Cold Steel88CSAB 1917 Frontier Bowie

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Man, what an awesome and beautiful piece of steel.

Feels good in the hands and looks beautiful. Thick sharp blades. I just got it because I have a nice collection of big Bowies and this is my favorite.The sheath looks great and it fits well.

Mine came shaving sharp. The blade seems properly ground with identical bevels on both sides of the blade. The polished blued finish is attractive in a utilitarian way. The knife and scabbard both have a down-to-earth utilitarian appearance that is a pleasure to look at. The grip scales are some sort of tropical hardwood and are smooth and comfortable in the hand without being slick. It's easy to keep a secure grip on it.This thing is huge! When I first handled it I was thinking that it felt more like a Roman gladius short-sword than a Bowie knife. Nonetheless, it's still extremely handy and fast, much more nimble than you'd guess from just its immense size. The blade seems to be an ideal compromise between being thick enough for toughness while not weighing a half-ton. As noted it shaved my arm right out of the box. it is officially the largest Bowie I own (I have a collection of custom and vintage Bowies) being about a half-inch longer in blade than my next largest one, The Natchez Bowie, also a Cold Steel product.The scabbard is also (apparently) period-correct and is quite elaborate, having a leather frog it's suspended from as well as a metal tip. The knife comes with a coating of what appears to be lithium grease on the blade, and you should leave it on the blade or at least re-grease it after cleaning. There's some sort of friction spring arrangement inside that holds the blade securely yet is also easy to draw quickly from. The grease probably keeps the friction retainer from marking the blued blade.I've only scratched the surface in Filipino knife fighting but like I said, this huge blade is *fast* and handy. It does NOT handle like a battle axe. More like a rapier. The enormous guard would also be quite effective in protecting the hand in the unlikely event you actually found yourself having to engage in a knife fight.Would definitely purchase again and would have no qualms at all over taking this thing on a camping trip with me or engaging in combat with it. I've several Cold Steel Bowies, starting with an original Trailmaster I bought in 1987, and will keep on collecting them as long as Cold Steel keeps making them.

The first example came with a warped blade. Ordered a replacement, the second came with the blade warped slightly less, and also had a misaligned guard. The construction is sturdy, however. Also, youtube destruction tests show that the steel is of very high quality, and/or heat treated well. So, I guess, for the price it deserves the four stars.

I’m impressed at the build quality of this Bowie Knife! I bought it to have protection in my semi since I live in it! This will definitely do the trick! Very well balanced! Amazing blueing in it. Blade is very sharp all the way from the tip to the other end! Worth the $100 I paid for sure!

I wouldn't use this monster as a tool mainly since it's to heavy. it's a fun knife though, it's not a super sharp grind, but it doesn't need it, since it's so dang heavy.It's craftsmanship is very good. the wooden handles are snugly fitted on, with no gap. the ballance is right at the hand gaurd on mine. it's easy to move around at the wrist since it's balance is perfect.unless you are strong, and can use heavy tools this won't be functional for you.I love this knife though. but it's mainly a show piece

This is a great rendition of a WWI era Bowie combat knife. Love the features and the look. Used some WD40 to take off all the preservative grease and to clean the dye off of the handle - works great and there is not any need for acetone and the like. The scabbard/sheath is excellent, built like the old times when people actually had to carry knives everyday. I would buy this knife a thousand times over and at the price of Benjamin it is the lowest I have ever seen it. Buy it if you find it interesting, you won't be disappointed. There are a lot of hand made touches to it, slight blemishes and all, that make it a beautiful piece for display or serious use in combat or the bush.

Overall it's a wonderful,huge and sharp Bowie knife ,the cons ,which I'm not used to from Cold Steel are the following,one edge was sharpened so bad it is almost a recurve,the next issue is a minor crack in the one piece wood grip which will worsen if I keep it and use it ,also it came packed in cosmoline ,a way to keep it from rusting but a big mess to clean off , another issue is that it was shipped in the factory box and not wrapped inside a protective cover and it was sent during a snowstorm and the driver never rang my buzzer so fortunately I was tracking it and got it before it got wet,I didn't know these were made in India,which is fine but this is my second Cold Steel knife from India,the other the Wild West Bowie, and unlike the Taiwan and US and Japanese made Cold Steel knives imo the quality isn't near as good , fortunately I got it on sale for $85 so I'll probably keep it because it's a monster Bowie and being unmarked it looks very authentic,the sheath is beautiful,leather with a steel tip ,this is the first Cold Steel knife I've ever rated at 3 because of the issues mentioned,at $85 it's great but at the normal prices I'd pass ,there are many other choices at $100 or less that are superior to this knife