COLD STEEL SURVIVALIST (with Stick Man)

I wasn't certain about the name, so I played the first video where he (Stick Man) introduces himself. I even used the closed captioning, and he says he is Keith Beam. Makes sense as he was writing "Beamer out" when replying to comments on Youtube.

In the past 2 months Mr. Beam aka Stick Man, has been in 6 videos for Cold Steel/GSM. Given the circumstances I would say he has done an acceptable job. He is caught between a rock and a hard place with die-hard fans and new owners, trying to find a niche that is acceptable to both. Lynn Thompson and crew had 40 years to perfect their video style and they were not always received with welcome arms either by knife users or the knife industry. Quite the contrary, they were blamed as a source for any potential negative legislation and the eventual downfall of the cutlery world. But despite the critics Lynn Thompson ran his business as he saw fit.

I think that with time and patience Mr. Beam will find his own style and place among Cold Steel fans as well as the new owners/management. Remember Lynn was the owner and could and did film the videos any which way he pleased. Those days are over and we have no idea what constraints or direction Mr. Beam aka Stick Man is working under.
 
I think calling him stickman isn't the right thing too do unless he likes that name. I know I mentioned the stickman name as well, Sorry about that if I insulted you Mr. Beam. That stick reminds me of the movie walking tall that Buford carried around. Maybe we should ask him if he minds the moniker or not also, he might like it or he might not. Respect,
 
Man with no name said:
I wasn't certain about the name, so I played the first video where he (Stick Man) introduces himself. I even used the closed captioning, and he says he is Keith Beam. Makes sense as he was writing "Beamer out" when replying to comments on Youtube.
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Thanks for the name clarification. I should have been more diligent in making sure I got it right. I've gone back and corrected it in my post.


Man with no name said:
Lynn Thompson and crew had 40 years to perfect their video style and they were not always received with welcome arms either by knife users or the knife industry. Quite the contrary, they were blamed as a source for any potential negative legislation and the eventual downfall of the cutlery world.
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I don't want to go off on a tangent, but I have to comment on this, as it's always infuriated me that so many knife fans (including many Blade Forum members) tried to make Lynn the scapegoat when the topic arose. Knives, like any other hand tool, can be and sometimes are used as weapons. Some are designed as weapons, and plenty of companies sold and marketed them as such LONG before Lynn Thompson came on the scene. The fact that Lynn set out to prove that his knives could actually function and survive as weapons does not make him to blame for people's attitudes toward knives.


Man with no name said:
I think that with time and patience Mr. Beam will find his own style and place among Cold Steel fans as well as the new owners/management. Remember Lynn was the owner and could and did film the videos any which way he pleased. Those days are over and we have no idea what constraints or direction Mr. Beam aka Stick Man is working under.
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I don't expect (or even want) Keith Beam or anyone else to try to fill Lynn Thompson's role. Lynn is a pioneer and a giant in the knife industry. It would be foolish for GSM to attempt to replace him.

What Mr. Beam needs to realize is that, as nephron pointed out, what Cold Steel fans care about is the products, not him. We don't need a Cold Steel mascot, just a representative who knows and uses the merchandise and can prove its durability. A passing knowledge of Cold Steel's history and catalog wouldn't hurt, either....


-Steve
 
The Whip said:
I don't want to go off on a tangent, but I have to comment on this, as it's always infuriated me that so many knife fans (including many Blade Forum members) tried to make Lynn the scapegoat when the topic arose. Knives, like any other hand tool, can be and sometimes are used as weapons. Some are designed as weapons, and plenty of companies sold and marketed them as such LONG before Lynn Thompson came on the scene. The fact that Lynn set out to prove that his knives could actually function and survive as weapons does not make him to blame for people's attitudes toward knives.
-Steve
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I'm not quite sure how to interpret your comment so forgive me if I've misunderstood your intention. I would like to make it perfectly clear that I was in no way, shape or form, trying to use Lynn Thompson or his products and advertising as a scapegoat for anybody's "attitudes toward knives". I've always supported the man, his company and their products. I continue to enjoy his proof videos and even something as mundane as him sitting at his desk discussing the various features of a given knife.

I imagine that our thoughts on Mr. Beam's worthiness as a spokesperson for the new Cold Steel will simply differ. So be it.
 
d762nato said:
I think calling him stickman isn't the right thing too do unless he likes that name. I know I mentioned the stickman name as well, Sorry about that if I insulted you Mr. Beam. That stick reminds me of the movie walking tall that Buford carried around. Maybe we should ask him if he minds the moniker or not also, he might like it or he might not. Respect,
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He said in one of the videos that he likes the nickname, and even introduces himself as Stick Man in some of them.
 
jlauffer said:
He said in one of the videos that he likes the nickname, and even introduces himself as Stick Man in some of them.
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Well , If it were me :

"Stick MAN " would be fine , Teddy Roosevelt kinda thing .

"Stick BOY" , not so much . Although , I've known of some very insulting nicknames given to highly respected group members , military and otherwise .

He's still appearing with the big stick , so seems to have decided to go with it .
 
Man with no name said:
I'm not quite sure how to interpret your comment so forgive me if I've misunderstood your intention. I would like to make it perfectly clear that I was in no way, shape or form, trying to use Lynn Thompson or his products and advertising as a scapegoat for anybody's "attitudes toward knives".
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Nope, wasn't directed at you in the slightest, and I apologize if I wasn't clear enough about that. I was just responding to a sentiment that you described. But I never assumed that you held or even agreed with that sentiment.

As for Keith Beam, I'm certainly willing to give him some slack. I just hoped for a better transition. What's the point of retaining longtime Cold Steel employees if you aren't going to rely upon them for appealing to longtime customers?


-Steve
 
The Whip said:
Umm, OK. I have a couple of comments about the videos.

For those unfamiliar with him, JimiSlash was a regular contributor over on the Cold Steel Forums, back when they existed. He's just a knife guy and a Cold Steel fan, like the rest of us. He started making some YouTube videos about his collection and sharing his thoughts on new Cold Steel models. I guess he developed a following and got noticed by folks at GSM. Good for him.

While I appreciate Keith Beam's honesty, I have no idea why he, as "the new face" of Cold Steel, would openly admit that customers know more about Cold Steel than he does. How about you fix that, eh, maybe by frequenting this subforum and hanging out with the knowledgeable people here? Or perhaps you could hire someone who knows a lot about Cold Steel to give you some guidance?

I doubt he'll read this, but here's a bit more unsolicited advice for Mr. Beam. "Stick Man" was a derogatory name assigned by viewers who wondered why you were carrying a giant tree branch when you introduced yourself as the new Cold Steel representative. You may think you're showing good humor by running with the joke, but it comes across as tone-deaf. Put the yard debris in the trash can and focus on the Cold Steel merchandise.

Also, if you hope to ever convince us that GSM cares about Cold Steel as something other than a quick-profit speculation, you might want to stop calling Cold Steel products "units." I don't think you could come up with a more impersonal term if you tried! I don't have a forty-year-old collection of Cold Steel units. I'm not anxiously awaiting Cold Steel's next release of new units.

If that's all you think you're selling, please go back to hawking fishing lures and leave us alone with our memories of a company president who actually cared about the stuff he was making.


-Steve
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Great post
 
I, as much as anyone, don't like to see major brands with a close following being bought out and strip mined by larger companies. But I think GSM has done a mostly fine job so far with Cold Steel.

Positives they have done:
Retained CS marketing, which for some of you, matters for some reason (I personally only care about the quality of the products, not how they tell me they are quality, although some of the old ads for like the Trailmaster did make me laugh)
Retained most of the lineup, and brought back an old design (Talwar)
Apparently (according to this forum in particular) retained old CS employees--I thought I read about them getting laid off, and I'm sure some did, but you guys in this thread are saying they retained some old knowledge.

Cons:
Prices have gone up, as they have anywhere and everywhere else for any and every thing. Nothing is cheap anymore, and it probably won't be again. Inflation sucks, and it's kicking up right now, but that's a much bigger and more important issue than knives.

I don't get the hate. I understood the apprehension, heck I still do for the long-term future of the company, but all GSM can do is deal with what's in front of them now. They just bought a new, massive brand, and are definitely sorting through things and trying to have a positive outcome. Eventually, if people aren't so toxic they want nothing to do with this thread, they'll have a rep here. And so far, they, and their reps have been honest and seem to have a good spirit about things. Stick Man embraced the name that people used to mock him, and I love that. Gotta respect someone who takes hate and has a good time without being toxic back to those dishing it out. He is doing his best.

At the risk of offending some people on this thread, a knife is a tool and the way you use it is up to you--it is not a lifestyle. If you base a significant amount of your identity around the branding of a knife company, perhaps it's time to reevaluate the way you see yourself. Anger, and more importantly, the way in which anger is expressed, has changed over the last 5-10 years, and not for the better. Constructing a well thought out, helpful suggestion with a friendly tone is a better way of influencing other human beings than telling them to **** off. Ask yourself, what can GSM REASONABLY do within the timeframe they've had to operate? I think pretty much everything they've done so far, or at least since the initial acquisition and laying off of employees (which was done in a really scummy way).
 
jlauffer said:
So now it's just Stick?
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Apparently, last August a tree fell on him, injuring him badly and almost killing him. I suspect that the ever-present branch comes from that tree, serving as a personal reminder. I still don't like it, but I guess there's some meaning behind it.

I don't believe that the people behind GSM are ever going to understand Cold Steel's place in the knife world. I think they looked at Lynn's personal love for hunting and thought that the company's fan base is comprised of likeminded sportsmen who will appreciate seeing the focus shift to hunting and woodcraft products--a competitor to Gerber Gear and Marbles and the like.

I don't mean to sound gloomy, but I see a watering-down of the Cold Steel brand in the very near future. Post Lynn's influence on the 2021 lineup, I don't foresee many new "units" being released that I'll have any interest in.

New models comparable to these? Fat chance!

IMG-1890.jpg



-Steve
 
The Whip said:
Apparently, last August a tree fell on him, injuring him badly and almost killing him. I suspect that the ever-present branch comes from that tree, serving as a personal reminder. I still don't like it, but I guess there's some meaning behind it.

I don't believe that the people behind GSM are ever going to understand Cold Steel's place in the knife world. I think they looked at Lynn's personal love for hunting and thought that the company's fan base is comprised of likeminded sportsmen who will appreciate seeing the focus shift to hunting and woodcraft products--a competitor to Gerber Gear and Marbles and the like.

I don't mean to sound gloomy, but I see a watering-down of the Cold Steel brand in the very near future. Post Lynn's influence on the 2021 lineup, I don't foresee many new "units" being released that I'll have any interest in.

New models comparable to these? Fat chance!

IMG-1890.jpg



-Steve
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Hoping for more Tri-Ad designs and rock solid fixed blades in the 5” to 10” blade range. But if the catalog gets saturated with cheap unreliable stuff, well that’s the company’s business decision.
 
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