Cold Steel Large polished aluminum ESPADA. Why do my 2 look so different?

Sillyship

Sillyship

Joined
May 23, 2015
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790
I have two Espadas and I'm wondering why they look so different from each other? I looked online some but I couldn't find anything. Both of them say they were made in Taiwan. If you look at the bad photos you'll notice that the length of steel between the swoop of the top (non sharpened) side of the blade and the thumb ramp is much longer on one than on the other. I'm wondering why they look so different.
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And yes, I know they need a good wiping.
 
The bolsters are different, too. Did Cold Steel do a mid-production design change? Is one of those a counterfeit copy?
 
Came out in 2008 and had not changed in the latest catalog information I have which is 2014.
 

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That is very weird: Cold Steel are not known to play around with their designs a lot, except for minor details, and those are big overall profile differences...

The long flat spine one has some very suspicious features: The index finger groove on the right side is much less radiused, and the bolsters seem to have a significantly lower level of finish: The position of the forward screw is not the same (it is lower), and the finish around the main pivot is different.

Most obvious is the bolster finish, which appears not as high, and this contrasts strongly to the other one (in the photos at least): I strongly smell a fake... Maybe someone from Cold Steel could say for sure: Did you pay the same price? Was it a reputable dealer?

Gaston
 
I think you just have two variants. The three differences that are immediately apparent (to me) are the difference in bolster length, ricasso length, and length of the clip points. Most of the pics I've seen of the fancy version of the Large Espada show the version with the longer ricasso and clip point and shorter bolster, like the top one in your first pic, but I just found a pic from CS's own site showing one that looks just like the top one in your second pic, with the shorter ricasso and clip point but longer bolster:

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edit: Compare the marked features in pic below to the fancy Large Espada in the pic above:

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The longer bolstered version in your pics seemed off to me initially, but the pic from CS's site does show this variant. In other words, I think both are legit, just different variations they may have played with during the production run. :thumbup:
 
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Yes, that appears correct: The only difference I still see persisting is the front top bolster pin, which is not higher than the rear one on the long spine knife, while it is on the Cold Steel add and on his other knife.

The lack of radius on the right side of the finger groove is also suspect, as that is an obvious shortcut, but it doesn't prove a fake by a long shot.

Gaston
 
Good eye. I didn't notice the radius thing, but you are correct. Still, I think they are both more than likely legit examples from different batches. :thumbup:
 
I've had something similar happen twice now with other brands. Both times I just took pictures like you did, and emailed customer service. Once, I was told rather quickly it was just a design change, and the other time the owner actually responded that I had a prototype that he remembered working with.
 
Thanks for all of the input, I feel like this was a worthwhile cause if for nothing more than a good lesson on knife mechanics and vocabulary. I'm going to do like slauterhause did and send these photos to Cold Steel. Expect an update as soon as I receive an answer from them.
 
Most likely, this has to do with the switch to a saber grind for more blade strength.

(This is supposed to be on the 2015 versions.)

Versus the originals that had hollow grinds.

They did this because of people using the Espadas as machetes for woods work and bushcraft-style tasks that experienced breakage.

Also, are they both the original Aus-8A blade steel? The newer 2015 versions have Carpenter CTS-XHP blades and DLC-coatings.
 
Both of mine are hollow grinds and I'm sure, although they are not marked, that they are both Aus8. I weighed them and the larger ricasso and shorter bolster came in at 9.6 oz. while the other was at 9.8 Oz.
Also, another difference I found is that the one with the longer bolsters scale screws stand higher than the other's. That is because those screws go through the liner and into the blade holstering area. I'm not sure if that's just the sign of a shitty worker or a sure tell sign that it is a counterfeit. I took some photos. The first photo is of the one with the longer bolsters.
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Then there is this little F&F detail.
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BTW, I love this knife, love having two, just in case and cannot wait to get my hands on the XHP steel version. Although I will prolly have to frankenstein a G10 versions blade onto one of mine, if that's even possible, because I don't think I can afford that new aluminum XHP version.
 
It's my understanding that Cold Steel changed the blade profile on the large Espada about two or three years ago. In the first picture of this thread, the bottom knife has the new profile. If you look at pictures of the current CTS-XHP/G-10 version, it appears to have the same blade profile. I can't speak to the other differences, but my guess is that they are all changes that were made at the same time.

I suspect that the moderator will give us the authoritative answer soon.
 
If that's so, they cheapened it. The fit-and-finish of the newer one sucks when compared to the older one. I would not buy one of these "new" ones. Not now, not ever. Look at the pics in post #15. YUCK!! Looks like they found someone to make a substandard Espada, and kept the price the same. The old Stealth Price Increase strikes again.
 
I think they are both good, slight differences, and of course I am disappointed by the lack of finesse that the screws were inserted, but the knife is one amazing piece of workmanship. I was a fan of cold steel already, my recent venture into collecting knives was spawned by them 25 or more years ago when we use to drool over the trailmaster bowie in carbon V. I even had the demo vid on vhs for it. We used to watch that thing in amazement. When I began my new knife collection, the first knife I got was the Trailmaster Bowie in 01. One day I hope to own one of those Natchez bowie knives to accompany it.
 
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