Thanks for confirming my comment drdavid. Though i don't think it is fully correct that the wedhung did not sometimes serve in the function of a utility knife, at least in some symbolic way. The blades were meant to cut though (as the sharpness of mine conveys) and i believe they were probably often employed to cut things, if not in a completely practical way, then surely at the pleasure of the Sultan.
And though not generally considered a weapon, i have heard from a reliable source (perhaps even your same expert
) of very large wedhung used in beheadings.