Cold Steel Folders....Yea or Nay???

N

Nalapombu

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
303
Hey all,

A buddy handed me a DVD the other day from Cold Steel and it was their "More Proof" video. I watched it and their knives seem to be pretty impressive.
Since I have never owned one, or know anybody that has owned one, I thought I'd come here and ask about them. What seems to be the general opinion of the Cold Steel folders? How do they hold up and how does their sharpness compare to other popular knife models that are talked about here pretty often? Are their serrated edges better than their plain edges?
The ones that I found most interesting were the Ti Lite, the Voyager 4" Tanto and the Gunsite folder.
The Cold Steel knives look like they are quality products, but then again I have only the video to judge them by. Are they decent knives that are worth consideration or are they not up to the quality and performance set by other companies like Spyderco and Benchmade?
What do you think? Should I get a Cold Steel and try it or stick with my Spydercos?
Thanks for the info.

Nala
 
Do a search for "Cold steel more proof" and you'll find what you need. CS makes some good knives, but judge them by their merits like materials, blade steel, and relative price, not by a marketing video.
 
I've heard that the voyager series is the only CS folders of "good" quality. I am doubtful of most of their products, eventhough I myself have never owned any of thier products.

I've also heard that their fixed blades are pretty good as well as their Carbon V steel.



I'd stick with my BM or get a Spyderco.
 
I have an older-styled VOyager folder (a medium, serrated tanto point) and it's an ok knife. My favorite CS folder is the Gunsite line; I think they are decently stout knives.

All things considered (price, material, models available and overall quality) I think the CS folders are ok. However, I greatly prefer my Benchmade Griptillian to any CS folder. It has better blade steel, a much better lock, better feel, and a safer finger guard. Plus, it is cheaper than many of the CS folders!

All things considered, I think you can get higher quality for comparable price. One other reasonably-priced company worth mentioning is CRKT.
 
Trout Tamer said:
All things considered, I think you can get higher quality for comparable price. One other reasonably-priced company worth mentioning is CRKT.
Click to expand...
CRKT used to use almost all AUS 6, AUS 8 is better, and I find that I don't like some of CRKT's liner locks. Cold Steel Voyagers are strong lockbacks, and really pretty good for the money, and yes, there are other options, But Cold Steel is still a pretty good choice.
 
Cold steel voyagers are excellent stout knives. I have a large tanto. I've used a brick as a baton on mine and drove the tanto point into wood, purposely twisting it during removal. No problem with the knife. It's my favorite garden abuse knife. I dig with it. The AUS8A sharpens up readily and holds the edge for a reasonable length of time. It doesn't chip easily.

The knives are made in Japan, probablly by the same manufacturers that make some of the SOG, Spyderco, etc. Japanese FRN products.
 
For what they cost and what they are they make a good knife, I think the older blades are much nicer and better made.

I have an older CS Twistlock that has become my camp knife simply for the fact that it's large enough to chop small trees if needed, make kindling with ease and outperform most all around camp knives in the kitchen.

The Carbon V steel takes a wickedly sharp edge and holds it's own for quite sometime, easy to resharpen too.
 
I have two 4" Voyagers, a tanto and a clip and like them a lot. They are light, extremely tough, the lock is very strong and the AUS8 takes and holds a great edge. The tanto is one of my sharpest blades, probably due to the deep hollow grind, but both are ground quite thin. I usually carry one or the other when jogging; being quite flat they carry IWB with no problem. I've never had a problem with the plasticy clip. I also will pack one or the other when traveling - if it does get lost/stolen/confiscated, I haven't lost an heirloom blade.These are good, tough working knives.
 
Some are still made in Japan, some are now made in taiwan.

Anything they make in aus-8, such as the voyager models, are made in Japan.

The recon folders are now made in taiwan of 440a, use to be aus-8 made in japan.

I own one of the newer (taiwan) recons and I have to say that it is as tough as my benchmades. The blade steel (440a) leaves a little to be desire, but is easy to sharpen and will hold a decent edge. Remember, heat treat has allot to do withthe quality of the blade. Much of the 440a blades coming out of the asian countires, and others, have poor heat treat. Cold steel is pretty rigid about the qaulity of heat treat and their folders. The handles are zytel with stainless steel liners, not my favorite handle material, by a longshot, but its a light knife for being over 5" closed. All around their knive are very tough, the materials, while they could be better, make sense for constructing tough, inexpenisve knives that will last a long time.

You can find decent prices on Roger's site:

www.knifeworks.com
 
Cold Steel folders are tough durable knives plain and simple. They are some of my most abused beaters and have been for a number of years. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them as gifts for friends or family. I have several.

I don't think the hollow ground blades are as tough as the flat ground ones. I think the Vaqueros are just a bit tougher than the Voyagers because of the difference in grinds and have both series in different lengths in my collection. The only ones that I have lost teeth off of or chipped blades with are the Voyager series ones with the thinner grinds so I'd have to recommend the Vaquero over the Voyager. But both work well for really tough jobs.

I'm surprised that anyone can find locks stronger than Cold Steels locks. You can trust these locks with your life, especially on the bigger folders. Some of the more expensive knives toting great locks fail miserably by comparison to the CS ones for less money. One other thing I've found about Cold Steel folders. I have run my VG in the dishwasher. You try that with other knives and see how long they hold up and continue to function. It hasn't even affected my CS Vaquero Grande lock or reliability other than minor color change of the handle and blade.

Overall, I'd say if you want a good beater for edc that will be your go to knife for anything from food prep to digging dirt in the back yard CS folders are a good choice for the money.
 
Sure....if I was looking for a tough everyday carry blade that I was likely to abuse the Voyager series would be a good candidate. Good sharp steel with a decent grind and heat treat.....a great lock....whats not to like. This is a folder that will generally hold up well to all the abuse one ought not ask of a folding knife. Voyagers are the Timex of the folding universe....you remember the saying...."take a lickin' and keep on tickin' ". Sure there are other good folders in their price range.....

-regards
 
I own a Recon I and a Ti-Lite in Zytel and I like them both. The Recon is built well and is tougher than any abuse I'll ever inflict upon it (I'm not hard on my knives at all). The Ti-Lite is just plain cool to me. It's fun to flick and it feels good in my hand. The "wave" feature is also fun to play with. The Ti-Lite is really the only knife that I own that I'll play with on a regular basis.

You can find some good prices for the Ti-Lite on the auction sites and I would not hesitate to recommend the Zytel model. It's plenty tough enough and the Zytel isn't nearly as "plasticy" feeling as some. The titanium Ti-Lite would be a better knife of course, but for the money you have to spend to get one, I think you could do better. Like a Benchmade 710.
 
My first decent knife was a cold steel 4in voyager clip point, and decent is the word to describe it. Nothing spectacular, came pretty sharp, lost the sharp edge fairly quickly, an ok knife.
 
Although I do believe the CS dvd is a bit over the top, I am impressed by the CS products. The lock-ups are good and the folders with AUS-8A steel are good bangs for the bucks. These include the Voyagers, Vaqueros and Scimitars. It's a pity that they downgraded the steel on the Recon 1 and the Night Force to 440A. But even that's not such a big deal, I asked my wife to get me a Night Force for Christmas and I'm happy with it.

I also like Benchmade and Spydercos, but I've been stuck on Cold Steel for a while. Choose for yourself.
 
The AUS6 isn't a bad steel... I just got done hacking off every branch from a 6 foot chrsitmas tree with a CRKT Taiwanese knife wit hthe AUS6 blade... After cleaning up the sticky sap with WD-40, I notice that the blade looked out of the box new with no wear to the edge...
 
The small Trailguide (CS calls them medium) are one of my favorite EDC's. They have great ergonomics, are made of Carbon V, and as previously noted, quite cheap. They're not extremely robust, but for a small folder, great cutters!
 
CS markets knives. It does not make knives. Accordingly, the quality of their knives varies a lot. Their Carbon V stuff is - I've heard - made by Camillus, and it's great stuff for the price, except for the kraton handles. The folders and other fixed blades are a lot more hit or miss. The Recon 1 a friend of mine had was a POS. The Ti-Lite is a well made folder. My brother tells me he uses the Spike a lot in construction as a scraper and mini prybar.
 
Anyone who's crazy enough to put out a movie or there knives crashing threw all sorts of stuff has got my vote. I am thinking of buying one just becasue of of crazy crazy guys that work for coldsteel.. I think they are awsome... and the movie has provided me with lots of entertainment... two thumbs up. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top