There are indeed few affordable, large, traditionally-styled combat Bowie knifes out there. Affordable to me, for this type of knife, is around $100. Say what you want about Lynn Thompson and his ways, but his company Cold Steel again has helped solve that problem with the outstanding Laredo bowie knife in SK-5 high carbon steel. This is the much more affordable version of the CS Laredo Bowie knfe in VG-1 San Mai III stainless steel. This Laredo is also an excellent alternative for the absurdly expensive CS Natchez Bowie (still wicked cool though). For around $100 this BIG Bowie inspires confidence with its massive and fast 10.5 inch (26.7cm) blade. Full flat ground with a very deep swedge (unsharpened), this blade should chop exceedingly well both in defensive encounters (heaven forbid) or better yet in the wilderness woodscraft. It inherits all the good qualities of a properly designed Bowie knife. Indeed the SK-5 Nutnfancy says the Laredo would function equally well in either role. More upsides would include the large handle providing adequate real estate for multiple holds, the bright brass-finished cross guard that will prevent forward hand slippage, the realistic wood finish, the 5/16 inch (8mm) thick steel, the strong leather sheath, and a great balance and feel. Downsides would be the propensity for rust on the unfinished SK-5 steel, somewhat sharp edges on the traditionally-styled coffin handle, and most alarming, the sheaths propensity to put scratch marks on the otherwise perfect blade. Cold Steel really needs to investigate the Laredo sheath issue and fix it; having a brand-new blade scratched (not rubbed) by its own leather sheath is infuriating. However, for Nutnfancy at least at this price point , that isnt a deal killer for this high value fighting and survival knife. Thats because at this price point, you will not find a comparable large fighting, traditional Bowie. Also, while I havent hard tested SK-5 steel, I predict it will serve quite adequately for any realistic purpose. The Cold Steel Laredo in SK-5 then provides most of the cutting performance of the larger CS Natchez Bowie or even customs for a fraction of its cost. It excels in Two Kinds of Cool (Nutnfancys term): a very capable and practical cutter/thrust cutter AND an ability giving its owner a distinct pride of ownership and blade enjoyment.
Nutnfancys Likeability Scale: 8 out of 10 (would be a 10 if sheath was squared away)
Tags: bowie knife fighting blade combat natchez bagwell knives trap custom sk-5 steel flat ground faux wood frog old west jim swedge fitzen tank sog seal 2000 kabar ka-bar heavy sp10 sp5 ontario
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