Wild West Bowie

I've commented before, but what I didn't like, besides the dull edge was the AISI-1080 label that came with mine. Whatever the reason, if it says 1090, it should be 1090.
 
johnnywizzo said:
I received mine yesterday, and found it a bit disappointing. They should call it the Wild East Bowie, seeing that it was made in India. Mine was not shaving sharp as some reviews said they were. The brass handguard had some discoloration in one spot, and it just has a general feeling and look of lack of quality. Even the box is ugly. CS is not stamped anywhere on the knife, but it is on the sheath, which seems to be of a decent quality and design. I don't know whether to sharpen it myself or send it to the factory. Also, I have seen reports that the handguard becomes loose and rattles under hard use, and that even though screwed on, the handles can't be removed due to the lanyard grommet.

Maybe I'm being too critical, but I own quite a few CS products, and this one just does not seem to be up to snuff. I did advance purchase it before they were in stock at a discount price, and now I see that they are up about $25 more than what I paid. So maybe I got a deal, but there is no substitute for quality.
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Windlass actually makes pretty great knives.
 
You can buff up the guard with Brasso, but I agree, it could be better quality. I never had an issue with the guard but I did sell my on for similar reason to which you mention. If I wanted a big Bowie now, I'd get a Lynn Thompson Leatherneck Bowie- they look to be excellent quality and grind.

J.
 
johnnywizzo said:
I received mine yesterday, and found it a bit disappointing. They should call it the Wild East Bowie, seeing that it was made in India. Mine was not shaving sharp as some reviews said they were. The brass handguard had some discoloration in one spot, and it just has a general feeling and look of lack of quality. Even the box is ugly. CS is not stamped anywhere on the knife, but it is on the sheath, which seems to be of a decent quality and design. I don't know whether to sharpen it myself or send it to the factory. Also, I have seen reports that the handguard becomes loose and rattles under hard use, and that even though screwed on, the handles can't be removed due to the lanyard grommet.

Maybe I'm being too critical, but I own quite a few CS products, and this one just does not seem to be up to snuff. I did advance purchase it before they were in stock at a discount price, and now I see that they are up about $25 more than what I paid. So maybe I got a deal, but there is no substitute for quality.
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Seems like there's a lot of variation, Q.C., specs, ect. in things (most products, not just Colt Steel) nowadays, so I tend not to trust the reviews so much, even if they aren't obviously commercially oriented.
 
Cold Steel buys them from Windlass in India. That's why you get a lot of variation.
 
Buy a w49 (the original carbon steel version) you will be much happier. They are no longer made but they are common on the second hand market.

n2s
 
DDDYLN said:
Cold Steel buys them from Windlass in India. That's why you get a lot of variation.
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Yea, Cold Steel isn't the only one. I remember seeing them for sale in the "Museum Replicas Limited" catalogs back in the 90's. I think almost all of it was Windlass Steelcrafts.
 
PsychoSword said:
Yea, Cold Steel isn't the only one. I remember seeing them for sale in the "Museum Replicas Limited" catalogs back in the 90's. I think almost all of it was Windlass Steelcrafts.
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I think Windlass makes blades for a number of companies. I'll say this, they do have a good heat treat process, even if their quality control isn't always the best.
 
not2sharp said:
Buy a w49 (the original carbon steel version) you will be much happier. They are no longer made but they are common on the second hand market.

n2s
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I'm having trouble determining which W49 models are carbon steel, and which are stainless.
 
Out of curiosity I checked ebay for the Western Bowie.

The prices are high and it seems older carbon steel versions are more common than the later 420HC versions.

Generally they'll cost about twice the price of a CS Wild West Bowie.
 
I just ordered a Wild West Bowie and a Marauder Bowie do to a 25% sale from a site not to mention.

This would have been a really good price for the San Mai Trailmaster but they are out of stock.

I'll post a review sometime next week.
 
I've had my Wild West Bowie for around a week.

I haven't noticed any problems with the knife or sheath.

I'll have to take it hiking later to see how the dangler sheath feels and to see if it is too heavy to wear for a hike.

It was sharp enough to cut paper. I did not have any wood to chop so I did not test the chopping ability.

While not exactly flush with the tang it is close enough and does not have any hot spots nor is it uncomfortable to carry.

Being carbon steel with no coating I'm sure it will be prone to rust so after using it outdoors for a while I might put a patina on it if one doesn't form naturally. I'd try for a natural grey look anyway rather than a blued look.

It is one of my heavier Bowies. I'm not sure if it is heavier than the Ontario Spec Plus Raider but it feels lighter than the Ontario, though this could just be the way it is balanced.

It isn't as well balanced as the Laredo but I don't think anyone expects it to be.

I'll probably get a couple more if it ends up being comfortable to carry.

I would have preferred snaps on the dangler so it could easily go on or off a belt like the other CS sheaths, but maybe that wouldn't be traditional.
 
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