cold steel urban pal 'classic and modern'

J

jacktrades_nbk

Joined
Feb 7, 2007
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as compared to the original urban pal, it feels like a different type of knife, not so tough and resistent, more fragile
even if it has a better grip on it
the concept behind it must have changed, because this in no way feels like it has the quality/resistance of the first one
it is nice, light, easy to carry, and its not a bad small knife, but the first one...that was the REAL one, thick as 3 4 times
as the new one, better finish, tougher.
anyway, i have both now, so the new one will probably go on my keys, or sometimes as a small neck knife
i like them both anyway, just that i like more the original design
the original design with a better grip would have been perfect

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and the old original design

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There is a big difference between old and new. They are handy little cutters!
 
The Urban Pal was my EDC for the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. In one of their ads they called it "the world's strongest pocketknife." The new one is basically a big Mini Pal and probably cuts better though it can't be as strong.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
The Urban Pal was my EDC for the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. In one of their ads they called it "the world's strongest pocketknife." The new one is basically a big Mini Pal and probably cuts better though it can't be as strong.
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in those years of EDC the urban pal, did you get much use of it or just had it for SD ?
thanks
 
it sure looks tough and it quite is, the classic one, its virtualy imposible to bend it or to destroy it with regular use and/or a bit of abuse
its a little slippery being all metal, mirror finish
 
jacktrades_nbk said:
in those years of EDC the urban pal, did you get much use of it or just had it for SD ?
thanks
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I mainly used it to cut open boxes and packages and things like that. I carried it for most college until getting my Endura during my last semester. The Endura was a better utility knife and the Urban Pal was out of production for years and would have been difficult to replace, so I retired it from EDC.

I usually had another knife as well, and that changed from time to time, but the constant was the Urban Pal.

For something really rare from the time the Urban Pal was made there was the Urban Shiv. I think it was out of production by the mid-1980s. When the knife store near my house became a Cold Steel dealer in 1985 or so all they had were the Urban Skinner, Urban Pal, Tanto, and later the Magnum Tanto, and maybe the Outdoorsman.
 
I like that original one, because I prefer PE knives and all the new ones are serrated.
 
yah if the urban pal came in plain edge itd prolly have me sold. the ability to hold things while keepin a grip on the knife is a big selling point.
 
look at its price though. you can buy one of the new ones for like 15 dollars at knifecenter. its a nice little piece for the price.
 
The basic design is that of a push-dagger. Illegal in some places.
 
3mptin3ss said:
look at its price though. you can buy one of the new ones for like 15 dollars at knifecenter. its a nice little piece for the price.
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That is another big difference. My original Urban Pal was $24.00 back in 1988, so the new one costs a lot less.
 
jacktrades_nbk said:
i would pay the higher price of the original urban pal with no question
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Ya, me too.

the ability to hold things while keepin a grip on the knife is a big selling point.

I use the Defender for that reason. You can use grappling skills without sheathing the weapon, ugh, tool.
 
i bought an Urban Pal a few months ago and have had some experiances with it.
- If worn upside down as a neck knife it has an annoying habit of falling out of the sheath and getting lost. to remedy this i took a dremel tool and cut a hole about 1/2" long on the side of the sheath. i then took some black, 1/2" wide elastic and run it through the slit and melted the two ends together to form a loop. it keeps the knife in well when placed over the T of the handle.

- thing is SHARP! its cut me and a freind who borrowed it very easily. cuts other, non-human flesh stuff well too! LOL

- small and light weight on a "survival" necklas. i have mine on a peice of paracord with a scout fire starter, whistle, & small light.

- If the worst comes to worst you could strip off the rubber handle and tie it to a strong pole and you have a small tipped spear.

--- Eric
 
The trend in Cold Steel has been, through the years, to be come progressively less "urban shiv" and progressively more "commercial tactical" while costing down the components. For the most part I don't mind this trend (though the early Cold Steel stuff sure is nice in a way that the later stuff never will be). The one thing I dislike, however, is the increased use of chisel-grind edges on knives (such as double-edged knives) that really should NEVER sport a chisel grind.
 
I picked up 5 'Mini-Pals' at the Cold Steel booth at Blade '08 and traded one to a cute bartender who jogs around campus early in the morning. She said that being a bartender she has to keep her fingernails short and this little knife would make up for that. She told me that she almost lost it to one of the guy bartenders who stock the coolers because he said he could cut open the cases of beer, wine and liquor and remove the contents without having to put the knife down. I see some more 'free' drinks coming.
 
I have a new never carried or sharpened cold steel urban skinner with hand tooled sheath bough in the mid to late 80's and am trying to figure a value. Is there any body out there that may have some info about this fine piece of craftmanship
 
"...traded one to a cute bartender...I see some more 'free' drinks coming."
- mhawg

certainly one of the best real-world functions i've heard in a long time.
 
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