Cold SteelRoyal Kukri Machete - 97KMIGS

Ordered this little beauty from Stealth Rabbit for $32 on Thursday, received it on Saturday with free shipping. Props.Pros:Weight Balance & Feel: Balance point is about 4 inches from the guard. Weighs right around 22oz, or ~1.4 lbs. Blade stock is about 2.5mm 1055 High Carbon steel with a very forward heavy blade. It is very sturdy and makes short work of shrubbery and small- medium diameter trees (along with cardboard boxes and water bottles). Handle is comfortable (although I recommend gloves, especially if you have small hands), and very large- so if you have large paws you'll feel right at home. The guard, while it may look a little bit odd is completely unobtrusive, and does not get in the way. Mine came relatively sharp with a decent convex edge- I recommend using a steel or file on the edge to get rid of the burrs when you first get it. It's a working edge, so don't expect a razor (it will cut paper out of box). The secondary bevel has a good profile, so if you are completely anal about honing it to a polished edge, re-profiling won't be a major issue.Cons: The sheath is a medium quality, riveted ballistic nylon sheath, just like one that comes with every other CS machete. It is not quick draw, but it is adequate for $30. Again, you can make or custom order a leather/ kydex sheath if you're really anal about it. Red Hill Kydex makes nice ones.The bottom line: Buy it. This is of superior design and quality than Gerber, SoG, and most other machetes in this price point. Condor also makes very high quality machetes in a similar price range, so look into those as well.BTW: This is a fairly adequate substitute for a Kopis/ Falcata style sword one might find on KoA, so if you want to try out something new that won't break the bank- this is your ticket right here.

Can do must of the chopping work of a small-medium ax and all the duties of a machete. Very well made very well put together. Size is about perfect in it will pack well but still big enough to handle any chopping task shy of cutting down a larger diameter tree. Will chop kindling and firewood well especially if you use a small log as a mallet to assist in spitting wood. I feel a must have camping and survival tool. Sheath is also well made and not all cheaply done. Well worth the price you really get your moneys worth from this chopping tool.Like to add when I bought this Cold Steel Royal Kukri machete I also bought a Accusharp carbide blade knife sharpener. The Cold steel Kukri came only OK sharp. Yes it would cut you, but I felt it to dull for my liking. So I did 50 passes with the Accusharp, tested the blade for improvement and repeated, 50 test, 50 test etc. After 250 passes the Cold Steel Kukri was very sharp and no doubt I could get it even sharper as it's sharpness improved noticeably with every 50 passes of the sharpener, but I got it sharp enough to cut anything I will need to with minimal effort.All in all I can highly recommend both the Cold Steel Kukri Machete and the Accusharp knife sharpener.

For the money this thing is great. I love the redesigned geometry and grip too. Together they make it a much more effective machete. It's a lot easier to handle than the original Cold Steel kukri machete. It came razor sharp and with the help of some goo be gone the sticker came off easily. The sheath, just like with all cold steel machetes, is okay. But in the end I carry this tucked into the side of my pack. So it will do. But if you plane to put it on your belt then I feel bad for you.Furthermore, although it's not designed for it I have buttoned with this a few times and it has held up very well. It did dull the blade some, but that is to be expected with 1055. But if your looking for a kukri for bush-craft and/or survival this is not my first choice. If your looking for a kukri that is good for chopping or buttoning I recommend the Himalayan Imports chiruwa ang khola. Even over the Cold Steel Gurkha kukri. I men it's warrantied for life as a pry-bar and if you break it they will give you two of them. Also if your on a budget the k-bar kukri is good too. But in the end I would be willing to bet my life on my chiruwa ang khola.Still for the money this thing is a beast.Update: A friend just brought over a Condor Tool and Knife Heavy Duty Kukri and I have to say its very impressive. If you want a kukri that's almost as good as the Himalayan Imports chiruwa ang khola (which is $200 BTW) and is under $70 look no further. The only issue I have with it is that there is almost no distal taper in the blade. Basically it's the same thickness from the pommel to tip. But it has a apple seed (convex grind) edge and a 1075 German steel blade with a mild temper for durability. Very nice kukri for only about twice the cost of this. But it will not double as a machete. It's too heavy. I have a battle ready long sword that ways less than either of those kukries.

Good heft, definitely quality, a unique take on a classic blade and Cold Steel never disappoints.