Every time I want to pull the trigger on buying the CS Wild West Bowie, I change my mind...

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

Joined
Aug 4, 2013
Messages
3,988
So, I'm sharing this dilemma with you folks because I know every single one of you have gone through something similar, (likely many, many times in your lives), so I know you can relate to it.
It's definitely a first world problem, so it's not anything consequential.
Anyhow, I've been drawn to Cold Steel's Wild West Bowie Knife. It truly seems to fit with the look of such classics as the Collins Marine Raider Bowie, the Case Bowie, and the Western/Camillus Bowie. It also seems to be on steroids, being bigger than the Case and Western versions.
Well, although the purchase of most of my knives is for my collecting hobby, I still usually do a bit of research on anything I may add to that collection. I like to know how other folks personally opine on specimens that they themselves acquire.
That's what I did with the Cold Steel Wild West Bowie, a little bit of research of existing reviews on them.
The one thing I found on more than one occasion, were folks that had their Bowie's brass guard come loose, (they developing a rattle).
At first I thought that maybe the guard was simply getting loose because it was only being held by the wood grip panels that were butted up against it. But, then I saw a picture with the wood grip scales removed, which showed that the guard is actually secured during it's manufacturing by a couple spots of brass weld, one on each side of the tang. Something similar is done on their 1917 Frontier Bowie, but that is done on the steel guard using a steel weld. I have heard of the guard loosening, (weld breaking), on a Frontier Bowie, but it seems rare for it to happen, and it being a steel welding is likely the reason for that.
That picture that I ran into online of the Wild West Bowie tang area exposed, also showed that the tang is skeletonized. The tiny amount of weight savings that the skeletonizing likely achieved, does not seem like it would have been worth doing that to the tang, (imo, they should have left it be a solid tang).
Anyhow, the guard's brass weld breaking seems to actually be a thing, and then seeing the skeletonizing of the tang... Well, it just kept turning me off from squeezing the trigger on purchasing one.
If the tang had been solid, (just a personal preference for me), and if the guard's weld breaking was not a thing with them, I would have liked to have gotten one to include it into my collection :)
It is what it is, and like I said before, I'm sure that this kind of first world problem is common amongst you folks here :)
 
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Perhaps the Drop Forged Bowie or Survivalist is a more practical option? No rattling with one piece of steel. Can’t really comment on the WW Bowie as I don’t own one.

On the subject of Bowies though, I’m quite happy with the Chaos Bowie. Big mean blade.
 
I almost pressed the button last year. But I can't get past the Frankenstein finger guards, and I have no interest in cutting/grinding them. I have enough big wood whackers.
 
The questions I consider are: what do I want it to do, what was it designed to do, and how well does it perform.

In my opinion the Wild West Bowie is intended as a display piece or fighting knife. It is NOT intended for batoning wood or chopping down redwoods. Given this, the guard is secured just fine and the tang is appropriate or even perfect. If the guard on your bowie is knocked loose while performing its actual job, that rattle will be a daily reminder of glory.

In other words, if you like it, buy it with confidence!
 
Chris_Texas said:
The questions I consider are: what do I want it to do, what was it designed to do, and how well does it perform.

In my opinion the Wild West Bowie is intended as a display piece or fighting knife. It is NOT intended for batoning wood or chopping down redwoods. Given this, the guard is secured just fine and the tang is appropriate or even perfect. If the guard on your bowie is knocked loose while performing its actual job, that rattle will be a daily reminder of glory.

In other words, if you like it, buy it with confidence!
Click to expand...
While I generally agree, I used to have the Western W49 it was modeled after, and used it hard for brush clearing and small tree chopping. Performed admirably and the guard remained tight. I’d buy one of these Wild West Bowies if it weren’t for reports of loose guards.
 
I like to do research on my "possible purchases", and there are things that I personally look for when reading other buyers reviews.
In reality, because my purchasing of such knives is only for my display collection, they can literally be made out
of a realistic looking non heat treated and un-sharpened mild steel, (in other words, stage props would do).
But, no... I look into many aspects of the objects I am considering for my collection. If there is a weakness that I feel detracts in a major way from the product, it will still cause me to avoid it.
The skeletonizing of the WWB Knife is one of those things that detracts from it, (at least it does for me).
The very weak brass welding done on the guard, is another thing that simply turns me off.
Each purchase is a personal decision, and I have my own personal tastes and expectations that I look for when making my decision to buy, or not buy, a product :)
 
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PocketKnifeJimmy said:
So, I'm sharing this dilemma with you folks because I know every single one of you have gone through something similar, (likely many, many times in your lives), so I know you can relate to it.
It's definitely a first world problem, so it's not anything consequential.
Anyhow, I've been drawn to Cold Steel's Wild West Bowie Knife. It truly seems to fit with the look of such classics as the Collins Marine Raider Bowie, the Case Bowie, and the Western/Camillus Bowie. It also seems to be on steroids, being bigger than the Case and Western versions.
Well, although the purchase of most of my knives is for my collecting hobby, I still usually do a bit of research on anything I may add to that collection. I like to know how other folks personally opine on specimens that they themselves acquire.
That's what I did with the Cold Steel Wild West Bowie, a little bit of research of existing reviews on them.
The one thing I found on more than one occasion, were folks that had their Bowie's brass guard come loose, (they developing a rattle).
At first I thought that maybe the guard was simply getting loose because it was only being held by the wood grip panels that were butted up against it. But, then I saw a picture with the wood grip scales removed, which showed that the guard is actually secured during it's manufacturing by a couple spots of brass weld, one on each side of the tang. Something similar is done on their 1917 Frontier Bowie, but that is done on the steel guard using a steel weld. I have heard of the guard loosening, (weld breaking), on a Frontier Bowie, but it seems rare for it to happen, and it being a steel welding is likely the reason for that.
That picture that I ran into online of the Wild West Bowie tang area exposed, also showed that the tang is skeletonized. The tiny amount of weight savings that the skeletonizing likely achieved, does not seem like it would have been worth doing that to the tang, (imo, they should have left it be a solid tang).
Anyhow, the guard's brass weld breaking seems to actually be a thing, and then seeing the skeletonizing of the tang... Well, it just kept turning me off from squeezing the trigger on purchasing one.
If the tang had been solid, (just a personal preference for me), and if the guard's weld breaking was not a thing with them, I would have liked to have gotten one to include it into my collection :)
It is what it is, and like I said before, I'm sure that this kind of first world problem is common amongst you folks here :)
Click to expand...
I returned mine. It was rough and looked nothing like the pictures. I promise you, the knife does not match the pricetag.
 
jux t said:
While I generally agree, I used to have the Western W49 it was modeled after, and used it hard for brush clearing and small tree chopping. Performed admirably and the guard remained tight. I’d buy one of these Wild West Bowies if it weren’t for reports of loose guards.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. If that is a job you expect the knife to be able to do then the guard would definitely be an issue.
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
That picture that I ran into online of the Wild West Bowie tang area exposed, also showed that the tang is skeletonized. The tiny amount of weight savings that the skeletonizing likely achieved, does not seem like it would have been worth doing that to the tang, (imo, they should have left it be a solid tang).
Click to expand...
Perhaps they skeletonized the tang to better balance the knife. (Not having held one of these, I don't know where the balance point is, or how the balance feels.)

A lot of knives have skeletonized tangs. I think many of my Bark Rivers are skeletonized, doubtless for balance reasons, as they feel very light and quick. An un-skeletonized tang would have made them feel more like TOPS knives, I would think. TOPS knives have a mucho heavy feel, although their balance is still pretty good.

Is it necessary to have a full tang, unskeletonized (does it make the knife any stronger)? I'd have to say it would make the knife stronger, but it's not absolutely necessary. It's going to depend on the design of each particular knife, how it balances.
 
Roger13F said:
I returned mine. It was rough and looked nothing like the pictures. I promise you, the knife does not match the pricetag.
Click to expand...
Its looks great in the pictures, kinda like the restaurant food pictures maybe, at least no friggin SecureEx Sheathe though.
I miss the old knife shops where you could look at multiple examples before buying.
I think I am going to pass, for now anyway, maybe find a good one for sale on here.
 
The pattern has become such a generic shape, that it's hard to compare them based on pics/vids without side by side comparisons. I have seen pics online of Pakistan made versions, and they follow that generic shape pretty closely too. I do believe that the Cold Steel version may be a bit bigger overall than the Legendary Arms Bowie shown in the video... But then again, without a side by side comparison, tough to tell.

Thanks for the share 👍
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
The pattern has become such a generic shape, that it's hard to compare them based on pics/vids without side by side comparisons. I have seen pics online of Pakistan made versions, and they follow that generic shape pretty closely too. I do believe that the Cold Steel version may be a bit bigger overall than the Legendary Arms Bowie shown in the video... But then again, without a side by side comparison, tough to tell.

Thanks for the share 👍
Click to expand...
Probably because its named after a famous singer.
 
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The Legendary Arms Bowie is smaller, it's very close to the original Western W-49. They also used to catalog a version called their "Martial Bowie", which was a wide yataghan/mild kukri style bowie with the Western style guard and handle that was neat. They were originally based in NJ, but I noticed they are based now in Georgia, in the same area as Windlass/Atlanta Cutlery/Museum Replicas. In NJ, they dealt in lots of Indian made replicas, so they've probably been connected for years.
 
tltt said:
The Legendary Arms Bowie is smaller, it's very close to the original Western W-49. They also used to catalog a version called their "Martial Bowie", which was a wide yataghan/mild kukri style bowie with the Western style guard and handle that was neat. They were originally based in NJ, but I noticed they are based now in Georgia, in the same area as Windlass/Atlanta Cutlery/Museum Replicas. In NJ, they dealt in lots of Indian made replicas, so they've probably been connected for years.
Click to expand...
Yes, I believe that it's all the same company, or sister companies. Legendary Arms is now right next door to Atlanta Cutlery/Museum Replicas.
 
DangerZone98 said:
Perhaps the Drop Forged Bowie or Survivalist is a more practical option? No rattling with one piece of steel. Can’t really comment on the WW Bowie as I don’t own one.

On the subject of Bowies though, I’m quite happy with the Chaos Bowie. Big mean blade.
Click to expand...
The Chaos Bowie is my favorite. But, it's only comfortable for people with XXL hands.
 
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