Cold Steel DVD

peter nap

peter nap

Joined
Nov 27, 1999
Messages
3,745
I got a Cold Steel CD with my last order of ceramic sharpeners. Out of boredom this morning, I watched it.

I have several comments.

First, the tests and demo's are nothing that all knife makers do so why is he making a big deal about it.

Second and third...Lynn Thompson needs to drop the tough guy act and hire someone to do these things for him. It looked like the Pillsbury Dough Boy with a kitchen knife. :eek:

Last....why does he cut a notch halfway back on the handle of the folders to do the weight test. That was a rhetorical question. I know why! :(
 
I don't get the rhetorical question part, unless it goes along with the tough guy act. Some people weren't meant to be big and mean, and they need to deal with it, otherewise they look like idiots.
 
I watched that DVD and felt it was a bunch of hype to try and sell his products. Seems to me he's not confident in his products and has to prove their quality. Who in the hell is really going to need to stand on the handle of their folder? :rolleyes:
Scott
 
I've seen the dvd and , yah, it's not the best viewing.
But the little voice in the back of my head keeps sayin' "remember, this is the guy who pokes Cape buffalo with a spear".
I've read enuff Ruark, JohnHunter, Peter Capstick and Karmojo Bell books to know that it takes big brass ones to play that game. jmo bruce
 
birdog4 said:
I've seen the dvd and , yah, it's not the best viewing.
But the little voice in the back of my head keeps sayin' "remember, this is the guy who pokes Cape buffalo with a spear".
I've read enuff Ruark, JohnHunter, Peter Capstick and Karmojo Bell books to know that it takes big brass ones to play that game. jmo bruce
Click to expand...

or good old fashion stupidity :footinmou :D ;)
 
I guess everything is in the press release. I've read Capstick's account of trying to kill a Buff with a spear. Even Capstick, who toots his own horn loudly, admits to running like the devil himself was after him, after the throw. Somehow the picture of Lynn Thompson doing the 50 yard dash for the nearest tree just doesn't look real.

So is it big Brass Ones or big PR.

Peter, the rhetorical part is that he obviously cut the slot closer to the middle of the handle to reduce the amount of leverage. If he had just attached the weights to the lanyard hole he would have not been to put half the weight on he did.

He did a disservice to himself and the company with that DVD. Cold Steel makes fairly good knives and at a good price. He should have kept out of the Frost Cutlery type of advertising.
 
Thompson's his own worst enemy. He's rapidly getting a very bad name for himself.

He also slammed a couple of good makers in his recent catalog frothings.:barf:
He ought to keep his spew to himself.:barf: :rolleyes:
 
CS knives aren't thought to highly of in the blade discussion forum. Too much hype turns people off. Why would you have to make a video to prove your product anyway. Customer feedback is the best and also helps you change and improve.
Scott
 
And what you don't see in the buf/spear episode is the guy behind the cameraman with a .460 Nitro double rifle trained on "buffy".
 
Razorback - Knives said:
Who in the hell is really going to need to stand on the handle of their folder?
Scott
Click to expand...


Ninjas, of course. Who else needs an ugly-ass 12" blade tanto?
But seriously, I know people who swear by cold steel but I would never pay that much for something that ugly. I don't care how good they are, if I'm going to buy a $400 knife it had better look good or come attached to a girl who does :D ...

- Chris
 
Hesparus said:
Ninjas, of course. Who else needs an ugly-ass 12" blade tanto?
But seriously, I know people who swear by cold steel but I would never pay that much for something that ugly. I don't care how good they are, if I'm going to buy a $400 knife it had better look good or come attached to a girl who does :D ...

- Chris
Click to expand...

I try to never dis' any company or individual.

Knifemaking is an incestuous bunch, and we either need to keep it all in the family or it'll be Hatfields and McCoys all over again. I also NEVER say anything bad about the customers. That's cutting your own throat. I will say only this:

There is a very distinct difference between a custom blade and a factory blade, and anyone who pays the prices that are being asked by the factories these days need to have their heads examined. Any factory knife over $100 in my honest opinion had better be pretty damn good to beat a custom, because all you are paying for is a hunk of steel. A custom knife is full of soul.
 
You have a valid point Jeff. You really need to read my post to see that I am not dis'ing( I hate that phrase) the company or really Thompson. I'm being very critical of the video. It does a disservice to all knife makers.

First, Thompson is just not the ideal demo guy. He can stand around with an inscrutable look all day, but he still looks like the Dough Boy. Most people should not do their own commercials.

Second, his tests are somewhat skewed. Like the weight test. Newbies see that and will ask, "How much weight can your lock hold ?"

Third and more important, Thompson is fairly good with a knife. I freely admit that he handles it well. He needs to downplay the weapons aspect unless he wants to sell only to "Ninjas"
I've always had a great deal of respect for Buck Knives. After they came out with their lock backs, they pushed the utility uses and really played up to the sportsmen. It paid off well. Even when the Manson Gang adopted the Buck as their weapon of choice, the company walked away with a good solid reputation.

This type of thing is not good for the industry as a whole. That includes customs.
 
is it dis'ing ?
if you look at it that way?.. :confused: maybe in part to some and to others no.
I think Don is right,, in most part,, it's an opinion in advertising and we don't grow well without opinions..
at least I don't and that's my opinion :D
 
peter nap said:
You have a valid point Jeff. You really need to read my post to see that I am not dis'ing( I hate that phrase) the company or really Thompson. I'm being very critical of the video. It does a disservice to all knife makers.

First, Thompson is just not the ideal demo guy. He can stand around with an inscrutable look all day, but he still looks like the Dough Boy. Most people should not do their own commercials.

Second, his tests are somewhat skewed. Like the weight test. Newbies see that and will ask, "How much weight can your lock hold ?"

Third and more important, Thompson is fairly good with a knife. I freely admit that he handles it well. He needs to downplay the weapons aspect unless he wants to sell only to "Ninjas"
I've always had a great deal of respect for Buck Knives. After they came out with their lock backs, they pushed the utility uses and really played up to the sportsmen. It paid off well. Even when the Manson Gang adopted the Buck as their weapon of choice, the company walked away with a good solid reputation.

This type of thing is not good for the industry as a whole. That includes customs.
Click to expand...

Oh I wasn't saying anything derogatory towards your opinions, Don. I was lamenting over the insane prices that get charged for factory blades. I was only agreeing with Chris. I guess I wasn't clear.
 
Nah. The only devil here is IG.

I don't know about Devil but that new picture sure looks like Hell ! :D :D :D :D :D
 
peter nap said:
Nah. The only devil here is IG.

I don't know about Devil but that new picture sure looks like Hell ! :D :D :D :D :D
Click to expand...

I been using his new avatar to keep the squirrels off the birdfeeder. So far its working! :D
 
jhiggins said:
I was lamenting over the insane prices that get charged for factory blades.
Click to expand...
Let me play a non-IG devil's advocate for a second. ;) If the buyer is willing to pay the asking price and the seller is willing to take it, is the price insane? Methinks its just the market setting a price for the given commodity. Whether folks with more experience or comparitive shopping under their belts think the price reasonable is another discussion.

There are sellers servicing the whole spectrum of the market -- selling to everybody from the "ninja wannabe" seven-year-old kid with $3 in his pocket to collectors of multi-thousand $$ blades. Each sector of the market has their vendor to take care of it, including having PT Barnum types to hype it. While in Japan I was offered at a sword shop in Kyoto a wakashazi blade crafted in the 1600's by a respected maker. I could have brought it home if I only would've had a spare $8,000 on me (plus paying importation tax). Was the blade worth the price? To me, yes. To the seller, yes. To my wife, not in this lifetime. ;) :D I figure it's still in Japan.

That said, IMHO custom knifemakers, especially you fire-and-hammer guys in the crowd, deserve every nickel you get for crafting your blades. My lament is that too many people don't recognize (and ain't willing to pay for) the amount of care & effort it takes to craft a fine tool. How come the folks who won't pay $500 for a beautiful knife their great-great-grandkids can still be using will pay $50,000 for a car they won't be driving in five years, ignoring the fact that it is worth $15,000 less than they paid for it the instant they drive it off the dealer's lot?

I've bought some Cold Steel blades over the years based on price, not on seeing Lynn's video, which I still haven't. As was noted, they aren't bad knives for a $40-$100. But I won't expect them to perform like a custom crafted blade.
 
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