Cold Steel Question?

the PC answer is that they couldn't give the attention the forum needed. I think they thought it would be a part time endeavor but required full time attention. Plus a lot of the topics that appeared were simply "I hate Cold Steel" in nature. Why stay when so many are negative?
 
Bill raises a good point.

And I fall into that "I hate cold steel" category. I will admit that I probably sell them a bit short, but for their prices I think alot of folks would be better off with other brands. Cold Steel seems to be really proud of their mediocre stuff, and their PR department is not famous for customer interaction or satisfaction. If I hadn't heard so many stories about Cold Steel giving their customers the shaft customer support wise, I might take the plunge and try a Voyager or something. As is, buying a mediocre product at a really not great price, and knowing if it breaks or anything i'll be SOL is not a good formula to make me want any of Cold Steel's stuff.

What i'm really trying to say is that "I hate cold steel" with good reason, and until they give me a reason not to hate them, I will continue to utterly ignore their products.
 
I'm not liking their handles (they're actually quite comfy but impossible to remove without destroying) and the SRK that I had is a nice piece. Of course you'd have to look for the best bang of the buck around online ;)
They're not terribly bad, but they aren't exactly the cream of the crop.
You'll find a lot of people like spyderco, and heck i'm a convert :)
 
Originally posted by YoungCutter
Bill raises a good point.

And I fall into that "I hate cold steel" category. I will admit that I probably sell them a bit short, but for their prices I think alot of folks would be better off with other brands. Cold Steel seems to be really proud of their mediocre stuff, and their PR department is not famous for customer interaction or satisfaction. If I hadn't heard so many stories about Cold Steel giving their customers the shaft customer support wise, I might take the plunge and try a Voyager or something. As is, buying a mediocre product at a really not great price, and knowing if it breaks or anything i'll be SOL is not a good formula to make me want any of Cold Steel's stuff.

What i'm really trying to say is that "I hate cold steel" with good reason, and until they give me a reason not to hate them, I will continue to utterly ignore their products.
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First of all not all of CS stuff is mediocre. Some is low end, medium and high end. I have heard horror stories about other knife companies cust. support as well as good stuff. If their stuff was so mediocre why are they the largest knife company around? You DO live up to your username...
 
You might hate Coldsteel but a lot of people depend on them. Here in Denamrk Coldsteel is one of two American knife manufacturers that will/can deliver knives on a regular basis. The fact that the taxes are so very high here in Denmark will make every knife very exspensive. A coldsteel product will often cost 35% more than in the US. This really sucks but that is also why you should be happy about having the choice.
 
one of my first 'tac' knives was a CS gunsite large model, a pretty good knife, inpaid like $45 or so for it, an ok price, have certainly gotten my $$ outta it, do i like cold steel??

well, they are ok. a good entry level knife, imho, and i think they make some good tanto fixed blades, some overpriced imho FWIW, but they are'nt a bad knife, just not a great one imho.

kinda like CRKT, but i think CRKT is trying to change this image , the last one i got, a falcon, was much nicer/better made/fitted than my previous stuff.......

so i think they are ok if ya get a good deal, pay $50 - 100 on one, but i think there is better stuff around when ya get to the $100 and up mark

greg
 
I must admit, I have had great luck with the CS items I own. They are a great value for the dollar. They hold up quite well and are sharp as can be (and easy to keep sharp).

Personally I find all of the CS "hype" and aggressive advertising to be a bit too much to take sometimes. However, I have also learned to judge a company by their product quality instead of their advertising. I simply cannot make a judgment call on their customer service department as I have never needed to call them!!

CS has developed a niche in the marketplace and has capitalized on it very well. More power to them!
 
I have to agree with Youngcutter that some of the Cold Steel knives seem a bit overpriced. For example, I considered buying a Carbon V Master Hunter. However, for a knife with a plain carbon steel blade and rubber handle, the price seemed a bit high.

In comparison, I see some of the new Marble's knives with rubber handles advertised for $5 - $10 less (although in all likelihood the dealer doesn't actually have any).
 
I have a couple of Cold Steel pieces.Good deaal for the money if you don't pay full retail.
Second what Jayharley wrote.
 
I think for the money that cold steel makes a decent knife. (Assuming you don't pay cold steel's recommended prices that is.) Oh sure they aren't as good as some custom what's it and you can certainly buy better production knives, but for the most part they are soid, dependable, and don't look half bad.
 
I would say the factory seconds are worth the price, if you can find what you want as a factory second. I bought the Cold Steel Trailmaster factory second, and it was worth the price. However, for the price of the regular model I could have bought something better, such as a custom Mineral Mountain Hatchet Works bowie, or a Marble's Trailmaker (provided anyone had them).
 
I have to step in here and say something in defence of Cold Steel. It was CS which first kindled my current interest in knives. I didn't care for their aggressive advertising, in particular (I got a nice note from Lynn Thompson when I wrote to him about this, incidentally), but I found their line of knives to be first class and innovative. It was CS that popularized the North American tanto and Kraton grips, although I think Buck was first to introduce Kraton in sporting knives. My original tanto is one heck of a sturdy knife and holds a terrific edge, whatever the '400 Series' steel is. I think the Master Hunter is one of the most outstanding hunting knives I've ever come across, and CS's development of Carbon V high carbon steel set a new standard in knives when it was introduced about a decade ago. It's still a great steel, even compared to the new wonder steels, and the much-dissed Kraton grip is one of the best ever for cold and slippery conditions. CS also, to my knowledge, was among the first to use AUS-8, which I have found to be a totally satisfactory, stainless steel: holds an excellent edge, easy to resharpen, and highly corrosion resistant. No, it's not a premium steel like VG-10 or ATS-34, but it's leagues better than a lot of the other stainless steels such as 400A, IMHO. CS has introduced several super strong locking mechanisms for their folders, and a host of other new and innovative products. In fact, I don't know of any other manuracturer who has done as much in the knife industry. So Lynn Thompson can share my campfire any time.
 
Here is one example of why I think Cold Steel is a bit overpriced when compared to their competition. Recently I bought a Junglee knive similar in size and configuration to the Cold Steel Aus-8 Master Hunter. The Junglee has a different blade profile, but like the Master Hunter is made from Aus-8 and has a rubber handle. I paid $45 for the Junglee on sale. The lowest price I could find for the Aus-8 version of the Master Hunter was $56.

Maybe there is something I am overlooking here. Perhaps the CS knife has a better heat treatment or edge geometry - I don't know. However, what I saw were two very similar knives, with one costing $11 - almost 20 percent - more than the other.

I am not a Cold Steel hater and I have bought and own Cold Steel knives which I like very much. All I am saying is that sometimes when I compare Cold Steel knives to similar knives in other brands, I find that the Cold Steel models cost more, and for what reason I cannot determine.
 
Wow,thanks for the info guys.I have always thought that cold steel knives were pretty good knives,not my fav mind you but their 2nds seem a pretty good deal.I especially like the Kukris which seem to be top notch and good choppers.Back to my original question though and someone here mentioned how their sales tactics seemed aggressive,so why do they not take the forums by storm such as Busse and stider and the many other manufacturers that have obviously increased their sales by great discussion?I get the impression that Mr. Thompson is an aggressive sales person so why not here?
 
As Bill Siegle mentioned Cold Steel had a forum here some time ago, maybe i was still "lurker" then or perhaps when I just start on the forum. Partly due to members enthusiasm and partly due to pointed questions about the co's inflated publicity/advertising, it quickly had more threads than any other forum IIRC. The moderator from Cold Steel was only able to visit briefly each day and qucikly he was "over-run' by the number of inquiries. Also as we know from watching moderators here deal with hostile posts it is more difficult and time consuming to respond to negative questions than positive ones, it is also more draining. CS soon withdrew their involvement with bladeforums, they simply did not anticipate the response.
Yes they are guilty of hype but I belive they make some excellent knives, I like the Master hunter too (I got mine maybe 4-5 years ago for $40 with Carbon V, now it its 2 times that?) and SRK is reliable "beater." Also Sal Glesser, Spyderco respects Col dSteel and speaks highly of Lynn Thompson as a person and businessman. Good enough for me-
Martin
 
I'm downright impressed with Arc Angel. You can read my review by clicking here

As a company, Cold Steel doesn't always do a good job of customer relations. It's a mixed bag. They offer a great video (one of the first knife companies that I can recall to use video). They've got a good website.

But, they don't participate in the forums and they don't have a booth at Bladeshow. They just don't do a good job of the "pedestrian-level," "shakin' the hand," public relations. That's a pitty and in this internet-centeric market, I think it's probably costing them.
 
Originally posted by Gollnick
I'm downright impressed with Arc Angel. You can read my review by clicking here

As a company, Cold Steel doesn't always do a good job of customer relations. It's a mixed bag. They offer a great video (one of the first knife companies that I can recall to use video). They've got a good website.

But, they don't participate in the forums and they don't have a booth at Bladeshow. They just don't do a good job of the "pedestrian-level," "shakin' the hand," public relations. That's a pitty and in this internet-centeric market, I think it's probably costing them.
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well said
I'd think that their site is poorly designed, and I don't hear them having a presence online or in person often.
 
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