Positive firsthand experience with Lynn Thompson

[ScaryLarry]

Honestly, for a short while, I actually suspected Ernie was trying model himself after Lynn's character a little bit. I saw a video of Ernie hitting a heavy bag, hobbling with a bum leg, and all I could think was "oh GOD, this guy is trying to be Lynn." But Ernie chilled on the whole Lynn thing, recently, as far as cramping his style. Grew a big beard out and mellowed out, from what I can tell.

 

[marcinek]

Now, that does not mean Emerson is wrong, or even that I always disagree with the way he sees it. But in a perfect world where forums were even-handed, we would be either much more charitable toward Lynn, or equally more critical of Emerson if we're stilling piling up on Lynn.

And what evidence do you have that this forum is not "even handed" or guilty of "piling up on" Thompson?

You like the guy personally. Great. That doesn't mean that those who dont like him or his products are unfair, or, as you called them before, haters. It seems as if that is the only way you can justify in your head people not liking what you do, i.e, Lynn.

 

[Halfneck]

Honestly, for a short while, I actually suspected Ernie was trying model himself after Lynn's character a little bit. I saw a video of Ernie hitting a heavy bag, hobbling with a bum leg, and all I could think was "oh GOD, this guy is trying to be Lynn." But Ernie chilled on the whole Lynn thing, recently, as far as cramping his style. Grew a big beard out and mellowed out, from what I can tell.

Well Mr. Emerson has been taking martial arts since he was a teenager & earned a degree in Physical Education. Reason he moved to California was so he could study under Dan Inosanto & Richard Bustillo (Proteges of Bruce Lee). Just possibly could be the reason he was working on a heavy bag. Mr. Emerson is a bit too much in shape to be modeling himself after Mr. Thompson. I'd actually say I'm probably a better comparison with my Father figure physique.

 

[terrier_lover]

Lynn once tried to post a 'pocket dump' photo on an EDC forum, and, unfortunately, uploaded a family photo instead.

One thing I agree with you on is if LT is this inept ^ then, yeah, he's probably punching well above his weight on the internet.

Emerson talks about politics. Big deal. What's campy about that? LT stalks the stage wielding XL Vaqueros and blowguns, leering at his audience. It is in bad taste. There is a darkness to his marketing that resonates with some people (you), and not so much with others. All due respect, of course, you do seem to be sort of...infatuated (?) with Lynn Thompson. Starstruck, maybe?

 

[Mick_1KRR]

"best price/performance/materials/quality/strength ratios of any knife brand out there. Fact."

Um, no, that's literally the definition of an opinion.

No, it's not an opinion, it's a blatant fact. You boys like to disagree but you provide zero evidence. My evidence is in front of your eyes, break down a CS knife, look at the geometry in the design, not just the lock, look at the rounded surfaces that absorb impact, the thought behind things, the angles allowing for metal on metal wear. The way stop pins and any other supportive pins are shouldered the entire way through the structure offering longevity and strength, plus the F&F. Some of these engineering and build points you don't even see in some $1000 knives. Then, look at the steels, then go compare a similar knife using the same materials, offering the same build quality and thought from another brand. You're simply wrong, you can't argue with physical evidence, facts and numbers.

 

[J85909266]

I would put a lot more value in an opinion that wasn't coming from an account all of one day old with posts only tailored toward promoting a specific brand that holds a history of being poorly received here due to questionable ethics and marketing. Highly suspect.

 

[J85909266]

No, it's not an opinion, it's a blatant fact. You boys like to disagree but you provide zero evidence. My evidence is in front of your eyes, break down a CS knife, look at the geometry in the design, not just the lock, look at the rounded surfaces that absorb impact, the thought behind things, the angles allowing for metal on metal wear. The way stop pins and any other supportive pins are shouldered the entire way through the structure offering longevity and strength, plus the F&F. Some of these engineering and build points you don't even see in some $1000 knives. Then, look at the steels, then go compare a similar knife using the same materials, offering the same build quality and thought from another brand. You're simply wrong, you can't argue with physical evidence, facts and numbers.

No. You can make an argument that they have the strongest folding knife lock out there and back it with facts. You can also make a great, although still subjective argument for value (price). From there, your stance falls apart, entirely.

Performance and Strength - Busse, off of the top of my head, has far better and more documented strength and performance. Not just from marketing, either, actual users. There are plenty of documented cases of 20+ year old Spydercos, Benchmades, and CRK knives still going strong. CRK even lets you break down and maintenance your own knives.CS, while as rare as any other top company, still has plenty of documented cases on these very forums of sudden, unexpected failure.

Quality - I don't see CS winning any quality awards. I don't see any users raving about elite tolerances or fit and finish, either. Not to say they are poor quality, as that is not the case. Where is your evidence that proves they are "the best" quality? Please, use sources, not your opinions.

Materials - Not even defensible. CS has only just recently begun offering high quality steels for their blades, while others have been doing it for over a decade.

 

[trevitrace]

I would put a lot more value in an opinion that wasn't coming from an account all of one day old with posts only tailored toward promoting a specific brand that holds a history of being poorly received here due to questionable ethics and marketing. Highly suspect.

Nailed it. :thumbup:

 

[trevitrace]

No. You can make an argument that they have the strongest folding knife lock out there and back it with facts. You can also make a great, although still subjective argument for value (price). From there, your stance falls apart, entirely.

Performance and Strength - Busse, off of the top of my head, has far better and more documented strength and performance. Not just from marketing, either, actual users. There are plenty of documented cases of 20+ year old Spydercos, Benchmades, and CRK knives still going strong. CRK even lets you break down and maintenance your own knives.CS, while as rare as any other top company, still has plenty of documented cases on these very forums of sudden, unexpected failure.

Quality - I don't see CS winning any quality awards. I don't see any users raving about elite tolerances or fit and finish, either. Not to say they are poor quality, as that is not the case. Where is your evidence that proves they are "the best" quality? Please, use sources, not your opinions.

Materials - Not even defensible. CS has only just recently begun offering high quality steels for their blades, while others have been doing it for over a decade.

And an encore!

 

[Quiet]

No. You can make an argument that they have the strongest folding knife lock out there and back it with facts. You can also make a great, although still subjective argument for value (price). From there, your stance falls apart, entirely.

Performance and Strength - Busse, off of the top of my head, has far better and more documented strength and performance. Not just from marketing, either, actual users. There are plenty of documented cases of 20+ year old Spydercos, Benchmades, and CRK knives still going strong. CRK even lets you break down and maintenance your own knives.CS, while as rare as any other top company, still has plenty of documented cases on these very forums of sudden, unexpected failure.

Quality - I don't see CS winning any quality awards. I don't see any users raving about elite tolerances or fit and finish, either. Not to say they are poor quality, as that is not the case. Where is your evidence that proves they are "the best" quality? Please, use sources, not your opinions.

Materials - Not even defensible. CS has only just recently begun offering high quality steels for their blades, while others have been doing it for over a decade.

Flawless victory!

Absolutely correct, and I LIKE CS knives. But are they the best? Ha, no.

 

[PURPLEDC]

I own several Emersons, and EKI is my second favorite company after Cold Steel (and CS only narrowly edges out EKI due to the Tri-Ad).

Maybe it's just me, but I always thought Ernie Emerson's politics were pretty campy, more or less on the level of Lynn's campy performance art. Maybe even more so. The only real difference is that Lynn's is physically choreographed, while Emerson has a more academic song and dance, expounding his theories in "The Way I See It", etc, to sell knives.

Now, that does not mean Emerson is wrong, or even that I always disagree with the way he sees it. But in a perfect world where forums were even-handed, we would be either much more charitable toward Lynn, or equally more critical of Emerson if we're stilling piling up on Lynn.

It's just the way I see it (lol). It's a thought experiment. You can't lose with either companies' products, so criticism and negativity on a forum removed from the marketplace doesn't effect Emerson (and especially not Lynn). I'm just glad we have both CS and EKI.

Where are people piling up on lynn? You made this thread. So you opened the door to ALL opinions not just positive ones. Leaving well enough alone is another good lesson. And defaming another company owner to shine a better light on your preferred maker is in bad taste. If you have to call out another maker to defend your position you are quickly becoming the thing you are trying to stop. Its just a different company but the same unfair tactics being used. Between lynn and ernest only one of them has actually made a knife. And I don't even like ernest or his knives but he has my respect.

Honestly, for a short while, I actually suspected Ernie was trying model himself after Lynn's character a little bit. I saw a video of Ernie hitting a heavy bag, hobbling with a bum leg, and all I could think was "oh GOD, this guy is trying to be Lynn." But Ernie chilled on the whole Lynn thing, recently, as far as cramping his style. Grew a big beard out and mellowed out, from what I can tell.

LOL, so anyone who makes a video about martial arts (who by the way ernest has studied martial arts and has taught it most his life) is copying lynn? Did bruce lee cop some moves off lynn? Or did bruce lee teach lynn? I just find it funny that you see a video of a dude practicing martial arts and you think he is copying your hero. Did Ernest cut up any carcasses? Did he make ballistic dummies with fake blood and practice murdering people on camera? I'm just trying to see how far you are reaching to make your comparison.

No, it's not an opinion, it's a blatant fact. You boys like to disagree but you provide zero evidence. My evidence is in front of your eyes, break down a CS knife, look at the geometry in the design, not just the lock, look at the rounded surfaces that absorb impact, the thought behind things, the angles allowing for metal on metal wear. The way stop pins and any other supportive pins are shouldered the entire way through the structure offering longevity and strength, plus the F&F. Some of these engineering and build points you don't even see in some $1000 knives. Then, look at the steels, then go compare a similar knife using the same materials, offering the same build quality and thought from another brand. You're simply wrong, you can't argue with physical evidence, facts and numbers.

considering cold steel makes absolutely nothing the credit for their quality and steels as well as heat treat gos to the companies they farm out the work to. And since those companies make knives for other companies that quality is not unique to cold steel. Either way I completely disagree with your analysis. And you mentioning things you see as superior is not proof. Its opinion. Nothing more no matter how strongly you believe it.

 

[Goosey]

Funny, I've seen about 20 tuber reviews and not ONE of them had any issues with it. Funny how you take that 1 guy's word for it but not the 20 other guys(not to mention all the people here) who say different.

I had issues with my BS at first (clicky noise when squeezing scales) but it seems to have resolved itself. No more clicky noises guess something was jammed in there.

 

[madcap_magician]

No, it's not an opinion, it's a blatant fact. You boys like to disagree but you provide zero evidence. My evidence is in front of your eyes, break down a CS knife, look at the geometry in the design, not just the lock, look at the rounded surfaces that absorb impact, the thought behind things, the angles allowing for metal on metal wear. The way stop pins and any other supportive pins are shouldered the entire way through the structure offering longevity and strength, plus the F&F. Some of these engineering and build points you don't even see in some $1000 knives. Then, look at the steels, then go compare a similar knife using the same materials, offering the same build quality and thought from another brand. You're simply wrong, you can't argue with physical evidence, facts and numbers.

You're correct, I can't argue with physical evidence, facts, and numbers. Since you have offered none, I see no reason to do so. I do, however, believe the evidence in front of my eyes.

The last Cold Steel product in front of my eyes was a kukri machete I got on sale for $20. The steel was rough-finished and had a single Scandi-like bevel that looked like it had been sharpened in a garbage disposal. There were literally shreds of metal sticking off of the primary bevel, the surface of which resembled an irregularly surfaced wood file, and the actual edge of which was literally flat in some places. This is unfair to wood files, which have their teeth carefully cut and are meant to be like that. The handles were made of cheap plastic with hundreds of sharp diamond shapes molded into them. I was unable to use the machete because the edge was utterly nonfunctional and could not be reprofiled short of a grinder.

I know it was only $20, but my Ontario 18" was also only $20 and was made to much higher standards. It was parkerized over a smooth satin blade finish. The edge was not particularly sharp, but sharpened fairly easily. The handles were two pieces of smooth plastic that were ergonomic and did not have any hot spots under use. It's an excellent tool at a low price for chopping light brush and foliage. The Cold Steel kukri, not so much.

I know Cold Steel does have good knives as well, but this is what happens when you don't make your own knives and keep poor quality control over the companies in China making them for you.

 

[ourgon]

Nobody is the best.

 

[terrier_lover]

That canned "hunt" video was pretty amazing by the way.

Granted I've never hunted buffalo before, personally, but, yes, it's pretty goofy.

 

[jbmonkey]

You're correct, I can't argue with physical evidence, facts, and numbers. Since you have offered none, I see no reason to do so. I do, however, believe the evidence in front of my eyes.

The last Cold Steel product in front of my eyes was a kukri machete I got on sale for $20. The steel was rough-finished and had a single Scandi-like bevel that looked like it had been sharpened in a garbage disposal. There were literally shreds of metal sticking off of the primary bevel, the surface of which resembled an irregularly surfaced wood file, and the actual edge of which was literally flat in some places. This is unfair to wood files, which have their teeth carefully cut and are meant to be like that. The handles were made of cheap plastic with hundreds of sharp diamond shapes molded into them. I was unable to use the machete because the edge was utterly nonfunctional and could not be reprofiled short of a grinder.

I know it was only $20, but my Ontario 18" was also only $20 and was made to much higher standards. It was parkerized over a smooth satin blade finish. The edge was not particularly sharp, but sharpened fairly easily. The handles were two pieces of smooth plastic that were ergonomic and did not have any hot spots under use. It's an excellent tool at a low price for chopping light brush and foliage. The Cold Steel kukri, not so much.

I know Cold Steel does have good knives as well, but this is what happens when you don't make your own knives and keep poor quality control over the companies in China making them for you.

thought the machetes mostly came from s. africa? most of the knives taiwan?

 

[Quiet]

thought the machetes mostly came from s. africa? most of the knives taiwan?

If nothing else, that underscores his general point further.

Mick's point is all "OMG CS knives are the best!" because the products he has purchased, he enjoys and believes they are good value for the money. That's fine. However, Cold Steel has sold a LOT of completely crap products, either by material standards, fit and finish standards, or so on.

So, what we have going on is fanboy cognitive dissonance. Does Cold Steel sell some great knives their paid suppliers have made? Sure do. Are they the best knives anywhere? Sure aren't.

 

[madcap_magician]

If nothing else, that underscores his general point further.

Mick's point is all "OMG CS knives are the best!" because the products he has purchased, he enjoys and believes they are good value for the money. That's fine. However, Cold Steel has sold a LOT of completely crap products, either by material standards, fit and finish standards, or so on.

So, what we have going on is fanboy cognitive dissonance. Does Cold Steel sell some great knives their paid suppliers have made? Sure do. Are they the best knives anywhere? Sure aren't.

I think it comes down to my original point. Cold Steel knives are good or terrible depending on who the manufacturer is. Because it's not Cold Steel. And Cold Steel has switched manufacturers many times and has multiple manufacturers given the complexity and varying price points of their line. Hence the varying quality, apparently unchecked by Cold Steel.

 

[Mick_1KRR]

No. You can make an argument that they have the strongest folding knife lock out there and back it with facts. You can also make a great, although still subjective argument for value (price). From there, your stance falls apart, entirely.

Performance and Strength - Busse, off of the top of my head, has far better and more documented strength and performance. Not just from marketing, either, actual users. There are plenty of documented cases of 20+ year old Spydercos, Benchmades, and CRK knives still going strong. CRK even lets you break down and maintenance your own knives.CS, while as rare as any other top company, still has plenty of documented cases on these very forums of sudden, unexpected failure.

Quality - I don't see CS winning any quality awards. I don't see any users raving about elite tolerances or fit and finish, either. Not to say they are poor quality, as that is not the case. Where is your evidence that proves they are "the best" quality? Please, use sources, not your opinions.

Materials - Not even defensible. CS has only just recently begun offering high quality steels for their blades, while others have been doing it for over a decade.

Seriously, you're going the fixed blade route to state your arguments? You clearly knew i was talking about folders, so you're grasping at straws and pull out Busse, who are fantastic and yes their fixed blades are top of the shelf- zero argument. I've owned, used and taken apart for examination every single top dog folding knife from the main top brands we all use. My main point you're missing is - show me a folding knife that has equal materials, equal strength capabilities and cutting performance for the same price as for instance a Code 4 from CS. I seriously await your reply mate, and i hope your fanboy encore you got from the guy below is ready to post another one straight after. Lets just get real and cut through the marketing BS, in REAL use straight up there is not 1 single thing a Sebenza, Strider, Hinderer does that a run of the mil Code 4 doesnt do equally or better, and i'm not bashing CRK, i've had sebenzas and they're great in fit/finish/craftsmanship and in use. Other nicer knives just provide more pride of ownership for some because of personal preferences in design, ease of use or just style. But for every 1 post you can quote about a CS folder issue, i will quote you 5 from "high end" knife makers with titanium frame locks and flashy ball bearing pivots with supersteels. I honestly just get a kick out of bringing people on this forum down to earth, so much hype, so many misconceptions and bruised egos getting in the way of facts. And i never said they are the BEST at one single thing such as quality, i said they are the best in the over-all ratios of price/quality/performance/materials. Bang for buck in simple terms, when looking at longevity and use as a hard working knife.

 

[Mick_1KRR]

If nothing else, that underscores his general point further.

Mick's point is all "OMG CS knives are the best!" because the products he has purchased, he enjoys and believes they are good value for the money. That's fine. However, Cold Steel has sold a LOT of completely crap products, either by material standards, fit and finish standards, or so on.

So, what we have going on is fanboy cognitive dissonance. Does Cold Steel sell some great knives their paid suppliers have made? Sure do. Are they the best knives anywhere? Sure aren't.

No, i'm clearly saying they have probably the best ratio or bang for buck. There is no "best" best is subjective, whats best for me isn't best for you, but nobody can deny factual things. I'm pretty sure when we look at knives we have certain criteria - size/weight/steel/strength/lock/ease of use etc. But i'm trying to stress how underated a company like CS is, aside from all the gimmicky crap they sell, and all the stupid marketing, their staple top seller and bread and butter models are some of the best bang for buck over-all knives money can buy. Everything else is a matter of style and taste.