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Moving Across the Country and My Current Situation
Welcome to my Cold Steel Wild West Bowie review. If you're one of those dudes and the dudette or two who reads my articles, you might know I have moved across the country.
What some of you may not know is that I am staying with my in-laws temporarily in a densely packed neighborhood, where I would have a brand new audience of neighbors who've never had the pleasure of living next to an asshole with a knife addiction.
90% of my knife-based and also my standard material possessions are in a few storage pods until we move out and into a place of our own. Hopefully, that should explain why I'm not doing many fixed blade reviews right now: that I got drunk and lost a hand because of the latest social media craze- the chop off your hand challenge. Everyone’s doing it!
In This Article
- Introduction
- Dimensions and Specs
- Steel and Blade
- Handle and Ergonomics
- Sheath
- Comparison
- Video Review
- Conclusion
Introducing the Cold Steel Wild West Bowie
However, I have no doubt made the in-laws worry with the large fixed blades that pile up in their garage, week after week. This brings up this knife- the brand new 2019 Cold Steel Wild West Bowie, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the discontinued Western Bowies of yore.
For a brief history lesson I plagiarized from Wikipedia, Camillus bought Western in 1991 and folded in 2007 after most of their customers died.
Of course, they've been relaunched, but the point is- best as I can reckon, The Western W49 bowie pattern, which the Cold Steel looks based on, hasn't been made since the mid-2000s. This is a damn shame because only a few years later saw the Golden Age of internet tabletop and backyard knife celebrities.
Specs and Dimensions (For You Knife Nerds)
But before we go any further, let's look at the dimensions, such as the overall length and weight. With and without the sheath. How big a bowie is too big? I'll give you a second to think about it. Trick question: there's no such thing.
Real blades are measured in feet. Spine thickness and handle thickness. However, there is a good rule of thumb for using the right pig sticker for the hog.
It shouldn't be bigger than the hog. So the BBW… W or the big beautiful Wild West features a big silvery chunk of carbon steel, and this particular knife is made in India.
The Steel and Blade - Old School Carbon Goodness
And a big thanks to Cold Steel. A lot of modern knife companies don't trust us with uncoated carbon steel blades anymore, which is a shame- because generally, the sorts of hombres buying shit like this know that carbon steel will rust if you don't wipe and lube your blade.
Big ass blades love getting wet with your bodily fluids, just not for long. Be a gentleman. Bring the tissues. The satin-finished hollow ground 10-inch blade on my particular sample, purchased for about $80 from Blade HQ, was pretty sharp out of the box. Of course, Lynn gave the order, and now it's about $95.
Also, the top swedge is not sharpened. The handle. The Wild West handle is tanged deep with steel, and the wood handle scales are held on by brass screws and a rear rivet for the lanyard loop and skull bead sculpture.
The Handle - Brass and Wood Like the Knife Gods Intended
I reckon enough brass in the hardware to make the 110 jealous. I tried removing the handle, but the rear rivet seems to keep them from being fully removed.
The handle is nice and comfortable, and throughout my chopping, it didn't create any hotspots- because that's what the cross guard is for. The big brass cross guard is generally smooth, and the edges have been cut down.
However, repeated whacking of pretty hardwood gave me an owie. Right below the knuckle, on my pointer finger. Again, the cross guard isn't sharp there, but it's just a small injury a man gets for chopping wood with a knife. It was a good hurt.
The Sheath - So You Don't Stab Yourself (Probably)
Even down to the sheath, it is very similar to the Western Bowie. It's a welted and sewn drop sheath dangler. And even a string at the bottom so you can wrap it around your leg to keep it from moving around.
Also doubles as a makeshift tourniquet when combined with ripped pieces of clothing after you sink the knife into your leg or arm because you are out chopping with a fucking Bowie knife.
The sheath has a retention loop, too, to keep it from flying out of the sheath as you skip along the trail on your bush adventure.
Knife Comparisons - How Does It Stack Up?
It wouldn’t be a proper Cold Steel Wild West Bowie review without some comparisons, so let’s do that, I guess. In this segment, you're going to see a whole lot of knives you haven't seen before that I haven't gotten around to reviewing yet because I've been busy. All sorts of Bowie esques. First, the Wild West. Probably the sort of knife people picture in their heads at night when they dream of knives. It's beautiful, isn't it?
I have a hankering one day to get a trail master, but this will have to be done for now because I just blew money on a stupid Leatherman Free P4. The guard is a little overkill, especially when you're not fighting cowboys who shot your old man.
But I get it; it's more of a heritage thing now than a practical consideration. Here, it is next to the virgin Marine Raider Bowie from Ontario. I paid only $40 for this knife, which was a steal. Yeah, that coating looks a little too pristine for my tastes. Don't worry, though; eventually, it'll get a whooping shot on camera.
Handles a bit more comfortably, at least in social media use, with no big metal cross guard. Now, the Benchmade Jungle. This one is about $95, but it's been discontinued. Can't wait to film a review of this one.
All I really have to say about this is that I own Benchmade, and I like them. If you can't stand their sight, find a new channel.
Ok, here's a small yet kindred spirit for the Wild West bowie. You might wonder why, oh yeah, the rattling cross guard. The difference is the 499 Ontario ships with a rattling cross guard, and if you send it back, they'll just add some silicon adhesive and send it right the fuck back. Look for this review, along with a description of Ontario's flaky customer service.
Watch This Review
Real-World Testing and Final Thoughts
Ok, let's wrap up this Cold Steel Wild West Bowie review. If I get out and chop and baton for 20 minutes, my cross guard loosens up. It looks to be held into place by the scales only, which, by the way, don't seem deformed, so it’s not like I broke those, and then it started rattling.
The spine whacking and chopping worked the guard loose a bit. It might be a dud or maybe you shouldn't be chopping wood with a knife.
But for Christ's sake, what's a nearly 2-pound Bowie knife supposed to be used for? Say it with me, nothing smart. It is possible that if I had given it a few hard tugs while no one was looking, the guard might have loosened up a bit anyway.
As far as overall impressions, I like the knife a lot. I'd like the lanyard loop to be easily removable, too. The steel held up to chopping with no chipping or rolling and still stayed sharp. It's a heavy knife, for sure, but that's part of its charm. Thanks for reading!
