Cold Steel stockman?

Bobwhite

Bobwhite

Joined
Nov 30, 1999
Messages
2,913
I got the Cold Steel sales flyer yesterday and they have a good deal going on thier stockman knives. The blades are Carbon-V and I have had good experience with Cold Steel knives in the past but they are of the tactical kind. Any one have one of these slipjoints by them? How is it?
 
>"... and they have a good deal going on thier stockman knives."

=============================

Just curious, what's a good deal? In the past, the Cold Steel slippies have not struck me as being worth the price (which is not to say they're not good knives).
 
We sell them and IMHO they are not the best of quality for the money. I would buy a Case or Boker or... Before I bought one of them. The only thing I might buy one for is just to have one in the collection.
 
The one I have has good fit and finish and came with well ground, sharp blades. I've always liked Carbon V.

If there is anything I'd change, I'd have stronger springs (and natural scale material though the black delrin isn't bad).
 
The flyer that I received gave the price around $25. That's a pretty good deal, the regular price of $50 is NOT a good deal. I like my CS Stockman, but don't have another to compare it to. I would like to get a Schrade or Case also as I have heard a lot of good things about those.
 
Carbon V is CS's marketing name for their high carbon steel. They won't disclose the actual steel, but it sharpens easily and can take a very good edge. The general consensus that I've seen on these forums is that it is O1, but I don't know. Most folks seem to think that it is a "very good" steel, especially for the money, but not a "great" steel.

It doesn't hold as long as some of the "super steels", but in my experience, holds an edge longer than 1095. YMMV.
 
Thanks, Swede.

Something I don't understand though...if it's similar to O-1 and 1095 then why is it referred to as "high carbon"? Nothing particularly remarkable about the carbon content of those two steels. I seem to recall that all steels contain carbon and the "CPM" steels have the highest carbon content.
 
Good points, Don. I agree with you, it seems that a lot of knife makers advertise their steels as "high carbon". 1095 only has 0.95% carbon, yet it is still one of my favorite steels, I just love it. It has great qualities, in my opinion.

If the carbon content gets too high (what, 3 or 5 % or something like that), then it becomes cast iron....
 
Swede..all I know about what qualities any element imparts to any particular steel would fit on the point of a needle...with room to spare!

I love to read the discussions about the various blade steels and compare them to my own experiences...but a metallurgist I am not ;)
 
I agree, Don, I'm not one either, but the more I read about different steels, the more fascinated I am. Kind of makes me wish I had gone into the metallurgy field. Thanks to this forum, I got interested enough to buy a book on metallurgy, and found out how incredibly little I know, but it really is interesting. :)

Knives seem to force much more of a compromise of features from steel than a lot of other applications of metallurgy, maybe that's why it's so hard to pin down the "best" metal, etc.
 
Wow, what a difference.

I finally bought an OT Stockman from Walmart for about $20. Some observations:

It was dull enough to drag across my thumb without any worry at all. The blades are so tight, I almost break my thumbnail getting them open. The sheepsfoot blade is bent so it will clear the main blade upon closing. I am very unimpressed with the quality of this knife.

Sorry, but if this is typical of the OT, then the $50 asking price for the Cold Steel is a good price, and the $25 price in their catalog (good until Jan 31st) is a STEAL. I have noticed some Internet dealers selling this knife for around $45 also.

Now in all fairness, maybe I got a stinker. I still plan on sharpening it up and doing some serious whittling to see how the OT holds up. I am very disappointed, I really wanted to like this knife, and was surprised at the difference in quality. The OT will be a good EDC that I won't be overly concerned with if I break or lose. I really like 1095 steel, so I'm hoping that the OT (once loosened and sharpened) will be a "keeper".

Sorry if I've ruffled any feathers, but I call 'em like I see 'em.
 
swede79, take the OT stockman back and change it. I have not found these problems in my OTs. While they don't come all that sharp, they are very easy to sharpen and a very good deal for the $$$. Old Timer makes a good user for the money and even though it's only $20 I would expect better than what you described from them.


Good luck Dean
 
I don't want to flame anyone, but if you are going to spend the $20-$25 on an OT, you might as well spend $40-$45 on a Queen D2. The one I have is worth twice as much.

I think I might have to get another one.
 
Thanks 3nails,

I'll try that. I try not to be too hard on users, trying to keep in mind the price v.s. expectations. As long as it keeps a good edge for an acceptable amount of time, I'll be happy. I'm fairly absent minded, so as much as I appreciate expensive knives, I don't like carrying them as I tend to lose them. Plus, I like to use a knife that I'm not afraid to scratch!

Komondor,

The Queen is next on my list. I have never tried D2, and am anxious to see how it works.
 
How does D2 compare to 1095 for woodcarving? 1095 is my favorite, just about perfect for that application, never tried D2 though because I have been so happy with the simpler steels.
 
Swede79 – Here’s is some advice on buying Old Timers from Wal-Mart

1. Never buy an Old Timer in a plastic blister pack. I swear that the quality is lower than the cardboard boxed Old Timers.

2. Check the springs on each blade of the knife. If it doesn’t have strong snap in both opening and closing, buy a different one. If the knife feels like the springs are good, but something is rubbing too much, that can be fixed.

3. Check each blade for lateral blade play. If any blade has a lot of wobble, get a different knife.

4. Open the blades and look at the springs. The springs should either meet flush with the blade, or the springs should be elevated slightly. If the springs ride lower than the blade, get a different knife.

5. Check each blade, especially the sheepsfoot, for bad edge bevels. Dull is not a terrible thing, but an unevenly ground sheepsfoot is a pain to fix. The tip of the main clip blade is also an important area to check, as you can lose blade length fixing a bad one.

6. If you have to, make the Wal-Mart guy pull out a dozen of them for inspection. They are supposed to provide service and quality, so make sure they do it. Get the best of the bunch!!!!

In general, slipjoints are a crapshoot. This applies to pretty much every slipjoint manufacturer. Quality control varies widely on any slipjoint brand except maybe A.G. Russell’s, in my experience. I hate mail ordering slipjoints!!!!

Once you get the knife home, work the blades open and closed for an hour or so. Then wash the knife with dish soap and water to remove grinding dust. Afterward, spray down the entire knife with WD-40 and wipe it off thoroughly. Work the blades for another hour or so. Then spray again with WD-40 and wipe thoroughly. Finally oil each pivot and spring, and wipe off the excess. These steps apply to any slipjoint. The process makes a huge difference in the walk and talk of most slipjoints.

When it comes to sharpening my slipjoints, I use wet/dry paper. Trying to get a good edge bevel on a new slipjoint can take a LONG TIME on something like a SharpMaker 204. But with 400 grit wet/dry paper, you can get good edge bevels in a matter of minutes, no matter how bad the initial edge bevels were ground. Wet/dry paper will also round the edge bevels, making the blades cut much better than the sharp shoulders created by a clamp or v-rod system. After I’ve ground new edge bevels, I work my way up to 800 grit and then 1200 grit paper. Lastly, I strop the blades on a thin piece of stropping leather, charged with Herb’s “Yellowstone” stropping compound. Yellowstone is awesome stuff!!!!

When you do get the pick of the litter and work the knife in properly, the Old Timer is an awesome knife. I find myself carrying my better Old Timers more than almost any other brand of slipjoint.

People either love or hate the sheepsfoot blade on Old Timer stockmans. The bent blade method definitely has issues, but the enlarged sheepsfoot blade is a godsend to those of us who depend highly on our sheepsfoots.
 
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