With great whatever comes great something something-SpidermanThis quote sums this tool up. This is the single most dangerous bladed tool for any task that I have ever owned. I've had this now for 3 years and it is now ranked up with my lawn mower, weedeater, hand pruners, loppers, and this thing rounds out my top 5 required lawn tools.There is no other way to maintain Banana plants, or any other soft bodied plants that produces the quality of cut this can achieve. You simply place this on the stem and pull down SOFTLY. DO NOT SWING THIS TOOL UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND IT.That being said... you can EASILY cause life ending injuries to yourself and others if you don't take this thing seriously. Only the thickest bones would stop this thing when swung... this is not a chopping tool. It's a place and pull tool. The curve does the work...That being said... this thing is light years ahead of even a katana (ninja sword) when it comes to passing through soft material when swung. My favorite thing to do every year is chopping down the Banana plants(trees) that have completed their cycle. This thing, when properly maintained can pass through 6in Banana trunks with a light swing. 3in is literally a flick of the wrist. The next closest thing I own is a curved machete and it still does not compete honestly. A full swing with the machete just barely gets through 6in. You can legitimately take an 18ft Banana plants down to ground level in under 5 minutes and waist level in 1 minute. This used to be an all day job.That being said, you MUST IMMEDIATELY clean the blade when cutting Banana. I'm talking wiped and oiled with WD40 between every tree. Don't even set it down without wiping it. I keep a wrag that's only purpose is wiping this knife. Just a Terry cotton wrag. I wipe the Banana juices, spray both sides, loosely wipe if needed and store it oiled. Wd40 is better than 3-1 or really anything else for this exact purpose even though it eventually evaporates. Most plants are very corrosive to carbon steel and sharpening this thing is not feasible for anyone other than the most insane (I've developed a way to do it... there is no safe way to properly sharpen it... please don't try to sharpen this thing. Seriously...)That being said... there are no second chances with this tool whatsoever when it's properly maintained. Wood is remarkably similar to human bone and this thing does oak twigs up to 1/2in easily (don't use this for that... it kills the edge). I have no doubt this would pass through an arm, neck, or lower leg with a good swing and hands/fingers/feet if dropped. If you drop it, immediately get away you absolutely cannot try to catch this.In all reality of all the insane things I own, this gets more respect than even my table saw/skill saws... it's on par with a chainsaw/angle grinder/and firearms. Yes... firearms. Like I said this thing out cuts machetes, ninja swords, meat cleaver (btw meat cleavers are AWESOME in the garden, especially if you want to put a clean edge in clay soil with roots. They also make the neighbors start walking on the other side of the street for some reason)So yeah... 3 year review is that I can't do without it, but I also am extremely uncomfortable telling people to buy one because it's just that dangerous when used improperly. It's also the only blade I own that I've not cut myself with... because I'm that respectful of it. It gets the same respect my chainsaw does if not more. I've never actually swung it harder than maybe 50 effort (6ft 180lb man) and it passed through 7in Banana tree. When pulled with precision, it goes right through even the 10-12in stumps at ground level.Keep it clean and please treat it with respect... it's not so much the sharpness of this tool that is dangerous, it's the curved blade that causes a sheering effect and extremely concentrated cutting force.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]