Buying Cold Steel SRK or others from Amazon

L

lifereinspired

Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
6
Hello,

I'm considering purchasing a Cold Steel SRK and like to things from with free shipping, easy exchanges, etc. I have absolutely no knife dealers in my area so looking or buying locally isn't an option. I've heard or two people in forums that Cold Steel is any and all warranty service categorically if a knife is purchased through Amazon (and my understanding was that it didn't matter if it's purchased from them directly or through a third party). I'm wondering if this is true true or a myth or misunderstanding? It doesn't make sense as Amazon is a huge dealer of many items. However, I don't want to end up with an unwarranted knife, though I'm not expecting to , I certainly want that security especially with the new steel. What is known about this and what are your experiences working with Cold Steel on warranty claims?

Thanks so much.
 
It may be that CS doesn't warranty knives sold on Ebay or Amazon bc they are concerned about counterfeit knives or used/abused knives being sold as new. But I would just call CS and ask them if that's true, and if so then in what circumstances will they honor the warranty. Their website says they will repair or replace defective knives purchased from "other sources" than the CS website and doesn't mention any restrictions. https://www.coldsteel.com/Warranty.aspx
 
Buy the knife!! I've never and I mean never had a problem with Amazon taking something back! Warranted against what? If it breaks? You shouldn't have any problems under normal use. If it were to break then that's a cold steel issue. They stand behind their stuff. I'm sure they would replace it. There is nothing that says they won't if it's bought somewhere else pure bullcrap. So buy it and enjoy!
 
I've bought tons of Cold Steel knives from Amazon. Never had any problems with Amazon or Cold Steel
 
How exactly will Cold Steel know that it was purchased from any specific Amazon source?

Knives sold on Amazon are not stamped or engraved "Warning Bought from Amazon."
 
If it is genuine Cold Steel .. no problem. If there is an issue with the knife, they will have you send it to them so they can see what the problem is, and also verify it is genuine.
 
I buy from Amazon because of the easy returns within 30 days when a product is not right, because of the low prices, fast shipping, and good selection. I also have no local options within at least an hour's drive. I am not concerned about long-term warranty issues as much as obvious defects. I don't really expect a knife to develop a problem after a long time unless I cause it. Regardless, as already pointed out, there's no reason to believe it won't be warranted.

What I have noticed is that Amazon's stock may be more likely to contain defects. I've read other people's reviews that suggest that Amazon sells Cold Steel "seconds," and that buying from Cold Steel directly at full retail is the only way to get firsts. I don't believe this. However, there are some Cold Steel products that seem to be more likely to be defective, especially certain categories of product that come from some of their suppliers. I think because Amazon will reship returned items, you are more likely to receive defective items because their inventory can get reduced to defects that they just keep shipping out.

Cold Steel does have "seconds," at least I know they do with their swords. They are permanently marked with a "2" or something. But there are other defects that are sold as firsts and not marked. This is more likely on products that are not as rigorously inspected for quality because they are at the low-end. It seems that buying from Amazon you're more likely to get a defect, especially if it is near the end of the product cycle, like many of the AUS8 knives that are being discontinued. If you receive a good one, then you get a good deal, sometimes a great deal. If you get a defect, you just ship it back. Unfortunately, someone else will probably get the same one later.
 
jeffright said:
I think because Amazon will reship returned items, you are more likely to receive defective items because their inventory can get reduced to defects that they just keep shipping out.
Click to expand...

I don't think this is true. They sell returns as "used" as far as I know.
 
I sent in a titanium Ti-Lite for warranty work this year, Cold Steel fixed the problems no-questions-asked. I didn't have to go digging through paperwork more than a decade old, and everything was handled quickly and easily. I wouldn't worry about Cold Steel honoring a warranty on their knives because they have done fine by me personally so far. The question that might need to get asked, though, is if Amazon was added to the list of dealers/sponsors of bladeforums. I haven't checked in a while, but it doesn't pay to anger the Mod Gods. It also might be a good idea to go over to the Spyderco forum and take a look through the Fakes thread that is stickied at the top. The fakes of some models are good enough to fool the average non-knife person, which wouldn't be a big deal if you buy your gear from a knife site. The scam is that somebody buys a real knife, then returns a fake that looks good enough to pass inspection by the harried clerk at the Returns desk. Is it going to be marked "used" if it is still in the original packaging and ostensibly the same item? Cold Steel will know after inspection if you send it in for warranty work a decade from now, and they don't even have to return it to you, they can destroy it as a fake. Buy your knife from a knife site.
 
jeffright said:
I buy from Amazon because of the easy returns within 30 days when a product is not right, because of the low prices, fast shipping, and good selection. I also have no local options within at least an hour's drive. I am not concerned about long-term warranty issues as much as obvious defects. I don't really expect a knife to develop a problem after a long time unless I cause it. Regardless, as already pointed out, there's no reason to believe it won't be warranted.

What I have noticed is that Amazon's stock may be more likely to contain defects. I've read other people's reviews that suggest that Amazon sells Cold Steel "seconds," and that buying from Cold Steel directly at full retail is the only way to get firsts. I don't believe this. However, there are some Cold Steel products that seem to be more likely to be defective, especially certain categories of product that come from some of their suppliers. I think because Amazon will reship returned items, you are more likely to receive defective items because their inventory can get reduced to defects that they just keep shipping out.

Cold Steel does have "seconds," at least I know they do with their swords. They are permanently marked with a "2" or something. But there are other defects that are sold as firsts and not marked. This is more likely on products that are not as rigorously inspected for quality because they are at the low-end. It seems that buying from Amazon you're more likely to get a defect, especially if it is near the end of the product cycle, like many of the AUS8 knives that are being discontinued. If you receive a good one, then you get a good deal, sometimes a great deal. If you get a defect, you just ship it back. Unfortunately, someone else will probably get the same one later.
Click to expand...

I've bought quite a few Cold Steel knives from amazon and also from ltspecpro, the Cold Steel special projects site. The ltspecpro knives were not of any better quality than the ones from amazon. They were about the same quality, which is anywhere from very good to excellent. If anyone else has purchased from ltspecpro or Cold Steel's direct site, I'm interested in hearing about quality comparisons to amazon purchases.
 
I will reiterate I do not think the quality on Amazon is less than any other source. However, I do believe Amazon will re-ship returns. Although I have not experienced it with a Cold Steel product, I have had Amazon re-ship me items that I returned as defective.

It is normal practice for them to reship items that were not indicated as defective, and I've received many items like clothing in "ready-to-ship" plastic bags that were obviously returns. That is to be expected. We would hope they do not re-ship items customers have returned as defective, but I believe they have their own method to determine the defectiveness of items, because customers are likely to return items claiming a defect so they don't have to pay for the return shipping. I've had them re-ship a defective hat to me that I had returned as defective. I was attempting to get one that was not defective, but received the exact same hat a second time. I believe if the defect wasn't obvious to them, they just put it back in stock. I have no reason to believe they wouldn't do the same with a knife. If it's not obviously broken in half, I wouldn't be surprised if they'll ship it out again. Because of this, I believe their inventory is vulnerable to accumulating defects. I also believe Amazon will drop prices to move defects. I've bought items (not Cold Steel) right after a big price drop, only to receive a defective one. When I returned it, I had to wait three months for more inventory. It looks like they got down to the dregs, dropped the price, and moved the last remnants.

I have not received a defective Cold Steel knife from Amazon, but I have received a Cold Steel Tomahawk that was bad (handle defect). They had dropped the price to $19 and I couldn't pass it up, but I wasn't surprised it was defective. That was an awesome price for a tomahawk, and it could very well have worked out, but for me it didn't. Right now they're moving some of the 2014 folders in AUS8 at half-price. There could be good ones among them, but I'd inspect them carefully.
 
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