Similar to the above posts concerning the history of Cold Steel’s Tanto, Trailmaster, and such, this will discuss the history of the Kukri and similar knives by Cold Steel.
This post will reference the CS catalogs from the 90’s and early 2000’s. I don’t have any of the Special Projects catalogs, so if someone has information from that, please add that in.
LTC Kukri
#35LTC
Carbon V
Cordura sheath
1995-2006
The first Cold Steel Kukri style knife was sold via their Special Projects line. I bought one circa 1993, and it has no markings or name on it. It has the same blade pattern as what would later be sold under CS’s lineup as the LTC Kukri, and first appeared in their 1995 catalog. It now had markings on it, and was made from their Carbon V steel, so apparently the earlier Special Projects versions were not. Model number was #35LTC, and it was sold with a Cordura sheath. This model, and it only, were offered in the 96 and 97 catalogs as well.
GI Kukri
#35Gi
EN8 medium steel (whatever that was – probably the same fender steel as the Shotgun News style ones)
Wood sheath
1998
1998 offered 3 new Kukri style blades from CS. First in their catalog was the GI Kukri, similar in shape and handle type (wood) as those cheap, beaten onto, and from, a fender, Gurkha Kukri’s that always looked so awesome in Shotgun News, then were revealed as junk when you ordered it and opened the box. Model number was #35GI.
Gurkha Kukri
#35ATCB
Carbon V
Leather sheath
1998-2001
Couple of pages later in the catalog, two truly impressive knives were offered, the true Cold Steel versions of the Gurkha Kukri. Both were USA made and from their Carbon V steel. One version had a 5/16” thick blade and was a whopping 22 ounces, with a polished finish, and the other was a lighter weight version, the Gurkha Light Kukri, at 1/8” thick, 16 ounces, and with a black epoxy coated blade. Both had leather sheaths.
Gurkha Light Kukri
#35GLK
Carbon V
Leather sheath
1998-2002
The 1999 catalog continued the LTC and CS Gurkha’s, but not the GI Kukri, which is only listed in the 98 catalog. Possibly once CS got going with their own version, they didn’t want the lower quality GI version to drag their image down.
Mini Gurkha Light
#35GKS
Carbon V
Leather sheath
2000-2003
In 2000, a new kukri was offered, the Mini Gurkha Light. The blade length was 9-1/2” inches compare to the 12” of their other three versions. Carbon V was the blade steel, and it had a black epoxy finish.
Gurkha Kukri
#35ATCBB
Carbon V
Leather sheath
2002-2008
The 2002 catalog doesn’t have the polished Gurkha Kukri, instead it only offers the same blade pattern with a black epoxy finish. Model number is similar but had an extra B at the end. CS often talked about how difficult and expensive it was to have the blades fully polished, so maybe that version didn’t sell that well due to the price.
2003 saw the Gurkha Light Kukri dropped from the lineup, and 2004 the Mini Gurkha Light, leaving only the LTC and Gurkha Kukri as offered.
Gurkha Kukri
#35ATCJ
San Mai III
Secure-Ex sheath
2007-2017
2007 dropped the LTC, and moved the epoxy coated bladed down to one of their Secure-Ex sheaths. But CS did offer a Gurkha Kukri again with a polished blade, this time from San Mai III steel, and with a Secure-Ex sheath. The catalog doesn’t list where it was made, but with the San Mai III steel, I assume it was Japan.
Gurkha Kukri
#35LGKT
SK-5
Secure-Ex sheath
2009-2020+
In 2009, the epoxy coated finish of the Gurkha Kukri, which was now being made from SK-5 steel, was replaced by a polished finish.
Gurkha Kukri
#35LGKI
SK-5
Secure-Ex sheath
2012-2020+
In 2012 a kukri model was added with a longer hand guard, the Gurkha Kukri Plus. All other features were the same.
2018 saw the end of the San Mai III Kukri. The two other versions, now made from O-1 steel, would continue to 2020+.
Couple of other points, not connected to the CS catalogs. Cold Steel also made two more versions of the LTC patterned blade, calling it the ATC, All Terrain Chopper, and probably sold via their Special Projects line. I bought a version in Carbon V, and was told this model first appeared in 1990. At some point, they were also made in Japan, as I’ve seen versions on eBay with Made in Japan on them. Can’t remember if the were San Mai III or just CS’s standard stainless steel version.
I also own a Gurkha Kukri with the epoxy blade, with China on the side. I’d read that along the way, CS tried having knives made in China, and for whatever reason, it didn’t work out. That said, and while I haven’t hacked anything more difficult than a sheet of paper with it, my China Kukri looks, feels, and handles as well as any of the other models, and is very sharp. But maybe the steel just isn’t as good as what CS wanted and doesn’t have the edge retention or durability.
Well that’s my summary of the history of CS’s kukri line of knives. Feel free to add anything to move things along.
This post will reference the CS catalogs from the 90’s and early 2000’s. I don’t have any of the Special Projects catalogs, so if someone has information from that, please add that in.
LTC Kukri
#35LTC
Carbon V
Cordura sheath
1995-2006
The first Cold Steel Kukri style knife was sold via their Special Projects line. I bought one circa 1993, and it has no markings or name on it. It has the same blade pattern as what would later be sold under CS’s lineup as the LTC Kukri, and first appeared in their 1995 catalog. It now had markings on it, and was made from their Carbon V steel, so apparently the earlier Special Projects versions were not. Model number was #35LTC, and it was sold with a Cordura sheath. This model, and it only, were offered in the 96 and 97 catalogs as well.
GI Kukri
#35Gi
EN8 medium steel (whatever that was – probably the same fender steel as the Shotgun News style ones)
Wood sheath
1998
1998 offered 3 new Kukri style blades from CS. First in their catalog was the GI Kukri, similar in shape and handle type (wood) as those cheap, beaten onto, and from, a fender, Gurkha Kukri’s that always looked so awesome in Shotgun News, then were revealed as junk when you ordered it and opened the box. Model number was #35GI.
Gurkha Kukri
#35ATCB
Carbon V
Leather sheath
1998-2001
Couple of pages later in the catalog, two truly impressive knives were offered, the true Cold Steel versions of the Gurkha Kukri. Both were USA made and from their Carbon V steel. One version had a 5/16” thick blade and was a whopping 22 ounces, with a polished finish, and the other was a lighter weight version, the Gurkha Light Kukri, at 1/8” thick, 16 ounces, and with a black epoxy coated blade. Both had leather sheaths.
Gurkha Light Kukri
#35GLK
Carbon V
Leather sheath
1998-2002
The 1999 catalog continued the LTC and CS Gurkha’s, but not the GI Kukri, which is only listed in the 98 catalog. Possibly once CS got going with their own version, they didn’t want the lower quality GI version to drag their image down.
Mini Gurkha Light
#35GKS
Carbon V
Leather sheath
2000-2003
In 2000, a new kukri was offered, the Mini Gurkha Light. The blade length was 9-1/2” inches compare to the 12” of their other three versions. Carbon V was the blade steel, and it had a black epoxy finish.
Gurkha Kukri
#35ATCBB
Carbon V
Leather sheath
2002-2008
The 2002 catalog doesn’t have the polished Gurkha Kukri, instead it only offers the same blade pattern with a black epoxy finish. Model number is similar but had an extra B at the end. CS often talked about how difficult and expensive it was to have the blades fully polished, so maybe that version didn’t sell that well due to the price.
2003 saw the Gurkha Light Kukri dropped from the lineup, and 2004 the Mini Gurkha Light, leaving only the LTC and Gurkha Kukri as offered.
Gurkha Kukri
#35ATCJ
San Mai III
Secure-Ex sheath
2007-2017
2007 dropped the LTC, and moved the epoxy coated bladed down to one of their Secure-Ex sheaths. But CS did offer a Gurkha Kukri again with a polished blade, this time from San Mai III steel, and with a Secure-Ex sheath. The catalog doesn’t list where it was made, but with the San Mai III steel, I assume it was Japan.
Gurkha Kukri
#35LGKT
SK-5
Secure-Ex sheath
2009-2020+
In 2009, the epoxy coated finish of the Gurkha Kukri, which was now being made from SK-5 steel, was replaced by a polished finish.
Gurkha Kukri
#35LGKI
SK-5
Secure-Ex sheath
2012-2020+
In 2012 a kukri model was added with a longer hand guard, the Gurkha Kukri Plus. All other features were the same.
2018 saw the end of the San Mai III Kukri. The two other versions, now made from O-1 steel, would continue to 2020+.
Couple of other points, not connected to the CS catalogs. Cold Steel also made two more versions of the LTC patterned blade, calling it the ATC, All Terrain Chopper, and probably sold via their Special Projects line. I bought a version in Carbon V, and was told this model first appeared in 1990. At some point, they were also made in Japan, as I’ve seen versions on eBay with Made in Japan on them. Can’t remember if the were San Mai III or just CS’s standard stainless steel version.
I also own a Gurkha Kukri with the epoxy blade, with China on the side. I’d read that along the way, CS tried having knives made in China, and for whatever reason, it didn’t work out. That said, and while I haven’t hacked anything more difficult than a sheet of paper with it, my China Kukri looks, feels, and handles as well as any of the other models, and is very sharp. But maybe the steel just isn’t as good as what CS wanted and doesn’t have the edge retention or durability.
Well that’s my summary of the history of CS’s kukri line of knives. Feel free to add anything to move things along.
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