PM2 Compresssion Lock vs the Cold Steel Holdout 2 Triad Lock

[Sunyata]

Depends on what you're doing with it. Cold Steel actually trends strongly towards lean grinds and thin edges. They have some nearly criminally underrated slicers in their catalog. In my experience the only manufacturer of modern/tactical folders that can match them in terms of cutting efficiency is, well, Spyderco.

Cold steel is underrated because it's hard to take the company seriously. The silliness of Lynn Thompson and the Peterman catalog type write ups for the knife make it seem mall-ninjaish or old Sportsman's Guide Chinese crap .

 

[snooka]

Cold Steel IMHO wants to get rid of their "mall ninja" image... these vids are going to prevent that i'm sure
I think Cold Steel have very good knives, but they try to hard on the "marketing" side, Spyderco knives sell themselves without all this nonsense.
Never owned a CS folder, don't like the marketing and image :yawn:

 

[flarp]

In all honesty though, My sharp smooth PM2 ......doesn't need 30 lbs of force to cut anything!

You might need 30 lbs of force (or more!) if you were trying to cut using the spine. Only n00bs and suckers use the sharpened edge to cut.

 

[asdf12345]

I see this as comparing the locks and not much more. The PM2 does not claim to be 'hard-use' in either marketing or construction, and is a very reasonably priced knife that's very lightweight, unlike some of the other knives CS has tested.

 

[rpnp]

Depends on what you're doing with it. Cold Steel actually trends strongly towards lean grinds and thin edges. They have some nearly criminally underrated slicers in their catalog. In my experience the only manufacturer of modern/tactical folders that can match them in terms of cutting efficiency is, well, Spyderco.

Yeah i gotta agree.. I think some of these people have never actually owned a cold steel knife..

They are all fairly thin and extremely light knives

 

[trevitrace]

We get it.
Cold steel found a strong lock that holds up well in their tests designed to test the one thing that they are good at.

yipee look at little lynn stab that water can

I was just thinking of the people who work in buildings adjacent to the Cold Steel Parking Lot of Destruction, every day wondering, "what's that old boy gonna wreck today?"

At the very least it would break up the monotony of your average day at the office.

 

[Brisket]

Cold steel is underrated because it's hard to take the company seriously. The silliness of Lynn Thompson and the Peterman catalog type write ups for the knife make it seem mall-ninjaish or old Sportsman's Guide Chinese crap .

This is dead on! I was seriously considering getting an Ultimate Hunter XHP G10 to try out but I keep talking myself out of it because of the image Cold Steel continues to project to me.

 

[DJC72]

I have knives utilizing both the compression and triad lock. I have full confidence in both lock mechanisms based on what I use folders for. I will say this though my spear point Code 4 slices like crazy.

 

[Stays Sharp]

Seems like Cold Steel has been going in on Spyderco lately. Either that or the Spyderco tests are the only ones I've been made aware of the past 6 months.

Any back story there? They gonna sue Spyderco for being a company?

 

[chiral.grolim]

Seems like Cold Steel has been going in on Spyderco lately. Either that or the Spyderco tests are the only ones I've been made aware of the past 6 months.

Any back story there? They gonna sue Spyderco for being a company?

My theory - I think they are pushing their way forward. They just upgraded their steel offerings and increased their prices substantially. Prior to this, they were in the Buck/Gerber/CRKT/Kershaw price range which are available in brick&mortar stores all over the USA, competing for younger knife-lovers ("mall ninja" style) with only small allowance bucks to spend. Those kids weren't buying Benchmades and non-chinese Spydercos and ZTs that are only found in a few stores or online, and Cold Steel's knives weren't at that level for steel-junkies. Cold Steel is working its way in, testing which knives/companies theirs are most compared against for quality/materials/reliability. They check the "hits" and responses to their marketing videos. If it looks like they're picking on Spyderco, it's because they see them as prime competition because of the feedback they are getting. Same goes for ZT. Why the CRKT-thing? No idea.

 

[Ankerson]

My theory - I think they are pushing their way forward. They just upgraded their steel offerings and increased their prices substantially. Prior to this, they were in the Buck/Gerber/CRKT/Kershaw price range which are available in brick&mortar stores all over the USA, competing for younger knife-lovers ("mall ninja" style) with only small allowance bucks to spend. Those kids weren't buying Benchmades and non-chinese Spydercos and ZTs that are only found in a few stores or online, and Cold Steel's knives weren't at that level for steel-junkies. Cold Steel is working its way in, testing which knives/companies theirs are most compared against for quality/materials/reliability. They check the "hits" and responses to their marketing videos. If it looks like they're picking on Spyderco, it's because they see them as prime competition because of the feedback they are getting. Same goes for ZT. Why the CRKT-thing? No idea.

I agree, I think CS is trying to broaden their customer base by stepping up their game.

Not everyone is a mall ninja, wannabe operator or keyboard commando.

 

[crom]

Seems like Cold Steel has been going in on Spyderco lately. Either that or the Spyderco tests are the only ones I've been made aware of the past 6 months.

Any back story there? They gonna sue Spyderco for being a company?

Don't forget Spyderco has been chasing the strong lock game for years now as well, the recent introduction of the lock on the Tatanka may have been perceived as a shot across the bow over at CS. That's why I have a laugh when the, "oh who cares about strong locks anyhow" stuff comes out, apparently major knife manufacturers do care.

 

[r redden]

I still like my PM2 as a matter of fact it's in my pocket right now along with a BM530, Kershaw Kuro, SAK, BM Griptillian, and a Buck Trigger. Does anyone else have the I carry to many knives disease?

 

[kniferbro]

This test was about as empirical as you can get. You don't have to place any weight (hehe) on the results, but to discredit the methodology is foolish, especially considering how much emphasis on "scientific" tests gets thrown around the forums. Not to mention Andrew is a respected custom knife maker and had an overall respectful demeanor and tone through out the entire video. Like I said you don't have to consider the results at all if its not important to you!

Concerning the compression lock as not being a hard use lock; it is rated as an MBC lock by Spyderco, I would assume that is "hard use" enough.

 

[DJC72]

Well said Stays Sharp! I also think because frame/liner locks are a hot seller and seem very "modern" compared to lock backs, cold steel is trying to show the superiority of the triad lock.

 

[crom]

I still like my PM2 as a matter of fact it's in my pocket right now along with a BM530, Kershaw Kuro, SAK, BM Griptillian, and a Buck Trigger. Does anyone else have the I carry to many knives disease?

I have a LionSteel SR1A in my pocket, a Vic Recruit on my keychain, a Spyderco Dragonfly in my car, and a CRKT Heiho in the backpack I have loaded for the pool after work. Not only do I have the disease, but I don't discriminate between brands

 

[bld522]

I agree, I think CS is trying to broaden their customer base by stepping up their game.

Not everyone is a mall ninja, wannabe operator or keyboard commando.

That would certainly seem to be the case, Jim. But if CS wants to be taken seriously, I'd suggest they need to stop making themselves look like clowns and bullies. Their products aren't the problem.

 

[Ankerson]

That would certainly seem to be the case, Jim. But if CS wants to be taken seriously, I'd suggest they need to stop making themselves look like clowns and bullies. Their products aren't the problem.

I would like to see them go back to their old style marketing, when they used to do performance videos showing the knives cutting stuff.

That's more real world stuff.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Cold steel is underrated because it's hard to take the company seriously. The silliness of Lynn Thompson and the Peterman catalog type write ups for the knife make it seem mall-ninjaish or old Sportsman's Guide Chinese crap .

You're moving the goal posts here. My answer was addressing your comment about the overall quality of Cold Steel knives. I don't like their shenanigans, but they put out a good, consistent product. If we're going to get accurate assessments it's important to separate feelings about the company from the overall performance of their products.

 

[inkynate]

I don't mnd the tests at all, but I do wish there was some sort of standard for what constitutes a "pass" in terms of how the tests relate to real world use. Say, in normal use a folder could reasonably be expected to encounter "x" amount of force, stress, etc... Then maybe apply a safety factor of 2 and set that as the benchmark. This would help people have a better idea of what failed but is really quite sufficient and what is overkill for the sake of being "the strongest."