What about the laredo Bowie (SK5)

I

Ivalid

Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
15
The problem is I had fallen in love with the Laredo Bowie but I never ever had spent more than 70 Buck on a Knife.
So my question is: Is it worth the Money? How does it handle? Is it too bulky, to heavy.... And is it useable for a left-hander? (Especially the Sheath)
And has someone actually tested it in hard use. (I dont want a Wall-hanger that's worth the look, but nothing more :grumpy: )

I know, some hate Cold Steel and some love it. And so most questions end up like "forget the junky Cold Steel, buy a *****". Im interested in THIS Knife, not in a Extrema ratio, Chris Reeve and so on.

Thanks in advance!
 
What about Extrema Ratio or Chris Reeve?J/k

I owned a Laredo before they started using the newer steels. I forget which steel it had. I didn't keep it or use it, but I found the ergos to be very good. It seemed like a well made knife. And I'm one of the members who isn't a fan of their advertising. A lot of their products are actually very good compared to a lot of what's out there. It's just when you start comparing it to some of the big names that people favor on these forums, that's when you get the controversy of if it's really "worth" the price on this level of knives.

Welcome to the forums:).
 
I'm a long time user/fan of Cold Steel's Carbon V Bowies, and as a sheathmaker, I often sell package deals of a knife with one of my Southern Comfort sheaths. When CS could no longer get the Carbon V steel and switched to SK-5, I had to see for myself how much of a difference there was in performance (cutting, chopping, edge holding). I used to have a Carbon V Trailmaster that lived in my truck, and was used to clear put-in/take-out trails (I'm also an avid kayaker) at some of of the local practice/play spots, so have plenty of user experience with Carbon V. I took a CS SK-5 Laredo and used it clearing/chopping yard waste, severing small tree limbs with snap cuts and cleaving cuts, and making small pieces out of larger tree limbs. Carbon V will hold an edge just a little longer, but that's about it for performance difference. I'm VERY happy with the user performance of CS's SK-5 Laredo. In fact, one now lives in my truck where the old Trailmaster used to reside. List price on the Carbon V Laredos was $400, and the list price on the SK-5 models is $200. This translates to a street price of $125-$150. The Laredo has a 10.5 blade with a nicely sharpened false edge, so that is a hell of a lot of knife for the money. You won't be disappointed!
 
Thanks, Kaizen1, and Mike.
I was a little bit concerned but i think i wil buy it soon. :cool:
 
Ivalid said:
Thanks, Kaizen1, and Mike.
I was a little bit concerned but i think i wil buy it soon. :cool:
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I second what Mike said... It's a good deal and good steel! Do your homework i have seen this knife for sale at just over a hundred bucks including shipping. Buy as soon as you can afford it as CS prices are steadily rising.
 
I bought a Recon Scout. I havent had any problems yet. It is a little heavy compared to my other knives but I havent found anything about it that I am unhappy with.
 
I bought a Laredo Bowie direct from Cold Steel.
I could not bring myself to beat up a knife that cost that much, so I sold it.

The blade is awesome, the handle is good enough,
but I wish they would make a sheath that has a belt loop.
The one it comes with is not good for camping and hiking,
and that is when I would use it the most.


:cool:
 
The factory sheath that comes with the Laredo has a stud (or what some people call a frog) on it, and this is a very versatile old style carry that dates way back. Bill Bagwell uses this type of sheath on his custom Bowies, and after carrying one of his this way, I've wondered why people ever got away from this style of carry. All you do is slip the knife/sheath behind your belt and you are good to go. Can be placed in any position, many different angles, is extremely comfortable, doesn't bang against your leg, easy to sit without removing the knife, and is easy on/off. This is the traditional way big knives were carried, and if you haven't tried it, you are shortchanging yourself. Any of my personal knives with blades over 6" are carried this way. Added benefit of this carry style is that should you want (or need) to hide the fact you have a large knife with you, you can slip it inside your waistband, cover it with your shirt, and it will totally disappear so you don't upset the "sheeple".
 
Mike Sastre said:
The factory sheath that comes with the Laredo has a stud (or what some people call a frog) on it, and this is a very versatile old style carry that dates way back. Bill Bagwell uses this type of sheath on his custom Bowies, and after carrying one of his this way, I've wondered why people ever got away from this style of carry. All you do is slip the knife/sheath behind your belt and you are good to go. Can be placed in any position, many different angles, is extremely comfortable, doesn't bang against your leg, easy to sit without removing the knife, and is easy on/off. This is the traditional way big knives were carried, and if you haven't tried it, you are shortchanging yourself. Any of my personal knives with blades over 6" are carried this way. Added benefit of this carry style is that should you want (or need) to hide the fact you have a large knife with you, you can slip it inside your waistband, cover it with your shirt, and it will totally disappear so you don't upset the "sheeple".
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Mike, Did you ever have any problems with the handle coming loose? I've heard rumors (unconfirmed) about the tang being short in the Laredos.
Thanks,
Mitch
 
Troop said:
Mike, Did you ever have any problems with the handle coming loose? I've heard rumors (unconfirmed) about the tang being short in the Laredos.
Thanks,
Mitch
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I had one and did not have any problems with it however, I asked CS about the tang and was not happy to find out that it has a half tang. I sold shortly after that.



Reply from cold steel
Hello,

The tang is only about half way full.
Then at the butt of the handle is the washer which is attached to a wire which is attached to a hole in the tang.
The wire is tightened therefor holding the hangle together with the blade. I do not have any pictures at this time.

Regards,
Kristi
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: <borsofblackheath@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 17:33:34 -0700 (PDT)

>Is the tang of the Laredo Bowie the same size as the
>Trailmaster with a very short piece welded on the end
>for the nut like your tantos? Is it possible to see a
>picture of a laredo bowie without the handle?
>
>Best regards
>Mike
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
>http://mail.yahoo.com
>
________________________________________________________________
Sent via the WebMail system at coldsteel.com
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Reply regarding the Natchez Bowie
Michele" <customerservice@coldsteel.com> Add to Address BookAdd to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: Re: Natchez Bowie question
Dear Mr. Luke,

The Natchez Bowie and the Laredo Bowie share the same tang style.

Michele

At 03:27 PM 1/18/2007, you wrote:

> What kind of tang does the Natchez Bowie have?
> Is it a full wide tang with a short threaded portion
> on the end like the tanto's or is it like the Laredo
> bowie.
Click to expand...
 
My only problem with the Laredo is that for that EXORBITANT price you should at least be getting real wood. $90 knives have REAL cocobolo and full tangs, so why on earth would they cut corners on a $400+ knife? Cuz its cold steel.
 
Here are some more observations about the Laredo Bowie. I had the carbon five model. It filled the hand (mine) well however the handle was a bit slick and hard to hang onto when sweaty.


I also had just picked up a Albion Gotland and was anxious to see how well it would cut. I set up some Tameshigiri mats and along with the Albion I brought out the Laredo Bowie and a Randall model 12 Smithsonian. All three cut through single rolled mats with no problem. Next I set up a role consisting of 3 mats mainly for the sword. The diameter of the roll was ~ 8". The Albion cut wonderfully, just a ting at first contact then it just passed through the mat like it wasn’t there. Next was the Randall. Because of the hollow grind I was not sure how well it would cut. It did very good being able to cut clean through the 3 mat roll. It’s 34oz weight was able to offset the resistance do to the hollow grind.

Next was the Laredo at about half of the weight of the Smithsonian I had some doubts however I was amazed at how well it cut. The roll just parted as the knife passed through with no real resistance. I chock up it’s cutting ability to the full flat grind. CS did a nice job on the blade and edge geometry. Now if they could only get the tang and handle right.....
 
mr.trooper said:
My only problem with the Laredo is that for that EXORBITANT price you should at least be getting real wood. $90 knives have REAL cocobolo and full tangs, so why on earth would they cut corners on a $400+ knife? Cuz its cold steel.
Click to expand...


Actually I prefer the laminate handle because it's stronger, water proof, and won’t swell or shrink. I just wish it had a full tang. :rolleyes:
 
A while ago I read where someone on the forums was complaining about the Laredo's handle construction, so I talked with a fairly well known Bowie maker who has re-handled a number of CS Laredos, as well as a number of other makes, and he is fully confident with the size of the tang and the construction method CS uses for its handle. My own testing shows no inclination for loosening and I definitely used some heavy power cuts on hard objects. Until one loosens under the way I use my knives, it's "much ado about nothing" to me.
 
I have a bowie (and regular) bushman for a beater knife in SK5, and it's good stuff. sk5 is a winner IMO.
 
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