Cold Steel Laredo Bowie

Bors

Bors

Joined
Mar 23, 2000
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I was comparing the new Laredo Bowie to the Trail Master in the new Special Projects Catalog. The trail Master has a 9.5 inch V ground carbon V 5/16 thick blade, oval stainless gaurd with a kraton handle. The clip is ground slightly but not sharpened.

The Laredo has a 10.5 inch V ground carbon V 5/16 thick blade, oval stainless steel guard with a stainless steel bolster and an "Exotic" wood handle. The clip point is sharpned.

The trail master has a list price of $179.99 and the special projects price is $144.99.

The Laredo has a list price of $399.99 and a special projects price of $299.99.

So for a $155.0 you get an extra inch of blade, sharpened clip point, bolster and an "exotic wood" handle. :confused:

Don't get me wrong I am not trying to be cheep I have no problem spending $300 on a bowie knife but am I off base here am I the only one who thinks this is a poor value.
 
Some reasons for the price:

This is a new model, and I bet they may be trying to make it a "flagship" model too. So, a premium price must be expected.

Each step added in the manufacturing process adds to the price too. The addition of a bolster, whether integral with the guard or not, will add $. Sharpening the clip adds $. Kraton can be molded on a handle, while the wood will have to be machined and secured on. It all adds $$. Machining always adds big bucks. Look at folder models that you can get in FRN handle material or micarta handle material. The FRN version will be way cheaper, largely due to machining costs.

The Buck/Strider folder is a good example of how costs can add up. Mick Strider said in a post somewhere that to round off the sharp corners of the g-10 would have added something like $20 or $30 to the price of the knife.

Is the LAredo bowie a good value? I bet it is a great bowie, for sure. As for paying $300, well, are there custom makers that can do as good or better of a job for $300? That is what I'd be looking at, not comparing Trailmaster versus Laredo.

By the way, is the Special Projects price for the Trailmaster the new coated version? I heard that you can't get satin finished trailmasters anymore. If this is true, that again shows a reason for the price difference. A knife that gets a thick epoxy coat doesn't need to be finished to a high grit. Hope this helps.
 
Yes the Trail Master price is for the coated one. It looks like they have coated most of the Carbon V knives. I am a big fan of Cold Steel and you are probably right about it being a great bowie. Perhaps I am being a bit to critical. I think I will wait to see what the dealers offer it at before I make up my mind.
 
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