Gerber has a new, at least to me, machete. I don't know if it is worth the powder to blow it to hell or not...

That thing will cut you coming or going.

Apparently it is a brand new item according to Gerber,

http://www.gerbergear.com/product.php?model=41576

So there doesn't appear to be any on-line reviews about it yet. Will The Exalted Grand Pooh-Bah be purchasing one and writing a review for all of the rest of us poor forum members?

"...Will The Exalted Grand Pooh-Bah be purchasing one..."

I don't know about him, whoever he may be, but I am happy with my old Panama 12" blade...

That thing looks interesting, and for the price might be something I buy to review! I'm so backed up right now getting reviews online

Performance will depend on blade thickness. And given the sawback feature this will probably be greater than a Tramontina. This translates into a very rigid blade that transmits a good deal of vibration to the user's hand ( think recoil fatique.)I discovered this drawback using an Ontario sawback machete and a german linder.I was curious about the 'lanyard hole' near the blade tip. Then I remembered Peter of Fallkniven revealing the tiny choil on his blades I found so usefull as wire cutter was an artifact of the manufacturing process to secure the blanks during manufacturing. With 15" of cut sawteeth I imagine this is what that hole is.Theoreticaly, It could be used to secure the blade with a nail to use as a mass slicer of materials to fabricate a shelter ( think of a tabletop paper cutter.)Sheaths with machetes are superfluous wastes of energy and material. If you need a machete it will almost constantly be in your hand or simply secured for ease of access on a rucksack.

Hmm, a sawback on a machete seems fairly useless on it's own, but if you look closely at the grip, it looks like it might have a joint at the blade end. If that handle will swing up 90 degrees, then it would be a whole lot more ergonomic to use it as a saw on any kind of volume. I would be a bit concerned about that exposed edge, though.

It is about the right size for my preference. If it isn't too thin it might not be too bad.

A sheath is a waste on the trail, but I like to keep all my blades stowed in something to protect their edge and my klutzy wife's fingers when she is rummaging around in my stuff for a tool. Yeah, you'd have to see it to understand. A cheap nylon scabbard is probably better storage than casing the thing.