I recently ordered a couple of Cold Steel Bowie Machetes. This the current variety with the 12" blade and for 20 buck a pop, they are a hell of a lot of knife. It came with the sharpest point I have ever seen on a knife of any size... touch your finger to it and a drop of blood follows immediately. The edge got clean-shaving sharp with a few passes of a ceramic rod and light stropping. It is light and fast in the hand. I'm no knife wizard but within a few minutes I had thrown a 3x3 sticky note in the air and halved it with a backhand slash.

I originally bought these as throwers and intended to cut the 'toe' off the grip to facilitate the reverse-grip that I use for throwing bowie-pattern knives. I may still do that but the knife can be thrown edge-first as is. I got deep, solid and near-silent sticks from 8 paces in an old Paradise tree. If you hit a man or animal with it from a good throw, you'll bury it in him. It is easily capable of the cutting shown in the company video.

http://www.coldsteel.com/Product/97BWM12S/BOWIE_MACHETE.aspx

Haven't really done much with it but I am definitely impressed for the price.

I looked at that as a good pig knife. Looks like it would go in like butter and leave a good wound. I was curious as to how fragile the point would be. J.Michael

at various trees, that needle point bent at the very tip; barely enough to feel and it was easily hammered/filed out. I believe you could harpoon a dozen or so pigs w/o causing any damage you couldn't correct in a like manner.

But I'd really want a cross-guard for that kind of work.

among knife people there is love/hate for CS. The products are good and very tough, but people ridicule the antics of the company owner and their method of advertising. I say find another company not afraid to show what their products are capable of.

I have a CS GI tanto which is also inexpensive and very tough.

I've bought a number of Voyagers & SRK's over the years, one of which still has a lot of Tikrit embedded in the handle. None have failed regardless of what was asked of them. CS knives are excellent hard-use products, worth their asking price.

As to the detractors, I guess they are entitled to their opinion even when it's wrong. I do note that weapons related innernet discussion is heavily populated by Gear Queers who think they need a $300 hand forged axe to split kindling twice a year for their little tin 'fire ring' LOL

as "Gear Queer" but dang if it don't fit a buddy or two of mine LOL. I usually call them "One up John" or "One up Bill". They wouldn't be caught dead in the woods packing a post 64 94 Winchester or a Flintlock or a Cold Steel Tanto or wearing non-Filson hunting clothes or an 870 vs. their over-under whatever it is or a plain old bird dog vs. there $5000 dog (dang if that dog aint got a nose on it though). They are good folk though, but need an audience at all times.

Bob

Have been thinking of picking up a CS Bowie Machete. I have a CS Outdoorsman Lite that has been used as my primary field blade for the last couple of years. I work as a field biologist and it has been used to cut roots in soil test pits, for scraping the walls in those same pits so good pics could be taken, as a small machete for cutting brush, to open packages, for cutting up apples and other food stuffs at breaks (usually after being cleaned), for field dressing game, and has even proven quite useful in the kitchen for butchering. It still looks nearly new and holds an edge extremely well. I am quite pleased with it, especially since it only cost $30.