How does Cold Steel hold up post-GSM

PeteyTwoPointOne said:
I wonder if any of what we're buying is still og CS old stock and how much is GSM manufactured? Any way to tell besides if it's a totally new design, i.e. Mayhem?

For instance, were the 3V Ti AD10's made before the changeover? Because, they are OUTSTANDING!

Everything I've bought has been identical to LT's ownership, no discernable difference.
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The logo printed on the knives changed. It wasn't a perfect cutover, but if you have the new logo, you have post gsm buyout

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New
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Someone correct me if there are any exceptions to that
 
Dupems said:
What kind of corners in particular do you think they've cut? I know you said no proof, but any guesses?
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quality control checks. seems more flaws slip through than used to, but i have no numbers to verify that.

moving makers to save money. s African made machetes got moved to China with an inferior, imo, steel and heat treat. I haven't lab tested these but they don't seem as well made. Chinese ones are better finished and prettier, but I dont feel are as strong and durable. I haven't taken one of each and tested it to see....and even if I did, it's not a big enough sample to have any real scientific conclusions.

the full tapered tang on the warcraft we learned was eliminated to a skeletonized one. which we also learned is cheaper in the production of it. maybe it was done for some other reason, but appears more likely due to cutting corners to save money. no proof though. Just gut feel on all of this.....

things like that.......
 
In the market that CS is in, I was surprised they even offered a model with a tapered tang. Skeletonized tangs make so much more sense for high volume makers. It's all done when the blade is cut from the steel sheet, in the same process. So much more economical.
 
I can’t speak on pre-gsm. I’m pretty impressed with my new recon tanto though. The edge came VERY sharp and the job was uniformly executed. Someone took their time with the sharpening. I’m not thrilled about the fitment where the handle meets the blade but from what I’ve read its actually an improvement. So there it is.
 
The older version is a far better knife.

My Carbon V Recon Tanto chops better than my SK5 Recon Tanto, and it also holds and edge longer, though that could be due to the difference between a leather and a Secure=ex sheath.

The SK5 Recon Tanto is a good knife, however, for the price.
 
There have been quality control issues, sometimes serious ones, on certain models for a while.

They had some very bad grinds on some very expensive Bowies, for example.

I waited until I started seeing posts about the grinds being corrected before buying my Trailmaster.

I also haven't purchased any machetes since they started their "no edge grind" machetes.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
The older version is a far better knife.

My Carbon V Recon Tanto chops better than my SK5 Recon Tanto, and it also holds and edge longer, though that could be due to the difference between a leather and a Secure=ex sheath.

The SK5 Recon Tanto is a good knife, however, for the price.
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Armorsheaths does a great Recon Tanto sheath, FWIW. I refused to put my SK5 model anywhere but the cardboard sleeve until my sheath arrived.
 
Mine have mostly been fine/same. Grinds weren't always perfect on pre GSM knives either. My family says I'm OCD though. I think it's just that I like perfection.
 
My last two Cold Steels are shit, sorry to say but that's the truth.

First, I got fckd with a Recon M1, it literally has a bent blade, I was wondering wtf is wrong with the centering, it was the slightly bent blade, from manufacturing. Forget the gritty action, I paid almost $300 for a lemon.

That was not enough, as I just bought another Recon 1, a half serrated tanto this time, this one has a bent tip from the grinding process I reckon, and lol, they put DLC coating on one side of the blade that covers both the serrations and the sharpened blade.

I am near the point of saying "never buy cold steel crap again".

Mind you, both knives were bought from a reputable seller, not from ebay/amazon, a seller from which I also bought good CS knives, along with Kershaw, Benchmade, Spyderco, CJRB etc.

The only problems were with these two Recon 1s I bought in the last 2 months or so.

Sad.

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I’ve had really good luck, I guess. The several CS knives purchased post GSM takeover have been fine. I wonder if the dealer is selling returns from people who swapped in clones? Not saying that is the case, but it’s not impossible. Any way, if it had happened to me, I’d likely never buy again as well. I hope your luck improves!
 
They are not clones, I have like 5 Recon 1s, including a plain blade tanto pre-GSM in s35vn.

I mean, I can tell the difference, i.e. it's just crap QC. I also own a few CSs post-GSM including a Karve and a clip point Recon 1 with zero issues, all bought from the same store.

The point is, having a bent blade on a $300 knife like the M1 is fubar.

I read about issues with the M1 before buying, but I said, nah, can't happen to me, people are exaggerating.

And it happened.

Twice, with CS's most iconic knife.

What even is this?
 
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