Cold Steel Gladius vs ESEE Junglas Black

Let me go over to this island here see if we can uh hack around a bit of some of this stuff along the shore, all right, getting my uh machete out here...

.Micarta handle feel good in the hand and will be adding a paracord lanyard as additional safety.

I tend to rate products on a cost-driven curve, so keep that in mind when reading. I went with three stars simply due to what I view as the relatively low price paid for the product.

You'll barely put out $40, but you'll get a good sheath (a tad funky with the snaps, but still quite good), a good carbon steel blade, a good handle, and lots of money saved. Yes, I'd actually suggest that over the RTAK II..

In fact I am glad to have the opportunity to make a custom grind angle leaving the bevel at the tip more obtuse and “apple seed” shaped creating a stronger point than a normal version of this item would have. I would be curious if anyone else has received a blade in this condition, I assume the quality control person at the factory was hung over and or drunk that day. It happens to the best of us.

They're not just throwing junk together and collecting a paycheck. The blade is thick and very strong and comes out of the box sharp enough to shave your arm hair. It pulled the hair a little but with a handful of passes on my spyderco sharpmaker it was smooth and just rolled the hair off! This thing is scary sharp for being as big as it is. The handles are beautiful and offer great grip

, Cold, Steel, Gladius, Machete, 1055, high-carbon steel.? You could probably get a spark of this if you were in a survival situation. According to Wi...

I will update this review following 5/17/21, thanks for reading before then. I am testing this and an El Chete for more forestry work.

Breaks are not. I used it to limb lots of downed branches following a severe storm. It worked acceptably, but it's heavy. The tip didn't prove fragile but I wasn't deliberately abusing it

At first i was skeptical of using 1095 steel, but i now see the advantage over stainless. This blade will get a razor sharp edge effortlessly, and most importantly, WILL HOLD THE EDGE. People, just learn how to take care of it. This is a REALLY big knife and quite heavy, so if its gonna be used for backpacking/hiking, i recommend something more lightweight, like the Esee 6, or the Junglas 2, but if you have a strong back, this thing will do anything really good, batoning, feathering, etc

Other than that is seems very sturdy and rugged. Overall I am impressed if o ly by the value of this piece..

It has excelled for almost two seasons of chopping and splitting seasoned black locust, one of the hardest domestic woods in America. I have NEVER chipped or rolled this edge on wood of any kind, no matter how hard or dry. And although I do enjoy Ontario Knives, the Junglas’ black coating lasts months longer. The sheath is near equal to custom kydex with dozens of mounting options, and adjustable tightness

not a huge deal however the uneven edges were a huge disappointment and no product people pay decent money for should be so irregular coming from a reputable company such as cold steel, no excuse for crappy quality workmanship. sheath was of decent quality but a bit on the cumbersome side when drawing or replacing blade so i'll see about modifying it to suit my needs or have a custom one made. that said it is sturdy and should do what it is meant for, just wish they'd make a quality true sword version of the gladius under their far superior sword line. would have rated it lower but really for the $25 it cost I wasn't really expecting a showpiece and it is a lot of fun to use

I have little doubts it will substitute for my hatchet and wood processor with no issue. The sheath is a really great addition to a really stout knife. I was tossed up between the ESEE Junglass and the Ontario RTAK II, ultimately the Kydex sheath and 1095 steel put it over for me. I think I made the right decision