Cold Steel Magnum Kukri or Ontario 6145 18 inch?

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smodtactical

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Feb 11, 2012
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I am looking for a Machete and after a lot of browsing and reading have come down to these 2 for relatively inexpensive Machetes. I'm drawn to the magnum because I like its shape and the fact that the regular kukri was so strong on knifetests.com. I know the CS is 1055 but the Ontario is 1095. What do you think about these 2? Which would be better for typical Machete use (clearing vegetation etc.) ? Would the Ontario be as strong as the Cold steel as was demonstrated by knifetests.com ?

My budget is less than $50 and if possible less than $30. I was also looking at the other CS blades like the Latin 24 inch and Bolo and I'm not sure what I should get. I understand the Condor golok is very good but I'm kind of put off on it by its relative shortness (14 inches). I was looking for something with a bit more reach.

Anyway please lend me your experience and expertise. Thanks!!
 
The ontario will perform superiorly to the CS magnum kuhkri. It is better out of the box, it has a high quality heat treat and the handles are about equally crappy. Get the mil spec 18-1.

However if it is aworking blade you want and price is the primaryfactor,than enough people on bladeforums have mentioned the tramontina machete that i feel comfortable parroting them here, very inexpensive, slim and great for vegetation.

The condorgolokperforsdespitethe14“ size, though for green vegetation i'd pick something lighter.
 
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The Ontario you mentioned is very nice. You might also want to look at Imacasa and Condor (same manufacturer as each other.) I'd get the Ontario, mod it to fit your hand, and keep an eye out for other value machetes that your preferences drift towards in the future.
 
What do you guys think about the Golok vs. the Ontario in terms of strength and chopping ability? Although I will be cutting vegetation I also want the strongest toughest blade possible in my price range, weight is a non-factor for me.

Also is the Kabar kukri better than ontario?

Where does the tramontina rank among these others?
 
The Golok is built stronger, and will do better chopping wood. The Ontario won't chop wood as well as the Golok, but will do better than a Tramontina or other light, thin machete, since the Ontario is about twice as thick(1/8") as a normal machete(1/16".) The Golok has a 1/4" thick spine at the handle, tapering a bit towards the point. Basically, the Golok chops like a dedicated chopper knife with a 14" blade, though its handle shape makes it passable for fast sweeping cuts to clear vines and light branches if you keep it sharp.

The Tramontina is good for light vegetation and traditional machete tasks. Tramontina machetes are one of the basic, run of the mill, but still built well machetes of South America.

If you need a machete which can also chop wood and heavy lianas, the Golok is a good compromise, and very fun to use as well. It also feels and handles like a fairly high-end custom even though it only costs $30 without a sheath or $50 with a nice leather sheath.
 
Thanks Gomipile. 1 more thing, what do you think is stronger between the ontario and the condor golok. Suppose both of these knives went through the knifetest destruction test. Which one do you think would survive longer?
 
Condor's machetes with 1075 are hardened to about the same as the 1095 in the Ontario machetes. They're both about the same to sharpen for me, at least. The Golok is thicker and shorter, so ultimately it will be harder to damage it through normal use. Also, the Golok is good for batoning if you need to do that at all.

That said, my Condors and my Ontarios are both tough as nails, and given what I've put them through, I can't imagine either breaking in normal use unless there's a freak inclusion in the steel or the like. I can see accidentally bending the Ontario might be a bit easier, but that's unlikely if used properly.
 
I am going to say that you dont see too many macehtes on knife tests because they would likely mostly perform the same.way, it the simple carbon steel trwated to a mid to low 50rc, thwy just take a serious beating. The condor golok is nice, but too heavy for vegetation in my opinion, and in that use a miss and a chip in the golok blade will take much longer to repair in the golok, where as a tramontina is much better suited for this kind of work, and its damages. You should stop comparing your realistic needs with hammering a kukrishaped blade through pipes as well.
 
Well Ron its just I like the idea of having a knife that is extremely strong and able to withstand crazy tests because the chances of breakage when I own it are reduced.

Many people on Amazon complain about getting condor blades (like the kukri) either bent or rusted. Do you think thats a real possibility with the Golok? I am away from home and don't really want to go to the trouble of sending it back. So if thats the case I might just go for the Ontario.
 
I have both and they are very different. If you are just clearing light vegetation then I would go with th Ontario. If you are cutting wood I would get the condor. Forget about bending that 1/4 inch thick golok too, it is not going to happen. What is best for you really depends what you are cutting.
 
The Condor kukri is a lot thinner than the Golok. The Golok is more popular, and has a broader track record of standing up to use and abuse.
 
I got my Golok a few weeks ago, on a recommendation from members of this site. I have been working the living hell out of it, and it is still "like new". It definitely won't bend, because it is super-thick. Haven't had it long enough to comment on rusting, but I'm sure if you take care of it, it will be fine. Having experience with both, I would get the Golok over the Ontario...
 
I have three Ontario machetes, a 12" Cutlass, an 18" Heavy Duty, and the Bark River modified 14". The handles suck, and there is really no edge to them when new. If you use a mil-file to create an edge, and modifiy the handles, to fit your hand better, then you have a good tool.
They are thick, at 1/8" you'll find they are strong. The 12" has weight, help impove it's rigidity and chops very well. I've convexed the edge and replaced the handle with hickory on mine.
The 18" is also the 1/8" thick, yet it's length allows for way more flex. It also has a modified edge, I've made this one thinner than my 12", and it chops even better. It bites very deep into hard woods, and I've yet to chip or roll the edge. In fact, I use it like a sword against swinging fence posts. I swing full force into them, at angles and straight on, I've seen no damage. I've dug up roots, weed barrier cloth, and flexed this machete pretty far. It came back to true straight every time. IMO, it's a great machete that is really for chopping wood and roots, not so much for light vegetation.

My Bark River modified machete just shows what potential is under that black coating and plastic handle. It's so damn sharp, I can't wait till the weeds grow up again!

I don't own the Condor Golok, and it's has some great qualities. One down side to chopping wood with the golok is the edge thickness. Sure, that makes it stronger, but some owners choose to thin it down quite a bit. There's always a balance for each blade and it's use.
The Ontario's take less effort to thin down or convex the edges, the 1095 is not too hard. The Condor needs lots more steel removed to make it a great chopper, if you have a belt sander or access to one, then no problem. I just wouldn't want to do it by hand!
 
smodtactical said:
Well Ron its just I like the idea of having a knife that is extremely strong and able to withstand crazy tests because the chances of breakage when I own it are reduced.

Many people on Amazon complain about getting condor blades (like the kukri) either bent or rusted. Do you think thats a real possibility with the Golok? I am away from home and don't really want to go to the trouble of sending it back. So if thats the case I might just go for the Ontario.
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I disagree. Crazy tests do not provide quantitative answers toward how well a blade performs under regular rational purpose built use, but that is my opinion and you are welcome to yours.

The Ontario 18-1 has been the military issue machete for years. It was the basis for the first Bark-tario project years ago, which lead to the ground work for the Bark River knife and tool Golok if I recall correctly.

The HT on the Ontario has been and will remain the most reliable out of box machete in my opinion. However if you use the search function at Bladeforums, you will find that the Tramontina is a very respected machete as well. Either one should serve you very well for vegetation with cost and reliability being your two main motivating factors.
 
foxx said:
I have three Ontario machetes, a 12" Cutlass, an 18" Heavy Duty, and the Bark River modified 14". The handles suck, and there is really no edge to them when new. If you use a mil-file to create an edge, and modifiy the handles, to fit your hand better, then you have a good tool.
They are thick, at 1/8" you'll find they are strong. The 12" has weight, help impove it's rigidity and chops very well. I've convexed the edge and replaced the handle with hickory on mine.
The 18" is also the 1/8" thick, yet it's length allows for way more flex. It also has a modified edge, I've made this one thinner than my 12", and it chops even better. It bites very deep into hard woods, and I've yet to chip or roll the edge. In fact, I use it like a sword against swinging fence posts. I swing full force into them, at angles and straight on, I've seen no damage. I've dug up roots, weed barrier cloth, and flexed this machete pretty far. It came back to true straight every time. IMO, it's a great machete that is really for chopping wood and roots, not so much for light vegetation.

My Bark River modified machete just shows what potential is under that black coating and plastic handle. It's so damn sharp, I can't wait till the weeds grow up again!

I don't own the Condor Golok, and it's has some great qualities. One down side to chopping wood with the golok is the edge thickness. Sure, that makes it stronger, but some owners choose to thin it down quite a bit. There's always a balance for each blade and it's use.
The Ontario's take less effort to thin down or convex the edges, the 1095 is not too hard. The Condor needs lots more steel removed to make it a great chopper, if you have a belt sander or access to one, then no problem. I just wouldn't want to do it by hand!
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This is a good point and in favour of the 18 inch ontario.


ron_m80 said:
I disagree. Crazy tests do not provide quantitative answers toward how well a blade performs under regular rational purpose built use, but that is my opinion and you are welcome to yours.

The Ontario 18-1 has been the military issue machete for years. It was the basis for the first Bark-tario project years ago, which lead to the ground work for the Bark River knife and tool Golok if I recall correctly.

The HT on the Ontario has been and will remain the most reliable out of box machete in my opinion. However if you use the search function at Bladeforums, you will find that the Tramontina is a very respected machete as well. Either one should serve you very well for vegetation with cost and reliability being your two main motivating factors.
Click to expand...

I respect your viewpoint. I agree that it doesn't factor into how effective the knife is overall at normal tasks but I think it does speak to its toughness when things go wrong (ie. you accidentally slip and hit a tougher surface like a rock or brick etc.).

I'm buying from Amazon and the Tramontina would be about the same price. So I'm guessing the Ontario would be a better buy over the Tramontina. I think I'm leaning towards the Ontario.

Especially after seeing what happened to this guy's Golok: http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=63624&start=48
 
smodtactical said:
This is a good point and in favour of the 18 inch ontario.




I respect your viewpoint. I agree that it doesn't factor into how effective the knife is overall at normal tasks but I think it does speak to its toughness when things go wrong (ie. you accidentally slip and hit a tougher surface like a rock or brick etc.).

I'm buying from Amazon and the Tramontina would be about the same price. So I'm guessing the Ontario would be a better buy over the Tramontina. I think I'm leaning towards the Ontario.

Especially after seeing what happened to this guy's Golok: http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=63624&start=48
Click to expand...

The new Goloks have a skeletonized full tang, so I wouldn't worry about that with a current one. Also, for chopping, a lot of people thin the shoulders a bit, but from what I hear, it doesn't take too much to get very good performance.
 
smodtactical said:
I'm buying from Amazon and the Tramontina would be about the same price. So I'm guessing the Ontario would be a better buy over the Tramontina. I think I'm leaning towards the Ontario.
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Make your purchase and be sure to please report back. I would like to see how your vegetation annihilation results in your opinion.
 
Ok will do. Should be able to test them in the field in a couple weeks when I get back home to the forest. Still un-decided between the Golok and the Ontario 18. Will have to eventually close my eyes and pick one I guess. :)
 
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