Cold Steel Barong Machete Review

Some tools earn your respect over time. The Cold Steel Barong Machete didn’t impress me right out of the box, and honestly, I almost forgot I owned it. I bought it on a whim — something I do more often than I should — mostly because I like to keep an eye on what’s out there in the budget machete market. When it showed up, I opened the box, held it for a minute, and thought: too heavy, weird handle, feels like a miss. I tossed it under the workbench and figured it’d live there until I needed a beater blade for something dumb.

Five months later, I was clearing out thick wax myrtle and underbrush around our pond with my kids. The usual folding saws and light machetes weren’t getting it done. I needed more weight and reach. I dug under the bench and pulled the Barong back out — and I’m glad I did.

Once I started swinging, it changed everything. This blade is a beast in action. The weight that seemed like a flaw now worked like a built-in power boost. The funky handle angle? It turns out, it naturally aligns your wrist for maximum chopping efficiency. It took me about five minutes of real use to realize I’d completely misjudged it.

The Barong’s blade is 18 inches of 1055 carbon steel with a deep belly and a subtle curve. The design draws from the traditional Filipino barong — a wide leaf-shaped blade known for power and cutting performance.

Cold Steel didn’t try to reinvent anything here. They leaned into a proven profile and built it out of workhorse materials. The blade is coated in a matte black baked-on anti-rust finish, which I’ve had zero problems with so far. It’s held up to wet grass, muddy brush, and the occasional swipe through dirt and hasn’t shown any signs of corrosion.

Out of the box, the blade came surprisingly sharp — not razor-sharp, but definitely ready to work. After a full day of chopping through branches, woody shrubs, and some unexpected rocky soil, it dulled up a bit. No chips or edge deformation, though — just honest wear.

I gave it a few minutes on a sharpening puck and it came right back to life. That’s one of the things I appreciate about 1055 steel — it’s tough, holds an edge decently, and sharpens quickly without fuss. I don’t need super steel in a machete; I need something I can beat on, fix up, and keep moving.

The weight, around 24 ounces, is one of the key features here. You’re not going to slice light vines all day with this and feel nimble. This is a chopper. The weight-forward design, combined with the blade’s width, gives it serious momentum. It’s like swinging a compact axe — overkill for delicate work but exactly what you want when you’re up against thick brush, saplings, or stubborn green branches that don’t want to give. It won’t win a finesse contest, but in terms of raw clearing power, it hits above its price point.

Let’s talk about that handle — the part I originally hated. It’s Cold Steel’s usual polypropylene, and yeah, it’s not pretty. But when you’re actually working, it makes sense. The downturned angle locks the grip into your palm, giving you more control during powerful swings.

The shape almost acts like a built-in hook that keeps the machete from flying out of your hand when you’re tired or sweaty. Even after hours of use, it didn’t create any major hot spots, and my hands weren’t torn up afterward. It’s not premium, but it works. For a tool like this, that’s all I care about.

As for the sheath — it’s the usual Cold Steel Cor-Ex nylon, nothing special. It’s floppy, doesn’t offer much structure, but it’s functional. The machete slides in easily, and the snap holds it well enough for basic carry.

This isn’t the kind of blade you wear on your hip all day anyway. It’s more of a camp, truck, or backyard blade — the kind of tool you stash until it’s time to clear trail or make a fire pit. If you’re looking for a machete with a great sheath setup, you’ll need to upgrade or make your own.

One of the things I always ask myself when I review a machete is: would I grab this again without thinking twice? And the answer here is yes. I’ve taken it car camping, used it for pond maintenance, and let my older kids swing it without worrying. It’s held up to hard use and earned its keep.

This isn’t some wall-hanger or cool-looking Instagram blade — it’s a tool. And if you give it the chance, it’ll prove that over and over again.

Cold Steel has a reputation for being hit-or-miss. Sometimes they nail it, sometimes it feels like they phoned it in. In this case, they nailed it. The Barong Machete is a rugged, hard-hitting, practical blade that can handle serious clearing tasks without breaking your budget. It’s not fancy, but it works — and that’s what matters most.

If you’re looking for a no-frills brush machete that swings with authority and shrugs off abuse, the Cold Steel Barong belongs in your lineup. Just don’t make the same mistake I did and leave it under the workbench for six months. This blade wants to work.