A kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 blade

Blade

A blade is that portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with a cutting edge and/or a pointed tip that is designed to cut and/or puncture, stab, slash, chop, slice, thrust, or scrape animate or inanimate surfaces or materials...

 at the end of a 40 inches (101.6 cm) handle that is usually made of hickory

Hickory

Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...

. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. Other common names for this tool are ditch bank blade, briar axe, and surveyor's brush axe.

In popular culture

In the movie Sling Blade

Sling Blade

Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film set in rural Arkansas, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role. It tells the story of a mentally impaired man named Karl Childers who is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother...

, main character Karl Childers (portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...

) recounts an incident from his childhood in which he killed his mother and her boyfriend with this tool. He admits to committing murder with "a kaiser blade." Karl says, "some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a kaiser blade."