Cold Steel Special Projects Catalog Spring 2004

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bear123

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Apr 2, 2003
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I just got the new Cold Steel catalog in the mail. I have not had a chance to watch the DVD that came with it. After a short read, all I can think is what a load of BS! Cold Steel wants me to believe that AUS8A is the ULTIMATE steel. " At Cold Steel we use AUS8A that has proven to be the ULTIMATE compromise between toughness and strength, edge holding, and resistance to corrosion."
Then they say that "our AUS6A is tougher than ATS-34, 440C, ATS-55, ect". I will not even mention what they say about their 420 Sub zero quench steel. They also mention about how most factory and custom knives are not shaving sharp out of the box. I have had over 25 Spyderco knives and every one of them were shaving sharp out of the box.
About Cold Steel's one year warranty, big f'n deal. "We stand behind our knives one hundred percent! Our folding knives are warranted for one year." About the DVD, it says, "DUPLICATING THESE TEST WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY".
My advice to cold steel, put more money into your knives and less into marketing! Nice catalog but some POS knives.
 
CS is, in a lot of ways, naught but hype. 420 is, and never will be, as good as pretty much anything. AUS8 is not the best stainless out there. Remember AUS10, the one they claimed to have made up? I've a Spyderco with it sitting on my desk. It's shaving sharp, too. ;)

The tests are amusing, but they are so far beyond normal use as to be ludicrous. Cutting, I understand. Stabbing? To a point. Beating a knife through a car door? No. SRKW chopped concrete blocks at Blade a few years ago, I'm amazed that CS hasn't tried it publicly.
 
Ahh, same topic raised again. Still,CS appeals to mainstream customers. And the SRKW demo with the cinder blocks was a nice demo, but they could have used a harder concrete. You could kick through a cinder block with regular shoes
 
Exactly why did you request a copy of the Special Projects catalog if you are not a fan of CS product.
420HC - Recent Buck / Strider collaborations have made use of this steel.
That makes three very reputable knife concerns - Buck , Strider and CS that believe this steel is credible, and of course there are others.
Many of the models -fixed - that were originally offered with this are now being offered with Carbon V now.
CS blades have been used by outdoorsman for many years now and by our troops in every conflict over the past 15 years.
If you prefer to spend more for your knives than power to you.
But I can promise you that you don't know more about steel and knives than the concerns mentioned above. I would say your statements are bullshit.
 
Cold Steel markets knifes manufactured by other sources. Some of these knives are good - the ones in Carbon Steel are, I have found, a pretty good deal. The 420 ones are not, and the AUS8 ones I have seen were OK but overpriced.

There's no need for name calling. Take a deep breathe and calm down. ;)
 
CS knives are crap. I've owned 6 or 7 of them when I was younger and they were all ****. Worst of all was their marketing gimmicks.
 
there's 2 videos at the bottom of this website http://www.ip-australia.com/swamp/index.htm showing a SRKW battle rat destroying red brick and cutting sheet metal off a fridge door. As far as cold steel i dont really like their "extreme" approach its kinda like listening to a drunk. Its a mix of crap and maybe truth but you just let it go in one ear and out the other and make your own choices.
 
...You received the Spring of 2004 Special Projects Catalog today? Today I received the Fall 2004 Special Projects Catalog.
 
Cold Steel's hype is not aimed at knife knuts, who already know better. Cold Steel's knives, though, are generally worth the money -- if you find a dealer who charges less than Cold Steel does! :) MSRP is never the best price, but it's rarely the only one.

I don't know that 420 Zero Quench is the same as 420 HC, a probably decent steel that doesn't attract my attention. The CS Zero Quench, though, is a bad joke, and CS itself is moving away from it.

There is hardly anything in the world that some man can't make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.
--
John Ruskin (1819-1900) English art critic and writer
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glockman99 said:
...You received the Spring of 2004 Special Projects Catalog today? Today I received the Fall 2004 Special Projects Catalog.
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Dann, maybe they hoped he would spring for a few of their knives, knowing you were unlikely to fall for them. :D
 
Cold Steel does make some nice fixed blade knives, but I still think that their folders (for the most part) are overpriced and way overhyped. I had a Night Force and the blade snapped in half. I guess I'm too hard on Cold Steel, but IMO, you can find a much better folder for the same price that has a heluva better warranty.
 
bear123 said:
Cold Steel does make some nice fixed blade knives, but I still think that their folders (for the most part) are overpriced and way overhyped. I had a Night Force and the blade snapped in half. I guess I'm too hard on Cold Steel, but IMO, you can find a much better folder for the same price that has a heluva better warranty.
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Ditto. The only time that I buy a CS fixed blade, is when I can pick one up at a gun show for little or no $.
 
They have a great and unique folder in the Vaquero Grande, but otherwise, I don't know why you couldn't to to Buck or Benchmade or Spyderco for better knives for the price and real customer service. I'm not trying to knock Cold Steel. I've gotten a lot of good gear from them over the years. But there is better out there.
 
rover said:
CS knives are crap. I've owned 6 or 7 of them when I was younger and they were all ****.
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I guess you haven't looked at their current 6" new-style Tanto or Tai Pan models, huh? I have one of each, and "even with" AUS-8A steel and rubber handles, they are both excellent knives and are two that I won't sell or trade-off.
 
Cold Steel makes some really great fixed blades...especially for the money. Their Carbon V and AUS-8 fixed blades seem to be of excellent quality. I just bought an XL Voyager and have been quite impressed with it.

The advertising Cold Steel does is a little extreme. The "Proof" video doesn't really prove a whole lot. It is really two hours of Lynn Thomspon cutting meat and trying to look cool. I think he chooses to do these tests because Cold Steel knives are marketed more as weapons than as utility tools. Cold Steel has a decent following in the martial arts community...a group not terribly knowledgable about knives and knife testing. I'm sure that such videos look extremely impressive when you don't know a whole lot about knives...that's why they can get away with saying that AUS-8 (I really like this steel BTW) and 420 are the best steels around.
 
I can put a butterknife through a carhood and cut a gash in it. The same way dowel can put a hole and gash up a soda can. I'd be more impressed if Cold Steel could carve up a car door, then push cut a tomato without effort.

I've stayed away from Cold Steel because of their claims. I see the same claims on the HSN for their miracle kitchen knives. Maybe some of their knives are good. I'll never know, because their attitude towards themselves is just too absurd. I'd have much more faith in a Swamp Rat or Stryder, since they let their warranties make their claims for them.

Plus, CS's serrations suck.
 
Planterz said:
I'd be more impressed if Cold Steel could carve up a car door, then push cut a tomato without effort.
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He, he, you'll never see this (except maybe in those commercials at Miracle Blade Series, where they cut an iron pipe and then slice fresh bread or tomato) :rolleyes:
 
I had a CS 4" Voyager Tonto in AUS-8A years ago and I wasn't very happy with it's edge retention. I've since primarily bought Spydercos with VG-10 and CPM S30V blades and couldn't be happier with them. I must admit though, that hearing Carbon V is a good high carbon blade steel, I've been seriously considering a Master Hunter offered by an e-seller for $41. That sounds like it could be a pretty good knife for the money.
 
CS has since its inception explored and used razzamataz marketing and promotional techniques - to include the steel "thing" - I've owned and used numerous CS products over the years - and frankly time and experience have demonstrated their specialty cutlery products are no more or less than a number of other such specialty cutlery products.

Yep, just about anyone can jam a knife of nearly any kind through a Toyota or Datsun hood...and the truly seasoned custom knifemakers who cut free hanging rope have and will continue to tell you if you ask that there is a trick to it, and once you get the trick down you're good as gold when entertaining folks...and some locks are better than others and all locks will fail sooner or later given the right circumstance and just plain bad luck.

I love my Trail Master but as for LT's aging and continued mega hype...it grows wearisome.

Kasik sends -
 
I like some of Cold Steel's products, but I can't stand them as a company. I have their SRK, and my dady has a few of their fixed blades, and we have never had any real problems with them. I may change the handle on my SRK soon, but that's not too big of a deal for me.
As far as their folders go, I still don't have much of a problem with them. I would say that I trust their standard voyager more than CRKT's standard M-16 or equal size and specs. For the most part, I would say that they are just not to my taste.
My beef with the company is that they steal customers from retail establishments like my own. They will commonly just give out a free catalog with deals marked bellow MSRP which is how I have to sell them. I would also go into how much hype they have, but that's just old news.
-KC
 
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