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Post by DavidW on Jun 5, 2012 20:56:03 GMT
Right, well I made this quickie for Unit 731, hopefully it'll help him decide between this and the gladius machete (see the last page of this thread viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1991). Ignore my parents yelling at me at 2:25 :lol: Stats from TrueSwords Blade Length: 19 in. Overall Length: 35 1/2 in. Steel: 1055 Carbon Steel w/ Black Baked on Anti Rust Matte Finish. Weight: 33 oz. Handle: 16 1/2 in. Long Polypropylene. Blade (in small paragraphs for your reading convenience It comes fully ready for its use as a machete, with a decent factory edge. A few runs on an Accusharp brings it to paper cutting/flesh cutting sharp. I've pickle chipped milk jugs with this thing. I've also used it on some outings for chopping branches and such, and I used it most recently at a barbecue for my grade. There was no wood to start a fire so I went out and was able to split medium sized pieces of firewood with it. In America, I used this in conjunction with that Rambo style machete that TrueSwords also sells to take down a tree that was about a foot in diameter. www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 739&type=3 It comes with a baked on black finish that can be removed by soaking a paper towel in rubbing alcohol and rubbing it off. Personally, I like the finish, as it's good against rust and scratches. The blade is made from 1055 carbon steel and is DURABLE!!! I've used it heavily for over a year, and it hasn't dulled a bit. I've chopped firewood, batoned heavier wood by hammering on the spine, and cut all sorts of things with it. I got a nasty scar on my middle finger knuckle from when my finger slipped. Hasn't even taken a set yet. Only damage is a few small nicks on the blade when I tried to cut up some plastic tubing before realizing it had a metal core (cut through though). Only annoying thing is that the kiriha-zukuri kissaki is kinda thick and therefore it's not as sharp as the rest of the blade. Since it's a chokuto style blade and machete though, tip cuts aren't really ideal anyway. Handledisregard what I said in the review, it's actually made of polypropylene according to TrueSwords. It's a smooth and comfortable grip, but may get slippery if you have really sweaty hands and/or it rains (haven't had any slipping problems yet). There's a nice T-Shaped guard incorporated into the handle to prevent your fingers from slipping up and turning into tiny hot dogs. Overall it's a really simple, yet tough-as-nails construction and blade. I absolutely love it. PROSAnti-rust finish Takes and holds an edge easily CHEAP (Only $26 + S&H) Durable as hell Sharp! Excels in chopping Lightweight Versatile handling Pretty simple, yet good quality construction CONSKissaki is a tiny bit thicker and came duller than the rest of the blade No sheath included, but I improvised Somewhat thin spine (but it's held up fine so far) Finish comes off easily with alcohol Pretty steep and obvious secondary bevel. Not too bad IMO Hope this helps Unit 731, and I hope everyone else also enjoyed this review! :mrgreen: Attachments:
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Post by Unit731 on Jun 5, 2012 21:54:30 GMT
Thank you very much for the review. I am definitely buying this instead of the Gladius. I might stock up on a few to arm some friends as well. You deserve many karma from me, my friend. Thanks for putting the effort into creating this review to help me decide on which Machete to purchase.
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Post by William Swiger on Aug 19, 2014 7:23:22 GMT
Cold Steel Katana machete
by Elf-knight444 » 17 Aug 2014, 10:03
Hello everyone! This is my first review, and I will be reviewing one of my newer blades, the Cold Steel Katana Machete. I know a lot of people are boycotting cold steel or just don't like them because of their arrogant and over the top advertisement and employees, but I have wanted to try their machetes out for a while. For the price they can't be beat.
Full disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Cold Steel, nor its competitors. This is my first Cold Steel product.
First impessions: I ordered the 24 inch version of this blade with the sheath from Amazon. CS usually makes the sheath separately, but you can order a with sheath version from their catalog with the item number #97THKLS. It arrived a day or two after the estimated date, but otherwise the transition went pretty smooth. The machete arrived in its sheath, which was in turn sealed in a plastic thing with a cold steel label at the top. The blade was nicely oiled apron arrival, and it was well sharpened, but not overly so. I was very happy with my initial impression! I got this for $40, as opposed to the usual $60 (if you include the sheath).
Sword stats: Blade length: 24 inches Handle: 16 1/2 inch long polypropylene Overall length: 40 1/2 inches Steel: 1055 carbon steel with baked on anti corrosive matte finish weight: 34.3 oz Blade thickness: 2.8 mm Sheath: Cor-Ex fiber
Components and the sword itself: The blade: Well sharpened with a nice finish. The blade is kind of thin, but it is surprisingly sturdy and flexible, but certainly not whippy. Its very wide despite not being thick, which adds some nice mass to the blade, although I would prefer it to be a little less wide and more thick. But keeping in mind that this is a machete, its very nicely done I think. Im not sure about the tip. It is very efficient for stabbing and throwing, but not all that great aesthetically. I would have preferred a more curved as opposed to slanted tip, such as on cold steels latin or thai machetes. However, it does add a very unique appearance to the piece overall.
The handle: The handle is very long, which is in my opinion a good thing. It allows for a lot of control, its very effective as a lever, and can generate a lot of cutting power. Some might think that 16 and a half inches is too long, but I like it a lot. The handle is all one piece of injection molded polypropylene. This makes the machete very structurally secure because it is just 2 pieces plus a couple of pins. There is a hole drilled at the end of the handle, and I'm not sure what its supposed to be for. One other thing is that the handle doesn't have the best grip. I might put a leather or even duct tape wrap on it or something. I wish there was some crosshatching on it. It would be very easy to do, and would add a nice grip to the sword.
The sheath: The sheath is made of a nylon- like woven Cor-ex fabric. Its pretty tough, but as far as I can tell its not water resistant. It is pretty nicely made for what it is though. Its very utilitarian, but does have a tactical flair to it. It has a snap clip for the handle to keep the machete in place, an adjustable strap so that it can be easily worn across the back, rubber reinforcement at the bottom, and stud tac things running up the sides on the edges. My only concern would be that the blade could possibly cut the sheath or damage it if it was sharpened overly much. Personally I don't think a machete should be sharp enough to shred paper or anything anyway, because it makes the edge more fragile. But that is a consideration for those who like their blades like razors.
Other details: not much. One thing worth mentioning is that the tang does not extend the full length of the handle, but ends a little after the second pin. It is about 5 inches long though and doesn't want to go anywhere, so its perfectly ok. I would still prefer a full tang though. However, for those people who don't like the handle length, it does allow you to saw off the handle up to the end of the tang for customization.
Test cutting: Shortly after it arrived, I took my katana machete out to test its cutting ability. I started by demolishing the cardboard box that it had arrived in. Unfortunately it kept falling over, but I did manage to cut the board in half after a few tries, and stabbed it a bit to make sure it was dead. After this me and my new blade went and slaughtered a horde of water bottles, which it cut very well for the most part. I was quite impressed. It did bat one bottle across the yard, but otherwise it performed beautifully. I also cut some harder, wooden targets. This product would make an excellent brush clearer, as all machetes should. It cut smaller sticks like an axe, and larger ones it handled it a few chops as well. The edge remained undamaged through its ordeals, although I did observe some very minor scuffing on the finish. After cutting, I decided to throw this like a javelin at my archery target. This is honestly one of my favorite things to do with this sword. It throws surprisingly well. The long handle helps a lot, making it somewhat spear like. It is still not perfect, and when throwing its a little unbalanced, but the tip is very effective and consistently went up to 4 inches into my target and made very nice cuts. Those cuts would not be pretty on flesh.
Handling: The long handle on this makes it very easy to control, move around, and summon up cutting power when needed. Grip should be improved. The balance moves around depending on where you grip the handle, nimbler towards the front and with more cutting power towards the back.The sword over all is actually surprisingly light in hand!
The bottom line: pros: -very versatile blade -good cutter -well made over all -rust resistant coating -comfortable and easily adjustable sheath -throws very well -VERY good price cons: -handle could use a better grip -sheath could possibly get cut or shredded (might be a problem for some people) -aesthetically not the most beautiful sword around -tang only goes a third of the way into the handle -blade is a bit thin
verdict: Overall, this blade comes for a simply unbeatable price. It is for the most part very well designed, its a good cutter and a great brush clearer and wood chopper. The main thing I would change would be to add a more secure grip, and I quite probably will change that . I will most certainly keep an eye on Cold Steels other machete products, and probably get at least a few more. As far as appearances go, I think they could have done a bit better with this sword, and there are absolutely better looking katanas out there, but this has a unique appeal to it as a katana inspired machete, and if thats what you are looking for, look no further. I would recommend this sword to anyone who finds it appealing. There is nothing else quite like it.
I may edit pictures in later. Thanks for reading!
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