{"product_id":"damascus-machete-rosewood","title":"Damascus Machete, 17 Inch Blade with Rosewood Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrush 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e17 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e22.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDamascus, high carbon core\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEtched twist pattern, bevel etched to the edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStraight blade with a gentle upswept tip\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\u003eRosewood, 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\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRosewood 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost people who buy a Damascus blade this long already own a plain one. This is the one they reach for anyway.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOwners of a plain machete who want a better one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone cutting briar and light brush on their land\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want a patterned blade they will use\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople buying a gift that has to look like one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus machete\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather belt sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn engraving card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe 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 \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, 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 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the pattern doing anything for the cut?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The core is high carbon steel and that is what cuts. The pattern is there because people like it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill sharpening take the pattern off?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The layers run through the steel, so the etch still shows after a file.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere does the weight sit on this shape?\u003c\/strong\u003e Fairly even along the blade instead of piled ahead of your hand, so it stays quick in light growth and the tip lifts clear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. There is carbon steel under the pattern. Dry it and oil it, and never leave it in a damp sheath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I sharpen it with a file?\u003c\/strong\u003e That is the normal way with a blade this long.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does delivery take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want a hooked tip that drags a cut pile clear, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-cane-machete-olive-wood\"\u003eDamascus cane machete with the olive wood handle\u003c\/a\u003e is the same steel doing another job. If the pattern is not the point, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-machete-oak-handle\"\u003eoak handled machete\u003c\/a\u003e does this work plainly. The long blades sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/machetes\"\u003emachetes\u003c\/a\u003e, the etched ones in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-steel\"\u003eDamascus steel\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-knives\"\u003eevery blade we make\u003c\/a\u003e is in one place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44144681615478,"sku":"VEF-MAC-DAM-1203","price":209.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/machete-07-damascus-rosewood_8c2d9a03-c538-41d5-a026-46239a96428c.jpg?v=1788842047","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-machete-rosewood","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}