Cold Steel Confessions

PhilL

PhilL

Joined
Oct 1, 1999
Messages
6,490
I’ve actually got a couple of confessions:
#1- I’m addicted to the Cold Steel “More Proof” video
#2- I don’t think any of my folders can do what they do in the CS video.
#3- I’d like a folder that can cut though free hanging mainila rope, several hundred times.
#4- I’m probably going to buy a Cold Steel folder because of the video.

Now I know Cold Steel is famous for their hype factor, but I have to ask;
Can their knives perform out of the box like they do in the video.
Has anyone else cut the free hanging rope with a Cold Steel folder?
Has anyone cut free hanging rope with any other folder?
 
Sword and Shield said:
It's not that hard, given the right geometry and technique.
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OKay, what is the right geometry and technique?
Was this done with the knife out of the box or after it was re-profiled?
 
I have cut free hanging rope with my NIB Opinel #12.


I feel your pain, though....Phil.....by the end of watching the DVD, I was ready to buy...! Took a few minutes to wear off...thankfully I waited. :D
 
All of the cuts I mentioned were OTOB. Nice thin grinds, often as not hollow, work best. When cutting, try to maintain a 45ish degree angle to the ground- that allows the cut portion to drop straight.
 
What struck me while watching the More Proof and Sword Proof DVDs was that Lynn Thompson would be really entertaining and come in handy at any barbecue or picnic. He'd be great for cutting up meat, slicing melons and opening large containers of soft drinks. In fact, you could probably make a pretty decent kabob just by throwing the various ingredients at him while he held a sword. :)
 
thombrogan said:
I believe the knives in the DVD are all fresh out of the box.
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As much as we are turned off by the marketing claims that bash other knives, they are pretty good knives and perform as described.
 
Moondrop said:
In fact, you could probably make a pretty decent kabob just by throwing the various ingredients at him while he held a sword. :)
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What a great idea for their next video folks throwing food a LT. :D
Bwahahahahaha

thombrogan said:
I believe the knives in the DVD are all fresh out of the box.
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Thombrogan, what makes you believe that, was it mentioned in the video?
 
I don't think reprofiling would have done anything to improve performance... actually, it might actually hinder performance... what I would not believe is that they did not touch up the edge for those thousand cuts of rope.
 
I have a Vaquero Grande, flat grind, small serrations. One of the jobs I used it on routinely was cutting weeds away from a nature trail. These were mostly the green thornbushes and vines but sometimes included small woody branches, too. Using the same technique they do on rope, I slashed right through everything. For years.

Finally, they came out with the X2 Voyager, a hollow-ground clip point plain edge knife with the same handle as the Vaquero Grande and an equally 6" blade. In about a month of occasional use, this work rippled the edge of the hollow grind and then broke a chunk out of it.

The hanging rope trick may degrade the sharp edge with coarse material, but it doesn't really stress the metal like real world use will. The knives are good, but they aren't demolition machines. In the hanging rope tests, they are using knives like high-carbon, differentially tempered swords.

They aren't.
 
People tend to have mixed experiences with cold steel.

I own an old peacekeeper (aus-8), ti-lite, trailmaster, tai pan, and vaquero grande. I love all of my cold steel knives, then again I happen to own some of their better stuff. They all hold edges very well, and my ti-lite can do that rope trick you're so impressed by. However, that's not very representative of practical daily usage. I must say that for such a small knife, my ti-lite has held up remarkably well for an EDC. The only one I wouldn't recommend getting now would be a peacekeeper, because of the hollow ground thin blade and the fact that it's now made in 420. You're going to have to sharpen the damn thing daily.


First off, stay away from their 420 stuff. You hear that a lot, but for different reasons. I'm not saying 420 is junk steel; but for the prices cold steel charge even for their 420 knives, you can get something much better.

Folders, stay away from them,with the exception of the vaquero grande and the ti-lite. The voyager, as esayv mentioned before, isn't doing very well with it's hollow ground blade.

Cold steel's tactical folder lock mechanism (ultralock or something) is only rated for 100lbs. You can find something of much higher quality from SOG, benchmade, camillus, spyderco, or al mar, all with stronger locks and all being better knives overall.

If it's legal in your area, my recommendation would be a camillus cuda maxx. That thing is scary sharp, retains an edge extremely well, and is HUGE (5.5" blade). If it's illegal, look into a camillus dominator.

For benchmade: I personally own a stryker auto (9100S), but i've heard nothing but great things about the axis lock griptillian or mel pardue, as well as the TSEKs.

I'm not that big a fan of spyderco's blade designs, so for aesthetic reasons i won't recommend them.


For the cheapest prices i've seen around, check out these three sites:

knifeworks.com
knifecenter.com
pvk.com

knifeworks tends to have the lowest overall prices.

knifecenter has the occasional low price, but a much better selection.

pvk carries a lot of the rarer production knives, like the protech godfather.
 
I want to thank you guys for the input. I was thinking of getting the X2 Voyager or the Recon, I'll probably pass on the Voyagers.

ayzianboy, cutting hanging rope with a ti-lite is impressive to anyone that has only seen it done. but never tried it themselves.

That's probably what I should do is to try it with the knives that I have already. I'm going to try cutting hanging rope with three knives today, all by Camillus, first the OVB Fisk Bowie. I figure if I don't have the technique to do it with that than I probably won't be able to do it with a folder. If I can do it I'll try the Maxx next and then the Dominator.
 
PhilL said:
I want to thank you guys for the input. I was thinking of getting the X2 Voyager or the Recon, I'll probably pass on the Voyagers.
Click to expand...

I would recommend passing on the recon as well. For a tactical folder, 100lb lock rating is hardly anything. You could basically grip the handle, put your other hand on the back of the blade, and push hard enough to break the lock mechanism.

Plus for it's price you can simply get better from other manufacturers.
 
What I was thinking when I was watching "More Proof" was "Man I wish I could get paid to abuse the heck out of knives (the throwing) instead of having to pay to do it". :rolleyes:
 
JTC, you have to get the Sword Proof DVD and watch them slashing with swords and throwing spears and waving halbards around! I didn't know people were allowed to have so much fun since the Middle Ages! :D
 
JTC & Esav, I guess you guys never heard of Cliff Stamp. :D

SUCCESS!!!!!!

I couldn't wait the try the rope cutting when I got to the office today, so I had some 1/2" Manilla rope that I hung from the sprinkler in the ceiling. The knife I had in my pocket was the CUDA Dominator, so I said what the heck let me try it. I swung as hard as I could and sure enough I popped right through the rope about 6" from the bottom. I surprised myself. I failed the next couple of times and then I got the hang of it again. The CUDA Maxx was easy after the Dominator and the OVB of course just ate it up. I must have cut about 25' of rope 6" at a time. It was fun, but I have to admit I wasn’t as impressed with cut #40 or #50 as I was with cut #1.

Oh, I’m probably not going to be ordering and Cold Steel knives in the near future. Thanks ayzianboy.
 
Hey Esav! They sent me the More Sword proof video but the blankety blank thing won't Play :grumpy: . I would love to take a heavy duty whack at some stuff with someone elses sword. :D

John
 
JTC said:
Hey Esav! They sent me the More Sword proof video but the blankety blank thing won't Play :grumpy: . I would love to take a heavy duty whack at some stuff with someone elses sword. :D

John
Click to expand...


Did you try it in your DVD player?
 
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