Damascus Machete, 17 Inch Blade with Rosewood Handle

Brush grows back every year and somebody has to go cut it. Briar along a fence, saplings in a gap that used to be open. A long blade does that with speed rather than weight. This one is 17 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core, with a rosewood handle. Most people buy it for the pattern and find out it works.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus with a high carbon core, folded and etched so a twist pattern runs the length of the flat. The etch carries through the bevel to the edge, so the pattern does not stop at the grind. The honest part is that the pattern is decoration. The carbon core underneath does the cutting and would do it plain. The profile is straight with a gentle upswept tip, so the weight sits fairly even and the tip stays quick. Carbon steel darkens to a grey patina and spots if left wet.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and takes a polish, which is why it ends up on a blade like this. The tang is full. The steel runs the whole way through, with the scales either side held by three brass pins. There is a lanyard hole at the back and no guard. The handle is 5.5 inches, longer than one hand needs, on purpose. On a heavy swing your second hand drops onto the end of it. The lanyard keeps it with you.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut to this blade's own outline, so the steel sits in it without rattling. It is hand stitched with a welt in the seam, so the edge rides on leather rather than thread. The face is stamped, worked in with a stamp and a mallet. A belt loop on the back, a snap strap over the handle. Put the blade away dry. Leather holds damp against steel.

Who it suits

Most people who buy a Damascus blade this long already own a plain one. This is the one they reach for anyway.

• Owners of a plain machete who want a better one
• Anyone cutting briar and light brush on their land
• Buyers who want a patterned blade they will use
• People buying a gift that has to look like one

What comes in the box

• The Damascus machete
• The stamped leather belt sheath
• A care card
• An engraving card

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged and etched by hand, so the twist lands where it lands. Tight bands through the middle of one, open bands toward the tip of the next. Rosewood moves too, from red brown to nearly black, with the grain running differently through every pair. Yours will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry when you finish and oil the steel before it goes back in the sheath. The etch will go darker over the years, which is the steel behaving normally. Rosewood takes a little oil once a year and no varnish. Sharpen with a file. Leave the edge thick and slightly convex, because a thin one chips on the first hidden stone. More on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name, or a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so read it before you approve. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Order 10 or more and the engraving is free. The engraving page has the rest.

Questions buyers ask

Is the pattern doing anything for the cut? No. The core is high carbon steel and that is what cuts. The pattern is there because people like it.

Will sharpening take the pattern off? No. The layers run through the steel, so the etch still shows after a file.

Where does the weight sit on this shape? Fairly even along the blade instead of piled ahead of your hand, so it stays quick in light growth and the tip lifts clear.

Will it rust? It can. There is carbon steel under the pattern. Dry it and oil it, and never leave it in a damp sheath.

Can I sharpen it with a file? That is the normal way with a blade this long.

How long does delivery take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

If you want a hooked tip that drags a cut pile clear, the Damascus cane machete with the olive wood handle is the same steel doing another job. If the pattern is not the point, the oak handled machete does this work plainly. The long blades sit in machetes, the etched ones in Damascus steel, and every blade we make is in one place.