Reasonably priced bolo?

Quarterstaff

Quarterstaff

Joined
Dec 14, 2000
Messages
226
Who out there makes a reasonably priced, light weight bolo? I know Ontario makes one and so does Becker (but way to heavy for me). Does anyone else make a good bolo?
 
"Bolo" can be a catch-all term. It might be valuable for you to elaborate on what blade length, blade thickness, weight, steel or other materials that you prefer. Also, cost and functionality might provide some guidelines to hazard a guess.

FWIW, my Ontario SP-5 works well in this role.

Mike
 
I have an Ontario Spec-Plus #SP-11 Bolo, and it is truly outstanding for its type. I have cut many pine saplings in the 2" diameter range, and it sails through them with one fairly robust stroke. Good sheath, too. None of my machetes come close to the utility and comfort this bolo gives doing real work!:D :D
 
Michael, I have a SP-5 and like it but was looking for something lighter and curved thus the search for a bolo. Qualities i'm looking for are as follows:
Blade Length: About 10 inches.
Blade Thickness: Thin within reason.
Blade Material: OCS (old chevy spring) or 1095 :)

Alachoctaw: Well I wanted to look at other manufacturers/makers before going back to Ontario. All the Spec Plus knives in my collection (well actually just two but who's counting) had to have several hours of work with a stone to get a good edge.
 
Himalayan Imports makes some very light khukuris which may be suitable and would be worth looking into.

-Cliff
 
Doesnt Junglee make a bolo?
I thought I had seen it, perhaps in an Atlanta Cutlery catalouge.

I have never been un-happy with the Junglee products I have owned or encountered.

Not the best....but they are far from the worst.


Altho custom would be a good way to go, if you can afford it.
Get one made exactly like you want it.
 
Junglee does in fact make a very nice bolo, the military bolo. The blade is slightly longer than what you mention (maybe 12") and it's .125" stock but works very well as a machete and heavy chopper. It will bind because it is thin. The only real problem I had with mine was that the kraton handle seems to slip off under heavy use so I put a bolt and nut through the lanyard hole and dremmelled off the edges to smooth it out. Works fine now.
The Cold Steel LTC is also very nice for a thin bolo. If you want a thicker version see if you can find a CS ATC (now discontinued) on ebay. They are awesome. I have one that I had Jay Maines put a custom handle on for me. A pic is at his sight. The Ontario bolo is useless for chopping.
As far as large slight recurves (many refer to them as bolos, don't know why...) the Becker Brute is great. For these type blades you can also look into the Busse Aftershock or the Rinaldi Armageddon.

Peace-
Cam
 
Quarterstaff, if you still haven't found a bolo, another possibility might be the Aitor bolo style military knife advertised by Camelot Enterprises. The blade is a bit shorter than you want, 8 3/4 inches, but it is reasonably priced and claimed to be of a premium stainless steel. The ad says the steel is an improvement over 440C, which if true makes the knife a heck of a good buy at the advertised price of $67. People who own them speak highly of Aitor knives.
 
Newt Livesay makes a very nice bolo called the Wasp. You can't go wrong with that. BTW bolos are pretty much designed as choppers, so a certain amount of weight is necessary.
 
Hi, I have a Muela (Spanish brand) bolo knife. It's blade length is approx.9 inch, not to thick. The steel is a stainless kind. The handle is wood. Muela is one of the largest European knife factories. They make cheap knives (the bolo costs around 45 USD), but als have a top of the line series of hunting knives, even carried by the Spanish king.
 
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