Cold Steel Fixed Bladed Knives

Ferahgo

Ferahgo

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Are they worth the price? I picked up one and it felt a bit....flimsy.
 
Ferahgo said:
Are they worth the price? I picked up one and it felt a bit....flimsy.
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Which one did you pick up that felt flimsy? What do you mean by flimsy? Honestly it's a question only you can answer I guess...

The GI Tanto for example, is one I find to be a great value of a knife and not filmsy at all. That's just my experience.

On the other hand they make a knife called the Leatherneck which is similar to a KA-BAR but the steel isn't as good so you might as well go KA-BAR.
 
I found a boar-hunter that just didn't cut it. It had a lightness to it I see in cheap blades a lot. Great price though, at $70
 
Ferahgo said:
I found a boar-hunter that just didn't cut it. It had a lightness to it I see in cheap blades a lot. Great price though, at $70
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I totally get your concern on the lightness/cheap feeling of some knives, I have the same reservations myself. But, I've come to realize lightness doesn't mean cheap necessarily. For example the Benchmade Griptilian (a folding knife but a good example I think) feels very light, and to be honest, the handle does feel really cheap. But it is a great knife with a very strong solid lock and good steel and it performs really well. It does sort of "feel" cheap, but it is a quality product nonetheless.
 
I guess. I am a huge fan of heavy blades. The thicker the better, generally. Been looking for a light knife recently, so I guess this might fit the bill. Do they hold an edge at all?
 
Ferahgo said:
I guess. I am a huge fan of heavy blades. The thicker the better, generally. Been looking for a light knife recently, so I guess this might fit the bill. Do they hold an edge at all?
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Sadly I am not familiar with the boar hunter specifically but the other Cold Steel knives I do own hold one quite well in my opinion. I would think the same is likely true of the boar hunter as well.
 
I am not bent on any particular knife at the mo. Any suggestions for a Cold Steel? 7"+ blade and fixed are my only requirements. I want to expand my blade collection in different directions with different brands.
Edit: Oh! $150 and under, please.
 
Ferahgo said:
I am not bent on any particular knife at the mo. Any suggestions for a Cold Steel? 7"+ blade and fixed are my only requirements. I want to expand my blade collection in different directions with different brands.
Edit: Oh! $150 and under, please.
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Here are a few brands with a fair variety.

KA-BAR
Ontario Spec Plus
Becker Knife and Tool (Becker is a subsidiary brand produced by Ka-Bar)
ESEE
 
If I had $150 to buy a big blade knife of any brand, I would buy the Trailmaster. I have had lots of big blades and in my opinion, it's one of the best.
 
RedLynx said:
On the other hand they make a knife called the Leatherneck which is similar to a KA-BAR but the steel isn't as good so you might as well go KA-BAR.
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The NEW 4116 Krupp Leatherneck isn't so good I hear, but I have the old SK-5 version and it had a lot of nice features, grippy handle, thicker sturdier guard than a Ka-Bar and forward facing ends, decent carbon steel, full flat grind, a much thicker tang, Secure-Ex sheath was snappy and just about the same and it had a $25 cheaper price tag to boot.
 
Warcraft tanto. 7 1/2" CPM 3-V blade. G-10 handle scales. Should be a badass... Any reason you're stuck on cold steel? You might want to look into bussekin at that price point. A scrapyard or swamp rat might be right up your alley... And come with a lot better warranty.
 
As far as Cold Steel goes, you have to sort through the bull and get to their good stuff

Their AUS-8 is good, their San Mai III is good, and I think their SK5 is decent although Ive never tried it personally. The 4116 sucks big time.
Their knives are just as sturdy as any other knives for the most part. I have the SRK and Master Hunter and both have been beaten on and neither had any trouble. Good edge retention, and toughness is great due to the thicker spines. CS's heat treat is pretty dang good too

I would trust my master hunter with my life. love this knife for camping/ general bushcraft. Just took it out a couple weeks ago:


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For the most part Cold steel makes good stuff. For what you're looking for from cold steel a Trailmaster or Recon Scout (basically a 7" version of the TM) should fit the bill. As previously mentioned Ka-Bar, especially their Becker line but also the ZK and JAB lines, have great offerings as well as Ontario and Esee.

Personally my favorite large knife ever is the Ka-Bar/Becker BK9 and from my personal experience and what I've read it's probably the best performer out there in it's class and price range. It chops better but is light enough and well balanced that it does very well for smaller tasks for as big as it is. It's only 3/16ths" compared to 1/4" like most others but breakages are rare and usually covered by the warranty.
 
Here's a picture of that "flimsy" Boar Hunter at work. Performed excellently as advertised.

Skip_BoarHunter_w.jpg
 
I own an SRK in AUS8. I haven't had the chance to put it through extreme paces yet, but so far for what i've done with it (prepping meat for jerky, some light chopping through 2x4s, slicing through cardboard for somewhere about two hours straight, prying out crate staples) it's held up admirably.
 
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