Cold Steel kukri's

[woodsitter]

Here’s one for the knife nuts that own and tried everything.

Surfing a bit for big choppers I ended up at Cold Steel. They have a small Kukri called LTC Kukri for $ 154,99 and somewhere else on the site a Kukri machete for $ 19,99 (you can order just the sheath for $ 11,99 so I guess the kukri machete is only $ 8 :lol: )

http://www.coldsteel.com/35ltc.html

http://www.coldsteel.com/97kms.html

The two models look very similar. There is a bit of a difference in size and weight but not enormous. Both are from carbon steel. Why this huge difference in price? Is the machete a flimsy toy? Is the LTC over priced?

Does anyone own any of them?

[giancarlo]

Think Adi's your man for this lot mate,
know he has one (not sure if it's that exact one)..

I'm sure he'll reply soon... (the man never sleeps)...

good luck, they're sposed to be pretty good :)

cheers :)
Carlo

[woodsitter]

You’re probably right.

I’m sure he will lecture me about American copies of indigenous tools, that a real kukri is something very different and that the once from HI of the army or whatever are much better. :oops:

I’m sure they are, but I’m not looking for a authentic collectors item costing me a fortune or a tool that weights more than my tent (and I'm neither looking for a tool that will break or dull on first impact.)

I thought that Cold Steel did have a good reputation but with these variants they must rip you off with one deal or the other.

[Adi007]

The difference is simple ... the steel. The expensive LTC uses Lyn Thompson's mystery steel (Carbon V). You won't find much in the way of documentation on this steel because apparently it changes every so often ... it;s a great steel with excellent edge retention, the only drawback being that it rusts.

1055 is a pretty bog standard carbon steel ... but it's great value when you look at the fact that you get a good quality cordura sheath.

[Adi007]

No lectures from me mate! :wink: In fact, I like the CS kuks. The handle can be a little rough but nothing that a bit of sandpaper can't fix.

[Adi007]

Oh, the handles are different too ... polypropylene is hard while kraton is soft and rubbery.

[Andy]

I'd just get something like this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&categor y=4719&item=2250987880&rd=1
I have to wonder if the cheeper one is a mistake but I don't know about cold steel kuks, I've just used a few ex army ones

[The General]

Carbon V steel, same stuff as used in the becker range, also made by Camillus...

Great stuff.

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Cold Steel products are nice, but Carbon V is no mystery at all. I'll look it up later, but there is an old post @ www.knifeforums.com revealing it as a a rather bread and butter steel with above average treatment. Many of CS products are actually outsourced, Camillus being one jobber. Lynne Thompson is an interesting bird. CS is located in my county and periodically they have open tent sales with slow moving items, sale examples etc. He has replicated many traditional tools and weapons with varing degrees of success. In my pre computer days I had an odd job at a equestrian float company. I was packing my finnish puukko and got 'the lecture.' I replied that if CS didn't charge just to get the catalog people might buy more. I have bought a few CS items, but I draw the line on traditional tools still available from the country of origon. To many wonderfull crafts and skills have been swallowed up by world Mc Donaldism. If I buy a kukri, it will be from Nepal.

[The General]

The H/I range is superb. Uncle Bill will sort you out with a Kuk that will cut a Cold Steel model in half... :lol:

[familne]

I got the Kukri machete as a 'cheap and cheerful don't mind to much if it gets knackered' brush clearing chopper and for this it is good value for money. But, as you would expect, build quality is pretty poor e.g. the handle is very bendy and the steel is not the best quality. Nice sheath though.

[Bex]

I think the machete's are made in South Africa, the kurkri's in the US. Aside from the materials, the cost of workers is going to be significantly higher in the US.

Carbon V does vary according to which manufacturer Cold Steel is using at the time. A.G. Russell's comments on a thread in 'knifeforums.com':


The reason you cannot find Carbon V on anybody's list of steels is because it is whatever Lyn Thompson of Cold Steel says it is and that will change whenever he wants it to. In the past (I have no idea of the present) Carbon V has been a good quality, non stainless, tool steel and when made in this country by Buck, or Western, or Onterio or some other top factory and well heat treated. When knives are made in Red China, who knows how well they are made or of what. The other steels are all worth while and remain the same year after year no mater which steel mill makes them.

Mr Russell is one of the foremost authorities on the knife world and a long time retailer.

One peice kraton handles do have a habit of working loose under heavy use. I've found that personally myself with a Benchmade Delta Raider. Jerry Younkins, one time noted knife writer, has tested the Cold Steel ATC kukri and the blade tang worked itself through the kraton after use-this was on more than one test sample as well.

The above said, the old Blackjack Marauder parang/kopis hybrid had rave reviews with no reports of problems with the kraton handles. If you want something along these lines, try the Blackjack kukri currently being sold:

http://www.newgraham.com/warner.htm

These are sharpened with a convex edge-definately something you want in a chopping tool. Dont worry about the AUS 8 steel-I've had no problems with the well made Japanese made knives in this steel. I would definately pick the Blackjack over the Cold Steel model.

As far as Himalayan Imports go, I have never had less than exellent service from Uncle Bill. His guarantee is one of the best in the business. HI are the company that really put the kukri on the map, so to speak.

http://www.himalayan-imports.com/

I've not used Tora kukri's so I cant speak directly of their quality. They do guarantee their products though and are based in the UK, which may be more convenient for some. I have corresponded with Simon Hengle, the owner, regarding WW2 combatives, and he was very pleasant to converse with.

http://www.toratoratora.co.uk/[/quote]

[gurushaun]

I'm very pleased with the Tora SF MK 3 Kukri that I got from Simon at Tora, I'd recommend their products and have had no problems with their service either (I'd rate it excellent). Just my two penn'orth :-D

Cheers

Shaun

[Adi007]

The CS khukri is the only CS product I have so it's not rocket science statistics but after a LOT of hard use the blade and handle are still firmly joined together. :-D

[george]

[quote="Bex"]The above said, the old Blackjack Marauder parang/kopis hybrid had rave reviews with no reports of problems with the kraton handles. If you want something along these lines, try the Blackjack kukri currently being sold:

http://www.newgraham.com/warner.htm

These are sharpened with a convex edge-definately something you want in a chopping tool. Dont worry about the AUS 8 steel-I've had no problems with the well made Japanese made knives in this steel. I would definately pick the Blackjack over the Cold Steel model.

quote]

I'd echo Bex - I've got an old Blackjack Reinhardt combat kukri thats been everywhere with me. It's a great tool and the convex edge works incredibly well.(though I must admit that sharpening it was a puzzle at first!)

You would be doing well if you could get hold of one of them as they're pretty collectible, but so far they're the tool that I measure all my other cutting tools against.

George

[Bex]

The CS khukri is the only CS product I have so it's not rocket science statistics but after a LOT of hard use the blade and handle are still firmly joined together. :-D

Good stuff. The problem is that while kraton is a great shock absorber, it isnt easy to keep fixed onto a knife tang. Peter Hjortberger, the owner of Fallkniven, once remarked on Knifeforums how hard it was to keep kraton handles on knives. I once had a kraton scale come off an old SOG Stingray folder I had.

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Is this one of those harmonic convergences when all the planets line up? The tenent above me has an annoying collection of "noise" on CDs that would make a punk rock band take monastic vows of silence. So, I put on a CD of Tibetan lamas chanting. Suddenly I hear this knock on my door. I have several indian nieghbors, but I knew this gentleman was different. I asked if by chance he was nepalese. With a smile he stood ramrod straight and announced he was a retired seargent major of HRH's Gurkha Regiment-SA! This is California, so I guess why not. Turns out his son is over here and he came along until Nepal resolves the current turmoil. One thing led to another, and I am now a student of bantu marshal arts. I am getting really tired of 5' guys beating me up ( 2 years n'jitsu student in San francisco.) Running around the complex with this guy chopping down the shrubbery ( Monty Python music) with this issue kukhri while I patheticaly paried back 5 seconds to late was a bit much. If I live, I'll addd my expertise later. Now if HI can ship me a proper blade......

[woodsitter]

A lot of response girls, thanks a lot.

To summarise:

- original kukris are the best (and since Nepal has hardly any economy except the mount Everest and Ghurkhas, it’s the right thing to do to import their’s)

- CS is not bad at all but there are unclear/inconclusive things about their manufacturing and they have some strange stuf.

- Carbon V is a mystery, but it’s also not since it was decided what is, and also that they change it a lot. So we still don’t know what it is, but it is not bad at all. :roll:

- The CS kukri has better steel and a more comfortable handle than the CS kukri machete.

- So, the CS kukri is good, the CS kukri machete is not bad and very good compared to its very low price and for only a third of the price of the CS kukri and a bit more than the CS kukri machete, I could get a REAL kukri with the same specs from Tora.

- If you have noisy neighbours cal the Ghurkhas. :wink:

[OldJimbo]

There's lots ot like about CS Kukris. such as the handle shape and overall flat package.
The Carbon V steel is great for casual chopping and lots of slicing work, too. Unfortunately for extended chopping on a variety of stuff, I haven't found the steel to hold an edge as well as either traditional kukris or real goloks. It's probably heresy to say that a blade made of some recycled who knows what - and zone hardened with clay or water from a tea kettle can beat high tech, but it's so in my experience. What's really strange is that for slicing, the Carbon V will hold up better. It depends on what is being chopped, and how the edge is reprofiled, I guess. It would be too much work for me to try nibbling down stuff with the original V bevel on the LTC, though, because I do a lot of clearing.
The details on what I found are here:
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/ltc.html

I'll be putting up some pages this summer on traditional kukris.

[Adi007]

Thanks for that OldJimbo ... funny how both yours and mine came with come of the coating left on the edge through the convex edge ground onto the blade.

I'll also second what you say about the lanyard hole - putting a wrist loop through that could be lethal if the blade slips out of your hand while chopping. I can't understand why it's there to be honest with you ... other than to add another feature to the blade

- lanyard hole

:roll:

Mine's seen a lot of hard use and so far (touch wood) the blade is not "pretzled" ... but we don't get an awful lot of opportunity to chop rea;;y hard wood up here in Wales! :lol:

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Lanyard holes are not some vital accessory knifemakers take extra effort to drill. They are merely a very convenient hanger during various production processes. Peter of Fallkniven explained the hated notch on several blade patterns was used to secure the blank during production. I don't mind, it makes a convenient wire cutter. Lanyards started aboard ship. Dropping a knife aloft could impale somebody. They are naturals for paratroopers, mountain climbers and environmental activists in redwood trees. For most ground pounders 5 miles of paracord tied to an ankle makes more sense. I spent the night helping to locate a lost dis-orienteering student :roll: .

[OldJimbo]

The only problem with a lanyard hole is that people might feel obliged to use it without thinking things through...
With any of the kukri blades, whether CS or traditional - there's lots to think through and learn, because they are prone to deflections and glances. A person even has to learn proper methods of sheathing /unsheathing. - especially with the traditional ones. They're about like most things to do with the outdoors - lots of learning and going slow and careful while one learns.

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Not to mention cut fingers and bemused glances from friends and family. Walter Mitty butchering a walrus with an Ulu, saving a princess from Thugees with a Kukhri or facing down a grizzwith a SAK. "Ta pocket ta pocket ta pocket." :naughty:

[TheViking]

Adi: i forgot something. How wide is the bevel? It looks very small? :roll:

Thanks mate! :D

[woodrat]

I have a maurader/ parang, it came "out of the box" hair shaving sharp!! I don't pack it, too sharp!!, if you goofed with it it had better happen outside a hospital or your a goner!! way more than a bit of stitchs involved here. beutiful piece of steel but sits in your hand like a ticked off rattlesnake! you know its gonna bite but you don't know who or what.

[woodsitter]

As an update, i did by the CS kukri machete. The shop I went to did also have the CS kukri and some original kukri’s but still I chose the machete.
The CS kukri was € 299,- (= 200 pounds) that’s far to much money to take out in the woods for me. No way. They had some fine original kukri’s varying in price between € 90 and € 200. Some of them where far to large and heavy, others had cracks in the horn handle and all of them had very heavy and cumbersome sheaths.

I was in need for a working tool, something to replace and possibly upgrade my machete. For the price (€ 30) I thought the CS kukri machete the best option.

Now, compared to the CS kukri, it’s a crude piece of kit. It’s cut from a piece of medium carbon steel sheet, almost 3 mm thick. Then a big machine grinded a bevel and the whole thing is covered in some black finish. According to the label it’s ‘baked on’ and it’s supposed to preserve rust. Now this black finish is covering the whole thing (except the handle), right till the edge. The label states that ‘the CS kukri machete comes with a working edge’. I guess they mean that it comes with an edge that needs some work. :roll: At least I will not conquer the great outdoors with something so blunt. It’s fine if you want to molest some stinging nettles but as a versatile ‘do-it-al-chopper’ it’s not enough. Now a medium carbon steel will never become a good razor but at an 45 degree angle I want it to dig into the wood I’m chopping and not glance off.

The handle is o.k. It’s much better than the crude hard plastic I was use to on my old machete. Of course you can see the edges of the mould, but the grip and feel are good and it looks sturdy. The balance is good too, and the shape of the blade allows chopping with a quick wrist action as wlee as with your whole arm.

I started working on the ‘working –edge’ now. The black finish comes of first and reveals scratches and dents and little imperfections from the crude grind. All are smaller than 1 mm, so I can get rid of them with a little work. The contrast between the black blade and the (now) shining edge actually looks quite good. I will keep working on it tomorrow and than give it a spin in my In-laws garden.

It comes with a sheath. Nothing fancy but I think it will do the job. It’s a piece of nylon cloth, with two peaces of hard plastic riveted together at the tip. One side is also held together by plastic rivets the other side is open so you can slide the machete in. It’s close with two straps. It has a belt loop, but I don’t thing I will use that a lot. A machete constantly dangling next to my knee is not my idea of adding fun to a hike. I will add some extra loops so I can strap it to my rucksack.

Oh and it has a lanyard hole. There should be a law against this! :nono:


Unless I chop off my typing fingers I will let you know how it works in the back yard wilderness next week.

[TheViking]

I think we have got the same one woodsitter. IMO there's definately better machetes and choppers on the market. Mine was grinded wrong so I had an argument with the dealer. It turned out that I grinded it down so it was straight and now use it as an abuse tool. :wink:

[Furface]

Bit of a late follow on for this thread, but thought someone might be interested in this link http://www.thekhukurihouse.com/
If you want to buy a khukri, why not get one made in Nepal, by the local Nepalese artisans who make them from the Gurkha regiments.
No mystery about the steel, it comes from Indian army truck springs, as you can see on the site.

A mate just brought an unfinished blade back for me. I want to finish it with a Budda Dal handle, like they use on Tulwars. Not traditional Gorkha, but a traditional tool of the Sikhs. Will try to post some pictures when I get the handle.

By the way, this is the first time I've posted, so "Hya". :wave: