Ordered a Cold Steel for it's uniqueness (Chaos Kukri)...

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

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Aug 4, 2013
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I placed an order for a totally strange/unique, (imo), item from the Cold Steel line. Yes, I know CS has more than a few items that may be considered in the "out there" catagory... But, I found their Chaos Kukri very tempting exactly for that uniqueness. Anyhow, it will simply be an addition to my "Man Gadget Collection", so it's unique styling is all I will be needing of it.
I do believe it will go down as a failure for Cold Steel. For one, it seems it's sales have not been stellar... so it's been a failure there. Also, the Chaos series seems to have some deficiencies in their design. For one, the knuckle guard is cast aluminum, and some online reviews have said that this aluminum guard is limited in protecting, since these castings have apparently broken upon hard testing. Maybe if the material had been extruded or forged, this may have added to it's strength, possibly denting/deforming before cracking/breaking. Then there was the Nut-n-Fancy testing, where his hard hits caused both the Chaos dagger and tanto to have broken blades. His guessing that the all metal handle could be responsible for some of this. He mentions the no give connection from metal blade to a metal handle, may lead to too much vibration that has no place to go. In any case, the knife for me will just be a collectible... And, it's an item that won't likely stay on the market for much longer, (it's seemingly low sales will likely bring about it's demise).
This is a picture that I found online of this model...

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The line suffers from a lack of practicality, even if it weren't for any potential material quality issues. Knuckle-guard knives are illegal to carry in a number of places and the handle design just -looks- uncomfortable and unforgiving. It's one of those models where you go "that's cool" and keep scrolling if you're looking for a knife you'll actually carry.
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
I placed an order for a totally strange (imo) item from the Cold Steel line. Yes, I know CS has more than a few items that may be considered in the "out there" catagory... But, I found their Chaos Kukri very tempting for it's uniqueness. Anyhow, it will simply be an addition to my "Man Gadget Collection", so it's unique styling is all I will be needing of it.
I do believe it will go down as a failure for Cold Steel. For one, it seems it's sales have not been stellar... and so it's been a failure there. Also, the Chaos seems to have some deficiencies in it's design. The knuckle guard is a cast aluminum, and some online reviews have said that this aluminum is only partly protective, since these castings have apparently broken upon hard testing (if the material had been extruded or forged, this may have added to it's strength). Then there is the Nut-n-Fancy testing, where his hard hits caused the Chaos dagger and tanto to have broken blades (his guessing that a all metal handle could be responsible for some of this. In any case, the knife for me will just be a collectible... And likely one that won't stay on the market much longer (imo).
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Not sure, what a 'man gadget collection' is?

Most anything with a 'knuckle duster' on it will be uncomfortable, as others have mentioned, but what does it matter if you neuter the knife anyway by sticking it in a shadow box instead of using the snot out of it?
 
Ummm, for "man gadget" please see Biology 101. :p The knife itself is intriguing, and I happen to like Cold Steel products, but that series always seemed to be off balance somehow (the tanto a bit less so IMO). :(
 
I collected a few "spinners" in my time. ;) The WWI trench knife is much more balanced looking (referring to the dagger blade/brass knuckle version) but a good one has proven either hard to find or VERY expensive. :( I haven't found a useable repro, just cheapo stuff; any leads? :)
 
katanas said:
I collected a few "spinners" in my time
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Im sorry to hear that.

katanas said:
The WWI trench knife is much more balanced looking (referring to the dagger blade/brass knuckle version) but a good one has proven either hard to find or VERY expensive. :( I haven't found a useable repro, just cheapo stuff; any leads? :)
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The MK1 is a beauty and THE trench knife/'knuckle duster' knife to have IMO. There are repros out there and the French made 'au lion' - personally, Id settle for nothing less than an original US made vintage knife … but thats easy for me to say, as I have one in the pipeline.

In order to buy one you have to be wary and do your research. There are artificially aged modern repro trench knives galore out there.
If you find a trench knife, post it in Levines forum here on BF prior to buying, if possible.
I cant link to it for obvious reasons but peruse the threads on the knife over on US Militaria forum.
Last but not least check out everything Frank Trzaska had written on the subject (well, read all his writings on MIL knives) and educate yourself in regards to being able to spot a fake.
http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/m1918mk1.htm
 
"Man Gadget Collection" is just my self title for things that guys, even from boyhood, find interesting, or are somehow drawn to. Maybe not a legit term, but works for my needs.
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
"Man Gadget Collection" is just my self title for things that guys, even from boyhood, find interesting, or are somehow drawn to. Maybe not a legit term, but works for my needs.
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… and your needs are to put these 'man gadgets' in shadow boxes instead of using them .. ?
Not disputing but asking*.

*As most knuckle duster equipped knives are uncomfortable, this wont matter much if the knife is not used.
 
BladeScout said:
… and your needs are to put these 'man gadgets' in shadow boxes instead of using them .. ?
Not disputing but asking*.

*As most knuckle duster equipped knives are uncomfortable, this wont matter much if the knife is not used.
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You don't have any collectibles? Not one? Everything you own is entirely practical?

I have tons of stuff that I don't use but enjoy owning anyway.
 
SpySmasher said:
You don't have any collectibles? Not one? Everything you own is entirely practical?

I have tons of stuff that I don't use but enjoy owning anyway.
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Dont know what you are getting at, what is your point?

Im not a collector but, as mentioned before, I have an eclectic bunch of blades.
Like many here, I have a bunch of blades, that I dont get to use.

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If you re-read the above, I asked, if the OP was going to use the knife - if not, it wont matter much, if a knuckle duster knife is uncomfortable and /or impractical.
 
BladeScout said:
Dont know what you are getting at, what is your point?

If you re-read the above, I asked, if the OP was going to use the knife - if not, it wont matter much, if a knuckle duster knife is uncomfortable and /or impractical.
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Maybe I misread. It seemed to me that over the last few posts you were expressing a disdain for anything that might only be part of a collection. Obviously not.
 
I did add the Chaos Tanto to the collection a couple years ago. When I first looked at the Chaos Kukri, it just did not catch my eye. But, seeing it a few more times online over the past year or so, it started to appeal to me. I do find it unique in it's styling, and also believe it will likely not be out there in the kind of numbers that most CS products are. I say that because of it's less than stellar sales, (and as a collector of do-dads, that too appeals to me for collecting purposes).
I have no problem with anyone here, (or elsewhere), buying knives, (or any other items), for their own reasons/purposes. As long as the intention is to not do harm to good people, the money a person spends on the things they want to buy, is definitely okay by me. And, it's as it should be, since it's their money, and their choice. Whether they like collecting blades as a hobby, perform back yard work, practice bushcrafting, enjoy camping, use their knives as possible self defense tools, like gifting knives, or use them as every day carry tools... it's all good in my book. Heck, maybe a person enjoys collecting Beanie Babies... All good! :)
When folks come in to post about knife finishes, weights, sharpness (or lack of), visual appeal (or lack of), rarity (or lack of), sizes, colors, materials, heat treating, knife factory histories, or any other subject (in the form of facts and/or opinions)... I am totally good with it. If a discussion is not my cup of tea, I will simply move on and read other posts. But, heck, that's just me :)
Although this is an awesome forum for a large array of knife discussion, I do run into quite a bit of negative attitudes towards collecting knives for the sake of just having them as collectibles. Forget the fact that I've had my fair share of knife use in my life, the hating on collecting for the pleasure it brings some of us, does often get ridiculed. Oftentimes I read words like soul, sad, and neutered, being used to describe these inanimate objects... As if they are somehow living beings. Nope, I see them as tools that can be used as tools, or for any other reason that your heart may desire... Again, it's that whole "your money" thing. So, there should be no reason to explain why you choose to do what you do with YOUR items :)

Yup, except for the knives I may use in my kitchen, or a knife I may carry on my person for everyday tasks, all my knives are mostly purchased as collectibles. And, I choose not to put them away, instead using them as a big part of my interior decor. They make great pieces for decoration, (if one adds a bit of style in displaying them), and they make great conversation pieces. But, mostly... they simply make me smile every single day when I see them :)
I obviously don't have to explain why I do what I do with them, but just did for those that may be curious. As a collector, it does not take away from my desire to discuss other aspects of knives, since it adds dimension to the hobby :)

Anyhow... Here is a picture of my Chaos Tanto. I believe the double edged version, (dagger), may be the best seller in Cold Steel' Chaos series.

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zuluninja, that may be fun, but the Kopis or the Falcata were not short weapons and the partial guard was to deflect blades (I'm sure you are aware of that); the purpose of the trench knife was partly to "punch" the adversary with brass knukles. :eek: Still, it would be interesting to see what you come up with; perhaps a new and worthy idea. :cool:
 
I was wondering how exactly this knife's tang is within the handle. Well, a quick search online turned up an easy find to a tang picture of this model. No obvious stress risers (it having no sharp corners and such) at the tang area. Also, a short amount of the blade's ricasso actually makes it's way inside the walls of the handle, it's not just butted up against the handle from the outside. No design is perfect, but it's nice to see that they would incorporate these things into this knife. It's little details like this that show the company was aiming for the product to be well made, (at a certain price point, of course).

I believe the Chaos models have only been made of SK-5 carbon steel since the series began. The blade is listed as being 12.5 inches long, and 4.5 mm thick. Country of origin is Taiwan.


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