COLD STEEL first impression

Cold Steel Knives said:
Am I biased towards one brand? Do I think my favorite brand is the best? Yup, you betcha :D
Our "marketing" has always been kinda controversial, but it all just boils down to backing up our brag or having fun testing things and filming what happens. Other people have since embraced that idea and for me, the knife world got a lot more interesting
Brand loyalty is awesome. All of us here in the knife business strive for that. But it's been my experience so far that our fans keep it pretty classy. I'm very proud of our fans. They spend a lot more time talking about what they love than the things they hate. I like that! The way I see it we are all here to share a hobby and a passion. We all love the sharp stuff.
I figure pretty much all of us would get on very well talking about our favorite knives over a few drinks or some good BBQ. For some reason the internet makes it all seem so much more aggressive. I put this down to a lack of "tone of voice" in all this text based interaction.
Thank goodness for emoticons :p

I have a lot of fun talking to folks here on BF. I'm happy to be here. Thanks again
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Is this Lynn Thompson speaking?
 
The Mackinac is my first Cold Steel knife but it won't be my last. I love it. Let's not get into knocking other brands. We all have our preferences, but the issue here is what did or didn't happen at the display booth.
 
I'm not Lynn, but I do work with him at CS HQ
We are all working on a whole bunch of product testing today.
I'm currently on a break, transferring video files of all the cool stuff we just filmed :)
We actually broke several records today
Pretty cool :thumbup:
 
Cool. Regardless of you not being Lynn, it's always nice to have company folks around to talk to.

Love your knives.
 
Cold Steel Knives said:
I'm not Lynn, but I do work with him at CS HQ
We are all working on a whole bunch of product testing today.
I'm currently on a break, transferring video files of all the cool stuff we just filmed :)
We actually broke several records today
Pretty cool :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Awesome!sounds like a fun job. Looking forward to the videos
 
Dude!! What I wouldn't give to be at a taping of a PROOF edition!!

BTW: When I said Spyderco wussed out, allowing CS and other companies to make bigger knives, I ment Trailmaster BIG, not 6 inch fixed or folder.

Yeah, I know they did it "way back when" but those knives are hard to find, expensive as hell, rare as hens' teeth, (i.e. Forrester).

I recently purchased the 6 in. khukuri shaped fixed bladed SchemmpRock "thingy".

Great knife for defense probably, but needs to be thicker and heavier for the chopping they say it is capable of.

I may be mistaken, but I thought knifemakers made knives to SELL them.

There is a HUGE market for larger "one tool option" knives, especially due to the "survival/doomsday prepper" mentality. Duhhhh...

Why hasn't Spydie taken advantage? I mean one nice well made Spyderco is all I need in that dept,. but I would put it in my home, w/o doubt.

Cold Steel fits the ticket, and has done so quite well, IMHO, and experience, since 1986.

Most of my CS collection falls in the 1986-2001 time slot. I'm hoping the new 01 HCTS offerings hold up as good as Carbon V. Time will tell.
 
akapennypincher, I think I'll throw my two cents in as well and applaud cold steel for the products they make. I've owned cold steel folders for about 3-4 years, as well as several fixed blades, and several machetes and have NEVER had an issue. I gotta say, from rough EDC use, to camping, or for practical knife training/fighting, they make some serious products. I don't really think anyone could say that Cold Steel doesn't make AT LEAST one product for everyone. If you still aren't convinced, just buy a CS magazine or go to YouTube and see what some of their products are capable of. And if you think a product is bad just because it's made in Taiwan, I'd refer you also to Sog--first company to contract knives with the Navy Seals. Made in Taiwan :-). It's all about quality my friend, and honestly Cold Steel is a good quality brand. I say this from experience with the following, not as a fan boy:

Folders:
Recon 1 (clip, tanto, and spear), AK-47 (2012 model), Voyager (2013 Clip point med & large)
Voyagers are my favorite

Fixed Blades:
GI Tanto (great blade!), 2013 Leatherneck SF, Outdoorsman Lite
Most experience is with the GI Tanto--great price for an abuse taking no BS knife.

Machetes:
Jungle, 2-handed Latin and Katana, Kukri, Gladius
Jungle has been the most practical one for me

The machetes are made in Africa, and are made of 1055 carbon steel. It's a good steel for hard (but not stupid) use, and ease of sharpening. The GI Tanto is also made of this same material, FYI. The folders I have are all AUS 8A, have polymer handles (voyagers are lined with 6061 heat treated aluminum liners) and have maintained their edges very well with minimal maintenance needed, and I've EDC'd these folders all for months at a time. Only bad tendency is for the aggressive handle textures can shred some jeans pockets (just bend the pocket clip outward some=problem solved). That's really my only gripe so far with them. You wouldn't go wrong owning some of their products, especially the folders featuring the tri-Ad lock that Patrick Demco developed in CS. Its bad ass, to say the least. Hope this helps, or if you are trolling then at least I've provided you others with my experience with Cold Steel.
 
Here, HERE!!!

If I listed models, versions, makes of all the CS product in my collection, most would be bored, some envious, and some would think me a "fan-boy" as well.

That being said, do I own other knives? Did I buy them since 1984? If you don't know the answer to that question, well...maybe you need to do some research on knife collecting.

Its a hobby. Some say an addiction!

SOG, ESEE, BUCK, CASE, Swiss Army blah...blah all make EXCELLENT knives, that perform as indicated, as long as they are used as recommended.

But for the money, I can't find a brand, w/ as many options, patterns and applications as CS. The knife performs as indicated, and ABOVE its parameters, at least 99.9% of the time.

I have a large sample set to base my findings on, regardless of country of origin. Chinese, Taiwanese and other overseas mfgrs. will make you a good production blade, if you PAY them enough to do so, and if QC is regulated. I hope soon CS will be able to offer another US made line.
 
I will say that Cold Steel isn't my first choice when looking to buy a knife. That being said, I think they make a great product. I own several of what I would consider their lower end offerings (GI Tanto, Tanto Lite, a few machetes) and they are all top notch in build quality. I plan on purchasing a few more of their knives because I know they are well built and since they use good steel, I have no worries about using them and abusing them a little. If they start making more knives in CPM 3V, I will be buying even more.

Methinks that the OP troll shouldn't be fed anymore.
 
To the ops credit, his post said he walked by without stopping on Saturday, but actually visited the booth on Sunday. I have no horse in this race, but the post definitely has a "trollish" feel to it; and the "You are not qualified to deal with me" comment was snobbish to say the least. I've never dealt with representatives at a booth, but have dealt with CS customer service before and had a very good experience. I think their products are well-priced and perform great.
 
Akapennypincher said:
I was at the Cross Roads of the West SAR Show over the weekend, and Cold Steel had a big sale, and display. I was not impressed with the product, but what was the most least impressive thing about the Cold Steel Display was the lack of produce knowledge by the employees manning their booth.

To me the products that I handled, and looked at closely, were CHEAP TAIWANESE Knives, and most appear to be over priced.

I asked simple questions about material, warranty, and most of the staff were clueless.

BTW I am a big Spyderco Fan,


JMHO
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BTW, CS knives are assembled in Taiwan but the steel is Japanese made by Takefu Steel: http://www.e-tokko.com/eng_index.htm


OT: You want a good laugh? Read up on the latest car of your choice. Or one that you are knowledgeable about. In this case, mine would be the Corvette.

When I went to the dealership to buy my first one in early 1987 and asked the "Straight outta High School" salesman numerous questions about the car that I already knew and he basically turned into a blubbering husk of a man. A *Senior* salesman then came over to relieve him and I rattled him as well.

As much as I wanted to buy that beautiful Blue Metallic over Black Leather Convertible that day, cash in pocket, I walked out but came back the next day and played "Let's make a deal" basically knocking off a few hundred for every question about the car they didn't know. It was fun for all and even they admitted so and I got the car for quite a bit under sticker. That was the first of a few Corvette's, new and used.

I'm now into older E-30 BMW's now (Generally, 1987-1991) Current car is a 1989 Silver/Black Convert. with a later model M3 Motor putting out 330 HP. Fast, handles like its on rails and lots of fun, especially if you live on the California Coast. Will surprise a lot of Corvette's as well.
 
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