cold steel knives good or bad?

For your purposes, and in your price range, get a Trailmaster factory second. They go for $100 and have the full guarantee. According to CS, the factory seconds pass all factory requirements, save finish. I know a man who has a Trailmaster second and has tried to break it, simply to know the knife's limits. He can't. They are good knives, especially for the money. And, concerning the handles, I like the feel of the Kraton. If it ever comes loose, I'll simply re-handle the knife, or find someone to do it for me. If you don't want a second, get an SRK. I have one, have tried to break it, and can't. It is a great knife, just a little smaller than my preferences run.
 
I am brand new to this forum but I have had experience in the backwoods on every continent except anartica.

I own a Cold Steel Trailmaster. I have owned and carried this same Trailmaster since 1987 or 1988. It is carbon V and I have never had one complaint.

This blade is as solid as a crowbar. holds an amazing edge and chops right through bone. I have quartered two elks, one bear, and countless deer with this blade not to mention digging latrines, chopping firewood. I just keep a light coat of oil on the blade and it has never failed me yet.

I will mention this is one of the old Trailmasters when cold Steel was a very young company. In fact I saw and purchased this knife at one of the shot shows. Well my dad paid for half of it for an early birthday present and I paid for the other half.

If I remember correctly this blade was $329.00 retail and I paid $300.00 show special because my half was $150.

The ONLY complaint about this knife was the handle, kraton is very hard on the hands especially in the heat when holding onto this knife and using it is like holding 60-grit sandpaper.

I modified this knife after the first season of using this knife, the blisters from the kraton being my motivation.

Being a master leathersmith I replaced the kraton handle with a stacked and pressed leather handle with a solid nickle hammer pommel that is tapped and pinned both.

I am not a knife maker (being a master leathersmith I am usually on the end that wraps and protects knives) but I have built about a hundred knives in my life so I felt comfortable doing these mods myself.

I am very comfortable with my old cold steel now that it is my own custom knife. and I have never had any complaints with it to date.

I have not kept up with cold steel over the years quailty etc... and I do not have any desire to replace this knife or buy a new blade for what this knife's purpose is.

I might note I carry four other blades while backpacking and hunting and fishing.....
They are the victorinox mutlitool with the tools and the victorinox pocket knife with the lockblade and the swiss champ and the really huge SOS survival kit (not available until recently in the states I have only seen it on ebay). I do not remember the model name of the lockblade as I purchsed all three of these in switzerland at the victorinox factory while on their tour in 1994 when I was backpacking in europe. The last blade I carry is a folding 7" norwegin fillet knife I purchased in holland.

I hope this helps some one out...
 
I own a Recon Scout and I like it very much. However I'm not very fond of
the kraton handle. Can you post a pic of your trailmaster with the leather
handle ?
 
textoothpk said:
Mike, I'd like very much to see that handle too, if possible.
Phil
Click to expand...

I would love to show you but I do not have picture posting privledges.

let me know how to post them and I will...
 
DeadManWalking said:
Cons

Eventually everything they make will be 420
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This couldn't be further from the truth. If you check the Special Projects website you will find that *at least* 4 models, off the top of my head, have been discontinued in 420 and rereleased in good ol' Carbon V. I think CS has finally gotten the message.......even CS fans don't want cheap steel. I hope this trend continues.

To the General: You wrote: " I am still surprised that C/S claim 8a steel is the best thing since sliced bread, when my own practical experience and tests shows that 8a is a reasonable steel but WAY behind steels like S30V, VG10 and RW-34"How they think they will fool people with the 440a and 420 grade steel range is beyond me! So it has a Cryo triple heat treat... Big deal! Low end is still low end! They omit to mention that such heat treats are normal nowerdays.


I hope you are not a SOG fan because they have been using, not 8a, but 6a and 440A steel for a long time, in their flagship knives (Seal 2000, Seal Pup, et al) and claiming it's the best around. .....are they fooling people too?

BTW, I have owned numerous CS knives in AUS8 and have been very happy with their performance.
 
mike413 said:
I would love to show you but I do not have picture posting privledges.

let me know how to post them and I will...
Click to expand...

Uploading them somewhere else and posting links is the easiest way.

I am happy that CS is getting rid of the 420 J2. The UWK and OSS look nice. I wish they would put out the Peacekeeper in Carbon V.
 
Trout Tamer said:
For your purposes, and in your price range, get a Trailmaster factory second. They go for $100 and have the full guarantee. According to CS, the factory seconds pass all factory requirements, save finish. I know a man who has a Trailmaster second and has tried to break it, simply to know the knife's limits. He can't. They are good knives, especially for the money. And, concerning the handles, I like the feel of the Kraton. If it ever comes loose, I'll simply re-handle the knife, or find someone to do it for me. If you don't want a second, get an SRK. I have one, have tried to break it, and can't. It is a great knife, just a little smaller than my preferences run.
Click to expand...

I agree! At the L.A. Greatwestern Gun Show (no longer in LA due to the Liberal Morons on the City Council) I was able to get 2 Recon Scouts and a SRK special projects (factorysecond) for bargain prices. They are terrific knives. We could not tell the difference from the 1st retail they were selling, One Recon Scout was 1/8" longer. I have had a trailmaster since they 1st were sold, it is still going strong. I like thre idea of the leather stack handle, how much do you charge? :D
 
Will P. said:
Uploading them somewhere else and posting links is the easiest way.

I am happy that CS is getting rid of the 420 J2. The UWK and OSS look nice. I wish they would put out the Peacekeeper in Carbon V.
Click to expand...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one. As you know, the Peacekeepers were originally available in Carbon V. I put off buying one and then they went to bead blasted 420. For quite a while you could buy 2nds in Carbon V but I missed out on those by putting it off and now they'er gone. Once in a while you can still find one on the net or on ebay.
 
I forgot to add, if you follow Tactical Knives survival column, the SRK or Trailmaster is mentioned by nearly all of the wilderness and survival experts profiled.

I have switched to a RAT-7 as my primary wilderness carry blade. It meets and often exceeds my expectations and is a real bargain. It comes in a Spec_Ops sheath that is excellent. In the next week or so the D2 version will be hitting dealers stock. I can't wait! Take a look at :

TN :D
 
Yeah, I missed the Carbon V factory 2nds too. Buy the knife tomorrow when you can do it today. :( . The picture on their factory 2nds site still shows a Carbon V Peacekeeper.
 
My friend cord wrapped his trail master, and I wrapped my recon. They feel so much better now.
hunted_woods.jpg
 
A great bang for your buck knife, they have a lot of interesting pieces, and are generally a well made product, for less than 50 bucks, they are for sure worth a try.
 
As can be seen in the posts so far, the biggest complaints against Cold Steel knives are about the kraton handles and the use of 420 steel in some models. One thing I have read that no one above mentioned is that some have experienced premature wear on the kraton handles.

Otherwise, if you can get the Carbon V fixed blade models at reasonable prices they are good knives. I much prefer CS kraton handles to the slippery handles on the BK&T line. But of course, a good traditional leather, wood, or micarta handle would be better.
 
W.T. Beck said:
As can be seen in the posts so far, the biggest complaints against Cold Steel knives are about the kraton handles and the use of 420 steel in some models. One thing I have read that no one above mentioned is that some have experienced premature wear on the kraton handles.

Otherwise, if you can get the Carbon V fixed blade models at reasonable prices they are good knives. I much prefer CS kraton handles to the slippery handles on the BK&T line. But of course, a good traditional leather, wood, or micarta handle would be better.
Click to expand...

Speaking of the Cold Steel line my best buddy has a recon scout which is just a short trailmaster and I had put micarta handles on his for him.... I would get a picture of it but he is some where in Iraq with the mississippi national guard.....

I have sent him an email and I will see if he will take a picture of it and send it to me and if he does I will post it up for you...

I have been learning frontpage and I get webspace with my isp so I will post a link to the pictures for you all....
 
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