Anyone here own a cold steel sword and how do they hold up??

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NuclearWinterRat1

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Apr 22, 2005
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238
I was really just looking on youtube to see if there was anyone besides the boys at cold steel reviewing their CS swords.

Thanks guys(and gals)
 
Depends on the sword.

By all accounts their katana are fairly sturdy if a bit over weight and over built. They certainly had problems with some of their other stuff in the past which they may have rectified by now.
 
They are usually tough, esp those oil quenched ones with a spring temper... once in a while you get a lemon but no more than many company. WAY over built in many models and not always historically correct.
 
I was gifted one of their Cutlasses. I've chopped saplings with it up to about 3" thick.

Here is a mini review of what I've found with their 1865 cutlass.

The steel is fine, it holds an edge well and chops well. Typical of the modern reproduction though, this sword has no distal taper and is therefore too blade heavy for use as a combat or self defense tool.

I also found that the guard comes loose with just a little bashing. The problem seems to be the screw which is intended to hold the bottom part of the guard to the "pommel" area of the tang. Making a new cup guard and grinding a slight distal taper are two things I have in the plan phase for this "project" at the moment.

Since this is the only one of their swords that I own I cannot speak to the construction of any others.
 
I have the (now discontinued) 1908 Indian Cavalry Saber and it's a tough piece of work with sturdy fittings and great distal taper. That being said I have no idea why they thought it would be a good idea to "lighten the guard to affect the balance" of the sword at all since it's a thruster ONLY and it's NICE to have more mass in the hilt in that instance. :rolleyes:

Other than that I love it.
 
your not looking for a codsteel katana you will only be displeased. The fit is despicable because the entire handle assembly rattles fresh out if the box. the tip chips or folds if you dont put it in the scabbard just right or if you bump the tip on anything harder than balsa wood. the length of the blade dings chips or curls when it should cut with the greatest of ease that is, if and only if you even recieve a katana from cold steel that is even 1/8 as sharp as their knives claim and the finish is horrible on the warrior series it is sanded to 200 or 400 grit finish so if you did want to simulate live cuts with tatami mats you must get it completely cleaned and recleaned or it will rust through and through because of the finish. your 1000 times better off with Cas Hanwei especially for the price they even properly heat treat the blades and have a real hamon where coldsteel doesnt simulate any sort of heat treat designs on any of their blades.
 
I have the 1796 Light Cavalry saber. It's a bit heavier than originals but it's proven to be very durable.
 
My CS Chisa Katana is very sharp out of the box. The hilt system is solid double pegged. The tempering of the blade seems fine in the cutting department though polishing is lower grit. The lines are crisp and symmetrical though stouter than other blades. The handle wrap is just okay while the saya is fair as for snugness. I'd say weightwise, it kind of a beast but not unbearable.
 
I've had shotty wood in the Tsuka, that shattered, a friends blade, soaked up oil and shattered after about a year, I stick with Chen, I love my Bamboo mat, 'bout the same $ and a cutter..
 
Oh, I was going to get a grosse messer, till I keep hearing about blades breaking at the guard,...
 
I don't know this for a fact, but I think the older stuff by CS was better. I believe they are now just having things made by the lowest bidder in China.

I own a cutass, a viking sword, and english broadsword. I don't cut that much with them, because I have much better tools for it, but I have cut a little with them. Overall, I think they were worth the money, but not more.

As for the Katanas, Jason Knight had one of the warior series, (maybe an older one) and we tested it to destruction. We cut up live trees with it without any trouble at all. As stated above, it did seem a little heavy, but that is perhaps why it actually held up to the abuse we gave it. We eventually completely destroyed it by chopping up a steel wood stove. The handle shattered, and eventually came completely off. the blade edge was badly dented up, but it never broke, and it never bent. In truth, I was impressed with it's toughness. I may invoke the wrath of the gods for this, but in my opinion Katanas are just not meant for serious chopping. They are designed and built for brief combat against unarmored flesh, and for that purpose they are excellent.

That said, I think I would agree with the above posters, and go with the Chen. More for the money.

Adam-
 
Cold steel swords are pretty good but from everything i read its just not worth it $800 for a poorly balanced beater doesn't appeal to me. I bought a $92 dollar 9260 spring steel katana off of ebay and I would much rather buy 8 of those then one cold steel.
 
In general I'd say that their Japanese-styled pieces are overpriced, heavy, and have a lot of issues. Hanwei is the way to go for sure. For a saber, however, they're the best choice out there right now. IIRC their Eastern-styled pieces are made in China (formerly by Hanuo Forge) and their Western pieces are made in India (rumored heavily to be by Windlass Steelcrafts)
 
I think their Japanese swords overpriced you can get better stuff for the money . they do hold up well but fit and finish could be better for the price .

here few pics of Cas Hanwei next to CS.
532371448_qWUUL-XL.jpg

blade finish looks like 120 grit .
532370377_sseAQ-XL.jpg

.
532366646_UsRZ9-XL.jpg

CS handle has soft spots .
 
I would check out the Hanwei Raptor series of blades over the Cold Steel. There have been some reports of the tsuka not holding up well in the Cold Steel variants and I'm not sure if this issue has been corrected.
 
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