Cold Steel's Amazing Kukri!

On the left is Cold Steel's amazing version of a Gurkha Kukri. What the hell is a Kukri you ask? Well, here's what Wikipedia had to say:

The kukri (Devanāgarī: खुकुरी) (also sometimes spelled khukri or khukuri) is a curved Gurkha knife which can be used as a tool as well as a close combat mêlée weapon. It is curved in shape and is the icon of Nepal. It was and in many cases still is the basic and traditional utility knife of the Nepalese people. Very effective when used as weapon, it is a symbolic weapon for all Gurkha regiments throughout the world and the Nepalese Army signifying the courage and valor of the bearer in the battlefield. read more here...

Well, now we know a little bit about what a Kukri is and it's history, but does the darn thing perform? You bet it does. Check out the video from Cold Steel below, and keep in mind this knife from Cold Steel costs under 20 bucks! This design is just amazing. Expect to hear more about Kukris in the future and remember-if it doesn't survive, you won't.

Estwing Sportsman Hatchet

A throwback to Native America the humble hatchet is considered to be an essential part of gear here at BladeandGear. Why? Simply because there is no other tool that is as versatile, or as fast at processing wood. Whether you need to split a piece of ash into kindling or de-limb a branch for use in shelter the hatchet makes short work of it. Even felling a tree wouldn't be out of the realm of a hatchets capability. Try that with a knife and you'll be using up a ton of precious calories. Just as with any survival product, however, there is a huge difference in quality between hatchet manufacturers. Although we may include some tests later to tell you what hatchets not to buy, we'd like to talk here about the one you should- the Estwing Sportman's Axe. This is absolutely the toughest hatchet we have tested here. It's split literally thousands of pieces of wood and helped us make dozens of shelters. It has never missed a beat. It has held it's edge well and the handle looks as though we just bought it. It also comes with a handy tough leather sheath designed so that you can carry your hatchet on your belt. Truly a great tool. The best part- you can pick one of these bad boys up for under forty dollars right now at your local Home Depot. Don't miss out on this essential piece of gear, and remember if it doesn't survive you won't.