Cold Steel Natchez Bowie 01 Steel Knife

Fit and finish are great for the money. But I bought this knife for a single purpose and that is as a fighter. Group of friends and I had a pig carcass party and this Bowie was by far and away able to do more damage than any other knife there, including two expensive custom Bowies. And that was before I put a convex edge on it. Which took hours. I still suck at it.....I digress.I did put a small notch in the edge while cutting through (cleanly) a leg bone.The ability to sever bone and flesh is largely a function of the size, shape and weight of the blade. But there is a downside. While well balanced, the heft makes this knife a bit slow for me. Someone bigger and better trained than me might be much quicker. I don't care that much as the chances of me ever using it against someone armed likewise with a blade is extremely low.The size and weight also makes it not practical as a tool that you would haul around with the 120lbs already on your back. It's more something for an atypical sneak and peek.I checkered the handle for better grip. And then ended up putting on hockey stick tape.Even with the tang design I would feel comfortable using the pommel if needed.The sheath has issues. The knife rattles around and makes noise. It is also heavy. I'm having a custom one made of nylon which will not be very durable but will work for me.There are a lot of swords out there that cannot come close to inflicting the mayhem this blade is capable of. I think it is an incredible value.

DONT DO IT!!!Amazon is not a licensed seller of cold steel! The first Natchez I received was real, but had a crack in the faux cocobolo handle. I returned it and was sent a replacement, but the replacement was a fake! 100% fake! the markings were wrong. Go somewhere else to get your cold steel. On cold steels website is a link showing all of the places they directly deal with. Don't go through what I just went through. I don't even want this blade anymore because of this ordeal. Heed my warning or you too might be sorry!

I love Cold Steel products & I have never been disappointed with one until now. The first 60 seconds I used the Natchez Bowie, it failed. I was chopping a branch about ¾” in diameter when the handle came loose. Cold Steel will replace the item, but they stated this knife was not meant for this task, it is meant for combat. Since I don’t anticipate needing a combat knife as much as I need one for bush craft, I’m getting the Cold Steel Trail Master instead. Maybe this is a better choice for you too? Update, 4/24/15: beware of third party seller. My knife was sent by Best Service Stores. THEY HAVE A 10 DAY RETURN POLICY!! BEWARE!

first I would like to say that I somewhat knew the things I am about to state before buying the knife threw extensive research but since none of it is in writing, here on amazon, here you go.Things about the Natchez Bowie in SK-5 not stated in writing.1. The handle material is laminated cocobolo gray/silver/black in color, not black micarta.2. The guard and pommel are brass not stainless.3. The words Made in Taiwan are printed on the blade.4. Comes with a plastic "tactical sheath"and not the leather one, the inside of the sheath can and will scratch the blade.5. Knife is not full tang but has a partial cable tang. (cold steel states that this is the only way to balance the knife)otherwise the knife is very sharp feels good in the hand and is huge, its still very nice but does not have the fine appointments of the "real Natchez" this knife could really be used as a tool and not just a show piece due to its price. this is not a negative review. just clearing up some things.

The shipment arrived on time and in undamaged condition, thanks Amazon. This is my first purchase of the Cold Steel Natchez Bowie SK-5 Knife, so I cannot comment on any comparisons to any American made versions as opposed to any Asian made versions. What influenced me to purchase this piece was a video I received included in their 2012 catalog. The demonstrations were very impressive in the rigorous testing and design explanations. I learned that Cold Steel seems to have an excellent customer service policy through others' experiences, and plan on bringing to their attention the concerns I have with my purchase. I was looking for a combat knife with ascetics and history, and I have some critiques.Pros: The price was appropriate to the quality. I was pleasantly surprised with Amazon's price point compared to the catalog price for the exact same model, or so I thought. I was impressed with the overall design and sheer beauty of the piece. It was accurately depicted in the pictures and videos I saw while shopping.Cons: After I made the purchase, I realized that I had ordered a discontinued version of an updated model knife as far as what is now available in the Cold Steel catalog. The internal handle design has been changed from a half tang to some sort of improvement from what I can gather from a bit of research. Right out of the box, the very first thing I noticed was the handle wiggles, which prompted me to research the details of the design to see if mine was defective, or if this was simply the way all units of this particular model were. I have yet to come to a definitive conclusion on this, but I will post updates as I find more information.Overall, I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a mid range priced Bowie knife made from a reputable company. I hope my review helps any prospective buyers to make an educated decision. Here is a link to a forum that I referred to while researching:[...]UPDATE:02/07/2013Contacted Cold Steel that following Monday, they explained to me that the handle wiggle was indeed defective. I returned my Bowie knife to Cold Steel directly in Venture California without any problems. I am very satisfied with my purchase and product quality, the only reason I gave this knife four stars I had to travel 109 miles one way to collect my replacement. which wasn't that big of a deal. If you live in Southern California Cold Steel Showroom totally awesome experience it's well worth the trip!