Anyone really impressed by Cold Steel's DVDs?

T

tnozh

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Hi everybody,

Yesterday, I got Cold Steel's DVD ("More Proof" and "Sword Proof") in my mailbox. I watched them this morning and I have to say that I am utterly unimpressed. Maybe I am mistaken, but it seems to me that seeing some overwieght dudes slashing, hacking or stabbing various objects really says very little about the knives, not only because there is no way of cheking the actual conditions of the tests, but because no similar test are performed on the competition (for example, I would love to see how much weight Benchmade's AXIS lock can can take).

Did I miss something here? Is there anybody out there who was really impressed by these videos? (I suppose there must be, or the would not be making them).

Thanks,

TN
 
This is a tricky one.

I think that if you know what you're looking for in a knife, you don't really bother with the marketing video. You've either handled a particular model, or you know enough about a particular knife's specifications to know it's what you want, regardless of a video, catalog, advertisment, etc. I think you fall into this category.

On the other hand, if you don't know enough to bypass the advertising chain, then a dynamic video is precisely what you want, and you would be impressed by it. I don't think you fall into this category.

A bizarre analogy might be something I spotted on television last night: a large, wood-floor ballroom, throughout which circled a variety of luxury cars in black. Suddenly, this Cadillac comes in, drives circles around the other cars, and then stops so suddenly that a 'labra of candles is snuffed out.

This says absolutely nothing about the car, but it's pure attention-grabbing advertising. And that's what Cold Steel is doing.
 
I found them pretty entertaining, although very repetitive. The sword stuff was way cool. I found myself wanting a spear, until I was like what the H*LL to I want a spear for.

Its a very good point about no comparisons with other knives. And if you don't know anything about steel, the talk about the steel can sound impressive in the abstract.

I felt a little bad about Lynn Thompson. He actually could be my twin brother :( . We have the same general looks and build. :( I have heard he is actually quite a tough SOB, but he didn't appear too impressive on the tapes.
 
I got the DVD's a while back too, and watched them then. I just happen to have the More Proof DVD playing at the moment. I pretty much agree that it is unimpressive at best, and doesn't really prove much at all.

Wow, a knife can cut cardboard or stab cardboard. I knew that before I watched it, but what I would like to know is how sharp the knife is after the test is done. My guess would be that it is dull as can be, and would take a long time to get back to sharp again. So big dill a knife can make a big gash in a hanging roast, any one of my parents dull kitchen knives could have done equally as well. Stabbing through a car hood, sure it shows tip strength, but when would I ever really need to do that?

The thing that impresses me more than the knives themselves is the skill, which since the knives are rather unimpressive isn't saying much at all. Have you ever tried cutting a free hanging roap? I tried, and found that it requires a good deal of skill and technique to accomplish in one cut. I would bet that a skilled rope cutter would be able to do this much betetr with a somewhat dull knife than a novice with a knife that is super sharp.

I guess you just need to take it for what it is, a huger commercial. I think that it would actually say something if other manufacturers knives were used as comparisons. Sure one of there knives can hold x amount of weight without closing. What about a Spyderco? Emerson? Benchmade? or even a custom maker? Everything is relative, and without comparison is meaningless IMHO.

BTW, I have never owned a CS knife in my life.
 
Never have been impressed :barf: Wouldn't consider buying another one, ever. Now if the reason you choose to buy is because of the mall ninja's skill at chopping a hanging rope, after practicing the trick God knows how many hours, I think that suckers for marketing gimicks have some major problems.

I also think the ninja needs to find some worthwhile life's work to take up his obvious overabundance of spare time

Like so many of the marketing tests, there is no real life need for these stunts.


Thomas Zinn
 
Actually, I'm quite impressed with how nicely they shatter when a 210 grain hollow point 41 magnum bullet hits them. :)
 
The lockbacks fold up on the weight test, and they claim that the lock "held" because the knife isn't fully shut. :rolleyes:

The weight is also applied gradually. I weight in at 165 pounds. I'd like to see a test with a 165 pound guy sprinting with an open knife, tripping, and catching himself on his hands. :p

The tests they did didn't look all that hard to me either.
 
Wile I watched the movie, I found myself going "And so what? So can my Benchamde/Spyderco/Camillus." So, no, I wasnt impressed.
 
I started a thread about the More Proof video way back when. I thought they were doing in the video what I couldn't do with my knives. IOW, cutting a free hanging rope with a folder, I was very impressed and was picking out a CS model to buy. Then I tried it myself with the knives I had. Now I actually did cut a free hanging rope with a CUDA Maxx and Dominator, not hundreds of times like in the video, but enough to know it wasn't a fluke. I never did buy a CS folder and I haven't watched the video again.


Here's the old thread.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=306798
 
i'm not at all impressed by the CS Proof videos, but i think they're a lot of fun to watch, mainly since they show off one of my favortie hobbies so well (knives!). i usually pop it in when i'm trying to fall asleep, or just have it running in the background when i'm cleaning the house. i personally think it's fun, and you can't beat the price!

btw, i've owned a couple Cold Steel knives, with a couple more on the way. they don't touch my Benchies or Spydies in terms of quality or build, but the models i own are excellent and every bit as useful as my more expensive blades.

abe
 
Heck, I haven't found a test they do yet that I don't have knives for. Free-hanging rope? I can do an inch with my Dyad, two with my Endura, 1 with my old LB7. Stabbing a knife through a hood? Done it. Opinel #8. Cutting meat? Heck, any knife ever made can do that!
 
the only cold steel products i like happen to be the trail master, the voyager X2, and the ti-lite.
 
ayzianboy said:
the only cold steel products i like happen to be the trail master, the voyager X2, and the ti-lite.
Click to expand...
funny, the X2 and the Ti-lite are the two knives i have coming to me in the mail. i own a XL already; it's great.


abe
 
I was very impressed with Lynn Thompson. I've never seen such a fat man throw folding knives and break them like he did. :D Maybe he should start marketing donuts. He really has the physique for it! :D
 
At least we can tell when he is lieing....his mouth is moving!! We already know he is full of himself. He is perfect!!

All bull aside I have two knives from cold steel. I have the SRK and I think it is well made. The other is the UWK. Another decent blade. I would not however buy another one and all because I watched that movie. It was all just a big marketing tool aimed at retards who don't know any better. I am not a retard. He can keep making knives & movies but I won't buy one. :barf:
 
I've come to realise that overall*, Cold Steel is the fast food chain of the knife industry(looking at Lynn Thompson I think he may just be a heavy consumer of fast food). The biggest demographic in any market is the undiscerning, easily manipulated consumer who will happilly purchase an inferior product based on illusiory benefits.

I'm in business myself and have been confronted regularly with the idea of dumbing down my 'product' to the point where it loses the essence of what it's about but maintains the illusion of quality - and then training monkeys to do it. It's a good way to make money but nothing to be proud of.

Cold Steel will probably continue to sell plenty of knives to that part of the market (until they are de-animated by Dark Ops that is :D ) and good luck to them

*I say 'overall' because they do make the odd good knife - I like my SRK :)
 
I am more impressed with all these reports coming in that their knives are breaking badly.

Impressed in a bad way...
 
Got the vids with a knife I purchased from eKnifeworks. Let's just say they didn't make me want to rush out an order for CS knives. But like allyourblood stated, they do have an entertainment value because of all the "knife action". It would be funny if posters on this fourm that have had bad experiences with CS knives made a video collection of their own showing CS blades snapping in use. :D
 
ErikD said:
I think that it would actually say something if other manufacturers knives were used as comparisons. ..... Everything is relative, and without comparison is meaningless IMHO.
Click to expand...

The knife industry cannot even agree on standard testing. You think ANYONE would agree to a side-by-side torture test for-the-record. I'm sure there are legal reasons you can't use other people's wares in such a manner. As least CS is willing to make a statement.

ErikD said:
BTW, I have never owned a CS knife in my life.
Click to expand...
It shows (but at least you have the guts to admit it!) Seriously, try some of the "stunts" sometime with your knives(be safe of course). ANYONE can say "So what?" But few have any real base for calling people out. Nothing against you personally, but more people need to understand this.

Cold Steel gets a bad rap. Maybe Lynn Thompson goes overboard on what ever knife/topic/idea he is mentioning at the moment. Human nature, everyone does it, even on this forum. Why fault him because he does it better than most. You have a problem with him as a man, fine, but let other at least enjoy their knives.

It's like they say about knife collecting: "Buy the knife; not the story"
 
Hmmm, I better take cover before I say this, but I actually LIKE my Cold Steel knives and I have quite a few. I am a bit disappointed in the fact that 440A, 420 and Carbon V are being used more instead of the AUS-8A which I have grown to like.

On the subject of the DVD, you must admit it does have entertainment value. Some of the material is interesting, just don't believe everything you see. One knife I will go out and buy after having seen this is the XL Voyager based on the rope cutting test..... raise shield, fasten helmet, where are the flames and stones :eek:

What I would really like to see is an "independant" party test different knives against each other, maybe some knife nut or knife mag that people respect, but I guess the issue would always remain could such person remain unbiased. Maybe the knives should be tested by an engineering company with no knife nuts on board. Would be interesting to see how Cold Steel, Spyderco, Kershaw, Gerber, Camillus and Benchmade stand up against each other.
 
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