Recommendation: Windlass 1880 Bowie/KOA

S

Solotary

Joined
Jun 18, 2016
Messages
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Hey all,

I'm in the market for a traditional bowie that I could use as a fighter/camp knife. My eye's on the Windlass 1880 Bowie at the moment; anyone have any experience with this knife? My budget's pretty limited and I don't particularly want to invest in Cold steel's bowies. I want to buy from Kult of Athena but am now skeptical after reading negative reviews. Thoughts?

Any help is appreciated.
 
Solotary said:
Hey all,

I'm in the market for a traditional bowie that I could use as a fighter/camp knife. My eye's on the Windlass 1880 Bowie at the moment; anyone have any experience with this knife? My budget's pretty limited and I don't particularly want to invest in Cold steel's bowies. I want to buy from Kult of Athena but am now skeptical after reading negative reviews. Thoughts?

Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Marbles has a camp Bowie or Bowie machete for 14$, and it's made in El Salvador by imicasa ( a machete manufacturer known for high value tools )
You might want to remove it's Orange coating with a stripping chemical and it doesn't have a guard, but not all traditional bowies had guards ( many in those days didn't ) and it's probably the only decent quality user Bowie you'll find at an affordable price brand new.
You could also look for a vintage western w49 Bowie at a flea market ...ect, or just forget Bowie's all together and get a machete as it would handle everything a Bowie in your price range will do.
BTW for the price of the windlass you could probably just get a venerable American made buck 120 general
 
Don't forget Windlass is made in India, Atlanta Cutlery seeks a lot of them. Condor makes a lot of affordable decent machetes and knives, mostly 1075 steel, and do. Not fprge About Ontario Spec. Line.
 
I have two Windlass Bowies. They are, or were, individually hand forged, so they aren't all alike. They won't be the finest fit and finish, but I'd be surprised to find one that isn't serviceable.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Marbles has a camp Bowie or Bowie machete for 14$, and it's made in El Salvador by imicasa ( a machete manufacturer known for high value tools )
You might want to remove it's Orange coating with a stripping chemical and it doesn't have a guard, but not all traditional bowies had guards ( many in those days didn't ) and it's probably the only decent quality user Bowie you'll find at an affordable price brand new.
You could also look for a vintage western w49 Bowie at a flea market ...ect, or just forget Bowie's all together and get a machete as it would handle everything a Bowie in your price range will do.
BTW for the price of the windlass you could probably just get a venerable American made buck 120 general
Click to expand...

It's a very nice knife, incredible value, and I'm sure it'd look fantastic without that coating!

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That marbles Bowie has that Class long clip, and while it doesn't have a guard the tang is wide enough that one probably could cut it down into a coffin handle or something and put your own guard on it.
BTW the condor machetes are also produced by imicasa.
 
I have a Windlass Primitive Bowie, and it is a good knife. Windlass quality control can be pretty hit or miss sometimes, but I have yet to run into anything so awful I have needed to get a refund. Things aren't quite as polished or sanded down, and the larger the item the greater the likelihood of a flaw--that's how they make swords for cheap. In a Bowie size, I would say it's worth a try. Kult of Athena has a fairly good reputation and the things I have ordered through them have come exactly as pictured in a timely manner. They also tend to check out the products, sort them for quality, and put the crappy ones on sale as seconds. If you have the time, tools, and the skills to modify, numerous options have been listed above. If you just want a knife to pop up in the mail, you are probably fine ordering the Windlass, especially if you are wiling to polish or sand to make it to your tastes.
 
I like some of the Windlass designs for bowies, but I could not get past the hit or miss finish, question about RC hardness, and the ones from Atlanta cutlery had to be sharpened for a fee. That was my first impression of them years ago and the bad taste stuck with me. What hardness do they run and what steel? I would need to be convinced with more info and reviews.

I have also wondered about the knives from Paul Chen.
 
It's not as stylish, nor is it likely as balanced, but a Becker BK9 might be more reliable as a camp knife. I cannot speak for its fighting capability though.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate the input. I saw a video on YT where a guy shows that the 1880 bowie isn't a full tang and is more likely a welded rat tail. As a result I'm leaning towards the Browninf Crowell/Barker knife.
 
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