Shorter than the APOC tactical katana, this no-frills tactical cutlass is optimized for utility with a shearing saber-like blade that is the ideal length for combat in dense foliage and confined quarters. It is short enough to ensure it is not cumbersome, yet retains more than enough length to give you a the edge over an adversary.
Designed by Angus Trim, the blade is eminently suitable for performance cutting and chopping. The 9260 high carbon steel has a spring temper and is finished with a Black Oxide coating for stealth and rust resistance. A deep blade fuller reduces unnecessary weight and a thick spine powers it through the strike; a tapered and unsharpened false edge gives it a thinned blade profile at its main striking portion to ensure it passes through the target with minimum drag.
The blade grip is built for maximum durability with robust black G-10 fiberglass laminate scales which are triple-anchored into substantially thick blade tang. The grip slabs, rivets and tang are all ground smooth for an overall flush grip designed to prevent lesions and blistering from extended use and a double-hook design at the base of the blade serves to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade. A pre-drilled hole to accommodate a lanyard completes this sword for extended, practical usage.
The sheath is constructed from hard, black fiberglass with a textured finish and it is mounted onto a MOLLE compatible kydex platform which allows for a great degree of carry and wear positions on both yourself, your gear or your vehicles. For belt or sling carry setups the platform has four slots 1 3/8″ long and 1/8″ wide. A pair of domed protrusions molded onto the sheath serve to grip and lock onto the sword when it is sheathed.
Brad –
First sword First and foremost, I have no experience in anything related to swords except for RPG experiences.
I’ve been wanting a sword for awhile now and decided to go with this “Tactical Cutlass” after noticing its mark down in price. Owned it for only a few weeks now. To me it seems like a very light sword. My girlfriend says its a bit heavy to her. Came slightly sharp but not razor sharp. Also important to note that holding this sword with no gloves leaves your hands black. Would still recommend to friends/family. Thinking about buying the katana as well.
choromanski117 –
Pretty fantastic. As someone trained in saber, it is a great length for close quarters defense, but well balanced and strong enough to be effective. Not fun to use without a glove, as it will turn your hands a bit black and give you sores after a while, but….that’s much better compared to the other guy.
But seriously, it does not feel like your dad’s wall-mounted sword. It feels SO sturdy. Like something actually truly designed for combat.
Of course, if you are going to fence against another sword user on your tactical Deadpoolesque mission, I wouldn’t recommend using it for anything except offense. Should be obvious, but there is no real guard. So you better hope they just don’t attack your hands.
Michael –
It’s considerably beefier than I was expecting and should definitely last a lifetime. I have a ceremonial masonic sword with a very light, flexible, and fast 28″ blade. The APOC Cutlass is a tank in comparison and balances farther forward. Mine came in slightly overweight at 2lbs 1oz without the scabbard. It’s fun to practice with but I think a distal taper would provide a significant improvement in handling. It’s nice to be able to get two hands on it. The finish on mine is a little splotchy but that arguably adds to the overall apocalyptic appearance. Mine came mineral oiled up with a not terribly sharp edge ground on it. It smashed/cut thru some dry sticks and dead branches in the yard like a beast with no perceptible change to the edge. I think I need to try my hand at sharpening before doing battle with water bottles. It’s a very robust little sword, the zombies definitely don’t stand a chance. If you want to see the blade in action, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Qqb2J_7rw for a curious and bizarre in places slavic language review in which I can only make out two words: machete and katana.
Michael –
I want to update/edit my previous review but don’t see a way to do that, so I’ll add a new comment. What I like most are the type of steel and the blade design, the slightly upswept profile and fullered cross section with the false edge near the tip is the real deal. What I like least are the lack of contours on the grips. Although I do like the messer style scales and the G10 material used, it could use some finger grooves to provide a more comfortable solid grip and prevent it from sliding forward when using it single handed. As is, you need a real death grip to hold it in place and bare handed it can rough up the hand. I’ve been thinking about trying to touch it up with a dremel and grinding stone attachments.
Robert Lankford –
Sadly I didn’t get mine from here, I wish I would have though. It’s an amazing sword. Light in the hands with great balance. Handle is nice with the option to get you other hand on it if you must. I didn’t have any problems with it being rough on my hand or slipping but I can see where some may have issues. I would suggest carefully sanding on the straight ridges of the handle to round it off a bit more, that should solve your issue. As far as slippage the hole in the handle is there so you can attach a small piece of rope and loop it around your wrist. I found the blade to be amazing for offence or defense but my training is a bit different from the norm. Overall I found it to be a truly amazing sword that is definitely worth getting.
James (verified owner) –
Just got it in today. It feels substantial in the hand. Heavy enough to have an authoritative chop but balanced well enough to have easy tip control. The blade length is accurate at 21 & 3/4″. It is a good size for it’s design. The scabbard feels solid and is of good construction. I was a little concerned that the plastic would feel light or flimsy but it feels very similar to other scabbards I have. I haven’t done any cutting with it (other than a paper test) but the edge seems to be sharp enough for the practice cutting I plan to use it for. The handle is a little big around for my tastes and it would be more comfortable if the edges were rounded off a bit more. But I had read about this in other reviews so this wasn’t much of a surprise. My only complaint is that there is a slight twist in the blade. It isn’t huge but it was enough to be noticeable within a few moments of handling the sword. All and all for the price point, this is a good buy for a causal sword enthusiast.
Dave Petrie (verified owner) –
I went ahead and gave this 5 stars, even though I had to put a little work into it. I had expected this, given the price point and what other reviewers had to say.
The handle was a little blocky with some sharpish corners. the edges of the guard next to my hand were a little sharp for my tastes. A few minutes with my Worksharp solved both issues.
The sheath seems a little flimsy, so I added a paracord wrap to add another layer of protection.
Mine came pretty sharp (I paid up for the sharpening service). I could probably improve it a little, but will wait until I have practiced with it a little. It’s only been one day, but I have been doing a few of my two sword Kung Fu forms with it and my Hanwei Banshee. These two match up nicely. The Banshee feels lighter and more lively in the hand, but not by much. The APOC cutlass is probably a little heavy for the forms I am doing, but, hey, I can use the exercise.
I would not hesitate to put this sword to use as a weapon or a tool. It’s easy to wield, easy to carry and fun to customize. I actually see the factory handle as a plus. It forces you to make it yours. There’s enough material there to do a lot of shaping, should you wish.
Bob Trapp (verified owner) –
The sword was definitely what was advertised. It is sturdy and utilitarian.
The balance feels more forward than other cutlasses I’ve used. It’s also taking me some getting used to the longer hilt.
The only thing I would worry about is the lack of hand guard. With a cutlass, the guard is used for punching, so its absence is noticeable.
Overall, it’s good sword.
pmarshall303 (verified owner) –
Very tough and rugged. I’m customizing it a little. Started polishing the blade, planing on bluing it. I could do a camo pattern with gun blue, berchwood casey brown and the silver of the blade… Haha. Maybe on another sword.
To bad we can’t post pics.