Cold Steel All Purpose Tactical Machete with Sheath, Great for Clearing Brush, Survival, Camping and Outdoor Activities, Gladius Machete, One Size,Black

So right off the bat, if you are looking for a really good machete, don't buy this.....ANY other machete would probably perform better at this role. Certainly if you keep it sharp and swing it at brush and vines it will most likely cut right through them......but is this really the best designed tool for this task???? So now what on earth do we do with this thing???? I don't know how to answer that... I bought it because my son and I enjoy collecting knives of all sorts, and he also happens to be one of the worlds greatest walking dead fans. I bring home tons of cardboard boxes from work and he has hours of fun going at them with his knives, throwing stars, tomahawks, etc..etc.. Hey, way better than sitting inside playing video games all day..right?????So back to the "sword". In my opinion, the best use for this sword is the one you will never use it for...combat. A machete is much better suited to fill the machete role than this thing. If you want to use it for trail clearing, I'm sure it would work, but you may want to also imagine you are fighting your way through herds of man eating lions at the roman coliseums during the process. That and fighting early A.D. wars alongside the Romans is by far the best use for this well thought out tool.Again, specs can be found on line so I wont go into great detail. 1055 steel so easy to sharpen and cold steel's usual black backed on anti rust finish which wears very well and with a bit of care for the steel is outstanding. sharpens easy and gets sharp like all the cold steel products I have reviewed in this category. ****One very important note about the price***** I purchased this 9/24/2014 and paid 20 bucks with free shipping by combining it with the cold steel bowie machete for free shipping. I see now it is in the mid 30 dollar range. Personally I would not buy this in that price range. The 20 dollar price was the reason I jumped on it so quickly. You however may feel different.Mine came very sharp. So much so, that we heeded the warning label attached to the handle so that we were careful with this double edged sword. Grinds were good and even on mine unlike some that other reviewers have come across. Blade was fairly symmetrical out to the point so that it retained it's true intended shape. Looks just like a roman sword!!! So cool!!! As I stated earlier, very sharp and finished black. The sticker on the blade is hideous, but wd-40 and a little plastic scraper should take care of that with no issues as it did on my all terrain chopper. This is not a decorative quality sword by any means. This thing was made to use and abuse and scratch it up on things that you will never have the opportunity to test it against. (unless there is a purge or zombie apocalypse).The handle...very heavy black polypropylene that is functional, has three gripping rings around the handle, and a very slight textured feel to it. Not nearly as grippy as the other cold steel machete's I've reviewed, but the massive round pommel should ad a bit of security so that it doesn't fly out of your hands when defending the empire. Feel free to add a lanyard if needed as the pommel contains a lanyard whole that would fit up to paracord sized lashing. From what I can see with flashlight inspection, the steel seems to extend all the way through the handle as the steel appears to be drilled through when I peak through the pommel lanyard hole. Cold steel's website should be able to confirm or deny this as I hardly put that much thought into it. Some reviewers have complained about a bit of plastic flashing on the front edge of the handle where the blade exits the handle.......Really????? Do you own a razor knife????? Mine had it as well. I trimmed it off in 2 seconds and slept well that same night. But then again, I only paid 20 bucks for mine. If forced to make a complaint, I would say the handle is way more slippery than I prefer, but I doubt I will be finding myself fighting any gladiator style battles in the near future. Even then, it's not as bad as my Becker BK-7 on the slippery handle scale (no pun intended). As far as blade uses are concerned, this is a thruster through and through. This blade was made for serious piercing of flesh and bone and some slashing as well. But when in the hell you ever gonna do that????? just know that when killing cardboard boxes is in play, this weapon shines!Sheath is typical cold steel machete sheath style. Heavy black cordura nylon with reinforcing rivets around the perimeter with the extra heavy plastic blade guards on the outside front and back to prevent poke through. Secure one button strap around the handle to keep it in place and the usual massive belt loop for anything much larger than you would ever wear in real life. But isn't it nice to know you could wear a 31/2" wide belt if you wanted too??? Overall length is 25 7/8 on mine and not 1" longer as stated in the amazon ad. And yes, I really measured mine. It is perfectly sized for the combat role that I will never use it in. This is one bad a$$ battle sword (machete), but like I said, when will we ever be able to prove that?Overall impressions???? Really cool though maybe impractical. Great for collectors of all this other useless edged crap we love to buy that makes our wives role their eyes and mumble, "what on earth are you going to do with that"? I would gladly buy again as the wow factor when my son unwrapped it was priceless...well at least priceless as far as 20 bucks is concerned. While I love him dearly...maybe not dearly enough to pay the current mid 30 dollar price range. I'm not a big sword collector, so past 25 bucks and I'm out...but you may feel differently depending on what your interests are. Keep in mind this is still a thick machete blade...not a true sword blade. But it is bad a$$ and really fun to play around with. I just would not spend the current amount to get one. Nor would I purchase if I was looking for a true sword of this style. Other than that, lot's of fun here.

I have been collecting swords and large daggers for at least 30 years. I have collected all over the states as well as numerous assignments overseas and in unfriendly places. I have many 'shiny' weapons as well as a number of 'real combat' blades. I admit in advance that I have been a fan of Cold Steel ever since I saw them in the San Diego Gun Show in the 1980s and drove by their store going up to play against Temecula for Football games for about 10 years running, but I have had very few products of theirs. Once I saw this new machete series they put out, I could not resist any longer. I bought a number of different kinds, but I digress...The Cold Steel Gladius just looks beautiful. A period piece with a modern use. The length overall length of the Kopis and the Gladius are almost the same by the way. There is a reason the Romans, the Celts, and the Greeks (among many others) used blades just like this/similar to this for thousands of years. It is not too short, not too long, incredibly thick to prevent sheering/breaking during actual battle and the 1055 steel is about as strong and useful as it gets (minus the rusting issues, which they compensate for by putting this awesome black, anti-corrosive finish on them). A fantastic handle--admittedly, I own some good blades that have crappy handles--these seem to be actually 'dip-molded' onto the blade with this hard plastic material that can take a serious beating. I really like the handle, because whether swinging a sword or a machete, with or without gloves, my hand will eventually slip (even when I am not sweating... and I sweat like it rains). When I combine this handle with a simple rope loop through the provided hole in the handle, I know that I basically cannot let go of this blade at the wrong time. It is not as good as the 'u-turn' handle on the Kopis and the full handle on the cutlass, but the Gladius has that 'big old flat ball' pommel that gives me trust in swinging hard. I used mine to chop the heck out of a tree that had so many branches that a chain saw was too heavy and ridiculous. Admittedly, I had two Kopis machete's from Cold Steel that I used more... but that is also because I loved my single Gladius so much I did not want to I have it scuffed from actual use so that I could use it for Ren-Fairs and Costumes. Had I had another Gladius, I would have no issues banging it up for actual practical use just like I did with the Kopis. I have used it twice and was amazed at the chopping/cutting power of this blade. I can chop through all the branches, even those just over 2 inches thick... in winter(it wasn't freezing, but was nearing 50F in the day and 20F at night). I wrapped the handles in some cloth tape (think hockey sticks) and it worked even better. When I was done with my yard work, I took a common, finger-held sharpener and touched up the edges. The handle is just a bit thick for me and is just too wide for me to really feel like I can grip the living daylight out of it for those 'monster swings'. I really wish they could narrow it down a bit while leaving the pommel the same size. I am about 5'10' and an athletic 175lbs.I really like the sheath, but it is utilitarian, and only partially combat useful. The blade comes with a warning that if you 'fast draw' the blade from the sheath that you can cut through it and hurt yourself. I am very thankful for the warning, because I fast draw with most of my blades and would have undoubtedly cut through the sheath and sliced my leg. I am also very careful not to ram the blade home into the sheath for the same reason. Cold Steel did well by adding extra plastic plating on the tip of the sheathe to assist in the blade not cutting the bottom, because the point is truly wicked.This blade is a truly beautiful weapon and useful tool. The price is phenomenal and if you are parent looking to get a kid a sword (no judging here) I would never buy a stainless steel blade bigger than around 12 inches... just google that on youtube and you can see videos of stainless steel swords breaking even with very light use(it has to do with the alignment properties of the steel when they make it stainless steel--more or less--stainless is just not good for combat blades and if used, should be kept for short blades and daggers where it does fine most of the time. These are fully functional, lifetime pieces, that look and feel awesome... for about $30. Yes, they are more expensive than a cruddy machete from Harbor Freight... but do you really want to have a 'bug out blade' or a functional defense weapon that cannot be relied upon to do even the lightest of chores? Bottom line: You cannot go wrong with this blade and I cannot stress enough how much I love this product. Furthermore, this blade makes my soul 'sing' when I have it in my hand (so does the Kopis, but just not as much as the Gladius).Also, no problems with the stickers on this blade... my Kukri's were a pain to get off, but the Kopis and the Gladius had no issues. I loved them all so much I am going to get the cutlass next!