Cold Steel Tanto Machete

I came across this while trying to find some other parts. Has anyone used it? I kinda need to replace my Panga as the handle is cracked. Would this be a good candidate? This would actually replace both my Panga and my well worn Barong machetes, both of which are slide stones to be recycled into smaller knives.

This one? I haven't used it. Best thing I guess is to get one and try it out, but they do seem a little spendy unless all of CS Machete's have gone up in price. What is 'slide stones'?

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me2
both of which are slide stones to be recycled into smaller knives.

That should read “side lined.” The Panga has served well for 18 years. The Barong exposed a few myths and taught me about balance and impact point. The handle on the Panga is cracked and the one on the Barong is loose. A big knarly Tanto seems a worthy addition to go with my Kukri machete, which is getting a 6 dps primary bevel and a new edge. Also I broke some reloading tools and need to order more, but shipping isn’t worth it alone so a new knife is in the shopping cart. Either that or some Lehigh Extreme Defender all copper projectiles. I’m torn.

never tried any of the cold steel machetes. it does seem spendy for an effectively bare bones basic slab of steel compared to the Tramontina etc

I have several of the Cold Steel Bowie machetes. They don't cut particularly well as the come from the factory. The edge needs to be thinned. When that is done, they cut well and they are tough. If you order it from Baryonyx they offer the option of thinning the edge for you. It is worth the small extra charge if you don't want to or can't thin it yourself. With the edge thinned, I think is is an excellent short machete.

Are your Bowie Machetes the older style with Kraton/Rubber handles or the newer poly handles? If the latter how do you like them? My Barong is the Kraton style and quite comfy if a little loose.

Chris,
Have you thought about re-handling them yourself? That might be a good option.

I have. I started a thread in the geometry forum about my plans.

Oh wait. Evidently I didn’t. I’ll keep it here then.

Rehandling is an option. The only reason I thought about it was it would be easy to shape the blade in the as-hardened condition (easy only compared to the usual hardness range for knives). I can do it all with hand tools and don't have to worry about heat. The blades are already soft enough to file, so low 50's HRc I'm guessing.

I could take one of the repurposed machete blades and shape it down to a zero edge with a file and stones and push geometry as far as possible while having a knife that is easily repaired if (when) damaged. On the other hand, the blades are still serviceable and they've been dependable for so long I hate to change them. The Barong would need some profile tweaks, as it's worn oddly over the years, and it would also likely get a polished finish, just for fun and for the hate of my finger joints.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2021 01:55AM by me2.

me2:

Which do you think you would learn the most from:

1. replacing the old machetes with a new one, grinding the new one into usability, cutting the old ones down into experimental knives, and experimenting with them

2. fixing/replacing the handles on the old machetes, finding something else to cut down into experimental knives, and experimenting with them

3. fixing/replacing the handles on the old machetes and moving on to other knife projects (everyone has some)

4. some other combination of things?

The machetes I have from Cold Steel have the poly handles. I like them. They are comfortable for my use. If I had to use them all day, the story might be different. I think I would use gloves if I was going to use it for an extended time. The might be a good choice for self defense, etc. They are light, 12" long and cut well. You could sure do worse.

I think I’ll regardless them. They have done such a good job for so long I hate to loose them. I’ll have to reshape the Barong blade a little but nothing drastic. Just reform the base to even some things out. It’s considerably narrower than when new thanks to some aggressive belt sander sharpening. I may still get the Tanto machete but it will have to wait a bit. It looks like an easy one to make a really nasty zombie slayer.

I checked one of these out at Smokey Mountain Knife Works yesterday. They would be a cool project knife but the one I looked at was pretty wonky out of the box. I’d rather have a heat treated and coated blade blank with a handle than deal with it. I also looked at a Bowie Machete, which was better. I also got to feel the new handles. They don’t feel anything like I thought they would. They’re much better than I expected. Handle wise I’d have no issues replacing my current Panga with the new handle style.

Chris,
Wow, that had to be pretty bad for you to just pass on it. Did you have a chance to look at more than just one piece? Maybe it was just that one piece. Do you know where you can get machete blanks? I haven't heard of them before, but it sounds like an awesome project.

No they only had one in stock. The coating was wavy, there was a prominent burr among the last half of the edge, and near the handle whoever ground the edge must have tripped at the grinder, and it was $35. Hard pass. Many machetes are basically blanks anyway. The manufacturer just has to avoid damaging them. I have no idea how hard they are but they are easily filed and sharpen to a ridiculous edge. They’re also hard enough to cut tie wire without denting as long as the edge isn’t damaged by careless grinding, which I feel this one was.

I’m toying with the idea of getting a CS large machete and making the smaller knives out of it since it has no sentimental value. I use that model as it’s available locally for cheaper than I could get steel and send it for heat treating.

Chris,
My friend took a CS Baraong machete and used an angle grinder to cut the top of the spine of the knife so it had a straight spine, so it would look like a Filipino style sword. I sharpened it for him, as the angle grinder was too coarse to put an edge on it.

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jasonstone20
I sharpened it for him, as the angle grinder was too coarse to put an edge on it.

This is an interesting statement. Shaping and sharpening a machete with an angle grinder seems like it would have some hazards that would cause me to avoid it too:
- likelihood of overheated steel
- increased possibility of unevenness and gouging (compared to manual work) due to the angle grinder having lower controllability but much higher cutting rate (locally anyway) than a stone

But because of the above, coarseness of the abrasive doesn't seem like it would be the limiting factor in sharpening with an angle grinder, and certainly not in shaping. How coarse is coarse? Maybe I am missing something.

For perspective, see Cliff Stamp's brief comment on (manual) machete cleanup at 24 grit: [www.cliffstamp.com]

My apologies in advance if I am picking nits here.

alkali, I think your points are correct, but it’s also possible that Jason was using the term coarse in the sense that an angle grinder is okay for rough/gross stock removal but it’s not really suited to actually shaping and sharpening an edge.

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Ryan Nafe
I think your points are correct, but it’s also possible that Jason was using the term coarse in the sense that an angle grinder is okay for rough/gross stock removal but it’s not really suited to actually shaping and sharpening an edge.

Could be. If so, I retract my objection.

alkali,
Yes, Ryan is correct. Sorry I wasn't clear.