Cold Steel vs. Kershaw ZT?

How are your sharpening skills? What kind of sharpener are you taking? AUS8A is going to be easier to resharpen in the field than one of the super edge holding steels. AUS8A isn't a bottom of the barrel steel either. I can't complain about any knife I've had in AUS8A. They take a really good edge and hold it decently. They're easy to touch up and keep sharp too. I'd be looking at one of the Kabar folders in that steel before I'd look at Cold Steel, but I'm a Kabar fan. You could get a Kabar Mule (not the cheap ones with G10) or the Bobcat for the same or less than the Cold Steel, with a bullet proof warranty.

ZT is great too, but I like a steel that I can easily resharpen in the field. So do a lot of others who play in the outdoors. There's a reason that 1095, 5160, and O1 are so popular in the bushcraft genre of knives. They're not stainless, they're not a super steel, but you can touch them up with just about anything. I've got knives in several steels, but when it comes to spending extended periods outdoors, my choice is 1095.
 
fatherhudson said:
I'm not as obsessed with the so called "super steels" as some on this forum and honestly, i don't care about CS marketing practices. The reason i don't buy cold steel is because i dont like the way they look. plain and simple. if others like them i say go ahead and buy 'em. That being said this might one of the few situations where steel type could make a really noticeable and considerable difference. It's very impractical to carry a sharpening system with you out in the woods (the lbs add up real quick when they're on your back and small stones aren't very effective) so a longer lasting steel would be a good choice. most of the knives mentioned above would be great and honestly, i would go with what feels good in your hand and you want to have around after your course. The adamas is known for being really tough but i cant see any other benchmade with a suitable blade just snapping or something when the adamas wouldn't.
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You're very correct. I'm not quite sure what the actual situations will be, but I'm pretty sure they're gonna throw us out in the woods with minimal gear.
 
cramsey3006 said:
How are your sharpening skills? What kind of sharpener are you taking? AUS8A is going to be easier to resharpen in the field than one of the super edge holding steels. AUS8A isn't a bottom of the barrel steel either. I can't complain about any knife I've had in AUS8A. They take a really good edge and hold it decently. They're easy to touch up and keep sharp too. I'd be looking at one of the Kabar folders in that steel before I'd look at Cold Steel, but I'm a Kabar fan. You could get a Kabar Mule (not the cheap ones with G10) or the Bobcat for the same or less than the Cold Steel, with a bullet proof warranty.

ZT is great too, but I like a steel that I can easily resharpen in the field. So do a lot of others who play in the outdoors. There's a reason that 1095, 5160, and O1 are so popular in the bushcraft genre of knives. They're not stainless, they're not a super steel, but you can touch them up with just about anything. I've got knives in several steels, but when it comes to spending extended periods outdoors, my choice is 1095.
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Haha, my first thought was a kabar! ... till I found out they don't want us taking fixed blades:/ otherwise i would prob go ka-bar way. I'm not gonna be taking a sharpener actually...
 
Kabar HD Mule has your name all over it. $45 online, good sheath that's reversible and has a belt clip. AUS8A at 57-59RC.
 
0200 is what I would take with me. 154cm is pretty easy to sharpen as well as not having any complicated AO parts that dirt can fowl up.
 
Thanks for posting this thread! I KNOW that I need to stay OFF the threads. I just bought a Mule HD and two FIN folders on ebay. I thought "I'll just look to see what's on..."

Geez, at this rate, I'm never going to get my boat finished.
 
Svord Peasant.

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or a SAK with a saw...

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If you can take a sharpener, and you know you'll be batoning I'd go with the CS, because you'll probably need the sharpener and if the lock is built for abuse and I wouldn't worry about breaking it as much as a nicer folder like the ZT even though it can probably take it just fine as well. If you can't I'd go with the ZT or Adamas so you don't have to worry about it going dull on you half way through.
 
I think that 9 weeks on a survival course is going to dull just about any knife halfway through. If you're using it a lot. I love the edge holding of the super steels, but what happens when you can't get it sharp again? You have a tactical butter knife.
 
I'm gonna be using it on a 9 week basic training survival thing... the limits are that it has to be under 4 inches and a folder(no fixed blades).
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I would immediately walk away from any survival instructor that wouldn't allow me to carry a fixed blade, as he obviously fails to understand knife use or basic mechanics.

Many experienced survival instructors (Cody Lundin and Mors Kochanski for example) recommend the basic mora to students as a great all around survival knife.

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brandonc said:
I would immediately walk away from any survival instructor that wouldn't allow me to carry a fixed blade, as he obviously fails to understand knife use or basic mechanics........
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The best survival knife is the one that you have on you. Although there may be knifeknuts that carry a a fixed EDC blade, it's safe to say that the majority of us carry folders.

Without detailed info about this survival training, I would assume that it consists of learning how to use a folder in a survival situation since the blade length limit is 4" and no fixed blades are allowed.

My recommendation would be going with the full sized ZT 0300 or BM Adamas. :cool:
 
If it was me, I'd get a Leatherman Wave. The saw is way more useful in the wilderness than a 4" folder and you still get one hand deployment for the knife blade for the usual cutting tasks. Other than that I'd get something like a MULE and paint it yellow or orange because you sure as hell don't want to drop it in the leaves at night and loose sight of it. Avoid the tanto shaped blades. They suck for bushcraft stuff. Stash a piece of emory cloth somewhere on your person or in the bottom of your knife sheath for sharpening.
 
I understand why some folks don't like Cold Steel. The warranty is not as good, the knives are made over seas, and most people don't care for AUS8. But the bottom line is that Cold Steel offers a stronger knife than any other production company. (They really lucked out with Andrew Demko. I'd be buying TriAd lock knives from who ever was making them)
Yes, the blade steel is not a good at holding an edge as some steels offered by other companies. On the flip side, the AUS8 doesn't chip as badly as s30v, 154cm VG10 etc.

In my experience, AUS8 is superior for my needs. I have had S30V and VG-10 chip very very badly during use. When cutting hard materials it just won't hold up. AUS8 on the other hand, while it will dull faster, will not chip out.
I have used my Cold Steel American Lawman to split 2x4's with a 4lb hammer. Has any one done this with their TI frame lock or Axis lock knives?
Also, if you know how to sharpen a knife then edge retention stops being a big deal. If I have to touch up my knife once a week as apposed to once a month whats the big deal? I'll trade edge retention for toughness anytime.
Consider economy as well, what can a ZT knife do that a Cold Steel knife cannot? For 3 or 4 times the price is better edge retention and a weaker lock worth it?

I don't even know why I care to argue any of this, people are going to have their own opinions (right or wrong) I just want to say that my opinions are based on my own experiences owning and using the heck out of probably 150 different pocket knives in the last several years. Your Mileage May Very.
 
I agree with Chris 100%...I don't know where all the recent stuff about inferior build quality and bad quality control is coming from concerning Cold Steel folders, but it doesn't match up with most people's descriptive first hand accounts and what knifecenter or other large dealer will tell you.

There is a rash of people joining December 2011 or later coming to let everybody else know how crappy their CS knives have been and how they got blade-play in their Tri-Ad folder when it was never really mentioned before but usually described as most solid lock-up owners have seen even after months/years of use.

Some strange hocus pocus going on. You don't see drastically better build quality and fit and finish between a $40 CS Voyager and a $100-140 production folder from anybody. The ebb and flow of forum admiration and approval is crazy stuff.
 
I'm biased for the ZT knives for what you want to do. I've read Kershaw Guy has good deals for them

If you don't want to spend that much get a Lansky quick fix sharpener and your CS will do fine
 
Personally, I purchased a zt 0350 from Amazon. It ran about $110. I would recommend it over a cold steel. 10 times out of 10. Also, a tip for the future, cold steel is kind of a hot button issue with some people, especially when compared to MUCH higher quality products such as zt...
 
Chris Pierce said:
I understand why some folks don't like Cold Steel. The warranty is not as good, the knives are made over seas, and most people don't care for AUS8. But the bottom line is that Cold Steel offers a stronger knife than any other production company. (They really lucked out with Andrew Demko. I'd be buying TriAd lock knives from who ever was making them)
Yes, the blade steel is not a good at holding an edge as some steels offered by other companies. On the flip side, the AUS8 doesn't chip as badly as s30v, 154cm VG10 etc.

In my experience, AUS8 is superior for my needs. I have had S30V and VG-10 chip very very badly during use. When cutting hard materials it just won't hold up. AUS8 on the other hand, while it will dull faster, will not chip out.
I have used my Cold Steel American Lawman to split 2x4's with a 4lb hammer. Has any one done this with their TI frame lock or Axis lock knives?
Also, if you know how to sharpen a knife then edge retention stops being a big deal. If I have to touch up my knife once a week as apposed to once a month whats the big deal? I'll trade edge retention for toughness anytime.
Consider economy as well, what can a ZT knife do that a Cold Steel knife cannot? For 3 or 4 times the price is better edge retention and a weaker lock worth it?

I don't even know why I care to argue any of this, people are going to have their own opinions (right or wrong) I just want to say that my opinions are based on my own experiences owning and using the heck out of probably 150 different pocket knives in the last several years. Your Mileage May Very.
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OrdnanceBubbaUSMC said:
I agree with Chris 100%...I don't know where all the recent stuff about inferior build quality and bad quality control is coming from concerning Cold Steel folders, but it doesn't match up with most people's descriptive first hand accounts and what knifecenter or other large dealer will tell you.

There is a rash of people joining December 2011 or later coming to let everybody else know how crappy their CS knives have been and how they got blade-play in their Tri-Ad folder when it was never really mentioned before but usually described as most solid lock-up owners have seen even after months/years of use.

Some strange hocus pocus going on. You don't see drastically better build quality and fit and finish between a $40 CS Voyager and a $100-140 production folder from anybody. The ebb and flow of forum admiration and approval is crazy stuff.
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I fully agree with both of my learned colleagues. Having had some experience in the woods, names don't impress me much, but performance does and the Recon 1 performs in spades. Oh, and about the warranty, check again, as there is no longer any time constraint.
 
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