Cold Steel?

H

hoghead

Joined
Dec 17, 2001
Messages
1,047
Yeah it's back!:D
Sorry for Rob Simonich and his family. Bad deal. He and I are(were) same age.

Anyway, just received the new Cold Steel More Proof DVD in the mail. Lynn Thompson does a good job promoting his stuff. Some of the swords look kinda neat. Well to get to the point he shows off his companies swords cutting many different things. Tatami mats, huge chunks of meat, cardboard, even a phonebook. Not a super thick one either. Well are Cold steel swords superior to HIs? Don't think so. I have whacked all but the katana into 2X4s which is a bit harder than cardboard. But today decided to try the phonebook. Now bare in mind that I have sharpened my HI swords. Cold Steels come relatively sharp. Know what my HI cut the phonebook easier or so it appears that the Cold Steels did. Didn't take a real hard chop either. Nice clean cut. Think I'll stick with my HIs. Must say CS does have a few neat looking models,,,
 
Originally posted by hoghead
Anyway, just received the new Cold Steel More Proof DVD in the mail.
Click to expand...

For some reason I received two of them in the mail the other day. I haven't looked at mine yet, but now you've got me curious.:D
I'm sending the extra to my young grandson in Phoenix that's gonna be the next knife knut in the family.
I'll bet he will think it's cool!!!!:D
 
Yes its cool! Nice to see them use their product in a real manner. Nothing that can't be accomplished with an HI khuk or sword but shows what these things are all about. Cutting stuff! Enjoy. I did.
 
The swords at Cold Steel are imported elsewhere. In particular, all the Japanese-style blades are from Fred Chen of China, and the rest I believe are from India. Fred Chen turns out decent Japanese styled blades, though the shaping and fit/finish are not as good as those offerings from the Hanwei factory. There have been quality control problems of late with the blades from India (or wherever they get them, not from China), so buyer beware.
 
Thanks, Kmark, for answering some questions I had. I was wondering where the Cold Steel swords were made. I wrote Cold Steel an e-mail, but I never heard back. I do note that their swords seems quite heavy, at least according to the weights given in the catalog.
 
I believe CS uses Windlass Steelcrafts for the "other" swords. Yes they are kinda heavy which is typical of these "other" offerings. Decent "cheap" swords yes. But for the same price you can get an HI sword which I feel is better quality and they cut, chop and destroy things just as well.
 
I'd wager that my 27" HI Falcatta can outcut ANY SWORD out there. Consider that a standing bet. You make the time and target, and I'll be there to bisect it and collect the money.:)
(And it ain't "Tameshigiri Certified.") It is simply bred for it. It is soooo scarily sharp, broad bladed, narrowly flat-ground. I'll hafta try the phonebook thing, because this thing is a freakin lightsaber. I can hold a piece of cardboard by a string, then swing the sword, and snicker-snack! the thing is cut. This thing'll split atoms.
<Also has some wonderful temper lines, both near the blade and the ghost of it (japanese call it nioi and nie) just above that.>

I'll hafta ring Lynn and see if he wants to bet one of those viking style swords CS makes these days.

Keith

PS--Biiig hat tip to Bill Marsh, fer making me the lucky second owner of such a rare HI piece. (Now, about that Audrey, and sun/moon/stars, Russ...;))
 
You'll have to try the phonebook cut Keith. It's really cool. Beware though, it does make an incredible mess!:eek:
I was surprized as to how easy it was. Especially after watching the Cold Steel guys "work" at it to cut their phonebook. It didn't take that much effort. Guess HI makes a good sword!:)
Note: the sword I used was a Long Tibetan. Actually the one Pala is holding in the picture on the HI website.
 
Got three or four units of blood stockpiled, Keith? Especially if Audrey is insulted by the trade - who is she going to take it out on?

Whom do you think?

:p :p :p
 
:)

"try the phonebook cut"--Logistical Q Hoghead:

how is this cut performed? Do you prop the book up? Cut against spine or loose pages? Haven't seen the vid, so any pointers would be cool.

Keith
 
Keith,
In the video they (CS) put the phonebook on a chopping block. I stacked some 2X4s together to make a stop for the blade. Have a good backstop as the blade will breeze through the phonebook and into the stop or whatevers under it. Just lay the phone book flat on the block and chop away. I more or less followed the example in the video and cut the corners off the book. Straight down cut. They also cut it in half right down the middle. As long as you leave some of the binding on your cut it doesn't make too big of a mess. If you don't there's going to be pieces of phonebook all over the place.
 
As a general rule, I consider most modern sword repros coming out of India (or Pakistan) to be utter trash. These guys are pounding out blades by the hour, do you think they really care if the blades are heat treated well, let alone forged correctly? There are a FEW exceptions, such as the Deepeeka Roman Gladius, but even then the quality could stand to be improved. Basically, as soon as I hear 'India', I immediately pass it over.

Now, if you're looking for an excellent European sword, you'll want to try Atrim blades.

http://allsaintsblades.com/Modles.htm

That is one of the retailers of blades made by Atrim (Angus Trim). The finish isn't as polished as that on custom pieces, but these things are the real deal.
 
I can't say the situation remains the same as 3 or 5 years back when I bought it, but I had a CAS Iberia sword that was made in the Phillipines that I sharpened then accidentally bent it and it stayed bent til I straightened it with my deskwork soft bare hands? Pommell was heavy brass drilled FAR off center. Piece of junk as far as I'm concerned. Maybe things have changed, maybe not.

On the other hand I hear Cecil's stuff at Kris Cutlery meets and exceeds standards consistently. And it is also made in the Phillipines.

As are some 1911 slides and frames coming from the same place out of the Phillipines and one brand has a spotty reputation, the other brand a fairly good one.
 
Originally posted by hoghead
Here's another source of good quality swords:
arms and armor
Click to expand...
Thanks!
I'd completely forgotten that site.
-Lots- of good reference links in addition to
their line of 'authentic' European blades.
 
Read on Swordforums about the difference between Bugei and CAS katanas. They both are made by Paul Chen in China. Bugei provides better quailty control and delivers a much more consitent product. Costs more, but you will probably get a better product. Probably the same with Kris. When you look at some of the prices for "good" swords it makes you really appreciate the deals from HI! I can do the sharpening to make an HI work just as well if not better than the others.
 
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