Cold Steel Statement

fulloflead

fulloflead

Joined
May 3, 2002
Messages
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I've been reading through the latest Cold Steel Special Projects catalog.

They've got a couple articles in there that stuck me kind of funny and I was wondering what people's opinions on this forum were about it.

One was about "High Speed Operators" and was basically them expressing their discust at the Blade Show that they felt were disrespecting our military by dressing like Special Forces people and selling "spraypainted two-tone" knives and other knives with a military-type marketing.

The other was basically saying that Karambits were over-rated.

I've got mixed feelings about the articles. Frankly, as for me, I've never owned a Karambit or some of the other high-end military-targeted knives that they were refering to and I've never been in the military so I have no business forumlating an opinion one way or another.

I was just wondering if anyone had read the material and what people on this forum thought about it.
 
I can summarize that whole thing in 4 sentences:

People put names like SEAL and USMC on their cheap ass knives to sell them. It's a marketing ploy.

Every style of knife has its advantages and disadvantages. The Kerambit is no exception.

No need for a 3 page article :p
 
This article is being discussed in many threads...look down the page for the "karambit vs. desperado" thread...and on the "other" knife forum.

There is no excuse for Cold Steel to be referring to Strider as "dogs" and "charlatans" and for insulting Strider's clients...it's disgusting.

RL
 
Originally posted by RL
This article is being discussed in many threads...look down the page for the "karambit vs. desperado" thread...and on the "other" knife forum.
Click to expand...

Found it. Thanks for the clue.
 
I thought it was all rather funny. Especally the part where they tell you Howard Clark, and Bugei beat them in cutting, but tried to make it like it was some 3rd part fault. Gee....HC beat production company....big surprise.
 
Lynn Thompson has done it again, right here. He has used outlandish marketing style to generate publicity and draw attention to his products. You can't deny the man is a genius at that game. And we are all the "dupes", giving him free publicity.

Strider (who actually was never mentioned by name) also has a very distinct marketing schtick, and appeals to a certain segment of the market. Do real "operators" buy Striders? Probabably. Do "wannabees" buy Striders? Most definitely. Same with Cold Steel, and both Lynn Thompson and Mick Strider know it. Face it - there aren't enough "high-speed operators" in the US armed forces to keep Strider or CS in business, even if they ALL bought a new knife every year! Not to mention the prices they charge. The average soldier is more worried about feeding his kids than heat-treats and alloy chemistry and cruising cutlery forums for the latest info. This is just marketing one-upsmanship, period.

I have great respect for CS that they continue to make and sell unique, very non-PC products like hawks, canes, blowguns and double edge daggers.

What I think is funny is how Thompson spends time writing all this new stuff for the catalog, but never updates the ad copy for the older products. I mean, comparing Voyagers to "traditional lockbacks with metal bolsters and wooden scales"? Gimme a break, that is no longer valid! The Ready Edge is the favorite in CS shipping dept., and is used by Alaskan fishermen? OK, but you told me that like 6 years ago. The "low point" (to use Thompson's term) in the catalog is the box on every page that shows folders that says "LEGAL TO CARRY CONCEALED IN CA." Shut up already! There is nothing special about CS folders in this regard - EVERY FOLDER MADE is legal to carry concealed in CA! And by the way, I live in NJ, why doesn't Lynn Thompson tell me what's legal for me to carry?

PS, I think what CS is doing with the 40% armed forces discount is great. This is a great way to support the troops - giving them access to decent quality tools at a good price.
 
Like supporting scumbags huh?

His artical has certainly got the spotlight on him, to bad now he has nothing to keep the masses attentions with.

I'm not sure if this is the kinda attention he was wanting but he's now got it, more and more threads on the forums about how sh!tty and worthless his knives truly are and what a joke lynn Thompson really is. But hey if that's not enough every member of the Badlands wants to get porkpie midget alone in a room for 5 minutes.

If he does not get laughed out of the NY Knife show I will be amazed.
 
Mr. 8Blades summarized very well.

Mr. Thompson is identified as the copyright holder. It's fair to assume that he's the author as well.

I doubt that Mr. Thompson was specifically attacking Strider. There were several vendors at Bladeshow who were much more abusive. You can debate about whether or not Strider's knives are the toughest knives ever made or not, but the fact is that they are worthy of being brought to that debate. They are not the "two-tone spray-painted blades with de riguer para cord wrapped handles," the article mentioned. There were several other vendors at Bladeshow pushing the military/special forces theme a lot more abusively. And don't forget that this was at a time when the American military and soldiers from many other countries are actively involved in combat operations. I have to agree with Mr. Thompson: it is disrespectful and abusive for companies to falsly imply or claim some endorsement from the military.

The karambit would not have survived through many generations of expert knife fighters if it didn't have some merit. But, it is a very specialized weapon. The thing that worries me are the vendors who claim that if you BUY their karambit and BUY their video, you will suddenly turn into a fearsome knife fighter. Acheiving that status takes quite a bit of training and quite a bit of practice with a simple knife. With something as specialized as the karambit, it takes even more. So, these companies are also selling a false image.

And that's the bottom line in both cases. Mr. Thompson seems upset by companies trying to make a fast buck selling dreams and selling a false image.
 
Originally posted by Gollnick
Mr. Thompson seems upset by companies trying to make a fast buck selling dreams and selling a false image.
Click to expand...

Thank GOD that HE doesn't put out any videos of knives doing unbelievable things (nor any training videos)! BTW, how did his "Special Forces" shovel get the name "Special Forces" shovel??? Is it used by the special forces???

It is obvious that he was attacking Strider (and Emrson)...this isn't the first time that Lynn has put down other makers and it won't be the last (war or not).

RL
 
The more I hear about Lynn Thompson the more respect I have for the Glessers, Bucks and Grohmanns of this world. :rolleyes:
 
Gollnick, whilst it's true that Mr. Thompson didn't mention Strider by name, he did everything but. The language of the article, with words like dogs, charlatan, despise, clearly indicates his feelings for people who claim to be ex-forces, wear fatigues, and produce two tone cord wrapped knives, and leaves no room at all for reputable companies that ARE ex-forces and produce good quality two-tone (but not painted) cord wrapped knives.
Let's face it, if Mr.T had ranted on about companies that produce "hole in the blade one handed opening knives with a pocket clip", most of us would have thought of the same company. Some features and appearances have become unofficial trademarks, and it is totally wrong to paint with such a large brush if you are going to be using such derogitary and disrespectful language.

It is also ironic that Mr.T's rant was aimed at people that unofficially align themselves with a branch of the armed services or specifc groups therein, especially when you go to Cold Steel's site and notice how many of his knives have miltary titles or are named for elite groups. Even more ironic when you consider that one of the more famous manufactures of two-tone knives with their "de rigeur" para cord wrapped handles actually does have a contract with the government to supply a model of his knife as an issue item. Something I'm sure Mr.T isn't really up tight about.
 
The thing that worries me are the vendors who claim that if you BUY their karambit and BUY their video, you will suddenly turn into a fearsome knife fighter. Acheiving that status takes quite a bit of training and quite a bit of practice with a simple knife
Click to expand...


What it really requires are actual knife fights, to become a knife fighter, fearsome or otherwise.
 
I agree to some degree with the artical.I see alot of people that dress in full BDUs and like to pretend they are or were in the military but are not and never have been.Knife companies should not try to make people belive that they are endorsed by the military if they aren't.It is differant if they are targeting the military and show military personel useing thier product,thats just marketing.
Stryder is a great knife and there booth was hard to miss.
BTW I do wear BDU paints alot but with hunting boots and a normal shirt.I wear them because I like them not because I was or like to pretend I am Military.
 
As for Striders (and Mercworx or Extrema Ratio), they are all built strong and functional for actual users. To that end, they will always draw wannabees.

Are you surprised? I went to a gun show once and saw a lot of guys in cammo. My wife asked if there were real soldiers or mercs there. I recognized one, a slight acquaintance I knew from gun stores. He stood there in jeans, cowboy boots and a gimme cap. (At least he had it on forwards.)

I am disappointed that Lynn Thompson has used attack ads to sell knives. In politics, these ads work very well, but it irritates me just the same. As I have stated in another thread, I have owned an older CS tanto with a brass guard and a brass pommel, or 'skull crusher.' That knife needed no hype. It arrived sharp, and it was very strong.

Let's look at the real gentlemen. When Extreme Ratio first started a column here, I wrote to the owner, asked for info, and stated that I am a Strider client. The owner responded very politely, asked to see me at a show, and stated he was ALSO a Strider fan. Quality is quality, and manners speak for integrity.
 
I've notice much mention about people who are not in the military, or whom never been in the military that own strider knives are wannabes.Why is that? Can't someone like a knive because he/she likes the knife?
 
Well I read it like this: People who make crappy knives sometimes put words like "Special Forces" "Extreme Ops" "Seal" and "USMC" on the tang or handle to sell to people who don't know any better. I guess they might have been picking at Strider but that's not what I saw.

Personally, if I had a knife company, I would design and make a better version of the Karambit to show my competition I could do it better instead of just criticizing it.
 
Originally posted by 8Blades
Well I read it like this: People who make crappy knives sometimes put words like "Special Forces" "Extreme Ops" "Seal" and "USMC" on the tang or handle to sell to people who don't know any better.
Click to expand...
I hope you don't mean Ka-Bar, in all likelihood, that's more of a knife than you'll ever need.
 
Originally posted by 8Blades
Well I read it like this: People who make crappy knives sometimes put words like "Special Forces" "Extreme Ops" "Seal" and "USMC" on the tang or handle to sell to people who don't know any better. I guess they might have been picking at Strider but that's not what I saw.

Personally, if I had a knife company, I would design and make a better version of the Karambit to show my competition I could do it better instead of just criticizing it.
Click to expand...

I think the problem is too many people on BF automatically think Strider when they think of military knives. I'm sure there were a ton of options at the show if one were looking for military posers.

I also think the article was to post a genuine dislike of the karambit. CS would have no problem putting one out if Thompson felt like jumping on the bandwagon. I don't see anything wrong with the language of the article, it's just that no one on BF trusts Lynn Thompson, so none of his statements are taken at face value.
 
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