Test--Machete with Mirror Polished Blade Vs. Slip-Plate Graphite Coating

[FortyTwoBlades]

After a query I received in discussion with Joezilla, I decided to do some comparative testing between two identical machetes--one with a mirror polished blade, and one that had been left in its stock condition, but with a coating of Slip-Plate friction-reducing paint on it (which I've been messing around with lately). I had to find a way to do the testing in as unbiased and scientific a manner as possible, and the best thing I could think of was what Joe had suggested--putting a nail (or a screw as it ended up) through the lanyard hole and dropping the blade onto various things. I would have used something like an apple or the like, but I'm a college student and couldn't stand the thought of wasting food, so I used sticks of uniform thickness, doing a cut from both machetes on each.

Here are the machetes tested--identical Nicholson/Collins 22" Latin patterns.

Some mugshots of the tang stamps on each. I don't need to tell you which one is coated, do I?

I firmly planted a branch in the ground next to an ancient blow-down. I affixed the machete to the branch via a wood screw through the lanyard hole, and the whole apparatus was positioned such that the sweet spot of the blade would land squarely on the trunk of the blow-down when dropped. It served as my "anvil" for the purposes of this test:

I started with the polished machete and a thin stick:

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I had my lovely lady along to help take pics of the testing, so that's how I got these shots! She also let me know when I had the blade lifted to level so each drop had the same amount of "oomph."

And the depth of the cut after the machete was dropped:

I did the next test consecutively with this machete before switching to the coated one to keep things consistent, but for ease of reading I'll skip to the first test with the coated machete.

And here are the results side by side. The cut with the polished machete is on the right and the coated one on the left.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Close up of the polished machete cut:

Close up of the coated machete cut:

In this test it would appear that the coated machete cut deeper. Bear in mind, of course, that this is just a single test and would have to be repeated many times on uniform material to be considered "scientific." It's a lot better than just chopping some stuff and saying "I think this one worked better" though. There is a hairline crack under the cut from the polished machete, and the force of the drop may have been somewhat absorbed by the break.

On to the next test--a drop onto a stick angled at 45 degrees.

With the polished machete:

The cut:

On to the coated machete...

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The cut:

Again it looks as though the coated machete cut deeper, cutting off a full sliver under its own weight, whereas the polished machete cut in part way and then stuck. Again, I'll let you draw your own conclusion with regards to the scientific validity (or lack thereof) of this test.

Then it was on to an actual chopping test--as unreliable as it might be, it's just not a real machete test without one!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

For the chopping test I first did a single straight-down chop with each machete with full force. Check out the polished machete--it looks transparent!

The polished machete cut:

The coated machete cut:

The cuts side-by-side. Polished blade on the left, coated on the right. Sorry for the twisted angle of the shot!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I then did ten chops with each machete, trying to remove as much material as I could. This test is purely for fun, since performance relied on my accuracy. I'll skip most of those pics though, since they're of dubious value. I'll cut to the chase and show the ones from the end of each session.

Polished machete:

My accuracy was pretty decent here and I got excellent results.

The coated machete:

My accuracy here really blew chunks. I placed all of my blows in pretty much the right spot, but they were all nearly vertical so it didn't clear too much material. Actual performance was very similar to that of the polished machete, but with greater ease of withdrawal during the initial cuts where the blade sunk deep and stuck.

Here's the condition of the coated blade after a crap ton of chopping to try to beat it up a bit. (probably about 150 hard blows--that was tiring! )

While I was doing my silly chopping thing my lady kept busy playing around with her Izula.

All told I personally feel that the coating does a very fine job, functioning at least equal to or slightly better than that of a mirror polished blade. However it has the downsides of being marking (leaves a light black mark on the cut surface due to the graphite in the coating that acts as the friction reducer) and has the obvious predisposition towards wear that most coatings do. However it held up remarkably well. I'll probably use this on all those machetes of mine that I plan to never use for food prep or making cosmetic cuts (trimming prominently visible trees etc).

 

[pict]

I think this is a valid thing to test. I know for a fact that simple edge geometry will have a huge impact (sorry) in a test like the one you set up. For a really good medium you would need something that puts alot of friction on the sides of the blade in normal cutting. Green bamboo, green coconuts, masses of thick grass, bananna trunks come to mind. Might be hard for you to arrange that up there. Yeah, that's it, you need to send me the blades when you're done.

Seriously you should try something like 10 pieces of cardboard clamped together and chop down trough them edge on. That will give a good read on any difference in friction due to the finish. It might be subjective when it comes to evaluation, I'd take your word for it. Mac

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The cardboard thing is a good idea! I'll try that next time. That's one thing that I have access to in decent quantities.

 

[Diomedes Industries]

I think any of these tests are interesting to look at. Good job just getting out there and doing it.

TF

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

If you have any other tests you'd like to see me do to the coating, let me know. I plan on putting this on a bunch of the modded machetes I have slated to go up for sale (as well as personal machetes), so I'd like to get some feedback on what you would consider good tests to show what it can do. It's pretty slick (pardon the pun! :foot stuff!

 

[akthor]

Yeah cardboard or hemp roap you need something with more consistency than branches they could be harder or softer on the same branch within mm of each other.

Mythbusters did a cutting thing with a sword once cant remember what they chopped.

You would also need to use a yardstick or something to be sure you dropped at exactly the same height everytime.

 

[Garrett Schmidt]

Great test. I can't vouch for mirror finishes helping with chopping but I know for sure that if you polish the blade you use for cutting leather it makes a HUGE difference.

 

[chenko]

Nice test, very well done. Thank you for doing it!!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Yeah cardboard or hemp roap you need something with more consistency than branches they could be harder or softer on the same branch within mm of each other.

Mythbusters did a cutting thing with a sword once cant remember what they chopped.

You would also need to use a yardstick or something to be sure you dropped at exactly the same height everytime.

The problem lies in what I have access to, as well as the way that a machete is meant to be used. Just dropping it on something isn't how a machete generates it's force--is a rolling snap with a loose pinched grip. So dropping it on cardboard would work as a measure, but not rope so much. It would probably end up just soaking up a lot of force of the blow and then shredding up so you couldn't see how deep it went well. Also I don't have any lying around and I'm a college student with a baby only a month away, so funds are limited.

Great test. I can't vouch for mirror finishes helping with chopping but I know for sure that if you polish the blade you use for cutting leather it makes a HUGE difference.

It definitely makes a huge difference with choppers too. :thumbup: I wish I had a third one that I could have used as a control, but I don't need three of the same model! I only have two as it is because the coated one belongs in the trunk of my lady's car for her emergency kit.

Nice test, very well done. Thank you for doing it!!

No problem. I can't say it's not motivated by self interest, though, since the coating is a feature I like adding to machetes I sell. I did genuinely want to know how it performed though. Polishing a machete really improves performance a ton, so it was cool seeing that the coating did so well stacked against it.

I've done some durability tests of the coating before on my Imacasa Colima, batoning it through a good dozen or so logs and turning them into kindling for the in-laws' wood stove. It held up remarkably well for mangling its way through some really gnarly knots and twisted grain.

 

[Joezilla]

NICE!!!!! Now I'm definitely going to try this stuff out. Who did the mirror polish on the Nicholsons?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I did. By hand. It took a couple of weeks to do, and I did about two hours a day. I really need some polishing equipment. It's one thing that I miss about working at a yacht company in the metal fab department. Polishing stuff sure took a long time--even with industrial power tools!

 

[akthor]

Wow I have polished a few tiny things for my car by hand and it blows! You polished that whole machete! Phew you got some dedication my friend.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Yeah...my lady was about ready to kill me with it by the time I was done though. She was so sick of hearing sanding noises!

 

[7rip13a]

Cool test. I'm pretty interested in seeing how this coating will perform... especially now that I have a machete with it. Unfortunately, all I have to compare it with is a well-used 18" Tramontina. I predict that the Rozador probably has better performance if only because of the top-heavy design.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I'm just glad that it made it half-way 'round the world to get to you! The coating should be on there pretty good--I roughed up the blade surface with some 60-grit sandpaper then washed the blade squeaky clean before applying three coats.