Dragon King A.P.O.C. Cutlass SD35500, Black

First off I wanna say how nimble yet solid this little sword is. It flows nice and grips nice and comfortably. The edge comes decent however it will soon be very very sharp. I’ve only tested it on the box it arrived in and some lumber I found laying around. The box nearly went in two and large chunks of wood came flying off the lumber. After checking the edge it showed zero signs of chipping or rolling. The finish that comes on the sword is nothing more than a way to hide grind and file marks but undoubtedly provides moisture protection. The scabbard I received does not rattle when lightly shook but I haven’t tried carrying it around and mostly likely never will. The kydex throat on the scabbard retains the blade ok but I will need to try and use a heat gun to correct it or the blade will likely fall out is carried. These all seem to retail at around $120 so at a hundred bucks I believe this to be a real bargain. The steel is good and flexes hard and springs back true every time. If you know what you’re getting and don’t mind putting in some finishing work or possibly making a new scabbard, I doubt you will be disappointed. Great blade, great handle, so so scabbard, but a great value.

I took several years to buy this one, trying a bunch of other tactical swords first. That was my mistake. This is by far my favorite tactical sword out of all the Honshu, APOC, Cold Steel machetes, or Condor machetes and swords. Closest second was the Condor Yoshimi, and this is by far a superior sword despite the Yoshimi having a nicer looking color scheme on the micarta and scabbard. Why? The thick forte, broad fuller, and diamond cross section at the foible make it easy to accelerate and very hard hitting. You get a very audible tachi kaze, or wind whistling sound, out of cuts. It is very easy to use good edge alignment. The grip is solid, controllable, and has just enough space for a good two handed cut, but it is short enough that it feels primarily like a single handed sword and the extra length stays out of the way. The grip IS a bit abrasive, and it feels like the sword will blister your hand if used too much. I recommend gloves for extensive practice or use as a machete. And you can use it as a machete. It is a little on the heavy side compared to a typical 18 inch latin machete, but you can use its own weight to do most of the work on downward cuts. It will accelerate fast enough to clip through light brush and is hefty enough to chop up branches. I have owned two other Apoc swords from CAS IBERIA, and both were plenty durable for chopping anything organic. The edge was serviceable, better than most machetes and not as good as I really want on a sword. Expect to touch it up yourself. It would cut water bottles okay as is, but not super cleanly. For tatami, you would want to sharpen it first. The false edge comes edgeless but is thin enough to put your own edge on. The scabbard on this one fit perfectly and is a huge improvement over the typical nylon you'd get with machetes or some tactical swords. Straight pull, friction retention, able to be lashed to MOLLE webbing. This sword is comparable in size to eskrima sticks and makes a good sword to transition to from training with sticks, so if you practice FMA you should strongly consider this one. I'm already thinking about buying a second one so I can use them in doble baston or krabi krabong style. The larger swords in the Apoc line are super cool and could kill zombies, but this is kind of the biggest one you can tote around and use as a machete sword hybrid without it being excessively cumbersome. Highly recommended.

I am very Autistic and obssess heavily over swords. Ive viewed every sword of quality available on Amazon with a Kydex Sheath, and this Dragon King Cutlass is by far the best bang for your buck in terms of quality in make and materials. You are paying for the cost of the steel, and it is truly durable. You will need to hone the edge for a true cutting edge, but you should know how to do that if this is your survival sword. It will easily chop as a machete, the sheath is superb compared to any other option save for maybe a couple brands, which are significantly more costly for someone on a normal SHTF budget. The handle will need a wrap to be considered comfortable, but it is well made, austere, and practical. You want a blade that can be easily cleaned, with components that you can remove and resecure for maintenance. In terms of combat, you'll rarely ever need a sword in SHTF, unless it is QCB, and in that case, you don't want a longer blade. The Cutlass will easily allow you more reach than even the largest combat blade most would carry, whilst not being so long as to obstruct your strike in a hallway or smaller space. Hands down, the Cutlass is the best option for a blade around $150-$200, apart from a flash sale, and you should question a supplier trying to quickly offload product anyway. I got mine when it was around $140, but I'd pay the $167 it is now to have it again if mine were to be lost or broken. If you desire a cheaper blade with similar design and equivilant durability, size, or materials, you wont find it on Amazon, not with a blade-specific kydex/fiberglass sheath. In SHTF, the sheath, or scabbard (see other comments) is a make it or break it if you can't fabricate your own, like me. Can't run if you'll slice open the sheath, and your leg. Can't clean off or drain leather scabbards like kydex, and those cheap black nylon sheaths, well, my fingers have stories to tell on the dangers of trusting those! Hope this info helps, I know its over the top, but I figure at least one other person is looking for their main SHTF side-blade, and I recommend this one all the way! APOC, if you would make all your blades equal in quality to the Dragon King, I'd buy every, single, one. Til then, I love my Cutlass, and the Katana is awesome too, just alot more steel to manage!

As a proud and lucky owner of the original and complete set (katana, wakizashi, and tanto) of hanwei's tactical series, I found it difficult to keep putting them to work. Being that they have been discontinued, I wouldn't want to muck them up. So for the last 2 years, I have been searching for a suitable alternative of comparable durability, pricepoint, and performance. Enter the apoc series of swords! And being under the same brand umbrella made it easier for me to pull the trigger on the cutlass. I specifically chose the cutlass because of its similar dimensions to the tactical wakizashi. Though the tac wak feels much more agile with a two handed grip, the cutlass can easily hold its own with cutting down branches and saplings in my backyard (yes, I use them for yard work as well as play). The cutlass' 9260 steel came straight and true from the factory and has kept itself in line after hacking and chopping various sizes of branches and logs. The apoc cutlass even has a leg up on durability because it is basically one piece, unlike the tactical series having a habaki and tsuba. I'm sure it's durability is more than enough to take apart the reanimated dead. And for those wondering, the cutlass' edge came sharp. Not shaving sharp, but that's not the type of edge you want for this type of tool. Also, be aware of its black coating thinning away, especially near its chopping "sweet spot". Its scabbard is decent as it covers the blade. Retention is there because of the scabbard/ grip detents, but I can't safely say "inverted maneuvers" are possible. I'll see what my heat gun can do about that later. In conclusion, a better piece to 10xx carbon steel as its spring steel can handle more abuse. Cool (tacticool) looks and good edge geometry. No handle hot spots. Durable. $135 at time of review. Friggin sweet. I'm coming back for the Apoc Katana.

I feel like the price is a little high, but I love this sword. The power of a machete and the balance of a saber. Its chunky but suprisingly light and wield able. It's straight and strong. Nice handle just barely big enough for a two handed grip if you wanted to do so.

I’m far from an expert i swords and anyone who is would not be buying from here. I think it could be a little cheaper. It is heavy and will give a smack to anything you use it on. I bought it for an extra back up to my back ups back up. Not super sharp and highly doubt it could hold an edge very long but if you are looking for something that will club something and leave a nice slice this will get the job done.

This sword is perfect. The balance is good, the edge is sharp. It has a full tang and is rated "Zombie Apocalypse Ready" by Sword Buyer's Guide. And I concur it is. Thick bladed, very well made. I highly reccomend this for those scared off by the prices of "Functional battle ready swords" that are priced much higher and are rated "Role Playing" or "Display only". Bring on the zombies!

The blade itself is very good (for this price excellent! Compared to Cold Steel machetes it is much better balanced and from a much better steel). Unfortunately, mine arrived very dull. It cannot even cut paper (and I do not mean newspaper but the normal paper used for printing).