have handled a # of WB knives & could or should have bought them as an investment!As for a Bowie(I'll never live this down)I'll take the one you have sent to the kami's(I just have a feeling this might turn out "better" than you hope for)!DURING THIS VAC.(NO GUYS!I'm not back yet)I had a guy ask me about a K he had, was given to him,he needed some info!My opinion was it was a WW2,M43,it was old,sheath was WW2, handle had a CHINA BURMA PATCH installed(I know about tourist crap,this was legit)! I told him patch was put in by someone who served over at that time,this was def. not new, could I be wrong ??SURE, but I went over this from top to bottom,JP & I could have had quite a discussion handling this!hee!Had a maker show me a K he made, told me it was a Kukri,"I said "REALLY"!!Had a picture showing him standing next to a leanto he made with the aid of this K! It was 12"type had weighed a ton!He offered it to me for "$300"!!I almost choked"A LOUSY 12" FOR $300"?? NO I WON'T TELL WHO THE MAKER IS!I'LL KEEP MY HI ,THANK YOU ! WAIT UNTIL WAL. GETS HIS M43! hee!
jim

 

[Bill Martino]

OK, Caveman. Glad you popped in. When you get back we have to get Harry back, too.

 

[Yvsa]

Originally posted by not2sharp


You can't compare this to your AK. Brend knives are currently a prestige line. It's like buying a Harley. You can find cheaper alternatives that perform better, but, only a Harley has the distinctive sound, look, and feel.

I don't see why one couldn't compare this with an AK, or any other hand made khukuri.
Except that each and every H.I.Khukuri is gonna be different while the Brends all are exactly the same, or in the case of most hand made products only slightly different.
I think performance and not looks is the
key.
Even understanding Mr.Brend's reputation and value of name.
And I can understand the price of a limited edition by such a person and the investment qualities as well.

Walter Brend makes excellent tools. The knives will be perfectly ground and tempered, and you can count on the knife and sheath being made from good materials and solid designs. As long as you are using the knife within it's design parameters these knives will perform reliably. With Brend you never have to worry about whether the knife will do what it is suppose to do; you can bank on it.

N2S I can appreciate the point you're making here and yet I kinda had to laugh.
I truly believe that all of the master makers over the years ought to get all the market will bear and yet I hate to see the little guy who needs just as good a knife, as the most distinguished person who may be able to afford to buy one of these knives, get left out in the cold because of price.

"As long as you are using the knife within it's design parameters these knives will perform reliably."

The thing with the Himalayan Imports Khukuris is that you can use them outside their parameters IMO.
And I wouldn't just "bank" on a knife from anyone including Himalayan Imports without extensive testing.

Kinda reminds me of a story I once read in a dog book when the Doberman Pincser was first recognized as an AKC dog.
There was one particular stud dog that had absolutely beautiful lines and distinguished breeding. There wasn't a fault one with the dog.........., so everyone thought.
Fact was that everyone, including all the judges, were so scared of the dogs because of their fierce reputations that no one had ever checked the dog's mouth.
Then one day the dog was shown in a ring where the judge was not afraid and this judge checked the doberman's mouth for proper
teeth.
Come to find out this very famous dog which countless breeders had clamored over one another to have their bitches bred by had severe flaws in the amount of teeth the dog was supposed to have
had.
Immediately the dog world was turned upside down!!!!!!
IIRC all of the previous honors this dog had won were stripped from him. And the dogs bloodline was ruined except for breeders who were willing to spend the time to get the proper traits bred back into the bloodline, after all the dog was perfect in every other way.

The chances of a knife made by one of the master craftsmen failing I realize are far and few between, but the chance still is there. And as with the Busse the knife may not fit the person getting ready to use it.

HI knives have a very different emphasis. The khukuries are over engineered and come in a large variety of designs to better fit the user with the task. They are produced and fitted individually by hand which gives the knives their character and performance without perfecting a design. They are a pre-industrial crafted product. You will never find two identical HI khukuries, or probably even two that are similar enough to share a sheath.

Agreed.

You have to approach these knives differently. If I wanted a reliable knife that I could just buy and place in a kit for expedition, perhaps for a team doing a trans polar trek, then I would probably buy a Walter Brend. On the other hand, I know that if I wanted to find an ideal comfortable knife for myself I would go with an HI khukuri. I may have to go through a few HI knives, and I certainly would want to test it, but at the end of the day I would have a knife that would fit me and my needs like a nicely broken in pair of boots. It really doesn't get any better then that; but, you have to invest the effort to get there. HI will never make a perfect knife, but they will make the perfect knife for you.

n2s

If I was going somewhere that I was gonna lay everything on the line I would be testing each and every piece of equipement, just because the knife is made by a famous craftsman doesn't matter if the knife doesn't fit me.
Case in point, to a degree, is the Busse E-Battle Mistress I bought that everyone was giving such raves about.
The knife right out of the box would not work for me.
The handle was just way, way too big for me. It was only after some extensive work first and last with a rasp and files, with quite a bit of grinder work in between, that I got the knife to where it was comfortable to work with.
I have also had to do a few of the H.I.Khukuri handle's the same way, but generally the work hasn't been as extensive, only on a couple of the really big khuks like the GRS and the Super Salyan.
And I will probably never buy another Busse in the "E" line since all the handles are the same and I know they will require extensive rework to fit me. And for me to rework that much they are just too much money.

"It really doesn't get any better then that; but, you have to invest the effort to get there. HI will never make a perfect knife, but they will make the perfect knife for you."

I think the same can be said for Walter Brend. Himalayan Imports worked with me to produce the YCS which for me is about as perfect as one can get. And for a lot, a Whole Lot less money than I imagine MR.Brend would make the same knife for me.:

And as you say..."It really doesn't get any better then that; but, you have to invest the effort to get there."

I think that's true with about anything.

Will, I was kind of making a joke that may not be known about in Canada, but would have been recognized by at least the dirty old men on this forum about a certain part of my anatomy going for a Brend knife.
And I would probably still part with that particular part of my anatomy for a Walter Brend Bowie.
Even if it didn't fit me, although I would very much prefer that it did.

Jim just read your post before putting this one up. I know what you're saying, I think.
Just tzn Bro.
There's a couple of Randall's that I wouldn't have minded getting for investment purposes either.

 

[Bill Martino]

Interesting stuff, Bro. I don't know anything about anything except the HI khukuris and not very much about them so am unable to comment.

 

[Rusty]

What Bro said.

I wrote at least 8 replys and deleted them all. If I had a thousand ( plus added costs shipping, taxes, brady ) or name the amount to spend on a defense gun I wouldn't spend it all on one "ultimate" Wilson or Kimber 45. I'd buy 4 or 5 used guns, either the same ( S&W 13 or the like ) or a pair of snubby 38/357 Ruger 101's, a pair of Security Six 38/357's or GP100'a w/ 4" bbls, and a long barreled scoped ruger 38/357. The snubbies would hide better, nothing beats a service revolver for accuracy and power and reliability, especially with a a New York reload ( second gun )
and the long barreled scoped 357 will probably whup the Wilson's arse at 200 yards and out. Ultimate is different things.

One is the one you have in every vehicle.

Another is the selection for different purposed.

The ultimate loser is the one perfect gun that is pressed into doing everything or breaks and you are out of the event. That's why raceguns are made in 3's. One to shoot, one for backup, and one being rebuilt in the shop.

Or trying to hide an 8" Python in t-shirt and shorts.

Ain't no one perfect knife. A bunch of different HI's would probably do well enough though.

 

[Will Kwan]

N2S, Brend's knife is custom made, each one is not exactly the same. I think the current sheaths Brend uses are excellent. However, this has not always been the case, I have gotten Brend knives with pretty sad looking sheaths (i.e. Blackhawk).

Regardless of the maker I would want to test any knife I was planning to use under harsh conditions.

Yvsa, would that appendage be the left t....e?

Will

 

[Bill Martino]

Thanks for input, Rusty & Will.