Let me start out with an apology.
I know not everyone is into fixed blades,
Kukri dance offs, or using dumbass machetes
to split wood… but the fact is we’ve still
got about 20 or so minutes of Kukri related
videos to get through before we move onto
another hour of fixed blades you’re not
interested in.
Oh wow another Ontario video…
I understand that there are a few new Taiwanese
made Spydercos you’d like to know are worth
over $150.
To answer that- there’s a good chance it
has a better edge grind than their American
made ones, and everything is worth your money.
Or what about that cool new Benchmade 380
the internet is abuzz about… how well does
that 1.5 inch blade perform relative to it’s
$136 price tag.
Well it’s great if you live in a tree and
bake cookies, and your fuck you Kebler money
won’t let buy a box cutter.
Do I sound grumpy?
Let’s get happy and swing around some kukris
like the neighbors aren’t watching.
They are though (whispers) Today we’re going
to be comparing the standard KaBar 1249 Kukri
machete and the basic bottom of the tactical
barrel Cold Steel Kukri.
Cold steel makes about 50 kukris, like you’d
expect them to, and KaBar makes a few too…
the other main one you see is the smaller
Combat Kukri.
And if I know anything about combat it’s
11 inches is always better then 8.
The real goal is to compare 2 cheapish westernized
Kukris that are usually suggested on the first
pages of retailers when you type in kukri
or machete.
So let’s look the the overall length and
weight.
With and without the sheaths or the blue lines.
Just so you know none of these Kukris are
any good.
Just gonna beat the Kukri experts to the comments.
Blade size and cutting edge.
They’re not real or historical kukris so
you shouldn’t buy them.
I’d post the comment from my Himalyan Imports
kukri video, but the kukri review group dude
decided the best way to educate people on
kukris was calling names- and he deleted it.
Handle size and grip area.
Now I don’t want to sound like a knowitall
but I’m even more traditional than that.
I prefer rocks.
Fuck the bronze age.
That’s for soft modern people with a penchant
for spoken languages, and plumbing, and watching
their social media stars while using the plumbing.
Tallnesses.
If it isn’t made from a rock then it isn’t
worth a shit.
None of that fancy Neolithic polished and
honed stuff either, I’m talking Paleolithic
big sharpened rocks you child.
I swear to god I will delete the comments
Science-plaining there’s a good chance that
the better, lighter tools they had didn’t
survive because they weren’t made of rocks.
So the Cold Steel vs the Ka-Bar, do you have
to watch the whole video.
Yeah I get it- I don’t like it either, so
yeah the easy answer is the Ka-Bar.
But isn’t the fun part the journey?
Can we meet half way, just turn down the volume
so I get a good average watch time?
Now Cold Steel makes nice knives, but they
also make extremely cheap ones.
To oversimplify a bit if you’re buying one
of their long bladed machete things under
$30, you’re getting an obtuse behind the
edge and thin piece of sharpened sheet steel.
Not all are flat pieces of steel, but most
are.
That’s true on this kukri made from 1055
carbon steel in South Africa.
Since it’s thin there’s flex- not something
common in a traditional kurki.
The Kabar is made from a thicker piece of
SK5 steel, but it has some tapering on the
blade stock, and has a much more traditional
fixed blade style edge at 22 degrees per side.
Which is sharper and can shave wood better
for instance.
SK5 steel is kind of like 1080 carbon steel
but Sk-5 refers to specific Japanese manufacturer.
I learned this by having to do some internet
detective work based on blade forums hearsay,
K-Bars website, and the fact you can search
for blades with Sk-5 steel on Knicecenters
website and the Kabar comes up… but it’s
listed at 1085.
So I feel real good about it being accurate.
Both blades are coated with anti rust material.
The Ka-Bars is more like those traction anti-slip
pad technology you find on boats… a bit
like fine sandpaper, and the Cold Steels which
is said to be baked on but is thin and smooth.
In my whoopings, the Ka-Bars coating wore
about normal on the sides and edges but the
coating started flaking on the spine in one
spot.
As far as 1055 vs 1080 or 1085 or sk-5…
the Sk-5 has a higher carbon content and should
hold an edge longer.
However since the edges are very different
angles, it’s hard to make an A and B comparison.
In place of that though we have subjective
anecdotal evidence and internet conjecture-
and the Sk-5 steel seems to be better using
that metric.
The handles.
Neither have removable scales, so if you ever
destroy them, then you’ll have to send your
busted shitty machete to a person much smarter
than yourself to rescale it.
Ok they’re not smarter, just focus on different
things.
Like for instance, my 3 favorite boobies are
in descending order, the Nazca, the Blue-footed,
and masked.
Both manufacturers claim to have full tangs.
The KaBars handle feel is like a hard rubber,
it has a comfortable hand swell and stays
in in the palm as you swing and hit random
places on the wood.
The Polypropylene handle of the Cold Steel
is harder and not quite as rubberized or thick
as the KaBar’s, but it has that can we call
it knurling?
That would be the right word for flashlights,
but I’m not looking up the definition again.
I of course prefer the thicker rubber one.
One thing that might be brought up though
is the KaBars handle material has a more give,
so it seems water can works it’s way down
into the handle.
I did not noice this with the Cold Steel.
Since it’s coated it may not make much a
difference.
The sheaths.
Lynn bless Cold Steel, yeah he can bless something
he’s created just like any standard tactical
God- they make super cheap sheaths that fit
a lot of stuff.
I have bought many sub $10 from them, made
from cheap core-ex or nylon or whatever.
The sheaths work, but they’re not the best.
I’m not sure what you’d expect out of
tactical shit for the masses that costs $20
shipped to your door?
Cold steels sheath isn’t a dangler and rides
higher.
The Kabars is half leather have corder, dangles,
so you can sit with it better and rides lower.
Also it is easier to snap and unsnap, to sheath
and desheath.
Yeah that’s a word.
So I prefer the Ka-Bars, and need a shower
after this entire paragraph.
Comparisons.
Or unused and some recycled footage from that
last Kukri video I did, if I don’t care
you don’t that’s how it works right?
First the two compared to one another, like
preceding minutes before it . The Cold Steel
has a longer blade but is lighter by 3 ounces
or so.
Not a huge difference in chopping fatigue,
which is a real subjective and unmeasurable
thing.
I prefer the Ka-Bar for several reasons though.
I paid about $35 for this on sale when Ka-Bar
had a half on sale on their website- Black
Friday or Christmas I forget which.
It’s worth the $55 you’d pay right now,
because your chump ass missed the sale.
Now still my favorite- the Zombie Tools Vakra.
I know it isn’t traditional, of course traditional
is always the best- whatever it is you define
as traditional.
Small pox is traditional, vaccinations aren’t.
That’s why I bring my small pox crystal
with me wherever I go, if I hold it above
a persons head and it spins counter clockwise,
I keep my kids away from them.
At least 6 feet, because it’s science.
Of course death by a sabertooth is even more
traditional than smallpox, so maybe I’m
wrong.
The Vakra chops well, has a great sheath,
and a fairly comfortable handle.
Now the BudK.
The Bud K feels light and quaint almost compared
to the Himalayan import choppers…
But it’s crude and made in India, and not
Nepal so it’s less traditional overall.
A lot of the cheap kukris in the 20-40 range
you see on websites are Indian made.
This one has served me well for years, despite
being designed and marketed to idiots like
myself.
Now the Himalayan imports.
Fine kukris indeed, however as that fine gentleman
pointed out but it more of a dick way.
it does have a thick blade stock- some might
say overkill, and the handles could be more
comfortable.
I’m considering in the future getting a
Kalish blades kukri, maybe a Tora, because
I just don’t have any real self control.
It’s an odyssey isn’t it.
I said mostly this in the last video, but
it didn’t stop being kukri-splained but
I can’t review what I don’t currently
have.
Ok wrapping it up?
What do I like about the Cold Steel, other
than Lynn travels to each country and kisses
each blade as their being QCed.
It’s cheap, and the coating holds up well.
It’s an ok chopper, just your standard basic.
A basic Kukri.
However it’s my least favorite of all the
kukris.
The blade has a lot of flex, and in chopping,
you don’t want flex or wobble when you hit
wood.
Cold Steel makes some thicker larger alpha
kukris.. the Kukri plus looks like it might
be a little better but it seems a little thin
if you want a chopper.
For example remember my all terrain chopper
review?
That blade was too heavy for an effective
machete, but too long and thing for an effective
chopper.
Now the Cold Steel Kukris is a little too
sort for a machete for my tastes, if you define
a machete is something to clear grass, weeds,
smaller vines, and something you chase horny
teenagers with near a picturesque lake.
Choppers are generally shorter than a machete,
with thicker stock, and good for heavier woodier
plant based material.
That’s where the Ka-Bar is better.
It is slightly shorter, a little heavier and
a nicer, sharper edge.
A man might even put on a brimmed hat and
bushcraft with it even.
It chops and slices better than the Cold Steel-
personally it’s worth the extra $30.
It’d be super nice though if Ka-bar gave
it some removable handles.
Same style and thickness, but just held on
with screws, like an Esee or Becker Ka-Bar.
Also the merits of even having blade coating
aside… should it really chip after 20 minutes
of use?
In my experience with beating on a lot of
blades, this is not normal.
I’d prefer uncoated, and just caring for
the blade personally- but Ka-Bar never asked
me.
Also after doing about 20 minutes of digging,
all of Cold Steels Kukris with the black blade
all have relatively the same blade thickness
as the one in this video.
About 2.8mm… the magnum, the ultralubricated,
and the plus.
The mall ninja choas edition with the knuckle
cutout looks a little more in line with the
Ka-Bars blade stock, however it look like
something you might have to hide from your
parents or probably not bring to the ICP show.
The more expensive Cold Steel Gurkas Kukris
look nicer to me because they have a more
desirable blade stock and look.
The TLDR or is it TLDL is, Cold Steel does
not make a Kukri with specs on paper that
I’d like for under $100, they’re all too
thin and flexible in the blade area to be
used as a good chopper in my opinion.
Ontario makes a decent looking one at $60,
but at $55 the KaBar is probably one of the
most affordable, and decent performing budget
kukri.
Unless you want to go with the cheap Bud K
Indian made one.
I mean there’s some schrades, united cutlery,
and some other cheap stuff in iffy steel-
but try those at your own risk at under $50.
So like, subscribe, comment, Patreon.
Also not I’m making a big move at the end
of January, I’m trying real hard to give
you guys a video a week while I’m doing
it.
Be patient if that’s to the case.
And thanks again for there Patreons and people
who donate to the channel, and watch the entire
videos to help me get that Google money.
It will help out a little when between my
current job and my next.
Thanks for watching.
