Cold Steel 97BWM12S Bowie Machete with Sheath

Don't be fooled by the price or people who say this is a novelty knife. The bowie design is obviously well proven as an outdoor knife and the 1055 steel on this is very strong and functional. Easy to sharpen but holds a good edge. This thing is built to take a beating. It has a just the right amount of flex if thats what you want to call it but it's still thick enough and stout enough to stab. Its also full tang. The factory edge on mine was not that great but after running it through my work-sharp I hacked down 2 oak saplings about 8inches in diameter and then several limbs just to see how it held up and you could tell no difference on the edge at all. Ive done a lot more chopping since then and after putting that first good edge on it I can resharpen it with just a stone in a few minutes. It would make an excellent and durable survival knife because while a full size machete would be much better for constantly chopping a ton of vegetation this blade CAN do it while also being stout enough and sharp enough to do tasks that you'd use a bowie knife for like skinning or defense. It's still really light for what it is (less than a pound) and I carry it every time I'm in the woods. It's just a good all around workhorse for whatever comes your way. The finish on mine has actually held up great so far and none of it has come off. I also see some reviews where people didn't care for the sheath but I was pleasantly surprised by it. It's stitched and riveted together with a tip guard that's also riveted. It's not floppy or thin like a lot of machete sheaths, it's thicker and feels well made. I haven't had the knife move around at all. I would like to see the retraining strap positioned lower on the handle so that it eliminates the possibly of it sliding upward in the sheath and exposing any of the blade but so far that has not been an issue at all. I have a lot of knives in different styles and price ranges but if I could only have 3 this would have to be one of them for the durability and ease of sharpening. No complaints from me for the price!**2 year update**Still loving everything about this knife. I've used it for 2 years now and most of that use was splitting lighter pine for fire building. And believe me I have split a ton of it and used it to process wood while camping. I also used it when skinning a deer and hacked the leg bones off at the joints no problem. This knife is still going strong and has held up great. No chipping on the blade or damage to the handle at all. The finish is actually still looking good on mine too which is rather shocking. I've touched the edge up on my Worksharp maybe 4 times in the last 2 years. A belt sharpener will put a convex edge on a blade which makes it a great chopper that won't chip. I've been impressed with this knife to the point that I purchased 2 more. I haven't used them, I just wanted some extras incase they ever stop making them. The sheath is still working great and this blade so light weight and easy to carry on your belt but packs a ton of usefulness. For the money this is probably my best knife purchase ever.

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.

24 Nov 2024 update note.Good value after the discount, Knife has factory ground bevel but is unsharpened, no cutting edge. Still looks fine, new. Nice Cold Steel product, This one Made in China, marked on hilt.Thick sheet metal for machete type blade.