Hey Leon, I use a grasscutter machine in Malaysia and have always wondered if the scythe works on tropical vegetation. I have cogon and guinea grasses here too, the latter being much harder to cut. Thanks for your sharing. Would you recommemd the 70cm scythe from one scythe revolution?
I have wild guava trees here too and might be able to use them too!
If you were only to get one blade I would get the 50cm Fux light bush blade - it’s what you’ll need for the Guinea and is also a great beginner blade, harder to damage (though still be gentle, I’ve broken the snath several times on my Guinea). You’ll just need one honing stone for it and it doesn’t need peening. It’s also great for use on the finer grasses like cogon, but just not as efficient as it’s only 50cm (doesn’t cut as much in a swing as a longer blade)
I’ve found through the regular scything that my cogon grasses have reduced a lot and been replaced by a more diverse mix of herbs and weeds, often being better eating for the cow.
If you have a lot of cogon and you feel it would be better to have another blade to deal with it faster, the 70cm Falcon 126 is awesome, a steep learning curve (as like me, I doubt you will have anyone to teach you in person 😔) but it does require more care. You’ll need two honing stones for it, and you’ll need a peening setup, either a hammer and anvil or a jig. You’ll also need to start making it a habit of clearing stones and rocks and stumps so that it’s not your blade that finds them!
This post was actually from early 2022 and I now exclusively use the 50cm bush blade. This is because I don’t scythe as much (keeping habitat for insects/birds/etc) and because I’m too lazy to switch blades. The bush blade is great for everything because when you’re only doing small amounts you don’t worry so much about efficiency.
Hope that helps, feel free to ask clarification if you need
Hi Leon, thanks for the suggestion. I have contacted 1SR and will probably go with the Fux bush blade. I still dont understand why we dont see the scythe with snath in Asia. Maybe they dont make hay, or rice is harvested with a hand sickle.
Interesting to know about the plants succeeding cogon. My land is degraded and i only get cogon where the soil is better, or they colonize an area after the soil gets better. The soil in Malaysia is not volcanic like the Phillippines too, much more weathered and poorer.
You may have to be careful in shipping the blade, as some companies won’t ship knives and blades, however we rely on consolidated shipping in the Philippines, I assume you’ll just get 1sr to ship straight to you? So maybe not something you have to worry about...
Here in the Philippines they do have sickle-like blades on long handles (maybe 40cm?), but often what they do is have a hooked stick in one hand to lift/bunch grasses together while cutting with a bolo/machete in the other. Also, Asian farmers often have fantastic posture, they bend from the hips, and can do this for long periods. Hopefully this doesn’t sound racist! I have a lazy posture, maybe made poor from decades sitting at chairs in classrooms and offices, I need to constantly remind myself to use my hips while bending. But the scythe does away with worrying about that! I’d very much struggle to cut much grass in the bent posture.
Hey Leon, I use a grasscutter machine in Malaysia and have always wondered if the scythe works on tropical vegetation. I have cogon and guinea grasses here too, the latter being much harder to cut. Thanks for your sharing. Would you recommemd the 70cm scythe from one scythe revolution?
I have wild guava trees here too and might be able to use them too!
Hi Thomas,
If you were only to get one blade I would get the 50cm Fux light bush blade - it’s what you’ll need for the Guinea and is also a great beginner blade, harder to damage (though still be gentle, I’ve broken the snath several times on my Guinea). You’ll just need one honing stone for it and it doesn’t need peening. It’s also great for use on the finer grasses like cogon, but just not as efficient as it’s only 50cm (doesn’t cut as much in a swing as a longer blade)
I’ve found through the regular scything that my cogon grasses have reduced a lot and been replaced by a more diverse mix of herbs and weeds, often being better eating for the cow.
If you have a lot of cogon and you feel it would be better to have another blade to deal with it faster, the 70cm Falcon 126 is awesome, a steep learning curve (as like me, I doubt you will have anyone to teach you in person 😔) but it does require more care. You’ll need two honing stones for it, and you’ll need a peening setup, either a hammer and anvil or a jig. You’ll also need to start making it a habit of clearing stones and rocks and stumps so that it’s not your blade that finds them!
This post was actually from early 2022 and I now exclusively use the 50cm bush blade. This is because I don’t scythe as much (keeping habitat for insects/birds/etc) and because I’m too lazy to switch blades. The bush blade is great for everything because when you’re only doing small amounts you don’t worry so much about efficiency.
Hope that helps, feel free to ask clarification if you need
Cheers
Leon
Hi Leon, thanks for the suggestion. I have contacted 1SR and will probably go with the Fux bush blade. I still dont understand why we dont see the scythe with snath in Asia. Maybe they dont make hay, or rice is harvested with a hand sickle.
Interesting to know about the plants succeeding cogon. My land is degraded and i only get cogon where the soil is better, or they colonize an area after the soil gets better. The soil in Malaysia is not volcanic like the Phillippines too, much more weathered and poorer.
Hey Thomas!
You may have to be careful in shipping the blade, as some companies won’t ship knives and blades, however we rely on consolidated shipping in the Philippines, I assume you’ll just get 1sr to ship straight to you? So maybe not something you have to worry about...
Here in the Philippines they do have sickle-like blades on long handles (maybe 40cm?), but often what they do is have a hooked stick in one hand to lift/bunch grasses together while cutting with a bolo/machete in the other. Also, Asian farmers often have fantastic posture, they bend from the hips, and can do this for long periods. Hopefully this doesn’t sound racist! I have a lazy posture, maybe made poor from decades sitting at chairs in classrooms and offices, I need to constantly remind myself to use my hips while bending. But the scythe does away with worrying about that! I’d very much struggle to cut much grass in the bent posture.