cold steel yay or nay?

I have one CS knife and im happy with it, it cost 18 dollars and feels good in the hand, and has proved itself to be tough. I also have a 500 dollar Busse and i can say the same about that. Would I buy more from CS...maybe. They have a few nice designs and some products are way overpriced but all companies have products like that.

People are going to be mad at this but, you name it, its probably been done before. Busse used flared tubes and so did the guy before him, i have no doubt that plenty of people used flared tubes before either of them were born and just didnt patent them or make money off them. The Japanese invented the tanto point hundreds of years ago, so should every knife with a tanto point pay japan royalties? Are Bowie's descendents getting paid for every "Bowie" knife being made? Some people get way to worked up over things. Granted, blatanly stealing someones exact design and not giving credit is terrible, but the info is out there, read it and decide for yourself, be proud of your descision. If you like CS, buy from them and be proud you made your own choice, if you hate CS dont buy from them and be proud you made your own choice. Theres no use arguing over peoples personal views, its like arguing over religion, no one wins and all that comes of it is more anger and hate.

Kind regards,

TJ
 
I've never owned any CS knives, but I do love those solid proof videos they have with that goofy guy hacking up big pieces of meat.
 
ColonelX said:
I've been a fan of the cold steel design of knives for a while now but when it comes to full on functionality i find they're not as good as benchmade or kershaw and are those knives that they sell for upwards of sebenza prices really worth it? share your cold steel opinons.
Click to expand...
Cold Steel, I think, has had a very positive influence on the knife industry. I don't question their functionality at all, but it depends on where you're coming from. I once complained to a submarine engineer with the Navy that "ours" weren't as good as the Soviets' because they could dive deeper and go faster. The engineer, a good friend, simply shrugged and said, "Well, if that's how you judge 'better.' Our subs don't have to dive deeper and go faster than theirs, but our weapons do," and in that respect, he said, we had the Soviets licked.

I love Benchmade knives. They're the kind you just want to keep picking up and messin' with. Even so, I trust Cold Steel knives, overall, as much as any other. I've never gotten a bad one, a loose one or one that didn't have a sharp edge right out of the box. I also find their heat treat to be exceptional, regardless of who makes them. Despite LT's bravado, he's committed to giving people a decent product at a respectable price. I never would have gotten interested in knives if not for Cold Steel. In the knife world, we often don't put enough emphasis on performance, and many of us buy knives we like knowing full well they won't actually deliver on the performance we're paying for. We can talk about how well their made, how exacting the tolerances are, but let's face it, few people will ever get a big performance boost out of a four-hundred dollar pocket knife!

Folders are a combination of blades and handles, and sometimes we pay a lot for the handles, be they ivory, stag or titanium. CS is underrated, and if Lynn Thompson ever keeled over, we might find that the knives we'd been paying under a hundred dollars for would be considerably more expensive. Besides, I love 5-inch blades. And who else are you gonna call?

ColdSteelVoyagerPE.jpg


ColdSteelPro-Lite_4a.jpg


ColdSteelVoyager5PlainSm.jpg


Now, having praised CS, the one area where I'm critical is that I'm not at all convinced their San Mai steel is anything more than a gimmick. AUS8/VG1 is a decent grade stainless that doesn't need protective layers to make it more tough or "battle ready." The idea of protecting it from corrosion and from blows by other weapons is moot at best. Still, they've got some well made knives made outta the stuff.

CSTantos.jpg


Carbon steel knives for well under a hundred bucks also has been a blessing to knife owners. Even with Kraton handles, the knives are said to hold up fine and I haven't seen any photos here of them cracking, peeling or splitting. Some have carried and used them for years.
 
SillyWillie1 said:
I've never owned any CS knives, but I do love those solid proof videos they have with that goofy guy hacking up big pieces of meat.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've often wondered if they have a big barbecue later in the day after they've shot those scenes. (I hear they're going to put out their own brand of barbecue sauce, but the scuttlebutt is that they stole the recipe from Masterpiece!)
 
for the most part I have ben very happy with all the CS products that I have tried. Like every company who makes anything, some of their products are better values than other. They certainly don't have a corner on over charging for some products.
 
I think we all agree CS' low price knifes are OK. The problem is their high price knifes are not as good as knifes from other brands in the similar price range. CS can solve its problem by employing a good Japanese OEM, like Fallkniven does, instead of current Chinese one.
 
paua said:
I think we all agree CS' low price knifes are OK. The problem is their high price knifes are not as good as knifes from other brands in the similar price range. CS can solve its problem by employing a good Japanese OEM, like Fallkniven does, instead of current Chinese one.
Click to expand...

What justifies "as good as"? As I've said before, it's a matter of opinion, not fact.

As far as you're last sentence. Cold Steels more expensive knives are made in Japan.
 
It's been years since I bought a new Cold Steel knife (swords don't count :D ) so I'm not sure about the current quality, but my Cold Steel Tanto is just as good as other blades in the same size, purpose, and price range, going by actual prices and not the MSRP which is always much higher. That model is discontnued, but I'm sure they still have quality high-end knives.

I wouldn't buy their knives in the high custom price range, if I bought a knife in that price range I'd just get a custom. That is not just for Cold Steel, but for any production company.
 
I have heard this said a lot. But is it true? Has any designer ever come out and said that "LT ripped off my design and is paying me squat" or is it urban myth.
Click to expand...

Here's Strider's model: STIDER

And here's the one that CS makes: Cold Steel

And here's what they say about Strider in the text of their sales page: "Please don’t throw away hundreds and hundreds of dollars on similar knives sold by convicted felons and rip off artists posing as elite “military operators”. "

Whether or not you like Strider, to have LT say something like that on his website is dirty pool.
 
Since buying knives is a luxury for me, I like to make sure I'm getting my money's worth. I also like to make sure I'm supporting the best of the best, so personally, prior to buying a factory made knife, I like to find out the answers to the following questions:

1) Does the company value honesty and integrity?

2) Does the company regularly offer new, interesting, and original designs and materials?

3) Does the company make a point of soliciting customer feedback, and do they really value what their customers have to say?

4) Does the company promote the responsible ownership and use of knives?

5) Does the company take steps to move the industry as a whole forward?

6) Is the company well though of and respected by their peers?

7) Does the company have confidence in their products (i.e. how good is their warranty)?

If the answer to any of the above questions is "no," I will not buy from that company. Since I can afford to be picky, I am.

Regards,
3G
 
paua said:
CS http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=CS16JSM
Fallkniven http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=SWEDNL2EL
I was told CS Chinese OEM imported those laminated VG1 (not VG10!) from Japan so I picked the Fallkniven one even I needed to pay $100 more for it.
Click to expand...


Huh? Fällkniven knives are great, but not Cold Steel?


I could have sworn that Fällkniven got its start in the early 80s as the European distributor for Cold Steel knives, but then decided to go it alone a few years later by marketing its own "similar" line of rubber handled knives made at a "similar" Japanese plant ;)
 
when i started collecting knives in the early 80s the word was the best knives where made in japan especially seki.so now knives made in japan are considered shit? just wondering.
 
paua said:
CS http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=CS16JSM
Fallkniven http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=SWEDNL2EL
I was told CS Chinese OEM imported those laminated VG1 (not VG10!) from Japan so I picked the Fallkniven one even I needed to pay $100 more for it.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the VG-1 San Mai Trail Master is made for Cold Steel in Japan, not China.;) With an MSRP of $459.99:eek:, it sure as heck better be! It's the SK-5 version that is made in China, if I'm not mistaken.

Regards,
3G
 
Got a Cold Steel SRK in Carbon V. knifetests.com did a destruction test on it. Check it out. Holds it's own. If you bend it to the point where it breaks, you deserve the stubby end.
 
There should be a separate forum to trash CS. That way when someone asks about a cold steel product they won't always have to sort through upteen pages of politics and opinions of LT.
 
udtjim said:
There should be a separate forum to trash CS. That way when someone asks about a cold steel product they won't always have to sort through upteen pages of politics and opinions of LT.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with you on the seperate forum part, but suggest making it just a Sensitive/Hot Topic forum. This way when someone asks about CS, Strider, Sebenzas vs whatever, Super Steel, etc. you could just direct the member there. Since disabling the search function for non-paying members this might cut down on some repeat questions.
 
i dont care for most of the cold steel folders, the few that look "ok" are usually way overpriced imho, some of the fixed blades are pretty good though for the $$.

i suppose most of the FRN folders are ok, for the $$, but the designs are a little long in tooth now, the voyagers are probably 15 yrs old now.

i can think of a lotta other ones i would rather have without trying very hard lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top