Paul
NY

Jul 23, 2013

Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Solid Blade.

Very nice blade. The sheath is pretty crummy but the blade more than makes up for it. I wasn't expecting something so sharp from cold steel.

Dan
Michigan

Jun 29, 2017

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish

Cons: None

As Adcertised.

Solid, balanced and at a great price. Just what you expect from cold steel. It might not be razor sharp but it can be easily sharpened to whatever sharpness you need. Shipping was quick and product was as described.

Rclo
Lutherville, MD

Dec 18, 2013

Pros: Weight, Sheath/Scabbard

Cons: None

Impressive blade begs to chop through something

I plan to use the Royal Kukri just like the Kukri Machete, which I also got - to clear brush along wooded trails. The heavy blade and excellent balance make it appear perfect for chopping through fallen saplings and small tree branches. It wouldn't be much use in tall grass, etc., where a longer, slashing blade would be more effective. The blade came roughly-sharpened and will need a smooth-stoning to get a keen edge. The sheath fits nicely. Overall, I rated this "5" because of the weight/balance of the blade and the reasonable price.

Kirk
Scottville KY

Jan 23, 2013

Pros: None

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Same great blade! Same crap sheath!

Any blade for combat or survival needs to be ready to draw with one hand on a split seconds notice!! Better a cheaper blade you can get out and use once. Than a better blade they find on your rotting corpse because you could not get it out in time. I have told cold steel about this before they do not listen

Th1
Florida

Feb 10, 2021

Pros: Weight, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

singing blade! best chopping blade... ever?!

I have somewhat a minor O.C. about collecting machetes and kukris... and this is by far the best! I took it out today along with a genuine, kami hand-forged (Nepal) kukri of greater weight... and after a few whacks on the usual oak and soft-wood branches for seasonal pruning, I found myself using the Cold Steel thin edged machete over the 6mm spine kukri... as usual. One of the reviews gave it a 1 star, said it couldn't chop... and that it sent hand-shock back through his hand upon chopping. I don't know what he is talking about! This magnificent blade slashes through fresh (green) 1" oak and 2" soft wood branches in a single stroke with ease, singing with a "ZING!ing sound as it does. Same with 2" oak - if you have a good precise swing and good angle of attack (towards the thicker part of the branch to provide resistance) - one-swipe chops are doable if not routine. Three-inch and thicker oaks might take a couple - two or three whacks. Now dried oak might be a lot tougher... but that's what a good Corona folding saw (i.e. a Japanese Silky style blade) is for. Between my CS royal kukri machete and an 10" folding (or 24" fixed) Corona saw, I can handle any and all branches up to 8" diameter, anything bigger I use a chain saw or large silky. The only exception is chopping roots... here, the dirt, rocks, and abuse on the blade, plus tighter chopping angles, makes a hatchet a much better choice. The one possible complaint on the CS royal kukri machete is that the handle is a bit thin/small/petite... but people with small hands would prefer that, and simply wearing some good leather work gloves (or wrapping the handle with proper soft tape) makes up for that easily. Sharpening is a breeze... simply a few strokes each side with a full-sized file and you're back to chopping perfection. This CS machete makes chopping so effortless, that instead of buying or renting an expensive, dangerous, maintenance intensive wood chopping machine, I simply drag branches across a stump I place end-up as I chop the branches to little bits, letting the down-hill swing of the blade do all the work in rapid, rat-tat-tat motion, leaving nothing but chips and 2" to 5" sticks 1 to 5 ft long which are easily dumped in a trash can for yard pickup. Oh, as far as sheath... it is designed to KEEP YOU FROM CUTTING YOURSELF when not using the blade! If you want to take a knife to hell and back where you might need it to fight for your life, you probably should spend a few hours crafting a combat sheath to suit your needs. Speaking of, the even larger Cold Steel KOPIS machete has the same angles and physics of a kukri blade, but because of its greater size and ferocious point, would make an even more deadly weapon. But for a war-weapon, the 2.8 mm blade should probably be beefed up to 5 mm for a light, short sword that would be hard to beat for both chopping and stabbing power.... but that's another story (and it's discontinued). I prefer the (slightly) softer steel and thinner blade of the CS kukri machete for brush clearing, pruning, & chopping chores to any of my thicker, heavier "real" forged kukris, far easier to sharpen, can cut through 5 inch oak branches in a matter of moments (if you don't feel like using your saw), what more do you want from a blade?!

Rick
Florida

Aug 24, 2014

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great!

What a great machete. The forward weight when chopping or hacking brush really takes the strain off my wrist and arm. Holds an edge well enough, and can hack through wood better than most.

Casca
Texas

Apr 20, 2017

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Best Kukri I ever owned.

I just received my Cold Steel Royal Kukri Machete today. As a pup I learned to carry a Kukri on my web gear in the field. Over the years I have lost or worn out 5 or 6 of the originals, the problem was it took hours to put a razor edge on them. My new Cold Steel Royal Kukri is not the case. It mounts easily on my web gear and only takes a few minutes to make it sharp enough to shave with. Another plus is the blade is lighter in weight yet stronger than the traditional thick / heavy blade. The Royal Kukri is perfect for use in any jungle on the planet or silently getting past guerilla sentries. Use your imagination and you will find a good use for this fantastic blade.

Ronald
Philippines

Jun 28, 2018

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material, Finish

Best clearing tool

A bit heavy for a machete, but lighter than a kukri. Needs a bit of deburring, but not much more. Cuts down light vegetation like a scythe, chopped through tree limbs with ease. Forward balance helped a lot with chopping action, reduced impact stress by letting you use a light grip instead, while the wide grip flare at the end ensured that it stayed secure in your hand. Wrapping the grip or wearing gloves will enhance the experience and reduce hot spots during extended use. If you have an overgrown backyard, this is the tool you need!

Zenlifter
Southeast Wisconsin

Jul 06, 2021

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard, Finish

Eats Boxelder Maples for breakfast.

Eats Boxelder Maples for breakfast. Swing harder, faster, longer. Lower back saver and outperforms kukris costing far far more.

Scott
Tennessee

Aug 12, 2013

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great Machete

Great machete for clearing brush...and killing the occasional copperhead or timber rattler you might encounter. Cuts very well and the sharp point works well for sticking the snakes' heads to the ground before they can bite you. Sheath isn't the greatest, but isn't bad either. Does what you need it to.

Bigw
Maryland

Aug 23, 2015

Pros: Weight, Blade Material

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Takes some work - but can be made great

Here is the bad news - the sheath is pretty cheap and it comes from the factory with one of the roughest edges I've ever seen. It looked like the factory edge was put on with like a 20 grit belt sander. I realize this is a tool and not a knife, but I had to get a small grinder out to clean up the edge before I even started sharpening it. Once I had the deep grooves out of the edge, it still took some time on the stones to get a nice edge on it. But eventually it took a very nice edge. So expect to put in some time on the front-end with this. But if you are willing to do a little work you can make this into an absolute beast of a tool. I bought it mainly for limbing downed trees and for hiking/camping firewood prep. Now that it is properly sharp, it is amazing at both of those tasks. It goes through smaller limbs with almost no power behind the swing and chops larger pieces of wood almost as well as a small axe even though it weighs far less. It bites deep and the design lets you put a lot of power behind your stroke. It also will hold its edge a good while - the quality of the steel is excellent for something in this price range. The handle is nothing special, but it is all day comfortable. I would not buy this to use like a traditional machete on tall grass etc. I tried it and although it worked ok, it is not really what you want for that kind of work. The blade is too short and too heavy. What this thing is ideal for is processing wood without weighing you down excessively. Given how little it cost and what it can ultimately be made into - it is a good value.

Jonas
Sundsvall Sweden

Nov 26, 2013

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Great machete bad sheath.

Robust machete with good balance, paper cutting sharp. Two cons though, it takes forever to take the blade out of the sheath (Its three straps that needs to be unbuttoned) and on my machete the corrosion finish is missing on some spots.

Matochi
Southern Oregon Mountains

Feb 06, 2017

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material

Cons: Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Royal Kukri

It's one of those products where you get what you pay for. The large size makes for good chopping and the handle is comfortable and grippy. It's even got some weight to it even tho it's a thinner blade than the more traditional Kukri. Mine came so uneven on the back of the blade that it's actually sharp. The grind on the blade is way uneven. After some blade work and working out some minor detail flaws its definitely a decent chopping tool. I think it was worth the twenty something $ I paid for it. At this price I don't think twice about beating the crap out of it while camping or hiking.

David
Oxnard

Mar 26, 2015

Pros: None

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Royal Kukri

Got this as a possible chopper and to see if I liked the Kukri since I am partial to my condor bush craft parang. This was a horrible first try for a kukri or they just suck not sure. Haven't used it on light brush, just light branches and a few medium ones for chopping to test it out. handle was surprisingly comfortable till I hit something and had all the shock hit my hand. It chopped but poorly, I have knives that would do a better job of this. Used straight out of the box and even after sharpening on my belt sander. The most annoying parts is the chime it gives off after every hit. The plus, it was cheap. The shorter one probably would have been better for chopping but also wanted some length to clear brush either way not using this one for either.

Timberwolf07
Texas

Mar 11, 2022

Pros: Weight

Cons: Blade Sharpness, Finish

No Edge

Got this the other day and was originally pleased as I opened the box and then later looked close at it and there is NO EDGE, on the blade and the handle is a bit small I feel if this was made with all that went into the sales description then it should have been better with a larger handle and an edge on the blade. The finish looks like someone sprayed it with some sort of rust oleum paint that you would use on air conditioner maintenance. The sheath and the weight were the only things I found to be well worked out. I am and will be soured on Cold Steel products for now, and unless something matches their description in the sales information I will not be buying Cold Steel again for awhile.