New Cold Steel Knives at SHOT Show

To be fair, LCT didn't ask users for input on his designs. Nor did he always hit home runs. However, all his products had this indomitable spirit. They had to be strong, they had to perform.

This new batch doesn't offer more than less expensive knives made overseas. The only reason someone might chose them over other brands is the Cold Steel reputation. But that won't last forever.
 
EatingSarma said:
I own 3V version of Warcraft... and I'm not impressed by any of their "new" versions...

Instead of making the product better - they made it worse...

My thoughts too.

Sadly we aren't their majority. While it's true we bring some profit - their target audence are what you can call mall ninjas or eventually weekend warriors.

People who will google search Cold Steel as a good knife or have maybe heard something good about CS and then go ahead and buy a "good knife" while for example paying 4034 Warcraft as much as I paid 3V version 2 years ago...

And they'll be happy with it as they don't know any better or might never even use it.

Same with folders... those people won't look for uneven grinds, centered blade or even care about hotspot on the middle of the handle... most of them won't even use them.
Click to expand...
San Mai is not a huge step back from CPM-3V, although I agree it's not an improvment.

I don't mind that they are introducing cheaper models as long as flagships like the Recon 1, AL, etc. remain. People's attention spans nowadays is short, and it's likely GSM wants to capitalize on entry level beaters.

I am mostly disappointed that there is no Recon Scout or Trailmaster in A2 or similar for about 150 USD.
 
Last edited:
MolokaiRider said:
San Mai is not a huge step back from CPM-3V, although I agree it's not an improvment.

I don't mind that they are introducing cheaper models as long as flagships like the Recon 1, AL, etc. remain. People's attention spans nowadays is short, and it's likely GSM wants to capitalize on entry level beaters.

I am mostly disappointed that there is no Recon Scout or Trailmaster in A2 or similar for about 150 USD.
Click to expand...
One of those Flagship models is the Mini Recon 1….CS brought it back, but a downgraded, cheaper version. They should have brought it back with premium materials, bombproof like the previous versions. That would have been so sweet. I looked everywhere for one and all the asking prices were a joke (way too high). That’s the only purchase that I regret not making.
 
sean2021 said:
One of those Flagship models is the Mini Recon 1….CS brought it back, but a downgraded, cheaper version. They should have brought it back with premium materials, bombproof like the previous versions. That would have been so sweet. I looked everywhere for one and all the asking prices were a joke (way too high). That’s the only purchase that I regret not making.
Click to expand...
The CTS-XHP model Mini Recon 1 was definitely a peak time for that knife.

The previous version was AUS8A, so while AUS10A is an improvment, it's a backpedal from the previous generation.
 
Think the only one I might have been interested in was the Verdict, but the AUS10A version is going to have a black blade. Nope.
 
not loving anything I saw. tanto ad10 is okay but still 3.5" blade and id prefer this knife to be a 3.75" or 4".

the small folders i have zero interest in. the new lock folder only 3.5" biggest size....ehhh....dont hate it don't love it. the fixed blades in 4034 and high prices...... blah.

the mayhem prototype reminds me of Lynn. not for me and I dont care for those super large awkward folders. I kinda like 4" range in the bigger size.

all in all pretty disappointed. gsm has shown they arent gonna follow in the cold steel footprints. they are gonna design and sell products geared for their big box store customers. like they've done with their other brands....they've ruined.
 
jlauffer said:
Think the only one I might have been interested in was the Verdict, but the AUS10A version is going to have a black blade. Nope.
Click to expand...
That indentation on top of the Verdict blade (for your thumb during precise cutting) ruins the knife for me. It would have looked so much nicer without it. Others have said the choil is too big, I tend to agree.
 
So what happened to the Talwar 4´´ and the Hold Out 4´´ ? What´s the purpose of this bulky, over the top mayhem when there is no Recon 1 XL ? It looks like a caricature to me. If you want a zombie killer, why not just a Black Talon XL ? And I could think of so many others. I just don´t get it.
 
I think a lot of the finish complaints are on unmarked blades. And from what it sounds like, those are all prototypes which is why we haven't seen them before.

The Verdict looks like a promising model, if they keep the price down. Hopefully a solid knife for work carry.

AD10 tanto seems like a logical leap. Half the knives in the lineup over the past decade have had drop, clip, and tanto shape options.

Mayhem prototype looks absolutely ridiculous, but not in a bad way. I imagine people were reacting similarly to the oversized gimmick back when the Rajah1 debuted, which I believe was their first mega-folder (correct me if I'm wrong).

Design-wise, I'm not excited but I'm also not going to write them off quite yet. New steel choices, though... I guess time will tell.

Salad days may be gone, but let's remain hopeful. No point arranging the funeral before the patient flatlines.
 
From what Stickman was saying about working with Lynn and looking at the designs, it appears Lynn is probably still under contract to help finish/tweak any knives that were in the pipeline when GSM bought the company. It was Lynn who unfortunately started using 4034 in more of his knives under Cold Steel, but at the same time, he would never sell a knife for $300 that was made of such a bottom basement steel. So my best guess is that most of what you're seeing on that table are the last of Lynn's designs and/or tweaks. Come 2023 is when we'll see the real GSM Cold Steel line.

My best guess is that a whole bunch of existing knives with Japanese or American steel will be changed to Chinese stainless yet still look the same. This is why I think it is important for anyone who wants a "real" Cold Steel to get one now or be forced to carry a Chinese stainless steel 3.5" Voyager soon :) To get back to my original, point, I believe these new knives are going to pretty much be like what was under the old Cold Steel because of Lynn being involved and the same exact plants in Taiwan making them. But once these are gone or priced out of reach, then comes the GSM Flea Market Sale -- buy one folder get 5 free! Until then, grab'em while you can!
 
Cold Steel Mini Recon 1- From the reviews I've seen so far, the changes to the knife are very positive. As far as the AUS10A steel goes, I guess I don't understand the criticism. If Cold Steel makes it out of S35VN, then it will be double the price. Maybe some folks here have money to burn, but most of us don't. I think AUS10A is an awesome choice and keeps it affordable. If the steel bugs people that bad, let them wait until the 8cr13MOV version comes out. They should be real happy then :)
 
sean2021 said:
That indentation on top of the Verdict blade (for your thumb during precise cutting) ruins the knife for me. It would have looked so much nicer without it. Others have said the choil is too big, I tend to agree.
Click to expand...
Are you thinkig of the Drifter? Didn't see that on the Verdict.
 
If the price is not too high the small San Mai Warcraft might be good.

They admit that the hollow grind makes it something not to chop with, but then why have a large chopping type blade?

At least they are keeping San Mai and the Master/Magnum/Outdoorsman series might still be safe.

The "affordable" Bowie comments are pretty funny. They raise the prices to ridiculous levels, cancel the affordable Bowies, then make a new cheap Bowie series in a cheap steel to make "affordable" Bowies that cost more than the Bowies they cancelled.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
If the price is not too high the small San Mai Warcraft might be good.

They admit that the hollow grind makes it something not to chop with, but then why have a large chopping type blade?

At least they are keeping San Mai and the Master/Magnum/Outdoorsman series might still be safe.

The "affordable" Bowie comments are pretty funny. They raise the prices to ridiculous levels, cancel the affordable Bowies, then make a new cheap Bowie series in a cheap steel to make "affordable" Bowies that cost more than the Bowies they cancelled.
Click to expand...
Oh man, you are so spot on about the bowie knives thing 👍
 
Benjamin Liu said:
If the price is not too high the small San Mai Warcraft might be good.

They admit that the hollow grind makes it something not to chop with, but then why have a large chopping type blade?

At least they are keeping San Mai and the Master/Magnum/Outdoorsman series might still be safe.

The "affordable" Bowie comments are pretty funny. They raise the prices to ridiculous levels, cancel the affordable Bowies, then make a new cheap Bowie series in a cheap steel to make "affordable" Bowies that cost more than the Bowies they cancelled.
Click to expand...
Well, if they gutted 3V Warcraft and then introduced 4034 Warcraft that costs at least 70% of the price of 3V version (and is even more expensive than 3V version that's on sale on some site) then what can we expect for san mai pricing?

If they wanted to make the price right, they'd get it right with 4034 because I doubt that san mai will be cheaper than 4034.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top