The Rough, Rugged, and Covered in Mud Wishlist!

If you want a tool for the wild, you need to know about the cutlass. I grew up in a jungle and there was simply no more important or versatile tool than a cutlass. The one pictured at the top of this image with my initials carved in the handle has been used for an incredible number of tasks and it has been sharpened so much, most of the blade is gone, but it still has many uses. Below the cutlass is a machete which shows a bit of blade has been sharpened off - for a size comparison. Both are over 50 years old. The amount of sharpening damage shows their relative importance - there is no contest - the cutlass is a far superior tool. I wouldn't call myself an expert in cutlass use because I have seen real experts do absolutely amazing things with a cutlass.

Unfortunately my cutlass no longer looks or performs like a cutlass but below is a picture showing what the cutlass should look like (much longer than a machete) and proving that I am not the only one who thinks they are great. Going into what we called the bush (what others call the jungle) is a serious business and if you are going into the bush, your first and only choice of tools is a cutlass. If you are going for a long time, your second tool would be a file to sharpen your cutlass. That is it, no other tools are needed. This picture lists only a tiny fraction of the uses for a cutlass.

It isn't easy describing my passion for this tool. I am a bit of a tool-a-holic and I've done engineering work in some pretty rough places, but I have never come across anything that compares to the utility of a cutlass in the jungle.

I'm surprised that 'shave beard' isn't on that list of uses 

nobody shaves if he thinks he can get away with it?

nobody shaves if he thinks he can get away with it?