[Neutrino45]

I recently bought a Cold Steel Kukri. I was playing around and gently hacked a firewood a few times and this is the result. Is this what I should expcect from this machete (or all machetes)?

Wal-Mart fire wood

After about 3 hacks

This is the edge out of the bag. The quality isn't that great...

I know that it's a somewhat inexpensive machete but I thought Cold Steel has a reputation of making quality stuff...

 

[Survival Helper]

This must be the new "quality" (sigh) Cold Steel used to buy their steel through Camillus but they went under, so now we are stuck with anything they can get their hands on, which in this case seems to be "junk" steel. I am not impressed by any stretch, might be time to consider another brand (cold steel customer for 15 plus years).

 

[Neutrino45]

When I went to return it at the Sportsman's Warehouse, the guy standing behind me told me that his brother has one and the blade did the same thing when he was hacking an armadillo... WTF???

 

[xringfighter]

This must be the new "quality" (sigh) Cold Steel used to buy their steel through Camillus but they went under, so now we are stuck with anything they can get their hands on, which in this case seems to be "junk" steel. I am not impressed by any stretch, might be time to consider another brand (cold steel customer for 15 plus years).

Been a Cold Steel customer since 1987. Have an LTC Kukri purchased years ago. Love it. Don't know about the new stuff or the Machetes. Sorry to hear that. I'd contact Cold Steel. I've dealt with them in the past and they were great.

 

[Overgrown]

I have one of the Cold steel Kukri machetes me and the old man used it today working on a shelter I love mine..


Mine came with a better edge than the one pictured.

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Well if you're buying a product made outside the USA then why not buy a Kukri made in Nepal. At least it would help the true inventors of this great tool. I think the quality will be much higher as well.

 

[Neutrino45]

Yorkshire Boy, can you please tell me where is the best place to order from? Thanks!!!

Overgrown, do you think I just got a bad batch? I'm not looking to chop trees with it but I just expected a higher quality blade.

xringfighter, depending on the responses here, I might contact CS.

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Err, I'm not American, I'm guessing you are? If so try googling "Khukri House"
Prices are in dollars. I hope that helps. They are authentic kukris.

 

[FinnMan]

I think those Cold Steel machetes are quite soft temper. One thing might help to keep edge is to convex it. I don´t have experience about kukri machete, but bought just CS 12" barong machete and edge profile is quite low degree v-shape. I think that will not last well for chopping (haven´t tried yet)

 

[Overgrown]

Neotrino45, I supose that is possible did you look at other ones when you returned that one?

Mine is a little over a year old.

 

[kev]

cold steel kurki

That is the $25 kurkis - http://www.coldsteel.com/97kms.html

2 years ago I caught them on sale - 2 for $25. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

If you want a good quality cold steel kurki, look for the LTC or the HTC.

This place has the LTC for $90.
http://www.thebladeshop.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=113

Cold steel stopped producing the Light terrain chopper, All terrain chopper and the heavy terrain chopper years ago. My HTC is about 13 - 14 years old.

I can not even find the HTC on ebay - that is sad.

Years ago, cold steel was an American made knife company that used high grade carbon steel. But like most companies they have gone the path of cheap chinese labor and stainless steel blades. When I see a knife, and its got "China" stamped on the side - and that knife cost $100+, the customer is getting ripped off. I would not mind spending good money when its made in the USA. But when a company pays their foreign workers pennies on the dollar, then imports that product here and charges a "Made in the USA" price, something is wrong.

And its NOT just made in china - its anywhere a company can get cheap labor. We need to support our home country. If you live in USA - buy products made here, if you live in canada buy canadian made products, if you live in china buy products made in china.

I used to recommend cold steel, but not any more. Their products either target the cheap market, or the very expensive market.

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Surely if you're after a kukri then you should get a "genuine" kukri that's made in Nepal. Anyone unsure of the cutting abilities of a Kukri should watch the 5th post on the chopping test thread I made.

 

[the hog]

Hi Neutrino45, I am stunned to see the blade on your Khukri and being a South African I would like to apologise to you on behalf of the quality control idiot who let that past him!!!. Looks like some one has been cutting concrete blocks with it.

 

[Overgrown]

Well, one thing you have to keep in mind is that some idiot that works at the store might have been playing with it too, it does look like it has been hit on something hard repeatedly.

 

[FinnMan]

I just went to test my brand new CS barong machete (made in china) how it works. I chopped through two pine boards (hitting hard) I found from my garage. It worked nicely and there was no damage on blade. I haven´t tested any harder wood yet.

 

[UDTJIM]

Touch it up with a good file or belt sander and keep chopping.

 

[loki]

I must have just gotten lucky hearing some of these reviews. Or perhaps I had mine before they started getting the crappy steel. Two of my CS machetes say made in South Africa and two others say made in China. All of them perform for what I need them to cutting brush around the house and camping, hunting chores. I think the steel is a little soft but I have not had that bad blade deformation as in the pics above, just does not stay as sharp for as for as long as I believe it should.

 

[drew1095hc]

I have owned this machete for over a year and I love mine. when I first used mine the same thing happened. However, after resharpening it holds a great edge I beleave the coating process is distempering the thin edge on the grind, but the metal beneath is good quality, at least on mine......hope this helps

 

[trixie]

good chance for you to practice sharpening

 

[FlungPup]

I've got both the CS KUKRI machete and GURKHA KUKRI (not the San Mai III for $700 but the $100 one.) Here's a link:

CS Gurkha Kukri

Now while the machete is ****e, it is light and good for hacking back blackberry bushes and crazed young Alder thickets. It took me a while to pick one with a decent blade as they varied a lot right out of the box.

The Gurkha Kukri is my zombie decapitator. I'm going to get a second one and hold it in my other hand upside down and go through the crowd of zombies like a lawn mower.
I like it!