Coldwood said:
I bought another Master Hunter a month ago. Why? One, because I love the shape of the blade, it's basic, it's thick, it has a flat grind, it takes an edge and keeps it; Second, I love the handle - yes it's rubber, or Krakon, but it's comfortable and non-slip - yes I would rather have stacked leather or stag but I know this Krakon is something I can hang onto when things get wet and wild.
Of all my fixed blades, and I have a lot, this is the one that I would want, if I could only have one, in the wilderness.
I know nothing of their marketing or way of making business, and I am not that interested. They do seem to make some pretty daft stuff, some decent, and some really useful tools, and weapons (face it, daggers and such are weapons, not tools). It seems there are many knife snobs on here, I can understand the joy of collecting fine art, hand made quality and traditional materials. I love brass, leather, wood, bone, etc. myself. If I needed to really use a knife though, like for real, I might go for some of the cold steel fixed blades. I have used the SRK a lot, a decent basic and very strong blade (perhaps a bit too thick even), good steel that takes an edge and is easy to sharpen in the field. OK, so the handle began to rattle slightly after a few lake/river crossings, but not a big deal. The handle is a bit small for my hands, and it is a bit square, but I rounded one edge by carving a small portion away and now it feels real good. Rubber grips are great! If your hands are wet, greasy, oily or bloody you still get a good secure grip with textured rubber, you don't with a smooth hard grip. Rubber is shock absorbing, very useful. If you use the knife with gloves or mittens rubber is also very good since it doesn't slip. Many tactical knives with hard, smooth and square (why?) grips look very uncomfortable, my hands almost get blisters only from looking at them on the internet. The better of CS's products seem to be good value for money, real user knives. If I was going to war, or was seriously planning on stabbing someone to death, I might well go for a cold steel fixed blade, and I can afford it too. Randalls and such are very beautiful, but cost a lot, and with the waiting period for some of these knives the war would probably be over before I got one anyway! I look at the better cold steel knives the same way I do with an axe, a saw, a hammer, or an AK47, not a work of art or
the best, but something you can use hard, something that will perform and that will stand the abuse. No one in their right mind would buy a custom made mother of pearl and stag handle axe for $500 and wander off into the Canadian wilderness, now would they?!
