Yooooo... GSM customer service is straight Garbage!

I had to return a 3V Natchez Bowie because one side of the swedge was badly ground, enough that I couldn't overlook it. The replacement sample is much better, but not perfect.

My theory on the slipping QA is because the factory and the workers know there is no longer a Lynn Thompson to answer to, only a giant megacorporation that couldn't care less about quality or reputation.
 
DayofReckoning said:
I had to return a 3V Natchez Bowie because one side of the swedge was badly ground, enough that I couldn't overlook it. The replacement sample is much better, but not perfect.

My theory on the slipping QA is because the factory and the workers know there is no longer a Lynn Thompson to answer to, only a giant megacorporation that couldn't care less about quality or reputation.
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IIRC, they fired quality control and warranty, along with all the other Cold Steel employees.

n2s
 
Has anyone purchased a new Gladius Machete recently?

Have they corrected their issue of not having an edge?

There has been enough time for GSM to notice the lack of edges and correct the problem.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
Has anyone purchased a new Gladius Machete recently?

Have they corrected their issue of not having an edge?

There has been enough time for GSM to notice the lack of edges and correct the problem.
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Not too long ago somebody on the forum mentioned getting a Black Bear Bowie Machete. It had an edge but didn't come with a sheath.
 
DayofReckoning said:
I had to return a 3V Natchez Bowie because one side of the swedge was badly ground, enough that I couldn't overlook it. The replacement sample is much better, but not perfect.

My theory on the slipping QA is because the factory and the workers know there is no longer a Lynn Thompson to answer to, only a giant megacorporation that couldn't care less about quality or reputation.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I've worked in factories like this, and it's true nobody cares and they use you like a rented mule. It was just a paycheck and nothing else.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
Has anyone purchased a new Gladius Machete recently?

Have they corrected their issue of not having an edge?

There has been enough time for GSM to notice the lack of edges and correct the problem.
Click to expand...

I have several. One I bought from Knifecenter or someplace like that about four or five months ago and it didn't come with an edge. I sent it to GSM along with my dull Khukri. They did a decent job on the Khurkri, but burned the handle and the blade a bit on the Gladius when it was being sharpened. And there is a slight roll on certain parts of the edge of the Gladius. Not terrible, I could clean it up with a stone, but it's definitely a user now. I got some Gladius swords from that famous place with the closeouts for $18 each I believe, about two months ago, they all came with a nice factory edge. This is one that came with the factory edge.
 
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PsychoSword said:
I have several. One I bought from Knifecenter or someplace like that about four or five months ago and it didn't come with an edge. I sent it to GSM along with my dull Khukri. They did a decent job on the Khurkri, but burned the handle and the blade a bit on the Gladius when it was being sharpened. And there is a slight roll on certain parts of the edge of the Gladius. Not terrible, I could clean it up with a stone, but it's definitely a user now. I got some Gladius swords from that famous place with the closeouts for $18 each I believe, about two months ago, they all came with a nice factory edge. This is one that came with the factory edge.

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Sick sword, dude. If I got my hands on one, I’d probably take it to a bladesmith to clean out the QC deficiencies. 😅

Edit: What do you think of the Gladius now? Is the build quality decent?
 
I think that it's pretty decent. I've had $300+ swords that didn't impress me. These seem straight and reasonably sharp. Could be sharped a bit more, but are serviceable out of the package. I will double check them though.

I'm sure even though it's a cheap sword, it's a lot better quality than people had 2,000 years ago. 1055 carbon steel done in a modern process is no joke.

The Gladius is a pretty light sword, but I was playing around with it like a dumbass.. Then I picked up my AD10 and it felt like picking up a feather.

You know like when you pick up a milk carton that you think is full and it's empty. :)
 
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Way back in 2013 I bought a Gladius Machete and liked it so much that in 2014 I bought four more, but gave one to a brother and another to a sister.

So I have three left, two unused.

The machete is lightweight and mine came sharp, sharp enough that I made a mental note to be extra careful when using it. It is not the sharpest knife I have, or even the sharpest big knife, but it is the sharpest double edged blade I had in that size range. My Applegate-Fairbairn Smatchet is sharper but also significantly smaller, and my Windlass swords came dull and I never sharpened them.

Back then I recommended them to people who wanted a functional large blade for home defense for a low price, though now I'd recommend a Musha Katana.

So I know they are good blades, I was just wondering if GSM fixed the mess they made by selling edgeless machetes.

Another issue is that we don't know how much old stock of other models is still in stock, so sharp machetes might still be old stock, and maybe with some models GSM never got around to screwing them up.

My Kukri Machetes had rough edges with burrs, but I was able to fix that pretty easily and that is not as bad as not even having a bevel like the GSM Gladius Machete.
 
Yea it's hard to tell what is new and old stock. I've been trying to figure that out myself. I really don't want to buy a dull Khrukri or Gladius again. And then mail them down to GSA in Texas to have them possibly butcher the blade, and then Fedex Ground drives around town with your package for a week in the back of their truck because they also suck. What's the point.. You can't even cut weeds with the damn things when they arrive unfinished, dull as crap.

I did get some D-Guard 24" Latin machetes recently as well. They were sharpened and I THINK they were newer stock. But not sure. Maybe they are correcting things.. only time will tell.
 
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I'm wondering if the Gladius Machete will be discontinued since it is very similar to the newer stainless throwing Gladius.
 
I saw that too... I hope not. The odd thing is the last thing you want in a throwing knife (and even worse a sword) is STAINLESS STEEL.

I believe that the SS Gladius would make a decent close quarters personal defense weapon against someone who doesn't have a real sword or firearm or pepper spray or a million other things, but stainless steel is not for throwing.

I actually want to get one since I first saw it, just to see it in person. If I did a Joe X on it though I'm pretty sure I'll need safety glasses, because it would explode, unlike with the 1055 version.
 
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PsychoSword said:
I think that it's pretty decent. I've had $300+ swords that didn't impress me. These seem straight and reasonably sharp. Could be sharped a bit more, but are serviceable out of the package. I will double check them though.

I'm sure even though it's a cheap sword, it's a lot better quality than people had 2,000 years ago. 1055 carbon steel done in a modern process is no joke.

The Gladius is a pretty light sword, but I was playing around with it like a dumbass.. Then I picked up my AD10 and it felt like picking up a feather.

You know like when you pick up a milk carton that you think is full and it's empty. :)
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I just sure hope they don’t swap the 1055 for… 4034! 😅
 
DangerZone98 said:
I just sure hope they don’t swap the 1055 for… 4034! 😅
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Benjamin Liu said:
If they do this and double or triple the price, there will be people on Youtube claiming that they are superior to the older models.
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Yea that wouldn't surprise me either. You always have to take youtube videos with a large dose of salt these days. So much marketing on there.
 
I own some very good pre GSM Cold Steel products. And I am not looking to purchase any more Cold Steel products. I believe that the race to the bottom began under the previous ownership. Always looking to improve the bottom line. I was never interested in him. I am not in the market for a life. Or influencers. Maybe it is time to move this sub forum to the archives. It was reasonably priced fun.
 
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