Cold Steel Kukri Machete

[Spoutz]

Hey guys. Just wanted to share a quick (very quick) review of my new Kukri. I bought the cheap one from Cold Steel (Payed $20.07 shipped) and took it out the next day to rid my back yard of some palm trees.

First, Fit and finish.
It's not perfect. For what it is, and for what you pay for it, it is more than adequate. The finish on the blade was pretty uniform, except for it being thicker at the tip. Not a big deal cause after a throw or two and some chopping, it is pretty much worn off. The finish wears nice and even, but wears pretty quickly. It does not flake off or anything, but it does wear smooth. The handle was not the cleanest injection, as some seams are visible, but they do not bother my hand or anything. Lets face it, it's not a collector or a safe queen, anyone that buys it will most likely use it and none of this matters.

Sheath
The sheath is adequate. It is not a quick draw, or a quick sheath, but it does keep the edge covered when you are not using it and it does it well. I would love a kydex sheath something like that. I will not lie and say it is great or good for the money, cause wearing it it really isn't anything to shake a stick at. It does keep it safe in my room though.

Edge
The blade was very well ground, however, it had "no" edge. It took just a few minutes with a diamond sharpening rod and it was sharp enough, but the edge it came with was pretty much non existent. You will need to spend some time on this blade to be able to use it, but it takes an edge pretty quick so if you sharpen your knives when you get them anyway, dont worry about it.

Handle
Some people have complained about the handle being uncomforable, but I don't find that. I find it quite comfortable and no certain points rubbing my hand in particular. I did wear gloves half the time and it feels great with our without gloves.

Blade Steel
Once I sharpened it, and it was not a paper cutting edge, but a sharp chopping edge, it held it VERY WELL. I was very suprised about its edge holding. I chopped and chopped and did not need to sharpen it at all except for one small chip. I was chopping up a piece on the floor and hit a stepping stone. The chip was very small and i was able to sharpen it out really quick, and the stone did not survive. The stone broke, and the blade had a small chip I easily sharpened out. It holds and edge well and takes a joke and keeps on ticking.

Chopping
Now for the work. I chopped down twelve Bird of Paradise palms and chopped them into smaller pieces to carry them away. Once I got my technique down, I could chop a tree down really quick. It met my expectations perfectly. I did not get to chop any brush or clear any paths with it but it took trees down very well.

I am very pleased with this Kukri and it surpassed my $20 expectations. The F&F are not perfect but for a work horse, there is nothing limiting it. The sheath could use some work, but it does the job decently. I highly recommend this blade to anyone looking for a cheap machete that they are going to use, and not collect.


I Started With This

I Ended With This

And I Did It With This! haha

Feel free to answer any questions and I will be happy to try to answer them. Thanks for reading!

 

[seelow123]

great review bro!

i have the longer version ( magnum i think is what its called ) and i have beat the hell out of that thing and its still going strong. not the best at clearing brush but it chops like a champ.

all around its a great bargain.

 

[DougB2]

When there are tools like this for $20 or so, I can't see why someone would spend hundreds on a machete made of S30V or something more exotic. I understand that people will do with their own money what they like, but for this low price, made in South Africa, where they know a thing or two about machetes, these are hard to beat.

 

[me2]

Just FYI, this is a kukri shaped machete, not a kukri. That said, my CSKM (cold steel kukri machete) works wonderfully for yard type chopping. It can also be improved by decreasing the edge angle a little and putting a polished edge on it. My one major gripe about the CS machetes is the "utility edge" they use is only an edge if you are used to cutting the the spine of utility knife blades. I sharpened mine on a belt sander to a hair shaving edge. It cut free hanging rope and went through a 4x4 and would still shave afterward. The kukri is a little heavy for brush clearing. I have a CS Panga machete for that. The extra reach and thinner blade make it a good blade for cutting wild roses and such.

 

[Bigfattyt]

I have one of the Magnum Khukri's from CS. Chops pretty dang good for the price.

I also convexed my edge on a belt sander makes a huge difference.

Here are a few pics before I convexed it, with the factory edge. Pretty rough.

 

[seelow123]

^show off

 

[whetrock]

I love my Cold Steel kukri machete I've got an older South African made machete and it's been an incredibly effective and useful tool the fit and finish was a bit rough out of the box but I purchased it as a "beater" so it wasn't an issue all in all I'd say it's an excellent value for the money.