Cold Steel canes and such anyone?

OrenG said:
Nope, these are the hard plastic ones.

African Walking Stick
csstoreonline_2076_9931167


(Edited)

Walk about stick:

csstoreonline_2076_4042388


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy3SUlQ21rk
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I bought that African stick because I thought it looked cool, the price was low, and the claims of toughness sounded good. In use, I don't like it at all. It's heavy, as Esav pointed out the head is too big to hold (and being round it feels awkward in the hand), and it's rather wobbly. I can lean on it hard and have the stick bow out significantly, which is NOT what I want in a stick I might actually need to use for support some time.

I think that wooden stick would be the way to go. It looks like a good size, should be lighter so it will come up and swing more easily, and as long as it's tough wood, you shouldn't have any problem with bending.

I haven't tried any of the fiberglass models, but they may work ok too. Fiberglass should have much better rigidity than plastic, as well as being lighter. One thing to consider is that fiberglass will bruise from a sharp impact, and you will have a weak point afterwards.

Edited to add: I just tried my African stick again, and at 6'4" it's too short for me to use as a walking stick comfortably. It would probably be tough enough to work pretty well as a club, but it's a little long for that.
 
Wow, all these reviews are driving me nuts since there are so many split opinions about these sticks.

I hope I can find a brick and mortar store that has one so I can try it myself before buying it.

Damn, cold steel doesn't have a dealer locator..Does anyone know of any in southern California? Preferably near the valley?
 
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I want to point out something specific. I have a Cold Steel Walkabout and have never liked it. While I would not want to get hit with one, I also would not like to rely on it as a cane. If you do decide to use it the first thing you need to do is to put a rubber tip over the copper one. But it pales in comparison with a real cane.
 
Mountainman38 said:
I bought that African stick because I thought it looked cool, the price was low, and the claims of toughness sounded good. In use, I don't like it at all. It's heavy, as Esav pointed out the head is too big to hold (and being round it feels awkward in the hand), and it's rather wobbly. I can lean on it hard and have the stick bow out significantly, which is NOT what I want in a stick I might actually need to use for support some time.

I think that wooden stick would be the way to go. It looks like a good size, should be lighter so it will come up and swing more easily, and as long as it's tough wood, you shouldn't have any problem with bending.

I haven't tried any of the fiberglass models, but they may work ok too. Fiberglass should have much better rigidity than plastic, as well as being lighter. One thing to consider is that fiberglass will bruise from a sharp impact, and you will have a weak point afterwards.

Edited to add: I just tried my African stick again, and at 6'4" it's too short for me to use as a walking stick comfortably. It would probably be tough enough to work pretty well as a club, but it's a little long for that.
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i'm surprised ypou African stick is wobbly! mine is quite rigid, with just a hint of flex. its nice for hiking, it absorbs jolts and my hands never get fatigued
 
ednemo said:
I want to point out something specific. I have a Cold Steel Walkabout and have never liked it. While I would not want to get hit with one, I also would not like to rely on it as a cane. If you do decide to use it the first thing you need to do is to put a rubber tip over the copper one. But it pales in comparison with a real cane.
Click to expand...

This even more so troubles me! I really need to find a store that has them out on the showroom floor to try out.
 
best thing you can do with the walkabout is get one of the LARGE stainless steel cane tips from LEE VALLEY and taper the end of the stick (remove the stock ferrule). Then use marine epoxy and put on the stainless steel tip. It adds a lot of class to the stick, and is great for ice walking and defense.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=63218&cat=1,250,43243

use this tenon cutter to taper the end of the cane shaft:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52401&cat=1,180,42288&ap=1
 
Bushman5 said:
i'm surprised ypou African stick is wobbly! mine is quite rigid, with just a hint of flex. its nice for hiking, it absorbs jolts and my hands never get fatigued
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I wonder if I just got a really weak one, or you got a really exceptional one. Even if the stick wasn't wobbly, I wouldn't like the length, and the head is weird to hold onto.

Here's what I'm talking about. I'm pushing pretty hard, but in my opinion I shouldn't be able to do this with any walking stick.
dsc08365z.jpg

URL%5D
 
Mountainman38 said:
In all fairness, I AM super humanly strong.
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looks like you got a factory mistake one, I've only seen that kind of bending when people stand on it, once you do that the cane is permanently bowed although still usable I'd like a perfectly straight cane.
 
OrenG said:
looks like you got a factory mistake one, I've only seen that kind of bending when people stand on it, once you do that the cane is permanently bowed although still usable I'd like a perfectly straight cane.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a quality control issue. The cane was only $25 or so, and I don't like it enough to use it even if it was stiffer. I really prefer wood anyway, both for the feel of it and how it looks.

Here's a cane I carved out of a 6" piece of standing deadwood I found in the forest. I stained it and put a rubber tip on it, and it has been a joy to carry:
dsc08368q.jpg
 
Sweet! I just happen to live close enough to Cold Steel's Headquarters in Ventura, I called them up to ask for dealer locations and they said they didn't have any in my area but they are having a parking lot sale next Saturday from 8 to 5!

http://www.coldsteel.com/sales.html
 
I went ahead and ordered one. I checked out the parking lot sale and saw the line from last year, so that greatly discouraged me, plus the fact that they are selling closeouts and factory seconds, I didn't want to end up like Mountianman38.

Should be shipping next monday or tuesday.
 
Just received confirmation from poorfish outdoors, I can't wait! It's supposed to be here by either Friday or next Wednesday.
 
I just realized I couldn't have picked a worse time to order. Being that UPS takes Thanksgiving and Black Friday off, it will be delivered next Tuesday which I find funny since I could have ordered it two days earlier and might already have it. Go figure...
 
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