May be a dumb question about CS...

I own several CS knives: notably a Tai Pan and original (brass pommel) tanto. I think that if you shop around for them, you get a lot of decent steel for a good price. These aren't the best knives out there, but to me they can be a good value. I also bought their hand-and-a-half sword... found it online for about $150. Infinitely better than the pot metal showpiece swords you see in malls.

Richard
 
wannabemarine said:
...i have never had an experience with any of their knives that warrant the rep they have on bladeforums.com.
Click to expand...

For the most part, the vitrole that CS gets here is not so much based on their knives (which as I've said before, if they had "Camillus"- these are the people who make the Carbon V models- on them I'd buy them probably), so much as the considered opinion that the owner of CS is a first-rate jaggoff. I won't support CS because I find LT repugnant. Far as I've seen, most threads will include some caveat that at least some of the knives aren't "that" bad, its just that LT ruins it by opening his pie-hole.
 
Lynn's a funny guy . . . but most of his knives are outstanding quality at a very reasonable price. A lotta folks don't care for Zytel or Kraton, but I think they're fine handle materials, and the CS serrations are superior to Spyderco, IMHO (though not as easily resharpened).
 
Originally Posted by Andy_CN
Does anybody know in which year they replaced the video tape
with the current DVD

Reply by Benjamin Liu
AFAIK they make a new DVD each year when they come out with new products.
Click to expand...


Sorry, it seems my question got misunderstood....

I've seen a ColdSteel box where the Solid Proof video was promoted on the back side,
and shown as a video tape. Nowadays the Solid Proof video comes on DVD, so ColdSteel
has moved from Video Tape to DVD at a certain time.

To determine the approx. age of the knife in the box, I'm interested in the year ColdSteel
started to offer their Solid Proof video on DVD.

Thanks in advance :)
 
dont have time to put forth my full argument against cold steal..... but i owned a recon tanto.... snapped it in half by throwing it ten feet into a tree.... it sucks and cold steal sucks... the bs hype and the steel ....
 
valleytinworks said:
dont have time to put forth my full argument against cold steal..... but i owned a recon tanto.... snapped it in half by throwing it ten feet into a tree.... it sucks and cold steal sucks... the bs hype and the steel ....
Click to expand...


Would the ame have happened if you used on of their throwing knives
Funny how nobody ever complains about their Opinelsbreaking when they threw them into the tree.
By the way- what did the tree do to you that warranted the attack:D
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
Would the ame have happened if you used on of their throwing knives
Funny how nobody ever complains about their Opinelsbreaking when they threw them into the tree.
By the way- what did the tree do to you that warranted the attack:D
Click to expand...


hmmmm i dont know if the same thing would have happened if i had used a throwing knife..... but according to LT you can use those knives to chop the tracks off of a tank.....

and i throw my busse' knives all day..... a 'tactical' knife marketed to military and police shouldnt break when thrown.
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
Would the ame have happened if you used on of their throwing knives
Funny how nobody ever complains about their Opinelsbreaking when they threw them into the tree.
By the way- what did the tree do to you that warranted the attack:D
Click to expand...

Funny how a "weak knife" apologist always comes along with an idiotic comparison like that when people talk about how a supposedly "tough" fixed blade knife snaps in half.

And no, it probably wouldn't have happened on their throwing knives, since they also don't seem to be properly heat treated (judging from the way they get bent from throwing)

It is just a sign of poor heat treat when a knife breaks like that.

Throwing and batoning isn't abusive to a quality fixed blade knife. (unless the blade is ultra thin, or it has delicate handle materials.
 
My only real complaint about Cold Steel is that their lineup bores me and I don't see anything especially attractive. Hence, I've never bought one.
 
In my experience, CS knive are very sharp and sturdy. I have a Ti-Lite folder that I bought after seeing the "More Proof" DVD and I used it hard on my daily job just to see if it would hold up as claimed. While the edge dulled up a little faster than I would ideally like, it pops back to shaving sharp without much work on a stone. I have thrown it at trees and fence posts with no loosening of the blade. While I don't know about Lynn Thompsons personal politics etc... I like all of the product that I have seen from them.

My only Caveat, is that they are all too big. LT is a LARGE man and the design of most of the knoves show that. I am only 5'8" and a lot of the folders that I have tried are JUST too big for my personal comfort. I bought a Recon 1 tanto off the internet, and carried it for a couple of weeks but it was too big in my pocket and my hand. HOWEVER.... It was DAMN sharp! I took it over to my friends house just after I recieved it. He had some Sumac trees that were overgrowing the back yard. I swung the knife RIGHT THROUGH a 2" sapling, with very little effort, and afterwards the tree stood there for 2-3 seconds before falling over with a clean slice all the way through. Just like in a cartoon.. :)
I am currently considering trying to find a Mini-culloden online, as the current model, the Bravehart is, once again, Just too big for my needs.

Overall, I have NO problem recommending CS knives, and IMHO the SRK is one of the best fixed blade knives I have ever used.

TB
 
Still perfect, no bending or chipping. And, BTW it balanced very well for throwing. The first time I tried I was walking from the house to my truck while looking at the knife. ( 2 days after getting it...) I looked up and found myself about 10 feet from a solid woden fence post. Since I had already decided that I was going to beat the hell out of the knife to see if it would stand up, I grabbed the point of the blade and threw it at the post. I was amazed that after 2.5 turns it sunk almost 1.5" into the post! I Love This Knife!!! BUT...
It's barely too big for what I want. If they made this knife with a 3" blade instead of 4" I would buy several.

TB
P.S. I bought one of the Sgian Dubh "Nightshade" series knives made from Zytel or whatever they are calling that plastic nowadays. I took it on a Cruise with my wife because I was flying and I refuse to go anywhere without a knife. While they are definately not my first choice for a knife, there is no metal in them, and the material is hard enough that the built-in serrations would definately give an attacker a hell of a bad day in a self defence situation. Note that Only the Sgian Dubh model has serrations, all of the other models would be fine for stabbing but have no edge and cannot be sharpened. I wore it while snorkling held on my upper thigh with a hand made thin leather sheath and elastic. No matter how safe it may be, I don't go into the ocean without a knife on, and for 10-12$ you can't beat it. Also, there is something reassuring about knowing that you and your friends may be the only armed people onboard ship. :)
 
valleytinworks said:
and i throw my busse' knives all day..... a 'tactical' knife marketed to military and police shouldnt break when thrown.
Click to expand...

Yea but busse knives cost about 5-8 times as much as the cold steel knives..........:rolleyes:
 
RedEdge77 said:
Yea but busse knives cost about 5-8 times as much as the cold steel knives..........:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
yeah but cold steal markets themselves as the toughest.... in my personal opinion and experiences cold steal sucks..... and so what if a better knife that will not break is more expensive..... a pricey knife is better than an unreliable one. and you know the al saying... ya get what ya pay for.
 
That argument is a complete non sequitur. You're implying that Cold Steel knives will "break" more readily than a more expensive knife, or that a "pricey knife" cannot be unreliable. The first I would disagree with totally; the second I would agree with conditionally. One of the things I like about CS knives is that you often get more than you pay for, which is why folks buy them. Trying to find a Benchmade folder with a blade longer than three inches is difficult. (They seem to hover between 2-3 inches.)

I love my 4-, 5-, and 6-inch blades.
 
I don't throw my knives, beat on them with hammers, or bash them through car doors.

Having said that, do you guys think the Cold Steel TrailMaster is a decent knife for the money? I'm looking for something almost exactly that design for camping/self defense duty... taking down/splitting small saplings would be the most abuse I'd throw at it. If I want to split logs I'll rent a splitter.

Cold Steel's advertising and "persona" turn me off, I admit. But on paper the trailmaster is exactly what I'm looking for. Probably the cheap one with Carbon V. You guys say Camillus makes those? If that's the case I consider that a selling point.

Wish a store near me had one on display... where's the balance point?
 
GibsonFan said:
Having said that, do you guys think the Cold Steel TrailMaster is a decent knife for the money?

Wish a store near me had one on display... where's the balance point?
Click to expand...

I like my CS Trailmaster. Except, I've never really prefered the handle material.

The balance point is about 1" in front of the guard.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Taiwan is a multiparty democracy, there is nothing wrong with buying products made there.
Click to expand...

WEll The reason I am skeptical about Taiwan profucts and Chinese products, is Before I got into my current line of work (Corrections) I was a steel worker for years. There were always bound to be those times when I would succumb to the temptation to buy those less expensive made in Taiwan tools. My experience with their steel has been dismal. The wrnches were always of poor quality, the pliers would fall apart, the hammers were hazardous to your health to use, etc.. This has been the case with any Taiwanese/Chinese steel products with the exception of Chinese firearms. From tools to fishing lures, I have always had the experience that if you want a good product, either buy american, german or Japanese, but anything I bought from the other two parts of the world usually meant poor metalurgy. Now Don't get me wrong, I have a CRKT that is made in Taiwan and it has actually been a nice piece, but for the most part I tend to shy away from them. Not trying to be a steel snob.
Thoughts?
 
The Voyagers and Vaqueros are lightweight, sharp, durable, available with 5" or 6" blades . . . and they're well under $100.:thumbup: :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top