Cold Steel97BWM12S Bowie Machete with Sheath

Any cold steel blade holds an impressive edge and this knife is so sharp its dangerous. This item is basically a machete, with a quality polypropylene handle that has been ground into a bowie knife and as such is flexible and a flat blade without the raised back edge or articulation of the blade, however this makes it light.This weapon is a utilitarian blade that you can use without fear of scratching as its inexpensive, yet serves as a reliable weapon when needed and is very light. The black matt finish and grip does not reflect light, only the ground razor sharp edge does making it a good stealth knife that can serve as a machete in a pinch.The drawbacks to the knife is that is a ground down machete, the shape is not a perfect bowie knife shape, it has no cross guard, and is similar to a Saxon knife or native American pioneer scalping knife- it is light and fast but doesn't have balance weight of an actual knife- the fulcrum balance point is about four inches forward of the hilt but it is so sharp and the steel so tough it compensates. After all in a fight, often a knife is wrenched from your grasp when an enemy is struck, muscles tensing in the wound or bones trapping the blade and having multiple knives is needed, which is why inexpensive workhorse knives like this one are useful. It doesn't measure up to a cold steel Laredo Bowie, which is over 150 bucks but can inflict the same amount of damage and if scratched or lost isn't as upsetting.

Machetes come in a variety of sizes and styles and this Cold Steel Bowie Machete is a good choice for a small, inexpensive machete or to use as a cheap, large knife. It’s made of thicker steel than many other machetes so the blade is rigid and quite useful for both cutting and chopping. It also has a wickedly sharp point, so if you want something that will poke holes in addition to chopping, I recommend giving this mod your consideration. It also comes with a useful nylon sheath. For the price I paid, this machete is a useful bargain!

So far happy with it. I wanted a low cost option to toss into my vehicle or my backpack when hiking and to clear trails when driving off-road (so low hanging branches or shrubs don't scratch up my SUV anymore than necessary, haha.)The handle to me is just right - fills my hand and has great traction without any significant 'hot spots.' It came with a serviceable edge for a chopping tool but like most people probably will, I touched it up myself and it "bites" and cuts very nicely now. It's light but has enough weight behind it to have some chopping power. The point is wickedly sharp (due largely to the sharpened "swedge" or "false edge" on the top leading edge of the blade.)If I had a complaint, it would be that I have often seen this type of handle (plastic, molded around the "tang") break when subjected to heavy work. To me it would have been possible to make this a true 'full tang' implement with the metal running all the way through and handle scales glued/screwed/riveted to each side. It would be much more durable and probably would not greatly increase cost. Just me.The sheath is very nice although you may want to get a more durable one of those too if you intend to use this knife frequently or long term. I could see it fraying over time.Overall, great value for $30 or so.

This machete/knife is nothing beautiful at all to look at (actually kind of ugly), but it is highly functional. The blade is a full 12 inches with a tang that goes fully to end of the polypropylene handle. This is extremely important for strength. I feel this blade is unlikely to break off at the handle. I'm a tall, lanky female and the handle fits my hands perfectly.The steel metal edge has obviously been ground down to a sharp edge leaving metal shavings attached all along the length of the blade edge. It is however, very sharp and I handle it with due respect. When looking at the black painted blade from the side, the texture of the metal looks very similar to a wood grain and one might even think it was a piece of painted wood but it definitely isn't. I think it will rust, but still that's no big deal with this blade. Some steel wool should remove it but since it's carbon steel I can't expect it not to rust up if left exposed to the elements. The sheath that comes with it is pure basic functionality - black nylon with a band and snap to hold the hilt.I bought two of these knives, one for me and one for my husband. I don't know if I'll ever use my knife but I like knowing it's nearby if I ever need it. We go camping a lot and I will take it with me then. Girls! If a bad person ever tries to attack you and you pull one of these babies on him, only a true fool would continue the attack! This thing could chop a head off or at least do some extremely serious damage to anyone stupid enough to try to attack someone defending themselves with this knife.

Knife clearly says South Africa on the blade in the ad.They will send you a pos garbage Chinese one instead.