Carbon V Trail Master with Bead Blast Finish

longbeachguy

longbeachguy

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Oct 11, 2005
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Note to Mods: I posted a similar thread quite a while ago regarding an older Trail Master in the Bernard Levine knife identification forum and didn't get much in the way of responses. That's why I'm posting this here, in General.

I've tried to get my questions answered by Cold Steel directly with no luck, so I'm hoping someone here knows.

I recently purchased a Carbon V Trail Master model 16cb on that auction site. I was expecting the black bladed version, but when it came the blade and guard had a bead blast finish. I was unaware of any Trail Masters that had a bead blast finish, and I'm hoping it's not a forgery. It came in a legit Cold Steel one piece box, and the sheath is not leather or cordura. It's a cheap, very flimsy fake leather sheath.

I was under the impression that the Carbon V Trail Masters started out with satin finish blades with brass guards, then went to the black coated ones. However, in doing an internet search I did find one defunct page that had a Trail Master 16cb with bead blast finish listed. No photos though.

I'll post some pics on Wednesday. In the meantime does anyone know any more about this version of the Trail Master, and can confirm whether it's probably legit or not?

Thanks so much.
 
Hey there lbg,

Sorry no one has been able to answer your question as of yet..

I know just enough about Cold Steel to be dangerous, but I thought I would at least bump your thread to the top in the hopes that a warm body with some CS knowledge will be able to assist you soon!.

Good Luck in any event..

Anthony
 
It's not really old enough for the identification & collecting forum -- you have a better chance of finding someone who knows the answer here. Needs another bump though. :)
 
To my knowledge (and I am often referred to as the CS "Shill" here), there was no bead blast version of this knife.
 
Yeah I'm starting to think this one's a forgery. If they had only put a satin finish on it I probably would never have suspected anything. The grinds and handle are right on. Although the cheap sheath is a huge red flag as well. I'll have pics up later. The box it came in indicates it's model #16cb, which I believe only denotes the black coated version. Plus the picture in the auction was of the black coated version.

I guess I'm going to try to get my money back from a possibly unscrupulous ebay seller. Wish me luck.
 
I've never seen a bead blasted version of the Trail Master either, but that doesn't mean they haven't made any. And a junky sheath isn't really a dead giveaway either, as Cold Steel isn't exactly known for their stellar sheaths. There are Trail Masters with satin finished blades, but they are the San Mai versions and I think they all have brass guards. Pics would be helpful. I hope you find the right answer!
 
longbeachguy said:
Yeah I'm starting to think this one's a forgery. If they had only put a satin finish on it I probably would never have suspected anything. The grinds and handle are right on. Although the cheap sheath is a huge red flag as well. I'll have pics up later. The box it came in indicates it's model #16cb, which I believe only denotes the black coated version. Plus the picture in the auction was of the black coated version.

I guess I'm going to try to get my money back from a possibly unscrupulous ebay seller. Wish me luck.
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Is it possible the original finish was stripped off and blade bead blasted? I've done that myself to several knives.
 
morrowj_98 said:
Is it possible the original finish was stripped off and blade bead blasted? I've done that myself to several knives.
Click to expand...

I don't think so because the printed Cold Steel logo etc. is on top of the bead blast.

I went back and took a closer look at the auction, and I'm now 99 - 100% sure it's a forgery. I took a look at some of his other knife offerings and they have the look of Pakistan stuff. But the real kicker was this: I noticed the e-mail address of the seller was a guy who sold me a Pakistan forgery Laguiole about two years ago. Only he's evidently set up a new ebay account, which is why I didn't recognize him right off by his ebay user name.

I've already e-mailed him and asked for a return and refund. Once this has progressed further I'll post the details such as the ebay seller name etc. I'll also write it up in GB&U.

Thanks everyone. You really helped me smell a rat on this one.
 
Ouch. Sorry to hear that.

Bead blasting isn't normally done on non-stainless blades as the treatment results in micropores on the surface of the steel. This increases its ability to hold moisture, which in turn leads to rust.
 
m_calingo said:
Ouch. Sorry to hear that.

Bead blasting isn't normally done on non-stainless blades as the treatment results in micropores on the surface of the steel. This increases its ability to hold moisture, which in turn leads to rust.
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Very good point. I didn't know that but it's true you don't seen bead blasting done on carbon blades very often if at all. Thanks.
 
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