COLD STEEL "GUNSITE TANTO EXTRA LARGE MODEL"

B

BACKUP21

Joined
May 20, 1999
Messages
86
IF YOU WERE GIVEN THIS KNIFE AND YOU COULD NOT HAVE ANY OTHER KNIFE FOR ONE FULL YEAR, WOULD YOU BE SATISIFIED WITH THIS KNIFE FOR TACTICAL(BACK-UP)PURPOSES?
 
It's nice, don't think I could last with only one knife purchase for a year though.

Dark Nemesis

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All the knives in the world go round and round, round and round, round and round...DAMN, one of them took my wallet !!! :)


 
No way man. This knife ain't all that. I had one and tested the tolerances after throwing it (abuse, I know) into a 6x6 twenty times and then doing the same to my axis lock. The knife stuck in point first every time (I was only throwing from about two feet away), and came out afterward with about three millimeters of play in the up and down movement of the blade. It was as if either the pins bent or the zytel handle had stretched around the pins. If not this, then it caused wear at the blade-locking bar juncture. Whatever the case, this fact and the fact that the serrations are practically unsharpenable to me make spending 25 to 30 dollars more on a better knife very worthwhile. By the way, the axis lock was unblemished. If someone gives you this knife and tells you you've got to be satisfied for a whole year, you might want to tell them that they are cheap and should spring to get you a better folder for the duration. Just my humble opinion.

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Professor

Ever notice no other candy tastes quite like Pez? Oh yeah, and the BM Axis rules.


 
Well Prof,
I don't agree with you at all. Remember this is a back-up knife first and a utility secondly.

I have a hard time understanding you guys that abuse the hell out of a knife and then bitch about the results.

It takes a little skill and time, but it isn't all that hard to sharpen the CS serrations. Not if you can't sharpen a knife without using one of those sharpening contraptions, then you have a problem.
Dan
 
I do fine sharpening, Dan. I've got the Spydie sharpmaker that I use freehand, but how is one to sharpen anything but the points of the teeth of this thing when the corners of the stone won't fit up into the tiny serrated sections. Seems to me you'd accomplish the same thing by running the serrations across a flat stone.
As far as the abuse factor, I know it was blatant abuse. But why not buy a folder that can stand up to it for a little bit more. If it's a backup like the man said, why does it need to be a folding sword in the first place? Why not spend a little extra for the ideal backup?

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Professor

Ever notice no other candy tastes quite like Pez? Oh yeah, and the BM Axis rules.


 
I think Dan has it exactly right. If it is being carried for backup you'd have to be a damn fool to throw the thing. I think it makes an excellent back up weapon. Just seeing the blade and hearing it lock would be enough to change the attitude of quite a few people. If you want to throw a knife, buy a THROWING knife. Throwing a good high quality folder just to see what happens makes as much sense to me as throwing a gun to see what happens (hey maybe you'll get lucky, hit the BG right between the eyes and knock him cold...).

phantom4

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who dares, wins


 
Prof,
I made my own slips out of ceramic "stones", like ceramic files. That sharp edge fits between the teeth. I only use a medium on the CS. and then not very often. I like the CS serration pattern. For a lot of materials, I find that it cuts smoother than the Spydie teeth.
Dan
 
Okay, if you're looking at the x-large tanto voyager, you probably want a knife that's reasonably big and strong, but still relatively lightweight and inexpensive.

The x-large tanto voyager is a reasonably good choice. In addition to the above properties, its relatively rectangular profile makes it very carryable.

Its downside is that every one I've ever handled has a stiff jerky action that may or may not ever loosen up. Combined with Cold Steel's small rounded thumb stud, and you can easily mess up on fast openings.

For some reason, the Vaquero series does not suffer from stiff jerky actions, they are nice and smooth. The Large Vaquero from Cold Steel has all the advantages of the x-large tanto voyager, plus smoother action. And its blade should outperform the tantos for just about all self-defense applications. The one disadvantage is that the curvier profile is a little less carryable. You should consider the Large Vaquero as well.

Joe
 
hello, to say the truth, i dis like this knife, when i give it a crushing/two hand grip, or many white knuckles, and guerilla grips, the knife un locks, but if you choke up on it, it will hold, as a backup, yea, its good, but i much rather a AFCK.
 
You're right about it's sharpness. The teeth are definitely more aggressive than the Spydies. I'll have to try to find some thinner ceramic stones out there to sharpen mine.

P4, I threw the knife to test it's tolerances under stress, no just for the heck of it; thought I made it clear that I knew outright that it was blatant abuse. I expect my folders to be able to deal with a little abuse, and for the size of this thing it handled it like a Spyderco Ladybug.
 
One knife for a whole YEAR?! THAT, my friend, is SADISTIC! The CS Gunsite would NOT be my first choice, but if that was all I had, it could work. Good strong lock, good steel and good heft.For backup purposes the knife you have WITH YOU is the best knife, and there are worse choices out there.(Don't even get me started on this one.) If I had my druthers, I'd druther have my Carnivour or my Axis or my Military...etc.etc.
 
I'm with Dan too. I do not believe it makes sense to abuse a knife I may want to rely upon. What I require of a folder is to remain concealed until its presence is requested, draw and open quickly, hit the target, cut or penetrate, and stay open until I close it. That is its mission. I'll do my spine whacks with a hammer, I'll throw a baseball, etc.

As for the Gunsite Folder, I've never handled one, but I've carried a large Voyager, every day for a couple of years. I have many Benchmade blades I could carry but I like the Voyager for several reasons:

light weight,

inexpensive to replace,

very, very sharp,

easy to resharpen,

the clip on the Voyager doesn,t tear up
the lining of belts when worn inside my
waistband just behind my right hip,

it is as tough as I need it to be.

Willieboy
 
Backup 21, first off, please don't yell.

More to the point, I don't believe that a tanto style knife could perform for a year, all the uses I demand of a knife. Secondly, I don't believe it to be a high quality knife, the blade steel is AUS-8, the handle is plastic, the clip is non-removable, and non-reversable, and well, the serrations really do look like the cheepest @$$ serrations I have ever seen...

I could, on the other hand, last a whole year with a BM AFCK, Axis-Lock knife, or a REKAT Carnivour, but not a CS folder, sorry...
smile.gif


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"All of our knives open with one hand, in case you're busy with the other"
<OVAL OFFICE JOKE>
 
I must ask what this knife is a "backup" to? A sidearm or another better quality knife?
If it was a gift and all you had then I would be happy with it. If you have better knives in the stable use them. AFCK is a great all around knife.
 
While not my first choice, I do not see being stuck with a Gunsite or Extra large tanto Voyager as being a year in hell. I see the Voyager series of knives as being the best for an all around abuse knife. IF want a folder that is going to see alot of unreasonably hard use (like if yer a mechanic or something) and want something that will hold up but not be a burden if it finally does give up the ghost, the Voyager series is about the best one can go with.

In alot of areas, I think the Voyager would be tougher than the axis, especially in blade strength..the Axis is way thin, and ats34 tends to be a lot more brittle than aus8. I believe the Gunsite would win in a prying contest with the Axis. And AUS8 seems to get sharper than ats34 as well, at least in my experience. That would be a consideration for me if I had to cut out splinters alot..
smile.gif
..

Overall, I like my Axis, but mostly for reasons of pride. I don't think I would be ashamed to have a gunsite though.

Yek
 
Man, I was getting depressed about buying my CS Gunsite reading this. That is until I took it out of my pocket and was instatnly reminded that I like this knife. I honestly do not believe some of you know what you are talking about. As a utility knife, sure the AFCK is a little more ideal. And the material quality is higher with such knives as well. Then again it should be: They cost 30 - 40 clams more. But if you're going to pull out a four inch blade against someone with two inches more reach on his knife (one inch on the blade, one on the handle) and equal fighting skills, you're in trouble. Yes yes, I know that combat is an almost never a situation, but to say that this knife has no ability is absurd. Forget about what the knife LOOKS like; it is a pretty good tool. The serrations cut as well as, if not better than, a BM's. The steel does get sharper easyier than ATS-34, though admitedly it doesn't hold the edge QUITE as long. AUS-8A is also a tougher steel than the over rated, finicky, inconsistant ATS-34. Oh yeah, and the clip was a big surprise to me. It is the least noticable and inocent looking clip I have seen(Hey, I can't stand nosey people, alright?), and it dosn't seem to lack any strength. I think it is a mistake for CS to hve decided to switch to steel clips on future knives (a marketing decision no doubt).

I am not outright supporting this knife though, in case you're planning on buying one. Something should be done to prevent the pinns from slipping, which is what I believe happened on the throwing experiment above. This however is rarely going to happen unless subjected to obviouse abuse. The knife's lock does hold a lot of torque (see that annoying Proof video), so the pins don't go anywhere fast. The comments about the jerky, tight action are also true. The tightness of my Gunsite wore off, but the jerkyness didn't. With a Dremel, I was able to remedy this however by grinding and polishing down the tang.
 
I owned Gunsite for less than a month and then sent it back cuz it was illegal (too big) to carry in CT. I liked it at first and coulkd really flick it out fast. Then I got sick of the serrations. For a backup knife to very little use, I would say go for it. For an everyday using knife, go with an Axis, Carnivour or something else that is plain edge and is a little smaller and won't scare the peoples when you flick it open. The clip was a thick plastic clip, so it looked harmless, almost like a beeper clip. Also, in terms of reach, you could hold the end of the handle and get some really good reach. If you want it as a back up and for intimidation value, it would be fine. For every day use, no. It isn't practical unless you need a megafolder. If you need a megafolder, hold out for the REKAT SIFU...Recurve blade 5.5", rolling lock, I think!
 
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