Cold Steel Quality... (Spartan)

dongbeiren

dongbeiren

Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Messages
400
I bought a Spartan about a month ago, loved it, but soon I realized some problem, one problem is the blade rusts SO easily, I could see very obvious rust in just 3-4 days after I put it in the drawer, and the locking bar in the handel is loose side to side, one more problem about the locking bar is: when I tried to open the knife, the blade sort of rubbed and dragged the locking bar and moved it backward a little bit inside the handel, and to a certain extent it'll slap back and hit the stopping pin between the blade and itself, it usually happens 2-3 times if I open it slowly (not sure if I explain it correctly...), so I returned it and bought another one from amazon (coz I have the amazon prime with free 2-day shipping), the second one doesn't have the locking bar problem but came rusted and chipped out of the box. I really like this knife and to me it's just a show piece, but i'm so disappointed at the quality, I think I'm gonna return this one too, dont know if I should get another one anymore...:confused:
 
I've never seen Cold Steel knives show any of those problems. I've had about 12 different models and the Spartan, too. Right now I only have a new Recon 1 and it's been around nearly a year now, no rusting. Or any other problems, at all. Maybe you should try buying from a dealer you find recommended in the exchange section here.
 
dongbeiren said:
I bought a Spartan about a month ago, loved it, but soon I realized some problem, one problem is the blade rusts SO easily, I could see very obvious rust in just 3-4 days after I put it in the drawer, and the locking bar in the handel is loose side to side, one more problem about the locking bar is: when I tried to open the knife, the blade sort of rubbed and dragged the locking bar and moved it backward a little bit inside the handel, and to a certain extent it'll slap back and hit the stopping pin between the blade and itself, it usually happens 2-3 times if I open it slowly (not sure if I explain it correctly...), so I returned it and bought another one from amazon (coz I have the amazon prime with free 2-day shipping), the second one doesn't have the locking bar problem but came rusted and chipped out of the box. I really like this knife and to me it's just a show piece, but i'm so disappointed at the quality, I think I'm gonna return this one too, dont know if I should get another one anymore...:confused:
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The rust issue is easily fixed; the problem is the coarse bead blast finish CS uses on their cheaper uncoated knives. You can pick up metal polish at almost any larger grocery/hardware store. A minute or two of light polishing is all that is necessary to permanently increase corrosion resistance.
 
I also have a rajah ii and a new recon 1, I didn't see these problems on any of them, only the Spartan.

I did notice a difference of the two Spartans I bought, the "SPARTAN" logo is printed closer to the handel on mine, and for other ppl's it is closer to the blade tip by several (5 maybe) milimeters.
 
darthsoaker said:
The rust issue is easily fixed; the problem is the coarse bead blast finish CS uses on their cheaper uncoated knives. You can pick up metal polish at almost any larger grocery/hardware store. A minute or two of light polishing is all that is necessary to permanently increase corrosion resistance.
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thanks for the tip, i'll do it on my next one if it rusts:p but for this one, i think i'll return it because it's got a small chip on the blade and it's pretty obvious.
 
darthsoaker said:
The rust issue is easily fixed; the problem is the coarse bead blast finish CS uses on their cheaper uncoated knives. You can pick up metal polish at almost any larger grocery/hardware store. A minute or two of light polishing is all that is necessary to permanently increase corrosion resistance.
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^^^This.

The rust thing isn't really a quality issue, it's just due to the type of blade finish. Rust is more of an issue with bead-blast finishes in general, although for some reason the Spartan seems to be particularly susceptible to it (more so than, say, bead-blast Kershaws). In addition to the metal polish, you can also put a light coat of oil (or a dry film rust inhibitor like Tuf Glide) on the blade to help prevent rust.
 
I live in Wyoming where there's almost no moisture in the air:p It's pretty hard for stainless steel to get rusted here, but still I usually oil my knives. After I bought my 1st Spartan, I wiped the facturay oil off and played with it almost everyday for the first 3-4 days, and it got rusted...
 
dongbeiren said:
I live in Wyoming where there's almost no moisture in the air:p It's pretty hard for stainless steel to get rusted here, but still I usually oil my knives. After I bought my 1st Spartan, I wiped the facturay oil off and played with it almost everyday for the first 3-4 days, and it got rusted...
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Haha...I think it's safe to say that the Spartan has a rust problem, then! :p
 
dongbeiren said:
I live in Wyoming where there's almost no moisture in the air:p It's pretty hard for stainless steel to get rusted here, but still I usually oil my knives. After I bought my 1st Spartan, I wiped the facturay oil off and played with it almost everyday for the first 3-4 days, and it got rusted...
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Even the sweat and grease from your skin can cause rust spots.
 
J.Davey said:
Even the sweat and grease from your skin can cause rust spots.
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yea, I think it's because of the sweat... but I've been carrying my Kershaw Skyline for a year now, and it's got no rust at all, never oiled, and when it gets dirty I usually just wash it directly with water and wipe it clean...
 
A friend of mine carried a Spartan for a little while. The blade rusted like crazy, but I don't think his had any of the other problems you mentioned...
 
The problem with the spring shifting has happened on other knives, I do believe it was addressed on the 2010 Lawman.
 
hardheart said:
The problem with the spring shifting has happened on other knives, I do believe it was addressed on the 2010 Lawman.
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but the strange thing is, for a much larger knife the Rajah II, it opens and closes very smoothly, no spring shifting.

I'm thinking of getting the Rajah III instead the Spartan, but it just lacks the feeling of wilderness..
 
I love my Spartan. Strongest folder I own next to a custom Demko.

[youtube]1cQuFvVoE78[/youtube]
 
I found the Spartan just too oddly shaped, closed to fit in any belt sheathes I have.
Then I tried the Recon 1 and it fits in a belt sheath, so it's one of the three I've removed the clip on to carry that way.
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Friend of mine has the Spartan and has put it through it's paces. He's had it for about 6 months. For a 2 week period he had stored in in his basement where the washing machine sprung a leak. Real humid down there and when he finally got his knife from there it had some real rust on it. I used some Flitz and a bit of 1500 wet/dry auto sandpaper and got it looking much better, and smoothed out that bb finish.

Next day he brought the knife over and showed me where it had slipped out of his hand, flown across the room, struck some concrete, and broke about 1/4" of the tip off. He was sick! Broke out the dremel and brought it down to a reverse tanto shape. He is well!:thumbup::)
 
My Rajah II was pitting a bit when I first got it. I washed it with dish soap thoroughly, the pits came off easily with just a normal scrubbie sponge.

After drying it I just coated it with the teflon/silicone Dupont general spray lube I've been using, wiped it to coat it well and then dried it with paper towels.

Nothing since and it's been in and out of my car, left sitting in a gear bag etc.

I've actually made a habit of thorough washing and coating of all new knives right out of the box now and found that lots of them have a lot of oil and dust etc from manufacturing and generally function better (folders) and just look better afterwards.
 
I have two Spartans, a Rajah I, and a Rajah II; one of the Spartans and the Rajah II are used all the time. A light coat of WD-40 wiped clean every week or two (or if it gets wet) and I've had no problems. Tha being said; one of the Spartans I bought second-hand did have a few small specs of discoloration/rust when I received it. It cleaned up easily just using Break Free and scratching at it with a fingernail/toothpick. It hasn't been an issue since.
 
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