{"product_id":"bolo-machete-buffalo-horn","title":"Bolo Machete, Hand Forged with Buffalo Horn Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eGreen stems are the awkward ones. They bend away from a light blade and spring back instead of parting, and soon you are working harder than you meant to. A bolo answers that by putting its mass out where the cut lands. This one is 16 inches of 1095 high carbon with a water buffalo horn handle. It is what people reach for when grass turns to something thicker.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e21 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark forged flat with hammer marks, bright bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBolo, weight forward with a heavy belly\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFull tang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWater buffalo horn, three brass pins, lanyard hole, no guard\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStamped leather belt sheath with a snap strap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 dollars per blade\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e1095 is plain high carbon steel and it comes back sharp under a file. The flat is left dark from the forge with the hammer marks still in it, and the bevel is ground bright. The profile swells into a heavy belly ahead of the middle, and that mass is the point. A machete cuts by speed, so the bolo gathers what weight it has out where the tip is moving fastest. The edge is thick and slightly convex on purpose. Carbon steel darkens to a grey patina and spots if it is left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWater buffalo horn is dense, and no two pieces come out the same colour. The tang is full and follows the whole handle outline, with three brass pins through the slabs. A lanyard hole sits at the back and you should use it, because 16 inches of blade does try to leave your hand after an hour. Five inches of handle lets you slide your grip back, or get a second hand on for a thick stem. No guard to catch when you shift.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut and stitched by hand, with a welt between the two faces so the stitching never sits against the edge. It is cut to this blade's own outline, since the belly runs wider through the middle than a straight machete. The face is stamped, pressed a strike at a time. It rides on a belt loop, and a snap strap holds the handle down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis one is for the person whose clearing runs into stems too thick for a light blade and too small to be worth an axe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone cutting green saplings and thick stems\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople clearing a fence line or a grown over track\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants the weight ahead of the hand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLand owners with more ground than a lawn\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 16 inch bolo machete\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather belt sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA lifetime warranty against defects\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery blade is forged and ground by hand and no two come out alike. The hammer marks land where the hammer put them. Horn is a natural material, so the colour and the streaking in yours will not match the photograph. The belly is filed by eye and settles differently each time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the blade dry after use and do not leave it wet in the sheath overnight. Give it a thin coat of oil before it goes away for the winter. The grey patina is not a fault, so leave it alone. Keep the edge with a file, worked along the angle already there. The horn likes a little oil too. More sits on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits. The dark flat under the spine gives the letters room. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and that adds 3 to 5 business days. Engraving is free on orders of 10 or more. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e shows what fits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy does a bolo carry its weight forward?\u003c\/strong\u003e The belly swells ahead of your hand, so the mass arrives with the tip. That is what lets it bite a green stem instead of skating off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs 16 inches short for a machete?\u003c\/strong\u003e Shorter than a grass blade, yes. The bolo trades reach for load at the tip, and on thick stems that is the better trade.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. The steel goes grey with use and spots if you leave it wet. Dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do I sharpen it?\u003c\/strong\u003e A file, along the angle already on it. The edge is thick so it takes a hidden stone without chipping.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I swing it with two hands?\u003c\/strong\u003e On a heavy stem, yes. The lanyard hole is there so it stays with you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf your work is mostly grass and vine, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-machete-oak-handle\"\u003e18 inch machete with an oak handle\u003c\/a\u003e keeps its weight even. For an edge that meets the work at an angle, look at the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/parang-machete-stacked-leather\"\u003eparang with a stacked leather handle\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/machetes\"\u003emachetes\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/high-carbon-1095\"\u003e1095 high carbon steel\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-survival\"\u003ebushcraft knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44144668246134,"sku":"VEF-MAC-HC-1202","price":145.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/machete-06-carbon-buffalo-horn_8836c933-9555-4225-afa0-6e8d79608746.jpg?v=1788841983","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/bolo-machete-buffalo-horn","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}