Ain't no good without pictures! I know, I know it's hard to do Damascus justice in a picture.
Sorry, richard. No picture taking was allowed.
Grizzle, you're right. The knife maker and I talked about that it was more of a presentation and a collectible piece, not a practical one. Also the need for them to be somewhat flexible.
As been said, machetes pretty much run around the $20 range, more if they add "tactical" to the name. It's just a bit in interesting history that back in the '50s and 60's, the name Collins was considered "high quality" when talking about machetes. Plantation workers in the Americas insisted on having them. I guess that brief fling with celebrity status came to an abrupt end as people realized, as you said, it's just a piece of spring steel with a handle.