At maelstrøm,we are very excited to discover a training weapon that replaces the hard-to-find traditional training dha from Thailand. And we want to let everyone in the Krabi Krabong world know.
This is an unpaid and unsolicited promotion of Cold Steel’s new Thai machete.
Born of open-field combat from a period when Thailand (then Siam) was routinely at war with the armies of Myanmar (then Burma), Krabi Krabong is a traditional weapon art still practiced in Thailand. It features many different weapons such as single and double sword, sword and shield, forearm shields, spear, staff, knife, and sabre.
Although it is better known as historical performance to most Thais, there is tremendous combative applicability lurking behind its cultural theatre. Krabi Krabong’s brutal effectiveness and overall intensity are unmatched in the weapon arts. Krabi Krabong is to stickfighting what Muay Thai is to kickboxing: it takes weapons fighting up a notch (or three) in ferocity and technical refinement.
At knife manufacturer Cold Steel, taking inspiration from Thai swords in his personal collection and from his extensive training in the Thai Martial Arts, Lynn Thompson began exploring his own interpretation of a Thai sword in their new Machete format. Cold Steel has been producing a variety of inexpensive stamped steel forms in one- and two-hand sizes.
Lynn has been an active practitioner of Thai Martial Arts since the early 1980s. Studying Thai Boxing with Bill Berg and the late Ernie Franco before exploring Muay Thai and Krabi Krabong in greater depth with his current training partner and instructor of over 13 years, Ron Balicki.
The Thai Machete represents the culmination of over 4 years of development and refinement. Like the Thai swords that inspired it, our Machete is beautifully balanced, with a keen cutting edge and sharp tip. Though most commonly seen used in pairs when practicing traditional Thai fighting arts, these long curved blades are amazingly versatile. Light enough to swing one handed, but with a long enough handle to employ a two handed grip for extra leverage and cutting power.
The Thai Machetes wide blade and curved cutting edge make it an excellent brush cutter. Slicing grass, vines and light foliage with ease. Its fully sharpened blade is made from the same tough 1055 Carbon Steel as the other classic blades in our incredibly popular Machete line up. Its tough, traditional looking polypropylene handle has a flattened oval grip that won’t twist of turn in your hand, while its steel reinforced guard offers surprisingly good hand protection.
THAI MACHETE
Specifications:
Weight: 29.4 oz
Blade Thickness: 2.8 mm
Blade Length: 22″
Handle: 14 1/2″ Long Polypropylene
Overall: 36 1/2″
Steel: 1055 Carbon Steel w/Black Baked-On Anti Matte Finish
Sheath: Cor-Ex™ Sheath
(Re-produced under fair-use and with credit)