I picked up a Waki when they first came out..fondled it, stared at it adoringly and chopped a few branches. But then it sat there...a very cool, but $400.00 + show piece. When I needed to chop something I always ended up grabbing my DFCG or BWBM so I ended up selling the Waki to fund something else. If the Scrapizashi is sub $200.00....I'll pick one up.
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I have an AK. Until recently, (I traded my BR, and sent my Ratchet, NMSFNO, KZ, ASH-1 and S5LE to Nate for sharpening) I had only used my AK a few times. Mainly for opening mail and ... just kidding, mainly chopped a few branches and such.
Well I just got a NMFBM and took it out for a test, the only other chopper I had for comparing was the AK. What I found out was that the AK really works for many types of purposes. Splitting wood is especially easy with the AK. There is so much to pound on that batons really well. Also, after a while, using it one handed is not too bad when you find the right balance.
I think that the "swords" seem hard to use at first because we are so used to the technique of using bowie type blades. The light weight, thin blade and longer length of an AK type blade can seem to hinder chopping ability, but those attributes can be manipulated make it a capable chopper.
But, the NMFBM is still amazing.
