Cold Steel Parking Lot Sale 2010: The Spoils

T

TheBleedingEdge

Joined
Apr 14, 2010
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Hey everyone!

I just got back from the 2010 Cold Steel Parking Lot Sale, and I wanted to share with you everything I got a hold of. I'd also like to see any knives you picked up if you were in Ventura County, California for this year's sale!

The sale was awesome this year. The early-morning line was pretty big, but the Cold Steel staff ushered everyone in pretty quickly. With a signature on a release form, I was in within three minutes and perusing the wares. Here's what I found:

urban_pal.jpg


I'm a big fan of small, portable utility knives, so I knew I just had to pick up another Urban Pal, since my first one is beaten up (still sharp, though). These were marked down considerably.

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I was surprised when I picked up the Ultimate Hunter. When I first saw it, I thought that it was an off-shoot of the Voyager, to which is bears a close resemblance. In reality, the Hunter feels much tighter, and the handle material feels more like rubber (Edit: the scales are made of Thermorun) instead of Zytel, so you can get a really good grip on it even with sweaty hands. The rocker lock also clicks really hard - I startled the woman beside me when I opened it. I can think of a trail-hiking friend who will really like this one.

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They had every model of Ti-Lite available on the tables, and I decided to go with the 4" aluminum. The anodized titanium handled Ti-Lite was a bit too flashy for my taste, and the Zytel model just didn't feel as solid. I did a double-take when I saw the 6-inchers.

ak-47.jpg


Present at the sale were the new Tri-Ad Lock AK-47s. I'd heard about how rugged they were, but I didn't realize just how rugged until I picked one up. The solid, liner-less G-10 handle means this knife has a very minimalist design, making it exceptionally light. This knife will most likely become my daily work-horse.

rajah_ii.jpg


I saw the box for the Rajah II on the table and snatched it up right away. I spent some time wandering around the lot and then found myself a nice unoccupied corner so I could take it out and examine it. It was a factory second, and upon very close examination I saw the blemish that condemned it - the final bevel on the steel that drops into the blade's edge starts slightly sooner on the right side than on the left. That's all.

hatamoto.jpg


Ever since I was introduced to Cold Steel, I fell in love with the Hatamoto. Today, I finally picked one up, and it surpasses my expectations of it. Some people don't like the flat handle shape, but it works for my hands. The G-10 texturing on this handle is probably my favourite out of all texture types. It really digs into your hand with its primary and secondary etchings.

black_talon.jpg


Yes, this is a Black Talon. There were only two of these suckers sitting on the table, and I was fast enough to recognize it and snatch it up right away. For the rest of the day, I overheard heard people asking about Black Talons, and I just walked around smugly knowing that I had one of the only ones in my bag.

Here's a picture of the whole family:

whole_family.jpg


All in all, I'd say I had a great day. They had tons of stock out on display, from their swords, to axes, to tomahawks, to their inferno sprays. Just about everything in their stock was available, and marked down considerably. If you have an opportunity to head out to the sale tomorrow, I urge you to do so.

Again, if you managed to make it out, please post pictures too. I'd love to see what other people managed to snap up!
 
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Very nice haul you have there. :thumbup:

You scored some excellent blades. :D
 
That Ultimate Hunter looks very similar in design to the Kabar Dozier Large Hunter. Any comparison?
 
The Ultimate Hunter is nothing like the Dozier really. For one the UH is huge by comparison. The Ultimate Hunter is one of several models designed for Cold Steel by Lloyd Pendleton. Its a heck of a knife but is rather big for foot print. Overall I found little fault with either of the two I've owned. I wrote a review of one of them on the review forum back when I still had one. The blade on my first one was AUS8. The second was VG-1. Both were slightly over 5/32" thick blades and very impressively built. I took the one I reviewed apart and compared it to the Mini Manix side by side as I recall. It may have been the Manix. I really can't recall at this time.

STR
 
That Rajah II is a Beast, all in all i'd say you had a great day Congrats. :thumbup:
 
Ankerson said:
Very nice haul you have there. :thumbup:

You scored some excellent blades. :D
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Thanks, Ankerson! I'll admit, I bought a couple of knives I originally had no intention of buying, just because the prices were so good. But I know I will find uses for each of these knives, be they tasks or as gifts to friends.

JeremiahWeaver09 said:
thats an awesome score, how much did all of that cost you ?

the black talon is awesome, you should have bought both.
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I'll keep the final price a secret, for the sake of courtesy. But considering that two of the knives (the Hatamoto and the Black Talon) are part of Cold Steel's high-end line, you may be shocked to learn that the final total of all of the knives combined was in the triple digits.

As for the second Black Talon, it was sort of a spur of the moment thing. The way to sale works is that you walk around putting items into a big plastic bag you get at the entrance to the tent, and then go through a checkout line that leads out of the tent. You can put things away while you're in the tent if you decide later that you don't want them, but every item in your bag represents an item that no one can take from you - so it is to your benefit to grab everything you even MIGHT be interested in buying and then sort through your final purchases afterwards.

When I grabbed the Black Talon, I was buying it for a specific person. But just as you said - it occurred to me later that I should have grabbed both. Like I said, it's all spur of the moment.

HandofCod said:
That Ultimate Hunter looks very similar in design to the Kabar Dozier Large Hunter. Any comparison?
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The Ultimate Hunter has a nicer grip than the Dozier, and its handle shape is much better fitted to the hand - the Dozier is a bit flat and it can get uncomfortable if you're using it for a really hard job like skinning. The Hunter also has some friction ridges on the underside of the blade just before the edge grind, and on the top forward end of the knife. These provide grip so you can choke up the blade for minute cutting tasks.

Normally I'd say that the Ultimate Hunter is better than Ka-Bar's Dozier, except that the Ultimate Hunter costs about four or five times as much. My advice is that if you're going to use the hunter intensively for skinning, utility, and general work on the trail or in the wilderness, the comfort of the Hunter can justify the price difference. But if you're looking for a solid, reliable, and inexpensive knife, then stick with the Ka-Bar.
 
Thanks for the useful heads up.
 
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citizensoldierNY said:
Maybe to hold Cold Steel blameless when you cut yourself or blast a friend with a face full of Inferno?
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Yeah, pretty much.

I stopped by the sale earlier today. In the past, they had great deals on things like used tomahawk heads. Kinda picked over today. I did buy three different 12" machetes @ 3 for $12. I think that line has been discontinued, so the low price.
 
I'm planning to go next year. I would have gone this year, but unfortunately a family emergency popped up.

BleedingEdge, just out of curiosity, how far did you have to drive to get to the sale?
 
TheBleedingEdge said:
The Ultimate Hunter has a nicer grip than the Dozier, and its handle shape is much better fitted to the hand - the Dozier is a bit flat and it can get uncomfortable if you're using it for a really hard job like skinning. The Hunter also has some friction ridges on the underside of the blade just before the edge grind, and on the top forward end of the knife. These provide grip so you can choke up the blade for minute cutting tasks.

Normally I'd say that the Ultimate Hunter is better than Ka-Bar's Dozier, except that the Ultimate Hunter costs about four or five times as much. My advice is that if you're going to use the hunter intensively for skinning, utility, and general work on the trail or in the wilderness, the comfort of the Hunter can justify the price difference. But if you're looking for a solid, reliable, and inexpensive knife, then stick with the Ka-Bar.
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Thanks for the advice! I ended up buying the Kabar Dozier Hunter (3") with intent on getting the new Voyager series in VG-1 when they become available.

I've been impressed with my Recon Scout so I figure I'll get a quality CS folder like a Recon 1 or AK-47. At the moment the new Voyagers look like fitting the bill!
 
I picked up a polypropelyne katana, sjambok whip, and heavy machete. My brother got a polypropelyne katana and a Black Rock Hunter.
 
Oh man, I'm way too jealous. I got to go to the sidewalk sale in 2008, and it was a total blast. Stood in line for a good while, but the people watching opportunities more than made up for the wait.

And the waiver you sign at the door; it's no joke. Some dude got cut no more than three minutes after the doors opened. Usually it's the guys strolling through the sword aisle that take their safety into their own hands.

Good stuff.
 
Splat said:
Nice haul! I'm curious why you need to sign a release. Were there protos on display or was there other reasons?
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Nah. It's just for liability reasons. They've got bladed objects on every table, in every bucket, and in every box. They want to cover their asses in case someone decides to attempt a creative interpretation of blade safety.

Bruise Lee said:
I'm planning to go next year. I would have gone this year, but unfortunately a family emergency popped up.

BleedingEdge, just out of curiosity, how far did you have to drive to get to the sale?
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I live in East Los Angeles, so for me it was a good 75 miles there. 150 miles total, round trip. But considering how much money I saved, it was more than worth it. I'll definitely be going to next year's sale.

HandofCod said:
Thanks for the advice! I ended up buying the Kabar Dozier Hunter (3") with intent on getting the new Voyager series in VG-1 when they become available.

I've been impressed with my Recon Scout so I figure I'll get a quality CS folder like a Recon 1 or AK-47. At the moment the new Voyagers look like fitting the bill!
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The AK-47 I showed above is tough, and I mean effin tough. I affectionately call this thing the Pocket Tank. You'll be doing yourself right by getting one.

I also have a 2010 Large Tanto Voyager on backorder. Unfortunately they didn't have them at the sale, or else I would have snatched up a few of those as well!
 
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