So, in a moment of weakness, I broke down and ordered some Cold Steel items from a mail-order house: the Special Forces Shovel, the Canadian Belt Knife, and the Heavy Machete.

A bit of background: I have a couple of Cold Steel blades from many years ago, and they were impressive. The Carbon V Twistmaster (solid Zytel handle and Opinel-type locking mechanism) has to be the strongest, sharpest featherweight folder I've ever seen. Naturally, I had high expectations of the new arrivals.

Special Forces Shovel: PASS.

A very sturdy digging tool, in a packable size and weight, that can serve as a decent two-handed machete. There are a number of ways to grip this shovel for different jobs, and the heft and balance feel right each time. A small file would be handy to frequently touch up the cutting edges -- it doesn't hold an edge as well as most axes. The factory edges on the "digging" surfaces are too thin, and will nick badly when hitting rocks; I'll gradually file them to a 45 deg. bevel and keep the thinner cutting edges on the sides. Overall, I like it more every time I use it, and I'm looking forward to using it for some hiking-plus-trail-maintenance work.

Canadian Belt Knife: PASS, with caveats.

This is a blatant steal of the famous Grohmann design, of course, with fair-to-middling steel and an injection-molded polypro handle (like a kitchen knife). But I like the feel of this design. When cutting meat or vegetables, it's like an extension of my finger. Based on this, I'm going to get a genuine Grohmann as a gift for my father. It's hard to know how strong this knife really is. I can feel it flex when making fuzz sticks, so I wouldn't use it for anything but straight cutting. At 2.2 ounces it would be adequate as a backpacking knife. The sheath is okay, but I wouldn't want to fall on it (no plastic insert). Is this blade as sharp or strong as a Mora? Nope, it's not. But I'll enjoy using it in the kitchen.

Heavy Machete: FAIL.

This thing is embarassingly bad -- a complete waste of money. It's like they cut out a chunk of door from a '48 Chev truck, put on a handle, and called it a machete. It's so flexible that it flops all over, wasting energy from each strike. The steel is so soft that half a dozen swings at mild hardwood makes it dull. It's the worst machete I've ever used, by an order of magnitude. Since it's not worth the postage to return it, it will be relegated to chopping up garden waste for compost. Or if I need to chop a tree root, I'll whack this thing with a sledgehammer and save my axes.

Hope all this is of some value or interest to the group.
Cheers,
Doug

Thanks for the review (reviews are always a good thing)

Shovel sounds interesting - there are some environments where digging and light chopping are the order of the day

I have reservations about the belt knife - not for what it is in terms of performance (light duty knife) but just the blatant steal from Grohmanns who I have a soft spot for

Machetes are bizarre - so simple yet sometimes people get them so wrong!

I've never owned one, but they appear so cheesy that I wouldn't take the chance.

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the reviews, I think a CS Shovel will have to go on my wish list.

Mike

Thanks. I guess that CS, like everyone else, can make the good, the bad, and the ugly...

I have to wonder -- did they blow the heat treating on this batch of machetes? It's the same steel as the kukris that people have spoken highly of on this forum. I wouldn't complain if it held an edge.

thank you for taking the time to review these products for us. it is appreciated.

The kukri is thicker according to coldsteel.com. That may be the problem iwth the heavy machete. I have a kukri from coldsteel, and while it is not my first choice for the job, it worked to cut down a tree about 4-5 inches in diameter.

Thanks for the review, in any event. I've been thinking about a shovel like that one.

I guess while we're reviewing ColdSteel knifes, I'll throw in my comments. I bought a bunch of ColdSteel many years ago, but nothing from them recently.

SRK: PASS

The best ColdSteel knife I own. I have not put it through hard usage so I can't comment on it's strength. It appears very solid and fits my hand well. The blade shape is good for many tasks. Bought as a factory second for $29 (the tip was off a little to one side, but easily fixed with a sharpening stone).

Recon Tanto: PASS, with notation

I don't know why I bought it. I've never found a practical use for it. The blade shape does not lend itself to anything I can see a need for. Factory second for $34 (The "ColdSteel" stamping at the base of the blade is difficult to read - who cares?!) However, it is a nicely made knife for the price.

Bird & Trout Knife: FAIL

Too awkward for me to use. Don't like the way you have to grip it. Don't like the ring that goes around your finger. It's a solution in search of a problem.

Ready Edge (now called Super Edge): PASS, but has been superseded

Worked OK, but not great, for tasks like cutting open cardboard boxes and cutting mailing tape on those boxes. The serrations hang on everything. Has been superseded by a Frosts Mora Craftsman knife. Half the cost of the Ready Edge, and much better for the "general utility" task. But the Mora is a much bigger knife.

Mini Pal: FAIL

To small and awkward to be useful for anything.

UltraLock Folder: PASS

No longer made, but decent enough for a large relatively inexpensive folder. Now serves as a backup in my survival kit and does not get daily use.

Itsy Bitsy Small Folder (forgot it's name): PASS

A little 1 inch blade (?) keychain lockback folder. No longer made. Wish it was. It was a great keychain knife until one of its grips fell off and was lost (grip was glued on - not so good, but it lasted for years).

Cold Steel's marketing strategy seems to consist of a magnet, made of their proprietary wunder steel ( you wonder who is making it this week) dragged through the world picking up every ethnic cutting tool or museum piece, reproducing the form but not the nuance of original genius and stabbing a Buick on Video. You want a machete? Get a cheap brazilian Tramontina. Spetsnaz commando shovel ? Army surplus from Germany,UK,or your own tax dollar US of A. I won't comment on the Russell. The sad part in all this is Cold steel has marketed some very nice items ( marketed, not manufactured. Anyone still lament the loss of a few NY based makers?)The SRK, once you scrub off that epoxy scab and buy at aftermarket discount is a great surival knife. you might even rescue somebody with it! Odds are, it will be some kid who watched Tom Cruise rewrite japanese history in his reprise of Richard Chamberlain in SHOGUN ( or was it the Karate kid?) packing a Cold Steel lion spear, machete,Tanto and boot knife- but no whistle or compass. Items Cold Steel does not make.

I would have to concur with Chris. The Tramontina machete (AKA: the brazilian cane knife which I used to see frequently on Ebay)
when sharp cuts very clean. The small or medium you can swing for quite a while without tiring (it makes an interesting singing sound when you swing it.) The handle is pretty comfortable too. About the same time I was buying the Tramontina machetes, I got a Cold Steel machete with a bolo style blade. I sharpened up the CS Bolo & put it to work on some deadwood. The edge rolled & I figured I had made the edge too sharp. Even so I would still like to pick up the CS small Bushman knife someday.

Tim

dougwalkabout or anyone else with dirt time using the CS Special Forces shovel:

Any updates on durability, performance, etc.?

Thanks.

Hello,

A lot of to say about the CS marketing, paticularly from an european point of view...

But, in my experience, the CS shovel is a good item for non specific job.

It is better for chopping than the US one because it's quite straight (bevel and handle) when you rise the shovel.
It's better than German one or Switzer because the steel is quite better (0.5 C) and perharps better heat treatment. You could maintain it with a leatherman or SAK file, good on outdoors activities.
You must improve some parts of this item (fluted handle, erasing screw, linen oil handle....) to make it more accurate. Good advice also to change bevels.

You could see a photography about a session animated by some europeans (and one originated from Quebec) instructors about using tools. I was here but not on the picture:

Most military E-tools and civilian spades that I've tested are either made of low carbon steel (which cannot be heat treated) or in rare cases soft medium carbon steel that has not been heat treated. So the Cold Steel version of the Russian shovel is far better made technically but falls a bit short in the ergonomic department because it's overbuilt and heavy.

There is a similar problem with many other Cold Steel products - they follow the basic design of a well known, highly efficient tool and make it "stronger" and more "rugged" - the downside being that the Cold Steel version ends up heavier and somewhat unwieldy.

I continue to be pleased with my CS shovel. It's held up very well over a summer of digging and chopping. It certainly stands up to a fair bit of (ab)use -- I didn't baby it one bit, though I didn't set out to destroy it either. Based on this, I bought two more, one for each car.

As an all-in-one tool, it's a compromise. It doesn't dig as efficiently as a spade, or chop as well as an axe. But it gets the job done. So it's like a Leatherman -- not as effective as individual tools, but darned handy to have with you.

It's also a lot of fun to use. Or maybe that's just me.

Random notes:
- I wrapped the handle in hockey tape (sticky cloth tape) to get a better grip and reduce hand fatigue.
- For sharpening, just about anything will put a crude working edge on it, including Leatherman files or even a rough stone.
- It doesn't need to be razor sharp to chop effectively; I've gone to sharpening only one of the four edges, or the tip, based on the job I want to do next.
- It cuts heavy sod like butter.
- It cuts off weeds, grasses and shrubs very well at the base. But for cutting off seed heads or light branches, it's hard to get the high-speed snap of a machete. I guess it's the weight.
- You have to watch out for the double edge when you're chopping.
- I need to make an old-time-gunfighter-style leg holster so it's handy to carry in the yard.

Cheers,
Doug

Thanks for the review, Doug. Going to have to add yet another CS tool to the kit.

Can you get Collins machetes in the US? I've lived in northern Argentina where having a machete with you is an everyday thing. Brazilian machetes are not bad, but the Collins is much better. I believe they no longer make them in Connecticutt. I am sure they have a plant in Colombia. They are dirt cheap and last forever.

And thank you for that bit of info. I've followed some macheteros around for awhile outside of Salta, but was clueless enough to not pick up on their hardware, though they were very generous with sharing their technique (much more important in my opinion).

More things to add to the kit. Just have to pick one up locally if necessary. Como se dice, "Can I get a Collins?"

Absolutly !

You could see on the "picture with CS shovel" that most of your modifications was already made.
*It's nice also to have a different bevel on each sides (one for chop work, one for cutting) depend if you are a lefter or righter. Due to the curve of the shovel one side is better for heavy work.
*I agry with you for speed, but you could have a double hand grip.
*You could see also see on picture that some of these guys had a CS cordura holster + rope with a loop.

The CS shovel is like a russian WWII shovel who are like germans WWI shovel. Improvement is in using martensitic steel (SK5).
After WWII, most of western army adopted "trench tool" like US shovel of WWII....and kept them until now.

Didier.

Didier, were the handles carved into a different shape? An oval profile like a pickaxe would cause a lot less hand fatigue when cutting. I am planning to carve a replacement handle as an experiment.

I have one of the CS sheaths, but it's not very convenient. After I cut up some kindling, for example, I need both hands to gather it up. I don't want to come back for the shovel. So I'd like a sheath on my thigh, just above the knee. This sounds like a good winter project.

Doug

Or, as an alternative, consider the Meyerco machete? I am still a bit enamoured with the one I bought, even with the warnings about serrations causing a weak spot on the spine. The smaller, thicker bladed machete would undoubtedly not be as fragile, yet still have all the other desirable features.

What, and miss all the fun? I guess I enjoy optimizing a good piece of kit. I've been looking for something like the CS shovel for years. Digs, pries, cuts, and doesn't look like a weapon. I just need to reprofile the handle a bit.

I like machetes as well, and have several. A couple are junkers, at least for the conditions up here. The other two are marked USMC 1943 -- they have great steel, and they have the mass to deal with solid wood.

I like the look of those Meyercos, and the short-and-stout Ontarios as well.

You will probably find that the two marked USMC 1943 are Ontarios. Ontario is the only manufacturer of USGI machetes that I know of.

Take a look at the SP-8 if you like short and tough. I have had one for years and love it.

No, only some sand paper and after several times : linen oil with turpentine on the wood handle (like a shotgun in europe). You will have a better grip.

I think that if you shape the handle it will be less versatile to dig or to cut. This tool is very simple, this is the great advantage : simple to use (with frozen hand, in the dark...) and to repair, truly a war tool.

Just shape with sand paper the part of the handle who is near the beginning of the "steel hole of the blade". When shovel come from CS you have a difference in diameter with the steel part and the wooden handle. Better to have a smooth frontier between wood and steel, so your hand could feel nice everywhere.

The end of the part of the handle inserted deeply in the steel blade could be slightly "flutted" : so it is easier to dig.

The sheath is used with a five feet rope (approximately). One side hold the sheath and with the other side of the rope you make a loop and you could catch the handle with it. So you could have your tool across your back and it is easy to use it.

A shovel on my thigh will not be very pleasant. Our shovel in army are like WWII US : the handle cling on your leg every time (noisy, hurt you...). Better to bring it on your rucksack or across your back with a rope.


Not sure to explain well in english. If you could not understand my english...ask me : I will try to do better.

didier.

I hope you enjoyed your stay in my country. "Salta la linda" is said to be our most beautiful province. I suppose the macheteros were harvesting sugar cane, right? In a hardware store you would say: "¿Tiene machetes Collins?" Get the 22 inches, they have the best balance.