Hi Dogs. Decided to test out the Waki on the wicked mesquite.

The mesquite has been sitting in the sun and has gotten hit by the sprinklers twice a day.
I don't know what that does to it but chopping the mesquite felt like I was chopping iron.
Good news is the mesquite didn't stand a chance anyway.
I have wanted a true test of SR101 and I knew this would be it after the first blow.
The blade has the factory edge which is suitable for chopping but not at it's best.
I state this because I know changing it will make it a better chopper but it will also be a little more prone to chips and dents.

Here is the mesquite resting on the two halves of another piece a "certain knife" and a baton beat through:



Here is the status of the mesquite after approximately 2 minutes.
I am not the beefiest of dudes but I was well rested and ready and it was still a challenge to chop.
I believe it was a combination of the lightweight blade and density of the wood.
I was able to find the sweet spot and that barely sped things up.



I'm sure by now you are wondering about the handle wrap.
Well, I like paracord wraps and I had read that when chopping with the Waki there is an issue with vibration.
I am a big fan of Res-C and if there is a version of a SYKCO sword that gets produced it most likely WILL replace the Waki.
Until then, the paracord does just fine. Quick and easy to readjust afterwards, which is inevitable after chopping like this.
I only had a couple of strikes with vibration and the 550 absorbed quite a bit.
Here we are at approximately 4 minutes of chopping:



By this point I adjusted the wood to save time.
I have checked the edge after every 2 miutes of pause and was pleasantly surprised.
No damage. None.
It's not that I don't trust what others have said but I have seen what hard chopping can do to a blade.
SR101 is amazing. Oh yeah, the blade has great flex but always goes back to true.

Here we are at 6 minutes and finally the breakthrough:





Here is an interesting pic showing the chips that came off. These are the largest chips.
I was swinging with some good solid chops and this was all that came off!?!
If anything it makes the fire starting a bit easier.



Here is the edge retention afterwards, simply amazing:



The fuzz you see is mesquite. I found no dents, rolls, or chips.
I can't say the same for any other blades except for my DDF and SOD.
The MUK had the tiniest of chips after chopping, but was easily fixed.





So, that's it folks. Nothing professional here, just a regular joe shmo playing with a Waki and finding it to be a spectacular blade.
I can only imagine what Res-C would add to the mix.

Thanks for checking it out!