History of Cold Steel Push-knives

[jencarlos]

those kydex sheaths look awesome

 

[MississippiRifleman]

Just got this one at mail call today.

 

[Tim.E]

My Urban Skinner, bought in 1985.

 

[nephron]

I have never seen one with the hole before, looks authentic, wondering what the hole was for.

 

[The Whip]

I have never seen one with the hole before, looks authentic, wondering what the hole was for.
View attachment 1168483

That is a very intriguing piece, nephron! I've never seen an Urban Pal with a lanyard hole, either. It certainly looks genuine. But the blade markings are also unusual. I hadn't seen the printed "by Cold Steel" label on that model before. Then, between your photos and these that gdog363 posted,

I've now seen two inside the space of a week! And yet even those are marked differently.

I suspect that Lynn must have contracted with several makers to fashion those earliest knives (Urban Pals, Urban Shivs/Hunters, and Urban Skinners) in order to meet expected demand, as well as to evaluate and compare the makers' craftsmanship. Thus, the ever-expanding variety evident among the models that keep cropping up here. The exceedingly polished finish of the Urban Pal in your photo, contrasted with the comparatively rough finish on mine in post #18, bears this out. So, too, does the quantity of differing blade markings.

If the date of 1981 given in the listing for the knife gdog363 shared is accurate, it has to be among the earliest versions of the Urban Pal. Perhaps that's why the printed Cold Steel name is used instead of the Cold Steel, Inc. logo. If true (and remember that this is all speculation on my part), that would make the one in nephron's picture very early, too.

Were photos of the sheath available, nephron? I'd be interested in seeing the sheath that came with that knife.

-Steve

 

[nephron]

Sounds reasonable to me! Would have loved to add it to the collection but funds weren't available and it was knida steep(for me anyway).

 

[nephron]

Finally have a NIB Safekeeper I coming along with an Urban Pal with the unmodified sheath with the chain attached. My collection is pretty complete now. Did the Safekeeper I come from Japan only or Taiwan too. Pix later when they arrive.

 

[jlauffer]

Finally have a NIB Safekeeper I coming along with an Urban Pal with the unmodified sheath with the chain attached. My collection is pretty complete now. Did the Safekeeper I come from Japan only or Taiwan too. Pix later when they arrive.

Japan only as far as I know. Nice scores!

 

[nephron]

Japan only as far as I know. Nice scores!

Thanks for the quick response, as usual. I had to buy 10 other knives but I have been looking for this thing since 2013(good shape reasonable price). Not my favorite but it's a gotta have for me. Its NIB with the NIB Safekkeeper II, III as two of the other ten, I will post pix of them all including the Urban Pal upon arrival.

 

[jencarlos]

I'm behind on my push knives. I only have a Defender I and a 1st generation smooth-handled Urban Skinner...

 

[nephron]

I'm behind on my push knives. I only have a Defender I and a 1st generation smooth-handled Urban Skinner...

That's a good start, those are rare.

 

[DnADuster]

I have a defender bought after saw Platoon in 1987-88 I think.

 

[Michael Mlodzik]

My Belt Buckle sheath and blade

 

[The Whip]

Finally have a NIB Safekeeper I coming along with an Urban Pal with the unmodified sheath with the chain attached. My collection is pretty complete now. Did the Safekeeper I come from Japan only or Taiwan too. Pix later when they arrive.

Don't you owe us some pictures, sir? I'd like to see your Safekeeper I. Those were short-lived and are hard to come by.

-Steve

 

[The Whip]

My Belt Buckle sheath and blade

Michael, that first-generation, smooth-handled Urban Skinner is awesome! The sheath actually looks like it's original to the knife. Is it? If so, you've presented us with a knife/sheath combination that I've never seen before and had no idea that Cold Steel ever offered.

I definitely would like to hear more about your history with this knife, please, particularly if you're the original owner. You may have a very unusual piece.

-Steve

 

[nephron]

Don't you owe us some pictures, sir? I'd like to see your Safekeeper I. Those were short-lived and are hard to come by.

-Steve

You are right, I thought I did already, I will dig it out this week and post some. Its a real beast. I have been looking forever it felt like.

 

[nephron]

I wish the picture quality was better, if I get some better ones later on I will replace these. I love the details in the logo, the slash over the I and below Safekeeper.

 

[Jules_1313]

Safe Keeper Series:

The Safe Keeper series consisted of 3 models…I, II, and III…but only the I and II were available at first. The I was the longest, and is the largest push-dagger CS has made to date. The II was similar to the Terminator/Defender I, and the III was almost identical to the Urban Skinner/Defender II. In fact, the blade lengths are the same, but the necks on the Safe Keepers were lengthened a little, increasing the overall length a bit. The blood-grooves on the Terminator/Defender I are gone, which makes the blades a little plain in my opinion.

Period:

Safe Keeper I: 1996 - 1999
Safe Keeper II: 1996 – 2005; 2007; 2010 - 2016
Safe Keeper III: 1998 – 2005; 2007; 2010 - 2016

Blade Steel: AUS8A (1996 – 2000); bead-blasted 420 Sub Zero Quench (2001 - 2005); 4116 Krupp (2007); AUS 8A (2010 – 2016)

Blade Length / Overall Length:

Safe Keeper I: 5" / 7 5/8"
Safe Keeper II: 3 3/4" / 6 3/8"
Safe Keeper III: 2 3/4" / 5"

Blade Markings: Unlike the Terminator/Defender, the Safe Keeper series has nothing on the handle. For models up to 2005, they have the SAFE KEEPER I, II, or III logo on one side, and the COLD STEEL logo over “Made in Japan” or “Made in Taiwan” on the other side. Not sure about the newer models, but I have seen pix online that show only “China” or “Taiwan” under the COLD STEEL logo.

Sheath: Kydex (1996 – 1998); Concealex (1999 - 2000); Secure-Ex (2001 - 2016). A lot of variation here. Some of the earlier sheaths had one side that was totally flat, while the other side had the blade “bulge” and belt clip. Others had the bulge on one side and the clip on the other.

====================================================================================================

Safe Maker Series:

The Safe Maker series consists of 2 models…I and II. Both are double-edged. The most distinguishing, and controversial characteristic, is the "chisel-ground" blade. The back of the blade is basically flat (slightly concave), while the front is ground down to the edge. The blood-groove from the Terminator/Defender I makes its return on the Safe Maker (but only on one side). Another nice feature is that the Kraton is extended partially down the neck so that it is more comfortable between the fingers.

Period: 2006 - Present

Blade Steel: AUS 8A (2006 – 2014); VG-1 (2015 – 2016); AUS 8A with stone wash finish (2017)

Blade Length / Overall Length:

Safe Maker I: 4 1/2" / 6 3/8"
Safe Maker II: 3 1/4" / 5"

I believe these blade lengths include part of the neck, making them seem longer than they really are.

Blade Markings: Mine have the SAFE MAKER I or II logo on one side, and the COLD STEEL logo and JAPAN on the other side in one line. I have seen some pix online that show the new COLD STEEL logo over “AUS 8A Taiwan”. Not sure when this changed.

Sheath: Secure-Ex

Here is a comparison pic of a few CS push-daggers. From left to right: Terminator/Defender I, Safe Keeper II, Safe Maker I, and Safe Keeper I:

Can see that the blade lengths are basically the same on the Terminator/Defender, SK II, and SM I, but the neck length varies. Can also see how much larger the SK I is compared to the others.

Any longer than the SAFE MAKER 1 will be difficult to wield... The grips are nice and very intuitive...

 

[nephron]

Any longer than the SAFE MAKER 1 will be difficult to wield... The grips are nice and very intuitive...

You are correct, at least for me, its not the best length. Probably if you have some large/meaty hands it would be a better choice. It does get your attention though. Tough one to find so I guess most people felt the same.

 

[The Whip]

I think it's funny that the maker of the video teased the review with "just another gimmick?" Just another gimmick, really? That's like questioning whether the Spyderco Round Hole is just a passing fad!

The Tanto may be what Cold Steel is most famous for, but push daggers are a close second. The first knives Cold Steel offered were push daggers. The company was the first to introduce the concept in modern form and materials, and, to my knowledge, there hasn't been a year in which push daggers weren't offered for sale in the catalog. Cold Steel has generated well over a dozen push dagger designs over the past forty years.

Also, I've never read an unfavorable published review of any Cold Steel push dagger, and there have been many throughout the years from people who know what they're talking about. Yet I'm supposed to accept that the Safe Maker I has merit because someone on YouTube says so? Thanks for the insight, but I prefer instead to watch videos like this to inform my decision-making (not to mention over thirty years of my own experience with Cold Steel's excellent push daggers).

In unrelated news, the Wuhan pandemic has granted me extra opportunities to delve into some historical research. I've since learned a number of things about Cold Steel's history that I think the frequenters of this subforum will find interesting. I have some outstanding questions to which I'm seeking answers currently, but keep an eye on these history threads in the coming months, as I hope to be adding some relevant material.


-Steve