2020 is coming...

Just put in a preorder on a Ranch Boss 2. Love this style and really happy Cold Steel brought it out with a carbon steel blade. Can't hardly wait to get it!
Bob
 
We will not be doing printed catalogs for 2020, they will all be online through our website. Currently being updated.
 
Wow!! The 4Max is discontinued. Probably the strongest, best made production folder on the market. Shame.

Sometimes, when a product that good is made by a company, it should be considered a loss leader, no matter the production difficulties.
That kind of knife, which rivals and usually exceeds hard use custom folders, is the best example of Cold Steel s product superiority.
 
:eek: If original 4Max is really disco'd , I'm gonna have to try to grab one if I see a good price .
 
Some notable changes in the 2020 catalog.
Page 22 the 12" 3V Magnum Tanto and Tai Pan are now satin finish not DLC. Are they still considered "Nightfall"?
Page 25 no 12" Warcraft Tanto.
Page 26 no 9" San Mai Magnum Tanto.
Pages 28 & 29 no Drop Forged Bowie. I personally felt this was the best knife in the Drop Forged line and was hoping for an even larger version, a 9" blade for example!
 
I noticed the change in the Nightfall Tantos, and thought that was strange as well. The others I didn't really notice since I'm not into those as much, but still, good questions...
 
Man with no name said:
Some notable changes in the 2020 catalog.
Page 22 the 12" 3V Magnum Tanto and Tai Pan are now satin finish not DLC. Are they still considered "Nightfall"?
Page 25 no 12" Warcraft Tanto.
Page 26 no 9" San Mai Magnum Tanto.
Pages 28 & 29 no Drop Forged Bowie. I personally felt this was the best knife in the Drop Forged line and was hoping for an even larger version, a 9" blade for example!
Click to expand...

Great observations. ^ I just notice, because of your insights, that the Medium Warcraft Tanto actually has "MEDIUM" on the blade - I can't think of another Cold Steel knife that has the Size listed on the blade (just remembered, - Mini Tuff Lite. There are a lot of "Mini" Cold Steel knives). So the medium warcarft tanto's name is actually "Medium Warcarft Tanto". Just seems odd to me, as I said, I can't think of another "Medium" Cold Steel knife. Espada, Voyage, Luzon, Rajah - don't list size.
 
Cold Steel Knives said:
We will not be doing printed catalogs for 2020, they will all be online through our website. Currently being updated.
Click to expand...

I can't tell you how disappointed I am to learn this. First you stop putting the "Proof" videos on DVD with Iron Proof (I would have been willing to pay for a DVD copy, by the way). Next, you follow the herd and institute the abysmal anti-free-market practice of MAP. Then you discontinue the unique and interesting Special Projects enterprise. Now, after decades of producing collector-worthy annuals, you eliminate paper catalogs. And this in your fortieth year of business, when you should be celebrating your history, not dismantling it!

I realize that you're busy targeting a new generation of Cold Steel buyers. But, in the process, please don't discount and (further) alienate the longtime fans who helped to put you on the map.


johnnywizzo said:
That's too bad, many of us fans collect them. It's just not the same shopping from a computer screen, most of my CS purchases have come from hours of perusing your catalog. End of an era.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Other than to look up some past detail, I never look at the digital catalogs. Yet I review my paper catalogs cover to cover, including examining items that I wouldn't otherwise consider buying (like swords, as I'm not a sword guy). I've ended up purchasing numerous items because the catalog piqued my interest.

The end of an era, indeed. I wonder what they'll hand out at Blade Show? Lollipops and stupid stickers, like everyone else?

-Steve
 
The Whip said:
I can't tell you how disappointed I am to learn this. First you stop putting the "Proof" videos on DVD with Iron Proof (I would have been willing to pay for a DVD copy, by the way). Next, you follow the herd and institute the abysmal anti-free-market practice of MAP. Then you discontinue the unique and interesting Special Projects enterprise. Now, after decades of producing collector-worthy annuals, you eliminate paper catalogs. And this in your fortieth year of business, when you should be celebrating your history, not dismantling it!

I realize that you're busy targeting a new generation of Cold Steel buyers. But, in the process, please don't discount and (further) alienate the longtime fans who helped to put you on the map.




Exactly. Other than to look up some past detail, I never look at the digital catalogs. Yet I review my paper catalogs cover to cover, including examining items that I wouldn't otherwise consider buying (like swords, as I'm not a sword guy). I've ended up purchasing numerous items because the catalog piqued my interest.

The end of an era, indeed. I wonder what they'll hand out at Blade Show? Lollipops and stupid stickers, like everyone else?

-Steve
Click to expand...

Agree 100%
 
For what it's worth, I'm beginning to lose interest in Cold Steel products, and I have been a loyal customer since the 1980's.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
 
johnnywizzo said:
For what it's worth, I'm beginning to lose interest in Cold Steel products, and I have been a loyal customer since the 1980's.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Click to expand...

I'm not quite to that point yet, primarily because I still find Cold Steel's products far more interesting than those of most other knife companies. But I agree that my enthusiasm definitely is waning.

I realize that it's not easy developing fresh ideas every year and keeping apace with changing market trends. It's a fine line between meeting customer expectations and chasing fads. A good balance of established models and new ideas is healthy, yet hard to maintain.

But I take issue with change for change's sake. For instance, who thought it was a good idea to go from this

IMG-7510.jpg



to this?


IMG-7514.png



Did the replacement of the company's thirty-five-year-old logo generate a lot of new business for Cold Steel? Were there scads of people complaining that they'd buy more Cold Steel knives if it weren't for that scary "World's Strongest, Sharpest Knives" motto?

Likewise, was Cold Steel losing money by producing "Proof" DVDs and paper catalogs? In one of his editorials long ago, Lynn Thompson said that he was redirecting the money Cold Steel previously had spent on advertising in knife magazines that refused to give the company's products any press into the production and distribution of the "Proof" videos. He said that "Proof" DVDs and the catalog would serve to advertise for Cold Steel.

Well, now there are no print ads, "Proof" DVDs, or paper catalogs. The subforum moderator told us that the Special Projects Web site (which also used to be supported by a paper catalog) required "too much maintenance" to keep up. Now there are no Special Projects catalogs or Web site left, either.

Since so many outrageously expensive and burdensome customer niceties have been eliminated to make Cold Steel run much smoother and more efficiently, where exactly are all those advertising dollars going these days? Snappy employee uniforms bearing the new logo? Higher bandwidth for all the new Twitter followers?

See my point, Cold Steel? I'm not here to criticize and tell you how to run your company. I'm just a guy who loves knives, particularly Cold Steel's. But as a lifelong knife aficionado and an admirer of Cold Steel since the beginning, I will tell you this:

Corporate changes that benefit the company but not the loyal buyer will end up hurting the company in the long run.

-Steve
 
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