The revolutionary TrailBlade machete merges centuries-old Palawan shape & design with equally revolutionary 3V steel and a canvas Micarta handle to bring you the ultimate outdoor and survival tool.

We are brothers who grew up on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. Our goal in developing the TrailBlade was to create a machete that is a perfect fusion of old and new, without sacrificing anything on quality or performance. The results speak for themselves.

• CPM 3V Steel for superb edge retention and toughness
• Canvas Micarta Handle
• Genuine Palawan, Philippines shape and design
• Perfectly balanced blade means no painful shock to the hand or wrist with chopping
• Completely straight cutting edge
• Strong encapsulated tang with removable handle.
• Blade measures 14.8″ long and is 2.2″ wide at its widest point.
• Machete total length is 20.4″ and weighs in at only 21 ounces.
• Light-weight Kydex and ballistic nylon sheath weighing only 3.3 ounces.

3V vs Other Steels

We chose 3V steel because we wanted a super-strong blade with a long-lasting edge that wasn’t too hard to sharpen. 3V fit the bill and outperforms other popular stainless steels.

 

*Relative performance calculated from Crucible Industries’ 3V data sheet.

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Straight Cutting Edge

The straight cutting edge:

• Extends cutting action to the end of the blade, where the highest cutting velocity is found. Perfect for brush and tall grass.
• Gets around close objects, to cut where other machetes can’t reach.
• Excellent as a drawknife: peel the bark off a tree, or shave a log.
• Straight-edge reference.

Dynamic Convex Grind

Although more difficult to manufacture, a dynamic convex grind gives an advantage over other grinds:

• The TrailBlade’s convex grind keeps contact with the cut close to the cutting edge of the blade. Any machete can get stuck, but the TrailBlade gets stuck less, and is easier to remove if it does.

• The TrailBlade’s grind is dynamic, adjusting along the length of the blade to fine-tune performance. Near the handle, where less leverage is available for getting the blade unstuck, the grind is aggressively more convex, helping to prevent sticking. Toward the end, where leverage is greater, the emphasis on convex is reduced to optimise chopping performance. This is a distinctly Palawan feature.

 Complex Weighting

The TrailBlade duplicates the complex weighting of the original Palawan design. This gives it a superb weight-to-performance ratio, allowing it to pack a massive punch while weighing in lighter than other similarly-sized machete designs.

“I love this machete, it chops like an axe!” ~ Ross Mason

• Thicker near the handle for added strength and thinner at the end of the blade for more punch, optimizing the weight for chopping.
• Narrow at the handle and gently curving up to the widest part of the blade at the ideal chopping point.

 Handle Shape

“This is how it’s supposed to be; it’s perfectly balanced.” ~ Knife maker and enthusiast at Smokey Mountain Knife Center.

• Curved handle lets the hand to slide back as the blade completes a stroke, reducing fatigue and maximizing performance. The TrailBlade is at home in your hand all day!
• Smooth Micarta mimics the mango root wood used in Palawan-made machetes, reducing friction on the hand while remaining easy to grip solidly, both wet and dry.
• Prominent angles at the back of the handle provide a strong tactile indicator of the handle position in hand.
• Unique end design reflects Palawan styling and serves to reduce weight.

Curved End for Digging

You can dig with the TrailBlade! Because the curve at the end is not sharp, the sharp edge can be oriented away to avoid dulling it.

Straight Tip

• The TrailBlade tip works effectively as a short pickaroon; you can quickly pick up pieces of wood without bending over to grab them.
• Using the pickaroon feature, the TrailBlade can be stashed in the side of a tree, allowing you to go from hand-on-the-machete, to hands-free very efficiently.

The Palawan people use their machetes for every aspect of their daily life. The TrailBlade is perfect for

• clearing fields,
• cutting trails,
• carving tools,
• making baskets,
• building houses,
• digging edible roots,
• harvesting coconuts and other jungle bounty, and
• managing cooking fires.

Here in the US, in addition to the original uses, we’ve found many new uses and look forward to discovering many more. We think the TrailBlade is perfect for

• bushwhacking,
• building a shelters,
• collecting firewood,
• making kindling,
• digging holes for waste,
• cleaning fencerows,
• pruning trees and trimming bushes,
• impressing your friends,
• and more!

We’re looking forward to hearing how you use yours!

“I use my old tukew [Palawan machete] for butchering deer. It’s perfect for that. That’s what I’d use the TrailBlade for.” ~Ron Williams