Ordered a Cold Steel for it's uniqueness (Chaos Kukri)...

[Yonose]

Looking forward to seeing your end results on it, sir

One of the things that surprised me about the Chaos knives I have, (Tanto & Kukri), is that the one piece aluminum handle is milled/cast to accept both the tang AND a good amount of the ricasso. Oftentimes when you look at the ricasso closely on a knife, you can see that it's shoulder, (where it steps down/downsizes to become the tang portion of the blade), rests right atop of the handle's guard. But, sometimes the guard is cast/milled with a little bit of a slot to accept part of the ricasso, one not being able to see the shoulder/tang transition point. Of course the Chaos series has an all one piece guard/handle, and they simply mill/cast it to accept the entire tang AND part of the blade's ricasso, achieving that added support for that shoulder transition area of the blade.
I believe Nut-n-Fancy is onto something about the solid metal handle to a steel blade likely being the culprit in his Chaos knife breaks. Again, he mentioned the vibrations, and the fact that those vibrations had nowhere to go. As he was wacking on shale stones with a Chaos knife, one could hear the "ting" sound that was a totally different sound from the other blades he did the same type of testing on. The other blades did NOT have metal handles. I think that if the Chaos is used on less than rock solid surfaces, (literally), than the blade life expectancy should probably fare just fine. But, with the SK-5 carbon steel blade being hardened, the 6061 aluminum handle likely being hardened in some way, and then hitting something like stone, (shale or otherwise, it's a hard surface), it will likely cause all that hardness and vibration to cause something to give, (read as break).
One area that did not break during the Nut-n-Fancy tests on the Chaos knives, was that tang/ricasso shoulder area I mentioned above. I feel that if the blade's ricasso simply butted up to the outside of the one piece handle/guard, a break there would have likely occurred.
My Chaos knives are just being kept as collectibles that won't be seeing any actual use, so they surely ain't gonna break on me

As for most other folks out there that are using them, I would guess that most of their Chaos knives will hold up and not break either. That is, as long as they understand that their knive's have limitations... and, that they don't go out and bang them against such hard things as rocks... lol!

Is that a Cold Steel bowie in there?

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Is that a Cold Steel bowie in there?

Yes, Sir... It's one of my Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie knives in 1085 carbon steel. It became a project for me. I removed the blade's bluing, gave it a hand buffed satin brushed finish, and convexed the cutting edge. I did it all by hand, no power tools whatsoever.

It all came out as I had hoped. I would also like to someday add ivory micarta or polymer ivory grips to the overall look... But, that has yet to be done to it. Having a 12" long blade, and being 1/4" thick, these are not diminutive knives!
I also have two other Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie knives in my collection, which I've kept in total factory condition, (one being in 1055, the other in 1085). These knives are produced by Windlass Steelcrafts in India under Cold Steel contract. Their methods of manufacturing, in many ways, is still pretty old school. Hammer, anvil, fire, and sweat, are the main ingredients in shaping these knives before they receive a more modern heat treatment. They are not exactly mass produced in the same sense that we think of when we think of modern day mass production. They are pretty much about as hand made as hand made can be in today's modern world. I personally love this offering of theirs. And, they are not a reproduction or copy of any prior Bowie style knife. Instead, it borrows some from typical Bowie knife patterns, and then adds in it's own unique traits. They have no Cold Steel or model designation markings on any part of the exposed knife, although the Cold Steel brand name is stamped into the knife's tang, (can only be seen if the one piece rosewood handle is removed to expose it).
I also have one of their 1917 Naval Cutlass' hanging up on my wall, (which is actually more a Dutch Klewang repro, than it is a US 1917 Naval Cutlass). These items just ooze old school
The blued finish goes real nice with these Cold Steel 1917 models, but I simply wanted to have one of their bowies in the white

Here is a picture of my 1055 carbon steel version...

 

[Yonose]

Yes, Sir... It's one of my Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie knives in 1085 carbon steel. It became a project for me. I removed the blade's bluing, gave it a hand buffed satin brushed finish, and convexed the cutting edge. I did it all by hand, no power tools whatsoever.

It all came out as I had hoped. I would also like to someday add ivory micarta or polymer ivory grips to the overall look... But, that has yet to be done to it. Having a 12" long blade, and being 1/4" thick, these are not diminutive knives!
I also have two other Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie knives in my collection, which I've kept in total factory condition, (one being in 1055, the other in 1085). These knives are produced by Windlass Steelcrafts in India under Cold Steel contract. Their methods of manufacturing, in many ways, is still pretty old school. Hammer, anvil, fire, and sweat, are the main ingredients in shaping these knives before they receive a more modern heat treatment. They are not exactly mass produced in the same sense that we think of when we think of modern day mass production. They are pretty much about as hand made as hand made can be in today's modern world. I personally love this offering of theirs. And, they are not a reproduction or copy of any prior Bowie style knife. Instead, it borrows from many typical Bowie knife patterns, and then adds in quite a bit of it's own unique touches. They have no markings of Cold Steel or model designation on any part of the exposed knife, although the "Cold Steel" brand name is stamped onto the knife's tang, but can only be seen if the one piece rosewood handle is removed to expose it.
I also have one of their 1917 Naval Cutlass' hanging up on my wall, (which is actually more a Dutch Klewang repro, than it is a US 1917 Naval Cutlass). These items just ooze old school
The blued finish goes real nice with these Cold Steel 1917 models, but I simply wanted to have one of their bowies in the white

Here is a picture of my 1055 carbon steel version...

Thanks for the answer PKJ; I knew it looked like the frontier but the lacks of color on the blade hade me looking up other models, such as the Natchez.

 

[Zuluninja]

Hoping Zuluninja has received his CS Chaos Kukri, and that his handle modifications have begun. I must admit, I am very curious to see what his end result will be.
Looking at the original handle's shape, I can see how a mod may turn out pretty legit looking, (not winding up looking like some sort of a hack job).
Zuluninja, please post atleast one picture of your work here when you are done with your project

got it - check
cut the guard - check
going crazy doodling on the handle to cover up a couple of scratches done with the angle grinder - check

I'll start posting pics soon if I finish the handle doodles tomorrow, almost done with them. I think CHAOS is an apt name once I'm done.

 

[Zuluninja]

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Nice job!

 

[DocJD]

Sweet ! Kinda reminds me of the CS Spartan folder handle . Cool mod .

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Zuluninja,
If you don't mind answering this question I have concerning your project... In your opinion, how was the quality of the handle's aluminum casting? I am curious as to any voids found as you ground down the aluminum. Or, was the casting pretty even throughout while cutting and sanding away at it?
Thanks in advance

PS. Did you find the aluminum to have any hardness in it's outer shell (hard anodized)... Or, was it either soft or hard throughout?
I think that maybe people seeing what you did with your Chaos Kukri specimen, may start turning the wheels in fellow board member's heads. I could see some of them possibly getting one of them too for projects of their own

Here is a less involved project I did on a similar item. I purchased two of them, one which I left original as a kitchen "meat tenderizer", and the other I modified by using a bit of my handiwork. Both are still only kept for novelty purposes.
I found some tiny voids/pores in the casting while cutting and sanding away at the aluminum. Most polished away, but a few tiny pits did remain. Had they been made of a forged aluminum, rather than a casting, this likely would not have been the case. But, I'm talking about a cast aluminum novelty item that only cost about 10 to 15 dollars
As for the aluminum type that they used to make it, I don't know what it is, but it seemed pretty hard through and through while cutting and sanding away at it, (especially for it being aluminum).
I only wish I had some engraving skills, because I think some of it on this would be pretty cool.
Overall, I still think it came out pretty good, (at least in my opinion), and it too was added to my "man gadget collection"

About 99% of the items I add to my collection, are left in 100% factory condition. Once received, they get taken out of their factory boxes, given a once over visual inspection, lightly coated with a preservative, and into a display case they go. But, once in a blue moon, I will purchase a duplicate item and try my hand at some sort of modification. Not too many items that I've done that to, but knowing my limitations, and not trying to go beyond them, I have not managed to ruin any such object during one of these projects... yet!

Before:

After:

Here is one of those typical India made solid brass "paperweights" found on the internet very cheaply. I knew it was not going to be a looker, even if I had based it on the better hand picked specimen photos that they usually show on the websites selling them. But, I was thinking maybe some judicious filing, sanding, and good ole fashioned elbow grease, could churn up something presentable. Well, yup, it was actually a diamond in the rough, and it turned out even better than I thought possible. It was a rough exterior, but that only hid the very decent quality casting that was underneath it. I only paid something like $12 for it, so it was more than worth a chance. That said, the work I had to do to it, was tedious. I am old school, using only my hands and simple hand tools for such projects, (no power tools whatsoever). That means I spent quite a few man hours to accomplish it's end result. Someone could literally offer me $100 cash for it, and I would not think twice on declining the offer. I don't buy my gadgets as investments, they being for the joy they give me in my collecting hobby, and the visual enjoyment they give me every single day. There is also the satisfaction I get in seeing those few items that I've chosen to perform some of my handiwork upon. They look deceivingly convincing enough to look like legit all factory done

It looked very much like this before (rough/crude)...

And this is what it looks like now...

 

[Zuluninja]

it sucks that I'm at work right now and can't see the pics. DocJD , yeah, I thought the same, it kinda looks like a Spartan. The problem I had when I had one is that the handle was too bulky for pocket carry, at least for me, so I sold it. No suck problem as pocketability with this monster

PocketKnifeJimmy , the quality is pretty decent. With all the cutting and carving I did, I found only one small void, it is a very even and hard surface, and hard throughout as it was slow cutting with the grinder.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Thanks for answering my questions, Sir

 

[jdk1]

Nice work, both of y'all on your various projects. I would like to know how hard it is to remove the handle. The blade looks like it would work well for kukri field work, but the handle is obviously not meant for that. Also, the weight is way over what I want and I wonder how much of that is handle? If the handle weighs 6 oz. then removal would put this at the same weight as the Gurkha.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Zuluninja attempted to remove the handle, but found it wouldn't come out after he removed the screws. He mentioned that he believes there may be an adhesive going on in there. That said, I was able to find an online picture of a Kukri Chaos' ricasso/tang totally out of the handle, but did not find any info on how it was removed.
Btw, thanks for the kudos!

 

[Zuluninja]

yep, it may be glued to the tang, but I saw that tang pic too. Nothing that a bit of patience, a mallet, vice and maybe heat won't take care of.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

It seems that CS has not only discontinued the Chaos Kukri, but I believe the Chaos Tanto and Chaos Stiletto too.
One vendor must have gotten a sweet closeout deal from Cold Steel on these, because they are offering all three as a bundle for $99, (which includes the shipping). For that good of a deal, I could not help myself in placing an order for them

 

[DocJD]

It seems that CS has not only discontinued the Chaos Kukri, but I believe the Chaos Tanto and Chaos Stiletto too.
One vendor must have gotten a sweet closeout deal from Cold Steel on these, because they are offering all three as a bundle for $99, (which includes the shipping). For that good of a deal, I could not help myself in placing an order for them

Yeah , that's a great deal !

Tempted ,but I'm really trying to cut back on the Apocalypse war toys that I can't legally carry .

 

[bobobama]

Thanks to both of you, PocketKnifeJimmy and Zuluninja. Great work on both your parts.

Thanks, because I bought a Cold Steel Shanghai Warrior not too long ago, and it's awesome. However, it's screaming out for some modifications, so I've been thinking about stripping/polishing the blade and changing the plastic handles out for something a bit nicer. But, that project went on the back burner and nothing's been done with it.

Now, though, I'm definitely stoked seeing what can be accomplished with a little bit of vision and a good deal of elbow grease. Back on the front burner with this one!

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Yeah , that's a great deal !

Tempted ,but I'm really trying to cut back on the Apocalypse war toys that I can't legally carry .

My only self defense carry is a Glock, with my other "toys" simply continuing to be unique additions to my interior decor.
I already have a Chaos Tanto & Chaos Kukri, so my newly ordered set will only be giving me one new model, (the Chaos Stiletto). I have been known to have some duplicates in my collection, so the extra Chaos Kukri & Chaos Tanto may wind up in my collection as well, but just as likely they may wind up being gifts to friends. When I received my Chaos Kukri, I was truly amazed at what I had gotten for the price of $39 + shipping (which totalled about $50). It was obviously a closeout deal as well, but at the current deal of $99 and change for this Chaos trio, (which includes the shipping), that's only $33 and change for each piece!
These must have been very poor sellers for CS for them to have been discontinued in such a short period of time. I am guessing the Stiletto was the worst seller of these, it being such a limited use item, (it being a pure weapon, or just a collectible). It may be one of Cold Steel's most unique items, and that is saying quite a bit, since CS is never shy about offering "unique" items
I almost bit on buying one before, and just always found a reason to pass up on it last minute. Then I noticed this great deal, and those reasons to not buy were outshined by the reasons to take advantage of the deal.
In any case, once I receive them, I will post a few pics and my opinions, (if any), on them

 

[katanas]

One vendor must have gotten a sweet closeout deal from Cold Steel on these, because they are offering all three as a bundle for $99, (which includes the shipping). For that good of a deal, I could not help myself in

Thanks a lot. You just cost me a C note.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Btw, while I believe the knife blades in the Chaos series are all made from SK-5 carbon steel, the spike blade of the Chaos Stiletto is made of drop forged SAE 4140 steel.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

My three piece Chaos bundle deal arrived today. All was good, (sheaths and knives).
The Stiletto is clearly marked on one side of the three sided blade as being 4140 steel. I mention this because I know some sites have it listed as being made of SK-5 steel, but that is for the others in the Chaos series, not the Stiletto.
I must say, although I have seen vids and pics of the Stiletto, in hand it feels and looks even more impressive. It certainly is a beast of a spike!
Anyhow, with it all arriving in A+ condition, I took a little spin out to one of the local craft stores and purchased a display case that will eventually house this trio of blades. The display case was marked at $65, but an in store 55% off special allowed me to get it for just over $30.
I mean, since I got such a great deal on the Chaos set, I figured I'd also take advantage of a discounted display case as well!
So, I have a smidge over $130 into this new display idea I have rolling around in my head, (that's the total cost for the 3 Chaos' shipped to me AND the display case).

I will work on the idea within the next few weeks, and of course I will return here with some pics when it's all said and done

I really appreciate the uniqueness of this series, they having borrowed from historic designs, but obviously they are not copies/reproductions of anything of the past. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the Chaos Stilletto came out in 2016, and here we are in 2019 with them being a discontinued product. That is truly a pretty short run for a CS product. The vendor I ordered this set from, likely bought out their remaining stock at a great closeout/discontinued price, and once they are gone, they become part of CS history, (they simply becoming a somewhat scarce once made CS product).
This vendor source seems to be really good at buying out such closeout/discontinued/clearanced products, and passing on the savings to it's customers. Before this Chaos bargain bin deal, I had taken advantage of one of their other such closeouts a year or two ago. It was for their Ontario Knife Company Sniper SPAX SP-36 model hatchet/ax. The model was different from the standard SP-16 in the fact that it came with a solid steel digging spade that the SP-36 was designed to accept installation of, (via a single allen head screw). When I purchased it, it was being sold for $39.95 + s&h, which was 20 to 40 dollars less than the standard Ontario SP-16.
Yup, these closeout items being sold so cheaply, does not always mean that they are cheap in quality, they are just great deals that can be had because the product's sales were not as good as the manufacturers had hoped. In the case of the Chaos Stiletto, it will likely be one of, if not the most rare item in the CS Chaos series line, (with the Chaos Trench Dagger obviously being the best seller of the series). Same with the Ontario Sniper Spax SP-36, while the Ontario SP-16 is a very common product, the Sniper Spax SP-36 is not oh so common, and will likely be a sought after collectable variation of the Spax.
Deals are definitely out there to be had, and these scores may often bring very unique, rare, (or scarce), items into your possession