4max discontinued?

Yep afraid so, more cost cutting probably.
"The original 4 Max proved to be all that we hoped for. But it was expensive and difficult to manufacture and deliver in a timely manner to meet customer demand. The 4 Max Scout is easier to produce and is a far more affordable alternative. It features an extra wide, drop point blade and stone wash".
 
Zephyr One/Zero said:
The Italian-version is discontinued but is still available. I'm debating whether, or not I should grab an extra one. Still pricey at: $239.98.
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I was thinking the same exact thing - but when they sell out online you know the price will go up, and before you know it, $300 Plus to buy, and be even harder to find !
 
DangerZone98 said:
It’s sad to see the premium version go. For everyday tasks however, the Scout is more than enough. I’ve been liking Aus10a so far.
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Yes, the 4 MAX, was to be Cold Steel's new direction in premium American made knives; this was to be the first of multiple new Custom Classics, if you read the Cold Steel announcements from the time. USA made for only one year. Then Italian made for only 3 years. I think these knives will only go up in value and rarity as time passes.
 
Your Name Goes Here said:
Yes, the 4 MAX, was to be Cold Steel's new direction in premium American made knives; this was to be the first of multiple new Custom Classics, if you read the Cold Steel announcements from the time. USA made for only one year. Then Italian made for only 3 years. I think these knives will only go up in value and rarity as time passes.
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Being a huge proponent of American manufacturing, I asked Lynn Thompson at Blade Show several years ago about further expansion of made-in-the-U.S.A. models to follow up the 4-Max. He told me that he would love to do more American-made knives, but he's been left in the lurch too often by American suppliers, including the manufacturer of the 4-Max, which failed to meet delivery deadlines and also created the problem of the raised lock bars that Cold Steel had to fix (remember that fiasco?).

We commiserated over the fact that such is the case. He said that he revisits the idea whenever he can, but it's proven problematic and economically untenable over the years.

That saddened me to hear.


-Steve
 
The Whip said:
Being a huge proponent of American manufacturing, I asked Lynn Thompson at Blade Show several years ago about further expansion of made-in-the-U.S.A. models to follow up the 4-Max. He told me that he would love to do more American-made knives, but he's been left in the lurch too often by American suppliers, including the manufacturer of the 4-Max, which failed to meet delivery deadlines and also created the problem of the raised lock bars that Cold Steel had to fix (remember that fiasco?).

We commiserated over the fact that such is the case. He said that he revisits the idea whenever he can, but it's proven problematic and economically untenable over the years.

That saddened me to hear.


-Steve
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The only way to make this viable is to be like Spyderco and build their own factory and manufacture their own knives. Subcontracting the jobs to other manufacturing company here is just not gonna be financially feasible without pricing the product out of the market. There's also the matter of protecting the IPs which complicates this further.
But setting up a production facility here is a big investment, which is probably risky move for CS to make. TBH if they can start by focusing on manufacturing the higher end product like ZT does in the US, get the volume going before going down market, it might be a good idea. However, CS isn't doing themselves a favor by not sticking to the proven design and formula that could make this profitable(i.e. Spyderco PM2 or Benchmade Griptilian). The market for XL folders is also much smaller which further limits the viability of producing knives in the US, if Lynn insists on sticking to producing funky designs and XL blades.
 
Josephldoyle said:
'Funky designs and XL blades' are exactly what a lot of Cold Steel fans are after.

There is no one else out there making anything like my polished G 10 Espada.
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No doubt, but you can't have everything.
If you want funky designs and XL blades, which is a niche product from the industry perspective, then it's gonna be produced in foreign country to keep the cost low so that people can continue to afford it.
If you want made in America, you need to make something that appeals to larger part of the market that helps provide return in investment and grow till maybe you have manufacturing capacity to occasionally make XL or funky stuff.

I don't think Spyderco Golden, Colorado factory is going to be successful if it started with making Tatanka or Police models.
 
I agree that Spyderco's model of only having a few domestic knives and the remainder made overseas would be the only possible route for Cold Steel. I think it's too late for Cold Steel to start its own manufacturing facility, though. The company has carved a very strong place for itself as a supplier of excellent value-for-performance products. With the quality that Taiwan is cranking out these days, it wouldn't make much sense to build a new factory here (much as it pains me to admit that).

I also agree that large and unusual knives are what sets Cold Steel apart. And the willingness to experiment with such designs is one of the things that I love about the company. Everyone makes 3.5-inch folders. No one else makes 7.5-inch folders!


-Steve
 
Shame about the 4max. I never bought one. It seemed like the AD10 was a better choice for me. I do not like this move towards downgraded steels and cheaper knives, and believe it will bite Cold Steel in the ass if they keep it. That said, the 4max scout is undoubtedly a fine knife at a reasonable price point.
 
Chris_Texas said:
Shame about the 4max. I never bought one. I do not like this move towards downgraded steels and cheaper knives, and believe it will bite Cold Steel in the ass if they keep it.
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I hope we see a premium USA made knife in the new 2021 Cold Steel lineup. It would be nice if CS could put out one new / different style knife per year (USA made / premium materials). In a limited edition or mass produced - whichever manner makes financial sense to Cold Steel. It seems like every other knife company is able to do this, and they charge the higher price.
 
so italian made one discontinued now....was the Italian one, first or second...cant remember now. one replaced the other. thought Americans was first, italian second? maybe im confusing them though.

I have an Italian one and the newer plastic handle aus10 one. great knives great design. I prefer the Italian one as the pocket clip is a one handed remove and replace. the aus10 one scale texture is rough and clip too tight. haven't modified it yet.
 
k-shi said:
I am just curious about what is behind the new 2021 item number 62RMA??? :)
Some time ago i was able to fetch a dropbox link out of their older website sub-subcategories.

http://web.archive.org/web/20180724004823/http://sales.coldsteel.com/
This is not the exact link, i could not find it in the archive anymore..search yourselves. But so funny how the website looked 20 years ago!
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That is not a 2021 part number, that was an old part number for a proposed OD Green version of the first 4MAX that never happened.
 
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