Cold Steel not actually make knives?

M

Mirror-Saw

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Apr 1, 2005
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I've heard alot of people say Cold Steel doesn't actually make knives, does anyone have any real good sources for this? or is it all speculation?
 
Cold Steel is a design and marketing company which has never manufactured any of its own knives.
 
Are there any links to sources for that? it'd be greatly appreciated. Also, anyone know what companies make them? aside from Camillus.

Thanks for the replies.
 
I think theres a lot of BS talked about Cold Steel. Mainly because people dont like LT and his style of marketting.

As far as I know.

Cold Steel and Camillus used to get their steel from the same factory (Sharon Steel) This was the Carbon V steel (0170-6C) Later when Sharon steel stopped doing this, CS used another factory to make a very similar steel (still called Carbon V) then they got their latest factory to make the original Sharon steel recipe. This is used on all their Carbon V USA made knives today.

Their Tanto range (San Mai III) and many oftheir folders (AUS 8) are made in Japan. Somewhere in Seki City.

Their Cheapy line such as the Kobun, Peacekeeper etc are all made in Taiwan out of 420SZ

K
 
Mirror-Saw said:
I've heard alot of people say Cold Steel doesn't actually make knives, does anyone have any real good sources for this? or is it all speculation?
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A real good source is a Cold Steel knife. Just pick one up and the chances are that it will have "Made in Taiwan" or "Made in Japan" stamped on it.
 
I contacted CS and asked them. This was their reply:

We do not disclose that information. Thank you.
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As far as I am concerned that tells me all I need to know. In my opinion, any company that made their own knives would be proud of that fact and would not keep it a secret.
 
And that's OK. I don't care who makes a knife, so long as I know where and the knife is good. I've my suspicions on where AG's knives are made, though...
 
I know Cold Steel doesn't have many friends around here, but let's have a reality check...

Does it really matter who makes the knife? Spyderco makes a lot of models in Japan; Columbia River's knives are all (as far as I can tell) made in Taiwan. Besides foreign manufacture, Moore Maker's Utility line is made by Camillus. Numerous "brands" come out of a handful of factories in Solingen, Germany, too.

My point is this: if a company puts their name on a knife, it's theirs. If it's junk, so is their reputation, but so long as these "contract" knives are manufactured to the brand-owner's (hopefully) high standards, then the brand stands for something.

Getting back to my earlier example: Camillus' own-branded knives have a very mixed reputation, due to uneven quality. But I've yet to hear anyone say that the Utility line they manufacture for Moore Maker are anything but superb. So, even though Moore doesn't make the knife, the Moore name means you can be sure it's a good one.

And to get back to Cold Steel... I don't really care where their knives are made, so long as they're good knives. I own a few, and I'm happy with them; but I'm troubled by the shift to low-grade steels. If the quality slips, the Cold Steel name will take a beating, regardless of whenther the knives are made in Taiwan, China, Zimbabwe or Walden, NY. Which is as it should be.
 
The original question was, " I've heard alot of people say Cold Steel doesn't actually make knives, does anyone have any real good sources for this? or is it all speculation?", not - If it is indeed true that Cold Steel do not make their own knives, does that matter to you?
 
Many folks get lost in the shuffle due to the name on the knife. I overheard a guy cussing Winchester at Wal-Mart one night like Wincheseter was responsible for the $6 cheapy Chinese folder they sell there on the racks in the sporting goods section. He had no idea that it was really a Chinese made Gerber who licensed the Winchester name from either Taylor or Blue Grass Cutlery I can't remember. He only blamed Winchester because of the name on the knife.

I believe Blue Grass cutlery and Taylor along with others are famous for being the real people behind some other names we see often on 'contracted' cutlery like S&W for example.

A.G. Russell doesn't make his own knives but he does design them and overlook the specs and tolerances to make sure they are 'presentable' and of sufficient quality to bear his name. I see nothing at all wrong with that.

I've been very happy with many of my CS knives. I think one of the other guys hit it on the head best when he said mostly it is the owner that people get down on. It seems there is no gray area with Lynn T. You either love him or you hate him.
 
I asked about who makes them and if they do for someone who wanted some sources for it. I couldn't really answer him so i started wondering myself. Personally, i'm with the rest of you who say it doesn't matter who makes it as long as it's of decent quality.

As to the lower grade steels, it looks like most CS knives are AUS8 and Carbon V. I have no experience with Carbon V, but AUS8 seems to be pretty decent. Aside from the few cheap 420 models they have, what steels do they use that are considered lower end?
 
Titus said:
They also use 440A and San Mai III, which isn't really low end.
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As I understand it, the san mai III has an AUS8 core, and 440A isnt as bad as 420, but it isnt nearly as good as 440C. Not really the low end- but not the top either.

I would buy a CS product before I would buy a Gerber, but I wouldnt seriously consider buying from either company. I make it a point to only buy from companies I respect.

The way I see it, There are dozens of knife makers and companies out there that have superior products, service, and ethics.- they are going to get my business.
 
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