Cold Steel’s 24″ Latin machete is part of their extensive lineup of simple, tough, affordable, machetes. It’s also the longest of their Latin-style machetes, which includes an 18″ and 21″ model.
With a selling price of less than $15 on Amazon, it’s hard to beat this machete on sheer bang for your buck. I am genuinely impressed with what Cold Steel is offering at this price point, and all true machete enthusiast owe it to themselves to check out these products.
You can read my full review for the nitty gritties, but if you’ve got the Cold Steel fever then click here for the cure.
Blade
The 24-inch blade is 1055 carbon steel, which is a great choice for a heavy-use item like this. Here’s a little more information the Cold Steel web page on their various steel types:
The carbon content and lean alloy of this shallow hardening steel make this a very sturdy material that avoids a lot of the brittleness commonly associated with higher carbon materials. Particularly suited to blades that require extreme impact resistance it is often seen in high durability large fixed blades and swords.
Like all of Cold Steel machetes, the 24-inch Latin machete has a black matte finish anti-rust coating. It doesn’t look like a powder coating, so I’m guessing it’s some sort of chemical treatment. The all-black aesthetics make thing this thing looks nasty as heck, and I am personally a big fan of the no-frills appearance.
The grind pretty rough, especially along the belly. It’s a bit irregular and looks like it was largely done by hand. On a more expensive product I might complain about this, but you’ve got to remember this is a $15 machete. It’s not going to be perfect, and for a utilitarian tool that’s OK.
The factory edge is serviceable for chopping, but it’s far from razor sharp. If you intend to use it for vegetation you may want to whip out the ol’ bastard file and spend some time on the edge.
The lack of a shaving-sharp edge is perhaps the most common complaint I encountered when wading through the morass of customer reviews on Amazon. I understand where these folks are coming from, but I’ll say it one more time: this machete costs less than $15. You could spend an extra $20 on a machete with a super sharp factory edge, or you could spend 10 minutes refining the edge on a Cold Steel machete and use that $20 on MORE MACHETES.
At 2mm, this blade is on the thin side. A thinner blade isn’t as well suited to heavy chopping or hacking, but it’s ideal for cutting brush, weeds, and small branches. And thanks to the endlessly entertaining Cold Steel marketing videos, I now know it’s also perfect for for slicing whole chickens, pork carcasses and meat-filled boots:
I purchased the 24″ Cold Steel Latin machete because I already had too many 18″ machetes and wanted to diversify my portfolio. It may not be apparent from the pictures, but a 24-inch machete blade is absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible. Once you hold a machete of such an impressive length you realize it straddles the line between “handy landscaping tool” and “sword.”
As fun as the gigantic 24″ blade may be, it’s a little harder to control than its 18″ counterparts. The extra length moves the balance point further towards the tip, which means it’s good for heavy slashing but not as good for fine movements. Fortunately, the minimal 1.2lb weight means this machete is light enough that it won’t wear you out too quickly.
The blade is stamped “Cold Steel / South Africa” on one side. A few old Amazon reviewers complained about an impossible-to-remove sticker on the blade, but mine didn’t have it.
Handle
The 24″ Cold Steel Latin machete’s handle is a hard black polypropylene plastic molded directly onto the blade, which extends all the way through the handle.
No gaps or play whatsoever. The whole thing just feels solid, and I have no doubt it’ll hold up to a lifetime of use.
It’s slightly thin for my large-ish hands but still feels quite nice. There is a cross-hatch pattern on the sides that really helps with grip. It’s a fairly aggressive texture and feels like it could chew up bare hands after extended use, but if you’re going to be using a machete for hours on end you should probably be wearing gloves.
Given the size and weight of this machete, I highly recommend taking advantage of the lanyard hole. This thing could do some powerful damage if you lost control of it.
There’s not a lot more to say about the handle, and that’s OK. It’s tough, feels good enough, and does its job.
Sheath
The $15 price I’ve been referencing does not include a sheath. Cold Steel makes a canvas machete that you can find online for about $8.
Variations
Cold Steel’s machete selection is both ludicrous and glorious. In addition to an array of Latin-style machetes that would make even the most jaded cartel boss smile, the Cold Steel offers a machete-ized nearly every bladed weapon known to man.
The highlight reel includes a Bowie knife machete, katana machete, two-handed katana machete, Gladiator machete, and a motherjumping CHINESE WAR SWORD MACHETE (for all your pig-halving needs).
Most of the Latin machetes are well under $20, and even the more exotic varieties rarely exceed $35. I’m intrigued by the Plus models with the sawback blade, but I haven’t had a chance to try the saw myself so buy at your own risk.
Overall Impressions
In terms of sheer value, this is simply one of the best machetes on the market. I could have paid twice the $14.21 asking price and still be perfectly satisfied with this machete. I’d even go so far as to say that the low price point might work against this machete because it could give some buyers the impression that it’s less great than it actually is.
It’s certainly not the belle of the machete ball when it comes to looks, but as a real world tool it’s infinitely better than most of the Chinese mall ninja garbage in this price range.
Don’t get me wrong; I love the lickable sexiness that oozes from shiny pieces like Condor’s Eco Survivor. But there’s a lot to be said for an affordable machete that you’re not afraid to beat the jeepers out of.
Cold Steel machetes are made in South Africa, but I wasn’t able to find any information about their production efforts in South Africa. I’m guessing many folks will just be happy to see anything besides “Made in China” stamped on the blade, although others may see it as a “six of one, half dozen of the other” kind of thing.
Whatever your thoughts are on overseas manufacturing, I can say that the are doing something right because this is a very solid machete for the money.
These machetes aren’t perfect, but for less than $15 they’re practically unbeatable when it comes to value. Much like the Ontario 6145, the Cold Steel 24″ machete finds that stabby sweet spot between “so nice I don’t want to use it” and “so crappy I don’t want to use it.” It’s the Goldilocks of machetes.
Any self-respecting machete collector needs one of these in their machete-arium, and for the cost of two McDonald’s combo meals there’s no reason you shouldn’t scoop one up today.
If you’re interested in purchasing this machete, please consider doing so by clicking on this Amazon link. It won’t cost you a penny and it’ll help support me, your friendly neighborhood maniac.
Specs
| Total Length | 29.6" |
| Blade Length | 24" / 61 cm |
| Blade Thickness | .08" (about 5/64") / 2 mm |
| Sheath Included | No |
| Weight | 1.23 lbs / 558 g |
| Weight w/ Sheath | N/A |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
| Country of Origin | South Africa |
| Model Number | 97AM24S |