I handled one yesterday, my gun dealer has them for $20.00 each. On E-Bay you can locate them for around $8.00 each, plus shipping, so not too much less. Made in South Africa, 1055 high carbon steel, thick poly grip, 16" blade... A HUGE improvement over the normal $3.99 machete that marts carry. True they sharpen up nice, but IMHE they won't hold and edge. This CS was already sharper than most axes/hatchets (NOT counting the GB wildlife hatchet, which is like a straight razor). So, any one out there own and or use one of these Cold Steel Bolo's????? What do you think??? I'm considering getting one just for keeping my land clear of blackberry bushes, brush, etc. Holding this Bolo yesterday also gave me the idea this might be an awesome survival/backpacking all purpose tool. It felt more like a sword or a large Bowie. The quality appeared very high for such a low price, like most of the CS products. So, any thoughts or comments on this Machete??? I figured I would hold off on buying until I ran it by you guys and got objective comments from guys who own or use them, as I didn't want to be a spendthrift, even with only $20.00.
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Thoughts on Cold Steel Bolo Machete?
- Thread starter hicomp2
- Start date
I've got that exact machete and have used it pretty extensively around the house for scrub clearing and hacking down the occasional sapling. It works fairly well.
I actually like it better than my 22" Ontario machete if only because it's so much lighter, so I don't get as tired swinging it.
The edge will get pretty sharp with a bit of work, but I found that my edge will chip and roll here and there, but it's easily cleaned up with a file. I wasn't being particularly careful about where the blade ended up, so it hit rocks and such fairly frequently.
All in all, worth the $15 or so I spent on it.
I've got a 12" Ontario machete on the way, and I'm hoping it'll be as light and easy to swing as the CS, but more durable.
Can't really quantify it any better than that, so I hope that's at least some useful information.
I actually like it better than my 22" Ontario machete if only because it's so much lighter, so I don't get as tired swinging it.
The edge will get pretty sharp with a bit of work, but I found that my edge will chip and roll here and there, but it's easily cleaned up with a file. I wasn't being particularly careful about where the blade ended up, so it hit rocks and such fairly frequently.
All in all, worth the $15 or so I spent on it.
I've got a 12" Ontario machete on the way, and I'm hoping it'll be as light and easy to swing as the CS, but more durable.
Can't really quantify it any better than that, so I hope that's at least some useful information.
I have the panga. To say that it is a POS would be a compliment. It is crude beyond words. I would not pay shipping for it if they were going to sell it free. I don't know where to begin. I am not home, so I can't take and post detailed pictures of it. Steel is terrible. Rolls like butter. It was sharpened (if one can call it sharpening) so unevenly, some areas were outright flat-edged. The handle is slippery and so roughly molded, you will have to spend a couple of hours removing sharp edges.
I once offered it to a guy who was doing some work in my yard. He laughed politely and brought his own machete from his truck.
I once offered it to a guy who was doing some work in my yard. He laughed politely and brought his own machete from his truck.
I have the Panga and 18” Latin machetes from CS.
I did not care for the handle and balance of the Panga….the Latin is much better in these areas IMHO.
Both CS machetes came with horribly crude, uneven, DULL edges that took a lot of work to rework by hand.
I have a 18” plastic handled Tramontina machete which handles much like the CS Latin machete but came with a much better edge (and no black paint on the blade). The Tram’s would be good alternatives to the CS if you are looking for something cheap that doesn’t require a lot of reprofiling out of the box. The down sides to the Trams are that the handle is a bit on the short side if you have big hands and wear gloves and that the handles are pinned instead of molded on.
- Frank
I did not care for the handle and balance of the Panga….the Latin is much better in these areas IMHO.
Both CS machetes came with horribly crude, uneven, DULL edges that took a lot of work to rework by hand.
I have a 18” plastic handled Tramontina machete which handles much like the CS Latin machete but came with a much better edge (and no black paint on the blade). The Tram’s would be good alternatives to the CS if you are looking for something cheap that doesn’t require a lot of reprofiling out of the box. The down sides to the Trams are that the handle is a bit on the short side if you have big hands and wear gloves and that the handles are pinned instead of molded on.
- Frank
OK; I bought the last one the dealer had (the others sold out in 48hrs). I got it for $10, half price, as it was damaged. The point was bent, looked like it was dropped, and the blade warped. I grabbed it, took it home and after 30 minutes on the grinding wheel and bending it back and forth it my vice, it is now razor sharp and much straighter than it was, although still a little off kilter. But hey, for $10, and considering that I'm going to be clearing brush (and hitting the ground, rocks, etc.), who cares. I can see that the previous post was correct, this steel does roll/bend easy, but still appears better than the cheap "Mart" versions. I may have to get a better quality one, such as the Ontario US Military model, or that Brazillian brand Tramontina.
Got a CS Bolo machete a while back. The one I got wasn't exactly sharp out of the box.
My other minor gripe is the handle lacks the "lip" the Latin machete has at the base of the handle that helps to anchor the machete to your hand during hard swings.
While it's not exactly in the realm of Sebenza quality, for the price paid, that shouldn't even be an issue. When one considers the kind of abuse a machete is normally subjected to, I'd rather go with cheap than something that costs over $100.
My other minor gripe is the handle lacks the "lip" the Latin machete has at the base of the handle that helps to anchor the machete to your hand during hard swings.
While it's not exactly in the realm of Sebenza quality, for the price paid, that shouldn't even be an issue. When one considers the kind of abuse a machete is normally subjected to, I'd rather go with cheap than something that costs over $100.