Guess I'm not really done with Cold Steel . Just now ordered the 9.5" blade Drop Forged Bowie !

Thinking about picking one up myself. Has anyone ever thought about filing some shallow grooves in the faux stag scales? Seems a pretty simple fix if one finds them too slick...
 
justjed said:
Thinking about picking one up myself. Has anyone ever thought about filing some shallow grooves in the faux stag scales? Seems a pretty simple fix if one finds them too slick...
Click to expand...
No need. There are grooves already molded into the scales. They actually provide a very good grip as is.

CS36MK_2.jpg
 
Last edited:
It’s a fighter Bowie with the curved handle. You are supposed to hold it in a saber grip with your thumb up against the guard, not a hammer grip. And it is supposed to have a sharp clip
 
Now it's $120. Not sure why I didn't grab at least one at the $36, but I'm really not a fan of the grip angle.
 
I don't like the grip, but that was a sale I couldn't pass up.

I don't see how this grip is really good for fighting. I find the grips on the Leatherneck and Laredo Bowies better for use as either weapons or tools.

The only Bowie I have with a worse fighting grip is the RTAK, but that is a survival knife not a fighter.

This seems like it could be a good Bowie for pre-teens and young teens or maybe smaller adults.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
I don't like the grip, but that was a sale I couldn't pass up.

I don't see how this grip is really good for fighting. I find the grips on the Leatherneck and Laredo Bowies better for use as either weapons or tools.

The only Bowie I have with a worse fighting grip is the RTAK, but that is a survival knife not a fighter.

This seems like it could be a good Bowie for pre-teens and young teens or maybe smaller adults.
Click to expand...
Everyone is a little different , I guess . Makes the world go around .

I love the pistol grip and balance on this bowie .

Feels fast , light and secure ...to me !

A straight thrust /lunge is better aligned and even chopping works better for me . :cool:
 
Got mine and I have to agree that the grip is less than ideal. It's nice and wide due to the drop forging, but it's just not tall enough, especially closer to the hilt. I'm guessing that they ran out of material and wanted to avoid having to step up to a larger blank size? But this knife really could have benefitted from a taller blade and handle. As expected I don't like the faux ivory, although it's comfortable enough. I'm thinking I'll try and thicken the handle with a double paracord wrap; I might have to trim the sheath for it to fit but that's ok since the sheath uses the hilt to hold the knife. Fortunately, there are a lot of holes under the grips, so I have a few options to attach some paracord.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Got mine and I have to agree that the grip is less than ideal. It's nice and wide due to the drop forging, but it's just not tall enough, especially closer to the hilt. I'm guessing that they ran out of material and wanted to avoid having to step up to a larger blank size? But this knife really could have benefitted from a taller blade and handle. As expected I don't like the faux ivory, although it's comfortable enough. I'm thinking I'll try and thicken the handle with a double paracord wrap; I might have to trim the sheath for it to fit but that's ok since the sheath uses the hilt to hold the knife. Fortunately, there are a lot of holes under the grips, so I have a few options to attach some paracord.
Click to expand...

Be cool to see a pic after you are done. The reason I didn't buy one is the handle, thought I might not like it. I have the drop forged survivalist - awesome knife, great handle, balance and very impressive in hand. I have the first version without the handle insert. One of the sharpest knives I own right out of the box.
 
For what it's worth, I like the angle of the handle for chopping - and I think it would help align the tip for penetration, but so far I haven't needed to use mine for that. I will say that I found the grip slippery and anemic, so I added a paracord wrap and a turk's head knot at the pommel to help feel more secure. A little CA glue helps keep everything in place.

https://imgur.com/7Wp3MMm
https://imgur.com/QnENgGo

I bought mine over a year ago for about $50, maybe a little less. It came sharp, but not remarkably so. I just wish it came with a leather sheath like the old Laredos.
 
Your Name Goes Here said:
Be cool to see a pic after you are done. The reason I didn't buy one is the handle, thought I might not like it. I have the drop forged survivalist - awesome knife, great handle, balance and very impressive in hand. I have the first version without the handle insert. One of the sharpest knives I own right out of the box.
Click to expand...

You got it! The survivalist was the one I really wanted; it's really a nice looking knife. But I think I've figured out how to make the bowie work for me. This wrap adds a lot of thickness, so it now really fills the hand and feels natural. The gray knots add grip and act kind of like jimping, but they do form hotspots when gripping tight. So it's not the best suited for prolonged chopping, but the knife is kind of light for a dedicated chopper anyway.

It's not advertised as a paracord knife, but it has the exact features I want in a paracord knife: coated blade, a sheath that attaches to a feature on the blade instead of the handles, plenty of holes in the handle for attachment points, and a handle shape that's suited for wrapping tight (I think the shape of the survivalist would make it hard to maintain a tight wrap along that contour and the shape on the boot knife would likely cause the cord to slip off the end, for instance). The thickness of the handle from drop forming really gives you a full feeling grip. Obviously the strap on the stock belt attachment won't fit around the wrapped handle, so I swapped it out for C-clips. So for about $20 worth of upgrades and a few hours of time, this knife is now something I'd consider a great knife even at the full retail price.


https://imgur.com/sMlGipQ
https://imgur.com/AhJO8I2
 
Tsujigiri said:
You got it! The survivalist was the one I really wanted; it's really a nice looking knife. But I think I've figured out how to make the bowie work for me. This wrap adds a lot of thickness, so it now really fills the hand and feels natural. The gray knots add grip and act kind of like jimping, but they do form hotspots when gripping tight. So it's not the best suited for prolonged chopping, but the knife is kind of light for a dedicated chopper anyway.

It's not advertised as a paracord knife, but it has the exact features I want in a paracord knife: coated blade, a sheath that attaches to a feature on the blade instead of the handles, plenty of holes in the handle for attachment points, and a handle shape that's suited for wrapping tight (I think the shape of the survivalist would make it hard to maintain a tight wrap along that contour and the shape on the boot knife would likely cause the cord to slip off the end, for instance). The thickness of the handle from drop forming really gives you a full feeling grip. Obviously the strap on the stock belt attachment won't fit around the wrapped handle, so I swapped it out for C-clips. So for about $20 worth of upgrades and a few hours of time, this knife is now something I'd consider a great knife even at the full retail price.

https://imgur.com/sMlGipQ
https://imgur.com/AhJO8I2
Click to expand...

Very Cool ! Great color choice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top