What is your favorite budget Cold Steel product?

upnorth said:
Liking the bolt mod, looks like something that I would do. [emoji106] 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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I want Kydex sheath for it. Problem is I'm never home long enough to learn how to make one and I seen a guy making them but it's more then I spent on the shovel and I haven't used it enough yet to decide if fifty something bucks is worth spending on it yet or not.
 
For me it's the Gurkha Kukri. On the surface a $150 knife might not sound like a budget item but when you consider what it gives back it is really a no brainier. I have had mine for SK5 version for about 6 years and no other knife I have has seen as much action, in more varied roles as this kukri. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, I have received more enjoyment and function from this blade as almost all the others combined.

I routinely and intentially use it in roles designed for smaller or larger blades as well as its intended role and it never lets me down. I'm not in combat and I don't live off the land so much of my blade use is recreational or utility, meaning around the home or work tasks. In this work role it has performed admirably and provides me with enjoyment of use.

It is a prized possession and it didn't break the bank, so in my mind it was a bargain!
 
shortwinger said:
For me it's the Gurkha Kukri. On the surface a $150 knife might not sound like a budget item but when you consider what it gives back it is really a no brainier. I have had mine for SK5 version for about 6 years and no other knife I have has seen as much action, in more varied roles as this kukri. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, I have received more enjoyment and function from this blade as almost all the others combined.

I routinely and intentially use it in roles designed for smaller or larger blades as well as its intended role and it never lets me down. I'm not in combat and I don't live off the land so much of my blade use is recreational or utility, meaning around the home or work tasks. In this work role it has performed admirably and provides me with enjoyment of use.

It is a prized possession and it didn't break the bank, so in my mind it was a bargain!
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Though I paid quite a bit for my Carbon V model, I agree that in general the Gurkha Kukri (like many CS products) is a wicked value. CS really gives the end user their money's worth. :thumbup:
 
LostChance said:
I want Kydex sheath for it. Problem is I'm never home long enough to learn how to make one and I seen a guy making them but it's more then I spent on the shovel and I haven't used it enough yet to decide if fifty something bucks is worth spending on it yet or not.
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One of my other hobbies is metal detecting. So I saw that shovel as a pseudo axe in a pinch, snow shovel if stuck somewhere outside, and as a detecting back up digging tool. The thing is a guy accumulates stuff over time and you wonder if you really need ''more stuff'', to do the same thing. I already have a Predator Tools Raven shovel that I ordered up from the states years ago, and that thing is insanely tough. But hey, I like toys, lol. And I can usually justify some use for them. :)
 
upnorth said:
One of my other hobbies is metal detecting. So I saw that shovel as a pseudo axe in a pinch, snow shovel if stuck somewhere outside, and as a detecting back up digging tool. The thing is a guy accumulates stuff over time and you wonder if you really need ''more stuff'', to do the same thing. I already have a Predator Tools Raven shovel that I ordered up from the states years ago, and that thing is insanely tough. But hey, I like toys, lol. And I can usually justify some use for them. :)
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I want to get into metal detecting but have no time for it right now. Find myself often looking at detectors then walking away.
It chops about as good as it looks it chops. Anything larger then a couple inches or so your just burning calories. It does a decent job at holding the edge. Of course once you shove it in the ground you decided to forget you have any edges [emoji44]
I wanted one for a good year or so but never got one because it seemed to gimmicky. I went to a gun show and finally someone had that one with a marbles sheath for 35 bucks. Finally seen that it's a solid tool and only spent about five bucks more then if I got it off the net.
I used one of those mini shovels all the time. Like the normal digging shovel but smaller. What I like about the cold steel is the head is flatter making it more versatile. What I'm really interested in is how decent it can be used to help clean game :-)
Just looked up predator tools raven. It looks like some sort of medieval weapon [emoji38] do the teeth function any good? Is the handle hollow or solid? I like the little hand shovel.

We all ask ourselves if you need more stuff. Usually the answer is no and it's ignored 
 
There's a lot of options here. There's the machetes, which are good, though to be honest they're in a weird place for me, since for not a a bit more I can get a nicer Condor, or for a bit less I can get a good, solid, reliable Tram, Imacasa, or Hansa. There's the tomahawks, but the heads on those have some issues, and frankly, since CRKT put out their Woods line of awesome but affordable hawks, they slightly cooled my enthusiasm for CS hawks too. There's the Kudu and Eland, both nice folders, but the lack of pocket clip and 1 hand opening relegates them to rarely used pieces for me. So...I think ultimately I'm giving my vote to the budget fixed blade line, I've used the Roach Belly and Canadian Belt Knife several times around the house, and I wore a Bowie Spike once when I had some serious concerns about a couple of guys staying at the hotel where I work. My concerns about the guys were justified, they ended up causing trouble, got the cops called on them, and got hauled off, though I luckily never needed the Spike.
 
DShiflet said:
There's a lot of options here. There's the machetes, which are good, though to be honest they're in a weird place for me, since for not a a bit more I can get a nicer Condor, or for a bit less I can get a good, solid, reliable Tram, Imacasa, or Hansa. There's the tomahawks, but the heads on those have some issues, and frankly, since CRKT put out their Woods line of awesome but affordable hawks, they slightly cooled my enthusiasm for CS hawks too. There's the Kudu and Eland, both nice folders, but the lack of pocket clip and 1 hand opening relegates them to rarely used pieces for me. So...I think ultimately I'm giving my vote to the budget fixed blade line, I've used the Roach Belly and Canadian Belt Knife several times around the house, and I wore a Bowie Spike once when I had some serious concerns about a couple of guys staying at the hotel where I work. My concerns about the guys were justified, they ended up causing trouble, got the cops called on them, and got hauled off, though I luckily never needed the Spike.
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Interesting post. I'd have to look in the tub but I believe that I only have four machetes. Three Condor, one C.S. For my uses the Condor Parang was a poor choice and a waste, it sits year after year. The Barong has been used a bit and I kind of like it. I got a Jungle Bowie for a lark and it's basically useless. My C.S. Magnum Kukri got some good use in the north and it was a real wood biter. I remember clearing/slashing a brush trail in the winter. A light weight effective tool. I will likely get the plain Jane C.S. kukri one of these days, I always forget about it, but saw good reviews. I like and will keep my mag. kukri because it really works and is cheap enough to be a near zero maintenance beater.
 
upnorth said:
Interesting post. I'd have to look in the tub but I believe that I only have four machetes. Three Condor, one C.S. For my uses the Condor Parang was a poor choice and a waste, it sits year after year. The Barong has been used a bit and I kind of like it. I got a Jungle Bowie for a lark and it's basically useless. My C.S. Magnum Kukri got some good use in the north and it was a real wood biter. I remember clearing/slashing a brush trail in the winter. A light weight effective tool. I will likely get the plain Jane C.S. kukri one of these days, I always forget about it, but saw good reviews. I like and will keep my mag. kukri because it really works and is cheap enough to be a near zero maintenance beater.
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It's all about using then right blade for the job. The Parang is intended for tropical vegetation...if you want a wood chopper, you'd be better served with the Village Parang or Pack Golok, those are chopping beasts. You want to clear a brush trail, give me one of their Latin patterns. Want an all purpose machete that can clear brush but still has a good amount of bite for chopping, the Swamp Master or the discontinued Puerto Rican would be my choice.

Not sure what purpose the Jungle Bowie is meant to serve, it's based on the same knife as the CS Marauder and the Ontario SP-10, but near as I can tell, as a fighting blade the CS easily beats it, and as an outdoor tool, the Ontario is much better.
 
Tuff Lite. I named mine "Noisy Cricket":
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DShiflet said:
It's all about using then right blade for the job. The Parang is intended for tropical vegetation...if you want a wood chopper, you'd be better served with the Village Parang or Pack Golok, those are chopping beasts. You want to clear a brush trail, give me one of their Latin patterns. Want an all purpose machete that can clear brush but still has a good amount of bite for chopping, the Swamp Master or the discontinued Puerto Rican would be my choice.

Not sure what purpose the Jungle Bowie is meant to serve, it's based on the same knife as the CS Marauder and the Ontario SP-10, but near as I can tell, as a fighting blade the CS easily beats it, and as an outdoor tool, the Ontario is much better.
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Ya, I bought the parang a few years back with the idea of clearing sapling type veg., three /four inch diameter stuff. It was and wasn't very effective in that regard. But after thinning the edge out it was reasonable, maybe about as effective as the Barong. The thing is also that those thick bladed Condors also add weight and every bit adds up through a long day of crawling through dense overgrown brush. After the Mag Kukri I woke up to thinner bladed machetes. :thumbup:
 
dogstar said:
I remember when they first came out, people on the Cold Steel forum called it a boxcutter and did not take it too seriously. The design seems to have caught on as a utility knife.
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Actually I gave them zero second though until many folks here liked them. So there must be something to the knife indeed.
 
upnorth said:
Ya, I bought the parang a few years back with the idea of clearing sapling type veg., three /four inch diameter stuff. It was and wasn't very effective in that regard. But after thinning the edge out it was reasonable, maybe about as effective as the Barong. The thing is also that those thick bladed Condors also add weight and every bit adds up through a long day of crawling through dense overgrown brush. After the Mag Kukri I woke up to thinner bladed machetes. :thumbup:
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And from my experience, the Magnum Kukri is gonna require a lot more swinging to get through stuff(outside of light brush) than the thick Condors are. And the energy spent repeatedly hacking with the thing is more energy spent than the energy spent carrying the Condor. Or you could carry the Swamp Master/Puerto Rican, which are thin bladed and good for trail clearing(along with a partially sharpened back edge which can be used like a bill hook), but chop a lot better than the magnum kukri as well. That would would be the best bet for an all purpose carry, I think.
 
dogstar said:
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?
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Tuff Lite. Has to be one of the most useful designs in their line.

SF Shovel. I have three, use them all the time around the yard. A nice woods walking tool as well for poking and prying into things that look interesting along the way.

Any of their hawks. My favorite is the Norse.
 
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