24in Latin Machete by Cold Steel

by Matt
(Buffalo, NY)

I recently picked up a Cold Steel machete, the 24in Latin machete from eBay for 10.95 and 7.00 for shipping for a total of 17.95 The shipping was phenomenal. Two days from L.A.!!! OK,I know the picture has a Ontario Knife Company 22in D-handle machete in it. But since there is no Ontario category I figured I would compare them to one another. (And these are the only companies I would buy a machete from any way)
First off, I've only owned the Cold Steel about a week, while I've owned the Ontario a year and a half. But I can already form my opinions on the Cold Steel. I've put this Cold Steel thru the flames this week to see how it would do. Because when compered the the Ontario, It had VERY BIG shoes to fill.
The good. The Cold Steel came with a fairly good factory edge and the handle had a good ergonomic feel to it. The steel was evenly tempered and was easy to sharpen. Binging that it is 24 inches long it also can deliver some strong cuts. And it has that classic machete look to it. The Ontario has the finest steel I've ever seen on a machete and is expertly tempered. It has a 1095 blade that will take and most importantly hold a extremely sharp edge and is stiff and thick, yet still flexible. The D-handle also helps to save your hands from injury and is also quite comfortable in the hand. The last 4 inches of the blade near the handle are unsharpend so you can even use it two handed. And with that D-handle it really has that pirate cutlass look to it.
The bad. The Cold Steel's blade is VERY thin and is extremely whippy. It bends just holding it strait on it's side. Being that its only 1055 steel it will take a good edge but it will not hold it for long. And while the handle was ergonomic, It is textured with diamond plate on the sides and lines on the top and bottom. And all this really does is dig into your hand, causing blisters.The Ontario came VERY dull. And because it's 1095 steel it was VERY VERY hard to sharpen it to it's full potential. It is also a bit heavy so using it for extended time periods can wear you out, but the Cold Steel is not much lighter so the same applies to it as well. And both being machetes they handle like...well... machetes. But because the whippyness of the Cold Steel I feel much more comfortable using the Ontario.
Cutting and durability. Well there about even till now, but this is the tie breaker. The Cold Steel cuts very well. Weather it is 2 liter bottles to 1 in maple branches(green) it cuts cleanly and consistency. But because it's so thin, on harder targets like seasoned maple or other wood it wants to bend more than cut. And naturally, as I mentioned before the edge go's fairly quickly. The Ontario on the other hand is on a whole other level. While it was an absolute bear to sharpen It was worth every hour of it.(about 6 hours if you added it all up) It will cut thru 2 litters like they weren't there, sever 1 in grape vines and 2 in beech saplings in one swipe. But where it excels is the really heavy stuff. Like chopping down 8in maples, 6in ironwoods and splitting logs with less effort than with an axe and maul. And even after all that you could still shave with it. And I not joking, I've dun it.

Here's some stats on them

Cold Steel Ontario Knife Company

Steel... 1055 1095
Blade Length... 24in 22 1/4in
Blade Thickness... 2 mm .125in
Blade at it's widest... 2 3/8in 2 1/4in
Handle Length... 5in 5in
Overall Length... 29 1/2in 28in
Country of Origin... South Africa United States

My final thoughts on these two machete's are this. The Cold Steel Latin is a great machete that was ready to go with just a little work to the edge. And performs well on most targets. And for 10 bucks I doubt you will find a better one at this price. But it is very whippy and loses it's edge quickly. And there are better machetes that are offered by Cold Steel for just a little more. The Ontario D-handle is clearly a better machete and is an absolute steal at 21 dollars. I'm convinced nothing in the industry matches it in durability and edge retention. It has a hand guard and can even be used two handed. And has better overall quality. But it is an absolute pain in the ass to sharpen.
In the end, I strongly recamend both. And for about $30 why not get both. These two company's are some of the best manufacturers of machetes out there so no matter which model you pick you should be satisfied.