Help Identify Cold Steel Laredo

R

Rezinator

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Nov 21, 2017
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I just found this knife in an antique store. I know that it is a Cold Steel Laredo Bowie, Carbon V, Made in USA. I cannot however find any other Laredo that has a pinned coffin hardwood handle like mine. This does not have the cable tang.
The knife appears all original with factory edge, the sheath may be aftermarket???

Please let me know if you have any information regarding this knife.

Not looking for value.

Thanks in advance!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/76526546@N02/6H5Z3U
 
I just found this knife in an antique store. I know that it is a Cold Steel Laredo Bowie, Carbon V, Made in USA. I cannot however find any other Laredo that has a pinned coffin hardwood handle like mine. This does not have the cable tang.
The knife appears all original with factory edge, the sheath may be aftermarket???

Please let me know if you have any information regarding this knife.

Not looking for value.

Thanks in advance!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/76526546@N02/6H5Z3U
 
Have you asked Cold Steel?
I don't know if they are responding to consumer inquiries about products made prior to LT selling the company to whoever controls it now.
 
afishhunter said:
Have you asked Cold Steel?
I don't know if they are responding to consumer inquiries about products made prior to LT selling the company to whoever controls it now.
Click to expand...
I have not, may send them an email. Figured someone on the forum may know.

Thank you
 
I hate to say it Rezinator, but I think it's a fake as well.

There are fake CS Laredo bowies out there, and the fakes I have seen have two-pin handles and a thong tube. I've never seen a genuine Laredo with those characteristics.

Despite the issues with the new GSM/Cold Steel, one thing I'll say for them is that they have retained the archive of old catalogs on the CS website. It looks like the Laredo was introduced in 2002, and I don't see any from then on with two handle pins and a thong tube. They all have the same design year after year. But you can certainly look through them for yourself, it's possible I missed something. Here is a link to the CS catalog archive- https://www.coldsteel.com/catalog-archives/

Unfortunately that archive isn't perfect, although a 2000 catalog is shown it isn't actually there. Instead if you click on 2000 you get the 2009 catalog. So people should check the URL at the top of their screen after they click on a particular catalog to verify the year.
 
killgar said:
I hate to say it Rezinator, but I think it's a fake as well.

There are fake CS Laredo bowies out there, and the ones I have seen have two-pin handles and a thong tube. I've never seen a genuine Laredo with those characteristics.

Despite the issues with the new GSM/Cold Steel, one thing I'll say for them is that they have retained the archive of old catalogs on the CS website. It looks like the Laredo was introduced in 2002, and I don't see any from then on with two handle pins and a thong tube. But you can certainly look through them for yourself, it's possible I missed something. Here is a link to the CS catalog archive- https://www.coldsteel.com/catalog-archives/

Unfortunately that archive isn't perfect, although a 2000 catalog is shown it isn't actually there. Instead if you click on 2000 you get the 2009 catalog. So people should check the URL at the top of their screen after they click on a particular catalog to verify the year.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I just looked at the old catalogs and sent the photos to Cold Steel as well. Hopefully it is not counterfeit, is very well made, balances perfectly and is scary sharp. The sheath is definitely on the cheap side though.

I’ll update this thread if I get a reply back from Cold Steel.
 
Rezinator said:
I just found this knife in an antique store. I know that it is a Cold Steel Laredo Bowie, Carbon V, Made in USA. I cannot however find any other Laredo that has a pinned coffin hardwood handle like mine. This does not have the cable tang.
The knife appears all original with factory edge, the sheath may be aftermarket???

Please let me know if you have any information regarding this knife.

Not looking for value.

Thanks in advance!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/76526546@N02/6H5Z3U
Click to expand...
Its a knockoff. the Laredo has never had a pinned handle.
 
Rezinator said:
Maybe it is, but extremely well made for a fake/counterfeit knife.

It would really take a lot of effort to go through the trouble.
I’ll update this thread if I get a reply from Cold Steel.
Click to expand...
Well made? Not really......different handle, different tang, tang stamp is not really right, what kind of steel is it really? It doesn't look like any Laredo I've seen.....
 
Be careful using it, Bud K sold a version of these, and someone tried it out. The knife broke behind the guard, and when it was examined the tang was just a stub tack welded into a handle frame.
 
tltt said:
Be careful using it, Bud K sold a version of these, and someone tried it out. The knife broke behind the guard, and when it was examined the tang was just a stub tack welded into a handle frame.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I’ll be very cautious about using it, if at all. I got it at a pretty cheap price. Surprised someone put this much work into a counterfeit blade.
 
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