FYI
Thanks for the info - it allowed me to find out that I have a recall on a different machete made by Gerber.
It’s not surprising they’re selling inferior products under his name.
For those in the market for a good machete, the Ontario US issue 18” is about as good as it gets. Costs about $20 and is as good as ANYTHING out there. I have owned mine for 25 years and have used it and abused it the entire time. It will last a lifetime with reasonable care.
I am into knives, axes and choppers. I have owned HI Kukris, Rangers, RTAKs, Scrapyard, Swamprat, Coldsteel, and every large knife or chopper I could get my hands on. I have paid hundreds of dollars for some of them and NOT ONE of them has been better at actually chopping and cutting things than the Ontario machete. It is a work horse and is all business. I can chop down and limb a 100’ tall cotton wood tree with one in less time and effort than anything else I know of.
Speedsix,
Which HI Kukri's have you owned? I have a "18 Chitlangi and a shorter Chiruwa Ang Khola...best choppers I've ever used. If you really think that Ontario Machette outchops a good Kukri, I may have to try one. Heck, the price is right... 
-Match
Are there any specific details on how it “actually” fails, or what are the conditions of use to induce failure?
“Hazard: A weakness in the area where the handle meets the blade can cause the handle or the blade to break during use, posing a laceration hazard.”
A LOT of knives can fail in the above way, if used without common sense.
I can see how that might ruin one’s day. Having a parang blade fly into your face. I’m guessing it shears off at the first grip screw. I almost bought one of these, and decided that anything with Bear Gryll’s face on the box probably wouldn’t be worth the powder to blow it to heck. Especially reading reviews with things like “the sheath exploded the first time I used it” and “It wasn’t sharp enough to cut air out of the box”.
Silly Gerber. Relying on the zombie fad to sell things.
I had about a dozen HI Kukris over the years. It’s not that they didn’t chop, it’s that it took 10x the effort to use them. I could chop down a 6” tree in about 20 swings with my machete. About the same with a large AK Kukri but it weighs 4x times as much and wears you out fast.
A Kukri has to be perfect to use well. Most of the HI Kukris are far too heavy for general use. I had some with 3/8” thick blades and they were next to useless.
You can swing a machete much faster so that makes up for the lack of mass. If you don’t have a machete, get the Ontario US issue one. I have tried a bunch of machetes and none seem as good as the 18” army style. It is just a perfect design. Been around forever and still in use. It is a real tool that has served our military well for decades.
Quite possibly the toughest, most bad-ass machete you could have. I love mine and there is nothing to break!
