The world of knives may seem a benign place to the uninitiated. But to hard-core blade carriers, it is a universe of its own. The blade culture around the world is much larger than the gun culture simply because of accessibility and ease of use. Blades have played a part in civilizations for thousands of years before the Chinese began tinkering with gunpowder. A good blade is worth its weight in gold to many, and it is not just randomly chosen. One company that thrives in this area is Tops Knives. Today, though, we are looking at something special from them—the Tops Cuma Kage Short Sword.
The CUMA Kage is one of Tops newest blades and, in fact, a short sword. It may just be labeled as a machete to the casual viewer, but that is far from the truth. The CUMA Kage is indeed a fighting short sword designed for close-quarter combat. While it can also be used for brush and other items, it screamed “Fighting Sword” to me.
Tops Cuma Kage Sword
The story of this blade is interesting. The CUMA KAGE means “Shadow” in Japanese and is drawn from one of the designer’s lifelong passions, GI JOE: the Arashikage.
SIJO Waysun Johnny Tsai, a lifelong martial artist, wanted to create something he had sought since childhood: a functional Snake Eyes Sword. Wanting to show influence but not wanting to make an identical sword to the comics, he drew the sword to his favorite Escrima stick length of 24″, which he found suitable for close-range combat. Following some design changes and modifications, the CUMA Kage was born.
This sword caught my eye because of its incredibly versatile application footprint. It is an exceptional close-quarter fighting tool that can quickly relieve an attacker of their limbs. Forgive the bluntness of the description, but items like this represent the heart of combat, which is rarely decorated with flowers and flowing verbiage. Several things stood out for me as a lifelong student of the sword.
A Razor Sharp Blade
The first is that the blade is sharp. It is not the traditional “be careful, it has a good edge” kind of sharp, but rather a “make a mistake, and you will lose a finger” level of sharpness. I will say that this is the sharpest blade I have ever worked with outside of traditional Japanese katana and wakizashi. The steel is run up to a Rockwell hardness of between 56 and 58, which is sufficiently hard enough to retain the edge but not so hard that it would be impossible to sharpen.
Tops has done a great job getting a nice edge across the cutting surface. Even after extensive testing, the Tops Cuma Kage Short Sword still slipped through the paper like a laser beam. The design is a bit of a combination of Asian and European flavors, with the entire sword being just under 24 inches. It comes with a well-made Kydex sheath featuring a belt attachment.
Short and Easy to Handle
I did many draws with the sword out of the sheath, and Kydex dust started showing up on the blade. The moral of that story is that a sharp sword cuts everything, including the sheath. I would recommend an inspection of the sheath from time to time if it gets heavy use. The handle is made from a textured micarta and fits the sword well. It provided a sufficient grip surface during my testing and use. The Tops Cuma Kage Short Sword comes in at 35.5 ounces, putting it in the light-heavyweight division. However, it is still effortless to wield and use, and the weight helps with cutting.
I believe a side note is in order. Using any blade as a tool of self-defense requires training. This is even more important when we start talking about actually using a short sword. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, the CUMA Kage can be a devastating weapon capable of neutralizing several adversaries in short order. In untrained hands, you are going to end up losing a finger or burying the blade in your leg. With that being said, I encourage you to get training.
Fighting bad guys is the coolest application of the sword, but I see it as a fantastic general brush and utility blade. Many people talk about what blades they are going to put in their bug-out kits, and I would definitely include the Tops Cuma Kage Short Sword. It would serve you well in a disaster setting as a blade capable of cutting through just about anything reasonable. With a little extra effort, it would even cut through unreasonable things.
Tops Cuma Kage Sword Tested
I tested the blade in two categories. First, its ability to cut through dense material, and second, through light and thin materials. For the heavy cuts, I performed tamishigiri. This testing utilizes a cutting target called tatami omote, which is the mat that covers the top surface of the tatami. Rolled up and soaked in water, with a length of green bamboo inserted in the center to simulate bone, this is believed to be the target most closely approximating flesh.
The targets are often set vertically, though sometimes horizontally, and there are a wide range of cuts. These include diagonally left and right, up and down, and many combinations of cuts in quick succession. I cut several tatami with the Tops Cuma Kage Short Sword using just one hand, and it never blinked. The cuts were clean and fast. The second cutting test was focused on gallon jugs of water. While not offering much resistance, the thin nature of the material has often proven problematic for less-than-sharp blades.
It Will Cut
Once again, the sword slipped through them like a hot knife through butter. I cut three jugs at once and am confident I could have gone to five if I had them available. After I was done cutting, I grabbed a piece of paper and tested the sharpness once again. Even after all this abuse, the Tops Cuma Kage Short Sword slipped easily through the paper.
All in all, I was very impressed with the CUMA Kage. It is a bit of a unique item but will do exceptionally well for Tops. If you are a full-blown blade nerd like me, or even someone who appreciates quality, the Tops Cuma Kage Short Sword is worth a look.
For more information visit: https://www.topsknives.com/
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