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Schrade Plans to Bring You a New Breed of Chopper

June 16, 2016

“I don’t overbuild anything,” says Josh Waggoner, martial artist and knife maker. He is talking about his soon-to-be-released design for Schrade called the SCHMBS. It may be strange to think of a 22.5” chopper as agile, but that was the goal for this knife. It is about to become the largest fixed blade in Schrade’s lineup, but with its graceful blade and astonishingly light weight (just about a pound) the SCHMBS flies in the face of accepted chopper design.

Schrade SCHMBS Chopper

Waggoner insists that the industry’s obsession with choppers has led to knives that are too heavy and too imprecise to be practical for long periods of actual use. To arrive at a more nimble design, Waggoner tapped into Nepalese knife culture, where a single fixed blade – often a kukri – is expected to do everything. “It’s their one blade and they use it for everything all day.” This meant that it needed to be able to chop and hack, but also whittle, carve, and slice without fatiguing the user.

But the SCHMBS isn’t purely a kukri. As with his previous designs for Schrade, Waggoner drew on his knowledge of martial arts to shape his knife. “One always influences the other,” says Waggoner. The SCHMBS takes cues from the Pinuti, a traditional Filipino weapon used in the FCS Kali style of martial arts. The SCHMBS is one of few choppers that can lay claim to tactical roots as well.

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In keeping with its inspirations, Waggoner designed the SCHMBS as a readily available and fairly-priced tool. “You want people to have something functional that they can afford,” he says. Although a final price hasn’t been settled on, the 3Cr13MoV steel and TPE handle scales will ensure that the SCHMBS can find its way into as many hands as possible.

Knife featured in image: Schrade SCHMBS

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