Cold Steel CS-97TKMS: Tactical Katana Machete / 36.25" Overall / 24" Blade / 2.8Mm Thick

Martial artist and landscaper here, familiar with swords, tools, machetes, axes, etc. I also have an older, straight-bladed TKM model from Cold Steel, with which I have cut 2” green bamboo and 1.5” mulberry and black locust. The curved blade of this model is superior, though further testing will be done at which time this review will be updated. (Update: After several more tests it’s clear this model is superior to the straight-blade. Looking forward to putting it to heavier testing and reporting here.) Multiple reviews mention the bad handle design. This is only a problem if your hands are more used to keyboards and tissue paper than tools and handles. The handle by itself is fine from a practical standpoint: it’s very anti-slip and has no sharp corners. Wrap it with some sports wrap or wear gloves when using it if it hurts your hands. When I’m actually using a machete to clear land or blaze a trail I would typically be wearing gloves anyway to protect from briars and poison ivy. Several other reviews mentioned a dull blade and crappy sheath. This one came perfectly sharp for its intended use and the sheath appears to be high quality and protects things around the machete from getting damaged. This isn’t intended for iaijutsu practice after all. Draw it, drop the sheath and go to work. Now for the elephant in the room: the price. This isn’t a beautifully made heirloom, but it is one heck of a deal for under $100. It’s well-made using quality materials by a company that knows what they’re doing. And it’s badass. Great balance and weight for powering through heavy growth combined with a generous handle length for maximum leverage will make you question ever using a 1-handed machete again.

comes very sharp out of the box, looks awesome, good value and seems sturdy. however the grip is not very good as it can be quite uncomfortable while swinging

In some reviews I read about this machete the handle was a problem, it's not a problem it's just plain nasty. The handle is molded plastic and configured to imitate traditional Japanese wrap. The problem is that the area that is supposed to look like the top layer of the wrap is at least a quarter of an inch higher than the rest of the handle with square edges. After some thought I corrected the problem by using a craft saw to remove the excess material then smoothing the handle with a rasp and sand paper. The modification turned this into a very useful tool. It is NOT a sword it is a machete. It resembles the shape of a katana shape, but if you want a katana, this is not your best choice, if you need a machete then this is a good choice.

Awesome! Arrived very sharp!

It's really cool. It's more than I expected. Definitely the weight. And the sharpness. It's plenty of sharp for out of the box

Quality is poor, stamped, marred finish, shoddy steel, definitely a cheap machete, calling it a katana is absurd. The handle is plastic, making it a hazard with wet or sweaty hands, the faux braid wrap, will blister hands very quickly.. the scabbard is laughable..3 times the blade width of a katana, this steel will not hold up to a day of work.. and the blade guard is ridiculous on a machete.. Can not recommend.. for any reason

Blade is flimsy and handles extremely uncomfortable. Would be better if sheath was Molle compatable.

Great product. Machete was in the factory packaging and extremely sharp. Shipping was very slow, slower in fact than any product I have ever gotten. I almost canceled the sale and bought from the manufacturer Cold Steel. Don't blame that on Cold Steel but the insane shipping system. Cold Steel products are some of the most dependable, sharpest, most proven overall on the market!

What this is not: -an accurate model of a wakizashi-style sword. What this is: -a cost effective machete with a 3' reach (and neat styling). Worked great for clearing cow parsnip and let me stay far enough away that I didn't have to touch it, can chop close to the ground without bending over, solid enough to get through new growths of poplar about 3/4" thick with a single good swing. Rust spots appeared after a week but only surface rust and because I put it away dirty.

très bonne qualité, l'acier de la lame est trempé pour vrai, ce n'est pas de l'acier mou, c'est la 3eme que j'achète, dépêchez vous d'en acheter avant qu'ils arrêtent d'en produire!

Awesome blade for the price....exactly as described, i bit thinner then i expected but best bang for your buck if you want to actually use it,this is not a display piece, its a tool designed to be used. Cold steel never dissapoints.....

It's a good sword for cutting and chopping with but you might cut your arm off practicing thrusts on armour. I've never been more afraid than when I trusted at my armor for practice and it folded at 90 degrees and almost cut my arm off. All i can say good for it is it bent back right away and cuts amazingly.