Cold Steel 97KMS Kukri Machete,Black

This is just a first impressions review of the Kukri Machete. It seems really great and has a nice minimalist design. It feels solid, is decently sharp out of the bag, has a nice forward heavy weight to it, the handle is grippy and comfortable, and the sheath is actually pretty good for a $21 machete. The only negative for me was I was expecting two of them for the $21, but that's not Cold Steel's fault so it doesn't reflect in my rating. I have plenty of other Cold Steel products that have been fantastic so I'm certain this will be too. Lots of hard use reviews on Youtube and plenty of good feedback online as well. I will say this first, Amazon is great at addressing any issues. Mine was a fulfillment issue on this item. Be cautious if ordering it via the Amazon Smile 2-Pack listing. I ordered this and only received one machete not two as expected. There was a mix up with the order fulfillment I guess. It had the Amazon Smile 2-Pack symbol on the order page and it was verified by me and a Customer Service Rep thru a Chat prior to ordering that it was definitely for a 2-Pack offer at that price. However only 1 item was received. Customer Service was great and said they would credit the account for the missing item, but it was disappointing to not receive both ordered items as expected. But for half price it makes this machete even better.

I can honestly say I have waited over 3 years to write this review. I bought the Cold Steel Kukri Machete based on what I had heard online and my own experience with the Cold Steel GI Tanto. I can say that after 3 years of pretty hard use, occasional neglect and then more abuse this thing is still a SOLID buy. For the money you cannot beat this thing. I have cut down small trees. Split wood and even pounded in a tent stake with it sideways, which is like...one of the worst things you can do with any knife/machete. It personifies the word "Chopper". The steel is some combination of adamantium and mithril. I actually make knifes as a hobby and I can say that cold steel got this spring steel JUST right. It holds a decent edge and bounces back from just about anything. I have heard and seen a lot of gripping about the factory edge on it. Yes it's not the best. It's rough, and depending on what your chopping the angle may not be the best. HOWEVER I honestly believe there is a method to Cold Steels madness. If you take it out and start using it, you'll notice that the rough factory edge starts to polish it's self with use. The edge starts to smooth with each subsequent chop and in essence the more you use it, the sharper it gets. Now if you don't want to wait for that then, go nuts as soon as you get it, I used a simple file and a good old sharpening stone and had the thing slicing paper in no time. That edge has stayed on it pretty well considering what I've done to the poor thing. If you are worried that the handle will break, don't be. If you are worried that it's too thin for hard work or a survial/ bug out bag etc. don't be. If you are worried about it not being a good chopper, don't be. For the money it's superb.

I actually bought this by accident, thought i was getting the larger 17" blade, once I realized it I also ordered the larger model before i received this one. These are imported from South Africa not manufactured by Cold Steel, which if i would have known (ordered via the phone app and didn't see the origin) i probably would not have purchased them. As stated in other reviews the edge is not all that great, mine came with a decent enough edge to take chunks out of an old table made from 2x4s with out a problem and you could probably do some damage with it as is. The grind on the edge was uneven (the grind on the larger version was better) but after some file work it sharpened up pretty nice (did get it to shave hair of my arm) and stayed sharp even after destroying an old 6x6 i had laying around. I even accidently tried to stick it into a cement floor with no noticeable damage to the tip (wouldn't suggest testing that however). The blade has minimal flex, handle is comfortable and it is fairly well balanced (actually throws pretty nice). I have never owned a Kukri style machete and i haven't really gotten this one out in the field yet, but after using it a bit i can see where it could be much more functional and preferable to a hatchet. comparing it to the larger 17" version (23" over all), this 13" version (18" over all) feels like the prefect size to weight ratio and unless you are chopping zombies, seems much more functional than the larger blade. This would also be a great inexpensive blade to throw in a get home bag to just leave in a vehicle. Aside from being imported i would probably pick up another one. The sheath is functional but not a whole lot to talk about, i will probably cut the lower snap off as it seems unnecessary. PRO: Functional, nice weight, handles nice and throws decent, good for the price. CON: Imported, not actually Cold Steel, needs edge work.

You're getting what you pay for here, seriously. Don't go shelling out 20 bucks and expecting anything amazing. That being said, this thing is a great, cheap little workhorse. I use it all the time no holds barred mostly because it's cheap to if I chip the tip or mess it up on a rock or what have you I don't need to worry about it. Pros: Cheap, solid, good weight, good construction. Cons: Not a great edge out of the box, feels a little cheap, handle's a little awkward, sheath is definitely cheap. Every one of the cons is kind of abated by the fact that you're paying 20 bucks for it. Just for the record, I've put this thing through serious abuse testing, IE: cutting roots by shoving the blade into the ground and getting them that way, and with a new edge this guy works just fine again. Don't expect anything much and you won't be disappointed. Just remember you're only paying 20 dollars for it.

This thing is a workhorse and a cutting beast! I chopped down an 8" thick oak in 1 min 45 sec with it. The 1055C blade is all function and no frills. Good forward ballance for chopping, great grip, good sheath, easily sharpened and holds an edge well when properly used ( i.e. kept away from dirt/rocks ). Defensive/offensive capabilities are obvious to the martially adept. Not a display piece by far- but if, like me you find beauty in utility you will love this tool. I work mine like a rented mule & I like not having to worry about being too hard on it like I do with some of of my prettier, more expensive Knives. Everything above also applies to the C.S. Magnum Kukri which is actually more like a falcata in size and proportion. And of course it's a must have for the Z-day Survival kit (:)> Bottom line- a superior value for the price & better than 90% of the kukris available online. If you are value oriented & looking for a kukri- buy it, use it well & if it ever dies on you( doubtfull ) replace it. You'll be glad you did.

This will be my last review here at Amazon.com. They will not let you write a review unless you purchase the item from them. My wife made the purchase on her account and I want to write this review from my account. Too bad because I used to come to Amazon to check out pricing and read the reviews. A lot of times I would purchase from Amazon because I was already here. Not anymore. Now to my review. I am doing a lot of flying over the Rockies and I want several levels of survival kits at hand while doing so. I researched many primary survival knives and it came down to this Cold Steel Kukri Machete. Two factors convinced me to buy this one. The first was the destructive testing video on you tube and the second was the price. I am buying this Kukri Machete as a one time, save my life, survival tool. The sheath. Made cheaply in Taiwan. If I ever have to use it for real I hope it can stand up to a few days of use. I justify using the sheath by saying, "What do you expect for 20 bucks?". Now the Kukri Machete. PROS: Lightweight for its intended use, its shape makes it ideal to be an all around "tool" for survival, made from 1055 Medium Carbon Steel is the best all around material for a survival blade. Amazon made a mistake stating that this is a High Carbon Steel which it is not quite. Coming to their aid, they did state that the steel was 1055 which you could research to verify this aspect of the Kukri. CONS: Looks and feels like a Third-World made piece of junk (made in South Africa), my Kukri must be a third or forth generation from USA made (it is very, very roughly made), the blade is stamped and poorly made too, the edge is well what edge?, the edge is ground and not the same on both sides either, I could cut myself easier if I ran into a wall than I ever could right out of the box, I had to go back from the beginning and rough grind the blade before ever starting to sharpen it, the finish, well, the finish is ... the finish must have been done by child labor learning to finger paint (combining education with work experience), the handle does not fit my average sized hand (slightly too small), the handle has sharp burrs of plastic all around (made me test out my medical survival kit), and the tang, I have no idea how far the tang goes into the plastic handle (I guess I will find out when it might be too late). If you do not mind partially re-fabricating this Kukri and for the price, buy it. It uses a very good grade of steel. Oh, the paper sticker must be permanent because it takes a lot of work to remove it (be careful not to damage that quality finish).

This is the best all around BIG knife for the money period. This has serious cutting power, its made of 1095 so its REAL steel for quality performance and longevity especially since it has the black coating. The kukri is by far the best shopping blade I have ever used far better than a machete and far more diverse than a hatchet/tomahawk. Of course there are much higher quality kukri available for purchase but they will be much more expensive. Again for the money this is the best big blade you can buy. Because of the design of a kukri it has serious chopping power but also protects the beginning of the blade so it can stay razor sharp for slicing. The point is also sharp enough to do work a point would be desired for. Truly awesome for $20 The sheath is not super great but again for the price it is more than adequate in almost all situations. Its light weight which is the only real bonus to the sheath besides the price. It does appear to be pretty strong as it is made of thick nylon and has rivets to hold it together. There are NO downsides to this blade. BUY IT

The cold steel Kukri Machete is a solid, dependable wood chopper. Perhaps not as versatile as other machete designs, this one does a remarkable job on wood. Even at 12 inches, this blade design chops better than a much longer machete blade. I use it mostly to split stove wood and find that I grab it in preference to a froe. I have used it to trim dead limbs and find that I grab it in preference to an axe or hatchet. It would be an ideal tool for dressing a deer or hog. It's perfectly capable of splitting a carcass. The sheath is cheap canvas with a plastic tip, but does exactly what it's supposed to do...protects you from the blade. I have never attempted to carry it on a belt and have doubts about it holding up long in that role, but I carry it strapped to a backpack and it works great. The complaints about the handle chaffing are quibbles. If you want to use it for hours on end, maybe you will need gloves. If you want to split a few logs or whack a few branches, it won't have time to cause you any blisters. Perhaps I am holding it differently than the people who commented on this. I use a lanyard and wrap it around the back of my hand and thumb so the handle and blade pivot freely on the web between my thumb and index finger. I have never noticed any chaffing. For the price, it's a great tool.

4/5 for what it is (a cheap machete), 2.5/5 compared to machetes in general. This is a decent machete. Out of the box it wasn't sharpened at all, and I couldn't even cut the cardboard box that it came in (usually the case with cheap machetes). Had to go get it professionally ground, but now it's pretty functional and holds an edge reasonably. The handle feels a bit cheap, but it is! So no complaints. This will just end up being a machete I use for messing around/ not caring how beat up it gets.

The kukri wasn't sharp when it was deliver.

Not quite as good of steel, handle, or sheath quality as the Ka-Bar one I bought but I like this one better in terms of weight and how it fits in my smaller hand.

Usually I got Cold Steel machetes with very ugly and assymmetric cutting edge but this machete came very fast and in very good condition. I'm very satisfied. Thank you. I highly recomendet this product.

Good