Cold Steel Special Projects Catalog Spring 2004

I have about 15 Cold Steel Knives, none bought in the past 10 years. I think that overall the quality of their product has declined, but they still make some decent products.

I like the Trailmaster, SRK, and Recon Tanto in Carbon V. I really like my vintage Mini-Tanto, Mini-Outdoorsman, and Mini-California Drop Point. I like my vintage folders in San Mai steel.

However, they have other products that I think are junk.
 
averageguy said:
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.
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Nice manners. I can promise that anyone with experience using any of these steels will find out for themselves. Just because Buck and CS use 420, doesn't mean it's good, it just means they know that the average knife buyer is too ignorant to know the difference between a cheap stainless steel and a good stainless steel. You'll note that actual Striders are NOT 420, and that's for a good reason: it sucks. The most offensive thing about CS is that they try and convince people that the steel they use for purely economic reasons is used for reasons of performance...
 
Sword and Shield said:
CS is, in a lot of ways, naught but hype. 420 is, and never will be, as good as pretty much anything.
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I dunno what they do to it, but CS's 420 is even worse than the standard 420
 
"Nice manners. I can promise that anyone with experience using any of these steels will find out for themselves. Just because Buck and CS use 420, doesn't mean it's good, it just means they know that the average knife buyer is too ignorant to know the difference between a cheap stainless steel and a good stainless steel. You'll note that actual Striders are NOT 420, and that's for a good reason: it sucks. The most offensive thing about CS is that they try and convince people that the steel they use for purely economic reasons is used for reasons of performance..."

I made no personal atack - I said his statements were bullshit - the same language he used to describe CS statements. His post has been edited so I'm not sure all the original language is still there. Additionally, I merely stated a fact.

I never suggested Strider uses 420 - I think you should be able to see from my history I'm slightly more enlightened than that. However that Strider permited there name to be used indicates they supported the use of 420 in this product. I have a hard time believing they did that just to make a buck (no pun intended) - I'll assume it's because they felt it was a more than adequate steel and knife, reflective of the standards they aspire to.

Again, this 420 clearly does not suck, even UC 420 doesn't suck. Go back and follow the link in my post and see Cliff's review. What sucks is that just because someone is able to identify higher grades of steel they think they have a good working knowledge of knives and steel. That there expertise is greater than the principals at long established and respected knife companies - which it most certainly is not.
 
has someone pointed out that 420 and 420J != 420HC, which is far superior and is actually a decent blade steel
 
Well, Cold Steel may be "agressive" in their marketing approach, but at my end of the world, they do produce some reliable blades at affordable prices.. For an example, the CS Bushman series ~ These are highly-regarded knives in Malaysia.. Though they maybe be crappy stuff for the discerning collector and knife aficonados, one must not discount the fact that they are purpose-built for the right price. As for CS folders, I have plenty of respect for their Gunsite Tantos. :cool:

Sam
 
I have a little CS folder that I picke dup for Bobbins. I really abuse it, but when that thread came up 'What POS knife do you use all the time' or words to that effect. I was tempted to list it. Knives are like anything else, you only get what you pay for.
 
Yeah, yeah, i've seen all the comments, but i just wanted to add that I have quite a few models with the 420 steel like the Peacekeeper 1 & 2, Kobun, Desperado and ODA. Not as impressive as the Tantos and Tai-Pans in AUS-8, but very decent knives for the price.

CS marketing does include a lot of hype and a lot of "tests" I would not want to carry out out to wreck my knives, but i always found these dvds quite entertaining ;)

What does bug me about CS is the frequency with which they discontinue certain lines.
 
I have an SRK and I have never had a problem with carbon V. (Whatever that is) However, I was on a camping trip a couple of years ago and as I was cutting with it, the damn handle came loose and started spinning around the tang. I took a closer look and the tang is only about 1/2 an inch wide! I rehandled it because I liked the steel but my problem is this: how can you advertise a knife that is purported to be indestructible when the handle can't take even normal use in the field. I would like to see Lynn Thompson twist the SRK in a car hood and see what happens. God forbid that I had tried to get them to replace it as I have had it for about seven years now. Now that I have seen the quality and oustanding customer service in companies like Busse, Spyderco, Benchmade, etc... I buy CS rarely, if ever. Not to say that I don't like my SRK, though.
 
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