Cold Steel97KMS Kukri Machete,Black

This kukri is f$&@!?$ perfect. I have a range of cold steel machete’s and all are perfect. It came on time and it’s razor sharp and oiled up right out the box. Highly recommend this one or any of the cold steel machete’s

As expected, the Cold Steel 97KMS Kukri Machete arrived with a blotchy black paint job that gives the tool a cheap appearance. The cutting edge was roughly shaped with a burred, rolled ribbon edge along its full length. It was probably sharp enough to take brush-busting right out of the carton, but I like to tweak and clean up a blade before use.One coat of Citristrip Paint and Varnish Stripping Gel and then buffing with steel wool improved its appearance enormously. I know the black paint was for rust-protection, but acid-etching the blade with mustard produced an interesting tiger-striped finish and keeping the blade oiled should retard rusting.Fifteen minutes with a file and then ceramic rods reshaped and honed the blade to a paper-slicing edge; sharper than needed for yard work, but I was curious to see how long it would take to reach that level without a belt sander.The 97KMS performed up to Cold Steel's reputation in field tests, the sharpened blade trimming shrubbery with clean cuts that required no follow-up knife work. The blade's overall heft and weight distribution were nigh-on perfect, making bamboo whacking and clean-up a breeze. A relaxed grip and flick of the wrist were sufficient to slice through silver maple branches up to an inch thick. After chopping an aggressive 4" wide, 4" deep notch in a seasoned ash log, I checked the blade and saw no nicks, rolls, or dings. The edge was still sharp enough to slice cleanly through a hanging 3/8-inch nylon climbing rope in a single stroke.After a couple hours of testing, I found the grip's texture, size and shape very comfortable, making it easy for me to adjust my swing as needed. I was very pleased with this sub-$20 purchase. A nice addition to my bug-out bag

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.

Bought one of these 15 years ago and it is my favorite, needed another one to keep in the back of my jeep and its just as good as the one from 15 years ago. so glad they still make these. Original ones scabbard is alittle sun baked from being strapped to the back of my tractor for years and is now attached to my motorcycle for trail clearing. pictures of old and new. Even lost the old one for a while then "found it" with my mower, didnt even hurt it.