What is your favorite budget Cold Steel product?

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I love that Cold Steel sells budget, high value items, along with their pricier offerings. For $35 or less, what is your favorite Cold Steel?

For me, it's a close call between machetes and hawks. I'm gonna go with hawks, since there are many inexpensive machetes around.

hawkfeather.jpg
 
My Viet Nam tomahawk is the aesthetic favorite, but my functional favorite is the Kukri Machete. My favorite folding knife changes monthly.
 
Super Edge. I EDC it and it's the most used knife I own. Definitely a winner.

Runner ups include the Kudu, Roach Belly, Bolo Machete, Survival Edge, Tanto Lite and the Bushman series.
 
Kwon Kwang said:
Super Edge. I EDC it and it's the most used knife I own. Definitely a winner.

Runner ups include the Kudu, Roach Belly, Bolo Machete, Survival Edge, Tanto Lite and the Bushman series.
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Yeah, the 4116 offerings are pretty tempting.
 
I have the Cold Steel Pipe Hawk, the Cold Steel Trailhawk and this.......


2a4e7604d38a8ac74e513c1b054c47cb.jpg


The shovel I stripped the paint and it instantly rusted so I sprayed it with Rem-oil to let it patina with use. Took the silly Phillips screws out and went to the headwear store and found some bolts approximately the same size. Couldn't find any standard bolts so I put them in a vice and just took a simple metal saw blade and made them into standard bolts. They do not sit flush with the shovel. That way I can use pliers or something flat like a quarter to get them out with now in case the handle brakes or decide to take them apart.
It's a toss up between the shovel and trailhawk once I smoothed out the issues with the hawk. The pipe hawk just seems to much to use for simplistic tasks like cleaning small game or doing some smaller carving tasks.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I don't think you can go wrong with any of Cold Steel's budget offerings. I've got the shovels, barong machetes, the true flight thrower, in addition to my hawk. I was this close to ordering a Kudu for the heck of it, but I have too many knives just sitting in the drawer already.
 
I know some people seem to swear by them. Their knives seem to gimmicky to me. Could never get past the Tacta-cool look of them....... That I would like to try out their Viking hand axe though. Which now that I just realized it's only 35 bucks I think I might just order one now :-) the edge is almost big enough to use like a mini machete with a long handle..
 
LostChance said:
That I would like to try out their Viking hand axe though. Which now that I just realized it's only 35 bucks I think I might just order one now :-) the edge is almost big enough to use like a mini machete with a long handle..
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Do it!
 
Wish there was more reviewers on it use wise vs wall decoration wise....... as much dust as my collection has I still like to cycle through and use them all once in awhile.
 
LostChance said:
Wish there was more reviewers on it use wise vs wall decoration wise....... as much dust as my collection has I still like to cycle through and use them all once in awhile.
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What intended use do you have for the Viking hand axe? Honestly I think it is one of the more weaponized hawks you can get. If you want to use it as a tool, I suppose it will chop okay, and the beard allows you to choke up and put you hand over the cutting edge.
 
Yeah that's the issue I'm having. When I buy I look at more towards survival and bushcraft use with the weapon part being secondary.
 
LostChance said:
Yeah that's the issue I'm having. When I buy I look at more towards survival and bushcraft use with the weapon part being secondary.
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Yup, hawks by nature are part weapon, part tool. The models with more utility to me are the rifleman's, pipe, frontier, and trail hawks. Pick a weight/shape that you like.

I've been using my hatchet more lately, but I want to revisit the hawk. I ordered a spare handle to cut down for my Frontier. I want to try something around 18" (factory handle is 22").
 
Even growing up using hatchet and axe I never much fancied them. Yes you can use them for other purposes then their main intended use but the hawk is good at all and master of non. When I'm hunting or on the move I prefer the hawk. When I have a base camp depending on how long the intended stay is I'll use a axe. Only thing I ever noticed better with a hatchet is it splits better. I enjoy large knives or hawks paired with a smaller knife like my preferred Tops UTE. Thinking I'm going to get it just to give it a try. If it collects dust then it will give others something to play with when they come over and want to play with the other pointy sharp toys.
 
I purchased several Aus8 four inch Holdouts for around $29 each when they went on clearance last year! I also really like the Tanto Lite.
 
Still the Bushman series. Still SK5, still tough as nails and you can still find'em for around 25 bucks.
Editing this because I really need to add machetes as a favorite budget product, since I have five of them. ;')
 
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LostChance said:
I have the Cold Steel Pipe Hawk, the Cold Steel Trailhawk and this.......


2a4e7604d38a8ac74e513c1b054c47cb.jpg


The shovel I stripped the paint and it instantly rusted so I sprayed it with Rem-oil to let it patina with use. Took the silly Phillips screws out and went to the headwear store and found some bolts approximately the same size. Couldn't find any standard bolts so I put them in a vice and just took a simple metal saw blade and made them into standard bolts. They do not sit flush with the shovel. That way I can use pliers or something flat like a quarter to get them out with now in case the handle brakes or decide to take them apart.
It's a toss up between the shovel and trailhawk once I smoothed out the issues with the hawk. The pipe hawk just seems to much to use for simplistic tasks like cleaning small game or doing some smaller carving tasks.
Click to expand...

Liking the bolt mod, looks like something that I would do. :thumbup: C.S. budget knives ? Well what is $80 in the states is usually around $110-130 here in Canada, depending on the dollar, factor in shipping yada, yada, so any knife is usually more expensive up here to begin with. 2-3 years back when the dollar was in parity I got a bunch of Voyagers, and they were quite inexpensive, before that I got some hawks and machetes, dollar exchange or not, they were dirt cheap. Besides being rock hard tough, C.S. knives have always been quite affordable. I have felt from day one years ago that I get a lot of bang for the buck with C.S., and still do. That Tri-ad lock alone instantly ups the value to my thinking. I have never bought anything in Krupp steel but they were tempting. I am far from being some knife snob but I just don't want to go with less than Aus8A.
 
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