No, I didn't put a temper on the blade, although I suppose I could have pretty easily. I haven't needed it, though. It has cut through 1" diameter branches and both a hog vertebra and a large deer vertebra and has not even a nick to show for it.
I worked for four years on a corn/bean farm in Missouri, and you could cut cornstalks all day with this baby, no sweat. Of course this machete is pretty heavy, so YOU might get sweaty, but that's a different story altogether....
I'm still trying to get some pictures uploaded on Hunt101.com, but the site isn't cooperating right now. I'll post them separately if I can get them on.