Coldsteel knives your opinions.

Originally posted by YoungCutter
Melancholy Mutt,

CRKT, Spyderco, Kershaw, or the nice Outdoor Edge Folders.
Click to expand...

I'd have to say that CRKT and Spyderco are on par in both price and quality, not being better, nor worse served by any of the three manufacturers. If you think that Kershaw is anywhere close to a Cold Steel, you need both your head and nuts examined... I know nothing about Outdoor Edge, so I can't comment.
 
I've had a fair number of Cold Steel knives over the years. Their Trailmaster/Recon Scout are great camping knives. As for folders, you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal. The Voyager series has always served me well. I've always been able to put a wicked edge on my XL Voyager clip point, which can't be said for some more expensive knives I've owned.
 
Cold Steel has a talent for designing classics - knives that sell regularly year after year. They started with the Tantos many years ago and those same tantos are still in the line and still selling regularly. Many knife manufacturers have to continually replace most of the product line regularly to keep sales moving. They need to bring out new products all the time. Cold Steel introduces new products all the time like others, of course, but what is fascinating to me is how many products are still in the line and still producing after many, many years.

And, yes there are many classics from many manufacturers - The Kabar 1217 USMC knife, Camillus Lev-R-Lok, The SOG Bowie and Trident, Spyderco Endura/Delica, the Chris Reeve Sebenza, the Buck 110, Schrade Old Timer are just a few examples of classics from other companies-knifes that have sold for years and continue to sell. Cold Steel has lots of them and that speaks volumes to me about the effectiveness of the product line. People will generally provide personal opinions one way or the other but I don't think anybody would argue the effectiveness and success of the product line in the marketplace. That's a pretty good recommendation in my book.
 
Wow, really well said Fred!
 
I second cpirtle. Well said!

YoungCutter,

I have some CRKT stuff that I think were in the same price range as my Voyagers and Nogales series folders (a KISS, an M16, and a Mt. Ranier) and only the KISS was of comparable quality. The other two were nice, but not as sturdy or substantial as the aforementioned folders.
 
I have a Master Hunter in Carbon V that I really like, but most of their stuff doesn't greatlu appeal to me.

While I don't care for Lynn Thompson's marketing style, I do respect him for having the guts to market a lot of definitely non-PC items that many companies wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.
 
his style is refreshing, but the one thing I did think was "uncalled for" was when he bashed the BuckMaster and made a big public stink about it...
 
Welcome to the forum ColdSteel03,
As you may have known by now that there are actually many comments, both good and bad, about the ColdSteel line of products. There are people who like it and people who don't. The bottom line is that you must have the love for any knife you choose, be it a ColdSteel or other make, and swear by it.

As for me, I swore by my ColdSteel Recon Tanto. It has been with me for at least 5 years and I believe it will serve me for years to come.

Actually in the beginning, I tried other ColdSteel knives and knives of other brand, mostly recommended by the knife people in this forum, but they just don't feel right in my hands. Eventually I just stick to something of my comfort.

So as for you I guess you might need some time to find your very knife and till then, never stop exploring. you might never know, in the end, it may not be a ColdSteel.

Cheerio.
 
It's hard to generalize when talking about a manufacturer that produces so many completely different products, from cheap machetes to expensive Bowies and from Zytel handled folders to large daggers.

I think most their fixed blade are well worth the money, good knives with decent materials (except for those with the sub zero quenched 420 steel).

On the other hand, most of their folders are pretty cheaply built and not inexpensive at that.

And I don't like the fact that CS' serrations can only be resharpened with special equipment.
 
"Carbon V Carbon V is a trademarked term by Cold Steel, and as such is not necessarily one particular kind of steel; rather, it describes whatever steel Cold Steel happens to be using, and there is an indication they do change steels from time to time. Carbon V performs roughly between 1095-ish and O-1-ish, in my opinion, and rusts like O-1 as well. I've heard rumors that Carbon V is O-1 (which I now think is unlikely) or 1095. Numerous industry insiders insist it is 0170-6. Some spark tests done by a rec.knives reader seem to point the finger at 50100-B. Since 50100-B and 0170-6 are the same steel (see below), this is likely the current Carbon V."

From Joe Talmadge's rec.knives Steel FAQ, which can be found here (among other places):

http://www.agrussell.com/rec.knives/steel.html

Always thought that was pretty interesting. Wonder if this is still the case now, five years later.

That said, I've owned several Voyagers and found them to be pretty good knives.

Firebat
 
Just some general observations regarding this unceasing, relentless Cold Steel debate. First, statements like, "I personally dislike them." and "sucks" are worse than worthless because not only do they not tell us anything, but take up time and valuable bandwidth which contributes to the all too frequent "server is too busy" message.

Second, not liking a particular product because the owner of the company is, in some eyes, an insufferable, egotistical, obstreperous boor, who continues to employ marketing practices that many people abhor, is no reason not to buy reasonably good products at good prices. Don't cut off your nose???

Speaking of prices, too many critics of CS, IMHO, compare CS knives to knives costing *much* more, because they are either ignorant or simply don't have the time to find the best CS prices on the net, and especially on ebay. That's a completely different question. The nice thing about CS is that they are so ubiquitous that anyone who expends the time and effort to look can find CS knives at half price or less.

I have bought all my CS knives on ebay, to wit:

Recon Scout Carbon V.....$70
Carbon V Trailmaster.....$90 (the shiney one)
Land and Sea Rescue...$19 (basically, a 4" Voyager with a sheepsfoot blade. No longer made, but a wonderful knife.
SRK.....$35, a fantastic 6 1/2" knife and an all rounder
Emergency Rescue.....10 bucks (that little 3" slider, no longer made)
Bushman....$13 (the best 13 bucks I ever spent on a knife. As someone said on this forum, cut things, chop with it, abuse it, sharpen it on a rock, lose it, break it, buy another one cheap.
Mini Bushman....Same thing.

The list goes on (I have 4=5 more somewhere), but you get the point. All are hair popping sharp and and someome would have to *prove* to me that they can match the performance of these knives for the same money.

In answer to the original question. Yeah, shop around and go for it. Cold Steel offers, IMHO, great bargains if you bother to educate yourself about characteristics of the knives and the marketplace. Don't go on the emotional opinions with no articulation concerning logical reasons why CS knives are inferior. (Oh, yeah. Flame away ;-)
 
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