CS vs CRKT Suit Settled

Status
Not open for further replies.
Of course. A product and who stands behind it are two different things. My hat's off to anyone who can make that distinction. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
KenHash said:
There's no such thing as"bad" publicity.
Click to expand...

That's true for the Kardashians, but not Cold Steel. Given the widespread, almost universal rebuke of Cold Steel's lawsuit on Bladeforums and elsewhere, coupled with the hasty dismissal of the action, this is absolutely bad publicity.

I have been a fan of Cold Steel for many moons, and continue to be one. But its market movement to pricier steel (and thus more costly knives - which I don't like), coupled with this unwarranted (IMO) legal action have really stunk things up for me. But S&W, Ruger and Leatherman have overcome their public relations blunders, and so will Cold Steel. Onward and upward.
 
powernoodle said:
That's true for the Kardashians, but not Cold Steel. Given the widespread, almost universal rebuke of Cold Steel's lawsuit on Bladeforums and elsewhere, coupled with the hasty dismissal of the action, this is absolutely bad publicity.
Click to expand...
True. But as someone pointed out earlier, it still has us talking about Cold Steel, doesn't it? Now take into effect the negligible clout our tiny community exerts over the broad landscape of knife consumers and I see nothing but win for the man whose entire raison d'etre appears to be getting people to talk about his company. For every one of us who refuses to buy Cold Steel knives as a result of this lawsuit, a dozen more will purchase them in our place.
 
Last edited:
I think that the term "universal rebuke" is a gross exaggeration. The vast majority of people who were outraged by CS's lawsuit
hated CS to start with and they will continue to hate CS no matter what. Even those who liked CS, their products at least, really
didn't care about this suit one way or the other. Contrary to my previous comment, since the probability of a dismissal was high to start
with, which means that all CS paid was a few thousand bucks if that, to file a complaint, and CRKT similarly to write up one Answer seeking summary dismissal;
In the other words the usual steps from discovery to full litigation, which is what really builds up lawyers fees
did not come into play. So yes, I think it was pretty cheap advertising. Water under the bridge before we know it. Unless CS comes up
with another "publicity stunt". LOL
 
Last edited:
Well if it isn't too "real" for CS, there's always Extrema Ratio. ;) :D Alas, there may not be enough publicity potential to go after them, however. :(
 
Last edited:
Cold Steel s decision to produce high value knives with better quality steel for the blades has vaulted them into an entirely new level of interest for many knife enthusiasts. High quality for a modest price. Move over Spyderco.
 
Uh, no . . . if for no other reasons than variety and refinement. But it's an interesting thought.
 
KenHash said:
The vast majority of people who were outraged by CS's lawsuit hated CS to start with
Click to expand...

I don't think there is any basis for that claim. In my instance, I love Cold Steel and own more than 30 of their knives, but was totally put off by this lawsuit. And internet commentators from World Net Daily to onlygunsandmoney.blogspot.com have widely if not universally denounced the lawsuit, and I know of no basis for concluding that their opinions derived from preexisting Cold Steel hate. What they seem to hate is baseless litigation, as we all should. And especially within an industry that is already under attack from without.

But irrespective of this, here is what we are left with: Cold Steel proudly announced the lawsuit with great fanfare, and now will not say a word about its resolution. Both were choices, and neither benefitted either Cold Steel or the consumer. We'll know a little more about the "settlement" if we see changes in CRKT's advertising, but even if we do, what has been gained? I say nothing. It is quite possible that Cold Steel simply decided to dismiss the action in light of the overwhelming and unexpected (to them) consumer dissatisfaction with the litigation, but we'll probably never know.

I've grown weary of this whole thing, and am getting back to the fun stuff like playing with my micro Recon 1. :thumbup:
 
I agree with everything you said except your statement that Cold Steel did not benefit from the lawsuit. Time will tell if the suit did any real damage to them or actually increased their sales due to what another forum member referred to as "dead cat marketing".
 
Last edited:
Yeah I heard "dead cat" many times in the original thread. And it got the word out that LAWKS is crap, if people didn't already know. I know both companies use that word that starts with a v, but to attribute it to the LAWKS as a fixed blade is flat ridiculous. I still think that CRKT should have lost the LAWKS' tagline on the grounds that it gives way so easily. Its a literal false sense of security. It's unsafe and should have been the only target of the suit.

To clarify: Some customers may buy these knives under the impression that it could handle near to what a fixed blade can. They're going to learn the hard way. Its not like CRKT has testing videos in a hard use role a "virtual fixed blade" would call for. CS does that without claiming anything about their folders being "virt-fixed"(ima use this from now on). I guess they know better.
 
I think Powernoodle really cut through the fluff to the issue itself as he tends to do. I'd bet whatever statement that will be released will see the attorneys office before it's posted. They agreed to the non disclosure agreement and don't want to violate so careful release of information is necessary.

Even if it wasn't they have no obligation to release anything they don't feel is in their interest. Though i don't really approve of "lawfare" or legal bullying I do give them credit for the way they have dealt with people including me that vented here.

At this point I wish Cold Steel well and hope their continued improvement of the product line succeeds as we the customers benefit along with the company. Maybe now I can see how good they heat treated the 52100 steel they now sell. That's another great addition to the line when done properly. One of my favorite steels anyways.

Joe
 
Jonslaught said:
I know both companies use that word that starts with a v, but to attribute it to the LAWKS as a fixed blade is flat ridiculous in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Fixed it! Unfortunately, your opinion doesn't seem to have prevailed. Better luck next time.
 
powernoodle said:
I don't think there is any basis for that claim. In my instance, I love Cold Steel and own more than 30 of their knives, but was totally put off by this lawsuit.
:
Click to expand...

Sorry but I disagree. You may well be in the minority, but watching the numbers of CS haters BEFORE this lawsuit announcement and seeing these haters come pouring out in droves suggests to
me that "CS Lovers" didn't suddenly all become outraged over something that had ZERO effect on their own lives or even knife choices or habits. But the arguments that ensued ensured that Cold Steel was THE topic of discussion.
 
I'd still like to read a simple news release, or news story, about the outcome of this debacle. Not saying that folks here don't have the inside info, or the real story, but, well, I'd like to read a published story 'bout it.
 
Mannlicher said:
I'd still like to read a simple news release, or news story, about the outcome of this debacle. Not saying that folks here don't have the inside info, or the real story, but, well, I'd like to read a published story 'bout it.
Click to expand...

IMO, the proof of the pudding is right here:

http://www.crkt.com/knifeinnovations

As long as the term "virtual fixed blade" appears in the description of the LAWKS and Auto-LAWKS folder safety systems on that web page, I'd say the score will remain CRKT 1, CS 0.
 
whp said:
Cold Steel s decision to produce high value knives with better quality steel for the blades has vaulted them into an entirely new level of interest for many knife enthusiasts. High quality for a modest price. Move over Spyderco.
Click to expand...

Um......I doubt that! Not even close.
 
KenHash said:
I think that the term "universal rebuke" is a gross exaggeration. The vast majority of people who were outraged by CS's lawsuit
hated CS to start with and they will continue to hate CS no matter what.
Click to expand...

Time after time after time after time I saw people who had LONG been big supporters of CS, myself included, speak out against this lawsuit. Yes, the usual CS haters came out as well(they always do), but if you claim the "vast majority" were CS haters, you, quite frankly, weren't paying attention. I own over 60 Cold Steel products, I got folders, fixed blades, tomahawks, the SF shovel, machetes...hell, I'm one of those crazy weapon collectors who owns a few of their all polymer dagger type weapons, one of their Indian war clubs, even a sword. The most recent knife I ordered was a Black Talon 2, so I'm hardly a CS hater, but this lawsuit really reflected badly on them in my eyes, and was a terrible decision, with stupid, hypocritical arguments behind the supposed reasons for it. A lot of people like myself reacted the same way...and unlike me, some of them decided they were no longer willing to support a company like that. It won't stop ME from buying Cold Steel, but it does make me think less of them, and, well, I know I'm more hesitant to recommend them to other people now as well.
 
bld522 said:
IMO, the proof of the pudding is right here:

http://www.crkt.com/knifeinnovations

As long as the term "virtual fixed blade" appears in the description of the LAWKS and Auto-LAWKS folder safety systems on that web page, I'd say the score will remain CRKT 1, CS 0.
Click to expand...

You're talking numbers and who is winning, "CRKT 1, CS 0", thats fine, I can see you're content about this outcome. But let me tell you about who is losing: the CRKT customer who takes his company's word for it and buys a LAWKS knife as a hard use folder. Talking numbers, he will be -1... finger that is, if it were to ever close on him. Or more, after all, those Veff serrations are very effectiv. Puncturing and slicing at the same time, like mini karambits stacked on top of one another.

I said many times in multiple threads, the lawsuit was stupid and petty, someone else said CS acting as the "knife police" isn't right. And he was right, what another company does isn't their business. But I think its on CRKT to be the ones to be more honest about or even make a better locking system. The LAWKS is good for keeping the liner lock in place, but it fails under duress a hard use folder should take. This is a fact. It would be a double strike against CRKT if they lost their tagline in a lawsuit, instead of just paying heed to proof.

Quote Originally Posted by Jonslaught
I know both companies use that word that starts with a v, but to attribute it to the LAWKS as a fixed blade is flat ridiculous in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Fixed it! Unfortunately, your opinion doesn't seem to have prevailed. Better luck next time.
Click to expand...

A "virt-fixed" folder nearly folds at 45 pounds of pressure, how is this an opinion?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top