Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie: Initial Impressions and Grip Mod
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- I've been checking out large knives for my ongoing cross-cultural martial arts studies, and this one ticks a lot of the boxes for me, but it really only felt right in my hand after I'd done something about that odd squarish grip shape.
Link to the knife at Chicago Knife Works:
www.chicagokni...
... I gotta tell-ya': I really love your reviews. Composed and very articulate. You'd make a great teacher.
Thanks! I do a lot of teaching and public speaking in my actual job, though it is weird to do it on camera instead of live.
@michaelrizzo5523 ... I really enjoy the martial-systems you have studied... and the techniques you employ to expertly showcase these weapons.
I was hoping that you might be able to integrate some of the core-strategies of the original "bowie combat-style" into your system and expand-upon and provide an update on this blade in a new-video.
In-particular: focusing on the deliberate geometry of these blades to function through the "reverse-grip", with the thumb-tip indexing within the "finger-slot" and over the curved "clip/guard" to allow for more of a fast and light fencing-style with that enormous lever-arm. A style in-which the spine would be strongly-purposed towards active and neutral defense... with "flicking and dancing" strikes from the sharpened reverse-edge leading into opportunities with pronounced, sweeping and devastating back-cuts featuring the fore-edge.
Thank-you. Love your videos.
"Beautiful and impressive" work there Mike!!! You just made that knife into a highly functional multi purpose and DEVASTATINGLY DEADLY, Martial Blade!!! VERY impressive...
Thanks! It handles a LOT better than I thought it would once I reshaped the grip, especially compared to how awkward it felt when I first picked it up.
Jorge I'm still in Facebook jail in my primary account but I've been seeing your badass Cold Steels you post!
@@jerrydonquixote5927 Thank you Jerry and I'd help you out with bail if they'd let me lol! Hey man, try to STAY OUT OF TROUBLE when they let you out!!! And thank you "Mike Rizzo" for the use of your channel!!!
@jorgefernandez6407 I have to stop being stubborn about the Nigerian scammers I don't like them lol yeah I will be good Jorge just five days left on Facebook and I can start commenting...😃
Nice job on the handle! I had a big "Wow" moment when I saw it.
Thanks!
Handle looks so much nicer 🔥🔥🔥 serious visual upgrade
Thanks!
I love how the handle came out! It looks SO much better!
7:10 that handle with the contrast of the blade is GORGEOUS.
Thanks!
I really like your handle work, it turned out very nice. Super nice looking knife all around.
Thanks!
Hey man enjoyed hearing your thoughts on this particular blade! I got one couple of years ago and I love the damn thing... Although I have no good particular reason. Keep on rolling brother
Thanks man! Yeah, it's become part of my recent "research" into systems of Western Hemisphere Bowie Knife fighting. Looking into a few more. Recommendations?
@@michaelrizzo5523 Work Tuff Gear actually had some amazing Bowie styles
That's a classic knife right there, but doesn't mean it's the best, but would still own...I like Cold steel...good job Michael
Thanks!
I like this sized knife myself. Very good looking kit.
Luv what you did to the scales ,it even gives the handle a better look and I'm sure feel in hand , I own two of the 1055 older steel version, but I have been wanting to purchase a 1085 steel model after seeing a video some time do so really good demonstration.
Good blade choice and especially with that modification. 📸👍
Thanks!
When Frankie Laine pronounced it “Bow-y knife” in his iconic song of the same name, that settled the matter, mic drop.
This is a SUPERBLY executed video and i thoroughly enjoyed the comparisons to the other big blades. I actually own 2 as part of my exploration synthesizing my Estocada double Bowie method and the Bart jam dao method. Excellent review 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Thank you! This was my introduction to North American Bowie, and while this one felt very much like a Baat Cham Dao, I quickly appreciated the wider variety of grips available without the full D Guard, and what could be done with that back edge/clip point. Needless to say, I was sold on the design and what it could offer. Double Bowie has a lot of possibilities!
@@michaelrizzo5523 yes definitely. Apparently Bowie/arkansas toothpick was the Espada y daga of American frontier, along with the Tomahawk/Bowie. I’m filming my video of the 1917 today and I think it’s a good companion piece to your episode. 🙏🏽
@@RolandoEstocada Thanks! I'd love the opportunity to exchange ideas! I'd recommend taking a look at Argentine Esgrima Criolla: they do a lot of smart knife and poncho, and use an interesting "Facon Grip" which puts the thumb up the side of the blade/guard for more control over those big knives. They also use the flat and the spine.
@@michaelrizzo5523 looking into it!
That weird indentation should have been a Spanish Notch. For some reason Lynn refused to go full Bagwell or Keating on his Bowie designs.
Yeah, it's just "off" design-wise. I have the same thing on my Bear & Son Freedom Fighting Bowie. Could have been done better.
wow u make the bowie look cooler with that woodwork 🤩
I love what you you did with the handle. It looks great!
Thanks! I do enjoy my tinkering, however obsessive. Thankfully I usually don't destroy what I'm working on.
nice review Mike,you always present an interesting perspective.
Thanks!
First things first I had the back edge sharpened on mine.
I wanna have that done to mine. 😃👍🏼
That finger choil is primarily used to aid in grabbing the knife and removing it from being stuck in dense flesh/bone.
I could also see where it might help you catch an incoming weapon a bit.
Good review, like the upgrades, you've earned a subscriber
Thanks!
Many traditional bowies had a “Spanish notch” and I wonder if CS put the choil there as a nod to that blade feature?
Not sure about the design as it's not a copy of anything specific. The choil is a bit unusual but it does work. I have a similar one on my Bear & Son Freedom Fighting Bowie.
Good review, I was on the fence about buying this blade. You just made my decision for me... lol
Looking forward to my new blade.
Thanks! Let me know what you think of yours. I've been using mine as a companion weapon as it pairs well with other blades and tomahawks. More useful than a parrying dagger.
Interestingly, your Spanish bowie bears a striking resemblance to the famous "Edwin Forest" bowie (a breaking knife generally used in butchering large cuts of meat) alledgedly given to the actor Edwin Forest by Jim Bowie, possibly used in the sandbar fight..
Note: An excellent recreation of the Edwin Forest bowie can be obtained via Bark River, of which I aquired one which I love as well.
PS: I love my cold steel 1917 bowie. Haven't altered the grips yet as I have large hands but generally agree with you about the handle, however I did sharpen the swedge as well as the entire knife which acquired a razor edge. Nice knife. 14:28
THE.BOWIE NEVER FAILS !!!
The bowie is legendary and goes back to days full of heros and brave pioneers. Our national pride is on the edge of those weapons now and in our future .
Fits my hand perfectly!
Adquirí este cuchillo Bowei en acero al carbono,es precioso,es muy manejable,es una obra d arte. Gran trabajo Cold Stella.
Such an amazing result....I hope you consider showing the process as to how to complete the mod....it's that good!!! Awesome....
Thanks!
Handle goes gr8 with that blued blade! You didn't do anything to the blade? The finish on the blade has a beautiful sheen and your work on the handle scales really brings it out 👍I've been looking for a "car Bowie" and kind of wanted to avoid over molded handles due to not knowing how well they'd hold up left in a car, when it is 104*F outside, for hours. This beast might be the best solution.
It's Amazing but I like The Svord Von Tempsky.
Darn me!
That is a Beautiful knife❤
I think it is the most visually appealing of the Cold Steel big knives.
IMO they should have gone with the sylized M1909 Argentine artillery machete's grip profile instead of that ugly square-ish slab looking shape . Besides being extremely comfortable It would have been more in line with the general style of blade, guard and scabbard as well as the "1917" designation.
Great knife review. Thanks! Watching from Australia.
Thanks!
Hey rizzzo, what’s the best style of blade for a left handed weapon for a right handed person? I’m thinking the tac tops karambit.
I'm not a personal fan of the Karambit crescent geometry, but I'll be doing a series on the Ka-Bar TDIs, and there are similar designs out there that give you that angled hook-cutting blade but a straighter tip angle for stabbing, like a punch knife but better in my arthritic hands. For me, they work in forward grip better and more naturally than a karambit, but they're good in reverse too. These were apparently designed specifically for off-hand emergency use.
@@michaelrizzo5523
Cool, and thanks! I’ll check it out!
@@llamawizard There are a couple of different sizes, blade profiles and even serration options.
So is it made by Windlass in India then? I recently purchased and received the windlass Battlecry Bowie and it really looks like the cold steel 1917
Very likely. Cold Steel sources their sword-like/historic piece either from Windlass or China, and there's a clear difference. The Windlass pieces are generally beefier with no distal taper to speak of and pronounced secondary edge bevels because they were sharpened later. The Chinese pieces tend to have very keen edges with no secondary grind and more taper.
Thanks for the fast feedback, the only difference I see is the Battlecry is a full width tang, otherwise they seem identical@@michaelrizzo5523
Did you lock tite the screws on the handle?
Interesting video-Thank you 👊🏼
They had a little bit of something on them. Hasn't loosened up so far.
Hello Michael. SUPERBE knife
This is a pretty cool Bowie I looked at it but lately I got the Ontario Knife Company Marine Raider Bowie and that's how I started to review off was explaining it it's a Bowie knife Buuuuwie not David Bowie, so a big thanks to you for helping me get that straight! I can't stand when people call it a David Bowie knife it is a Jim Bowie knife! lol
That's one I need to get. Another Great Frontier Style Bowie. Great Video! :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)
Thanks! I've been putting it to lots of interesting uses in training, now including paired with a tomahawk.
I saw a review on Amazon that showed a picture of this knife snapped off at the hand guard. No damage to the box. Surely this was either a fluke or a lie correct? How much do you think you could beat up that Bowie without catastrophic damage?
Because it doesn't have a true full tang it's not quite as beefy as it could be, and I'm not sure if they left any stress risers when they cut the shoulders of the tang as I can't get the guard off. The welded-on guard concerned me a bit regarding heat, but tangs are usually (supposed to be) softer. I'd have to check and see if anyone else has had breakage problems. Might have gotten a bad one, it happens.
@@michaelrizzo5523 thanks for the reply. I am a returning viewer now 👍
Out of curiosity, do you have any thoughts on the shin gunto reproductions with the one piece copper handles that are most commonly sold through Truekatana?
As far as I can tell, those are the only metal molded handle shin gunto reproductions currently on the market, and I’m not knowledgeable enough to see any obvious problems just from the Amazon/truekatana pages
The only 95 style I see on their website (with the big "98" on the habaki) is a 1095 through-hardened blade with a really odd oversized bohi. I also noticed it's missing its lanyard loop and there's no sign of the screw mekugi that would be holding it together. I really like the T10 Murasame version, but it's still unavailable. I can ask Shewan if there are any more coming in.
Nice mod to the handle.
Are you sure that wasn't some sort of loctite on the grip screws? That's what it looked like to me on video.
Nice presentation im currently waiting on this knife im in the uk and want it for work im an Arborist / Tree surgeon and this knife will do the job i want it to do... its currently out of stock every were so any one who knows werw its in stock please get in touch .. much appreciated guys.. As i said nice job showing off this knife my friend i look forward to seeing more from you. Respect from the UK 🇬🇧
Hey Mike I just got my 1917 bowie but it seems like the sheathe is extremely tight and it's hard to get the blade in. Is there something I can do for that?
It is a bit of a snug sheath. If you have something knife-shaped (I've been using polymer trainers) you can shove in the stretch it out, otherwise it's probably gonna be use and time. Some folks have had luck soaking their leather sheaths in boiled linseed oil--haven't tried that yet.
@@michaelrizzo5523 do not soak your sheath in boiled linseed oil.
Sincerely,
A leathersmith.
@@aaronjames7266 I personally use Aussie Leather Conditioner, but only if I'm dealing with pretty dry leather. Don't want to over-soak it.
@@michaelrizzo5523 yeah that's good. Definitely don't want to oversoak it. Just use a really light coat. I use a coat of mink oil on my leather for finishing for most things.
Great value😊
Make sure you oil and clean that blade after every use.
Cold Steel advertises a blade thickness of 0.25_in, which is 6.35_mm. Did you actually measure the spine and tang thickness? Is CS lying about this dimension? For a lot of people, the thick blade is a big deal when considering purchasing.
With calipers. Rechecked. Spine at the base of the blade on mine is definitely not a quarter inch, closer to 3/16"-5mm, but the tang is almost 1/4", maybe half a mm less (7/32"). Blade may have been thinned out during polishing. It's still pretty beefy at 1lb 8.5oz.
I measured mine. Close to the handle, mine is actually 0.25" thick. Where the spine transitions to the swedge, I measured about 1_mm shy of 0.25" (I didn't use my metric ruler).
Better for CS to make steel guards to turn such blade into Chinese sword. Actually, for Wing Chun Do, it is very important for blade edge to run from D guard all the way to the tip for catching and repelling blade weapon right from the guard.
This would make a very interesting Eight Chop Sword with a D guard and a larger hook.
Super Präsentation 😊schönes Messer.
Vielen Dank fürs zeigen.
Auf deutsch wäre noch besser 👍😀
Gray man related to that movie on netflix?
Competitor. Different concepts, really.
Dues the sheeth secure the knife 🔪?
It's an adjustable pinch fit, but if you turned it upside-down the knife will slide out.
@@michaelrizzo5523 thank for the info
Thats loctite on the screw threads not corrosion!
Doesn't look like Red Loctite. Maybe some epoxy, but there was definitely corrosion when I cleaned the screws.
It's a shame that this knife is made in india instead of AMERICA
*I only buy American/ Texan made knives, there's literally dozens of forgers here in Texas w very fine knives*
Indias only second worse to China but I hear you. I’ve heard these cold steel knives haven’t been heat treated properly recently and any kind of real use will obliterate them.
It’s a pretty wall hanger I guess? I would invest in a schrade or something if I wanted full tang reliability
Decent review tho. You hit most of the important points. It’s a bear fighter knife… nuff
@TejanoDeFuego I'm also Texan, I wouldn't mind looking at what these lone star forgers got for sale I'd you don't mind telling me some names.
$112 on Amazon right now.
Way to heavy for actually combat, cold Steele marauder is better and only 10 ozs
Marauder is a great knife! Review upcoming...
*"American & Dangerous"!!! that's the newest thing that he went for.....!!!! so "BO-wee" is how tf we pronounce it from now on!!!*
one hundred percent boo not bow. good video.
Soon as you said "India" I threw up a bit in my mouth. Didnt know CS went thru india. That means your holding rebar and car bumpers.
Yup, if you're familiar with their swords, they source some of them from India (probably Windlass) and some from China (Longquan or Dalian, I'm not sure), but you can see definite differences in build quality. These "historic" big knives get sourced from the same places as their swords and it shows. The Chinese blades are often finer, cleaner and have no secondary edge bevel (like the katana they make). The India blades are beefier, little to no distal taper, more uneven, and have pretty steep edge bevels. They can take a beating, but are not very refined.
Better to stay home and use a 10mm Glock
More of an H&K guy myself, but I had my eye out for a nice Delta or P220 (the Ruger is pretty nice too) before ammo prices went crazy.
Modern kukri is the best
I do love a good Kukri. Amazing choppers. I've considered getting one with a guard to add hand protection.
Honestly, this knife sucks. The handle scales are wobbly, the screws holding it in are very soft and easy to strip, the blade profile is really bad and the handle scales have this disgusting stain that wears off on your hands. Pros are, sturdy sheath (I won't say good because the leather is garbage), big, pointy, guard is the best part of the knife its very sturdy. I paid the same amount for this as I did my Esee Junglas. I would take my Junglas pretty much every day of the week over this.
I though about the Esee but can't find one for much less that $200. Similar to the BK9?
@michaelrizzo5523 if we go by JoeX's reviews its more durable. All Esee come STOCK with micarta grips and Esee also sells an EXCELLENT kydex sheath for the Junglas. All around better than Becker in my opinion. The RTAK 2 by Ontario is the original version of the Junglas and much CHEAPER.
Wow. From the 50 plus reviews I have seen, yours is the only negative one. I absolutely love mine. Sorry bud. Sounds like you bought a lemon.
@@Aaron-pb5xy I don't think I bought a lemon I think I'm just being more critical