Slight rant.....

Screwdriver

Screwdriver

Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
1,785
I have had CS knives off and on since the early 1980's. I still own a Recon 1 Tanto w/Axis type lock, a 1st Gen Large Voyager and a Car V Trailmaster. So a couple months ago I got a Tuff Lite.....absolutely fantastic knife. For what it is, I cannot find an issue with it and carry most everyday now. So I decided to buy an American Lawman, and today a Med CP Voyager. Like the designs, I like their Aus-8 etc. Here is my issue...the clip and the pants destroying pattern on the grips. On the Voyager you can hear the cloth and grip fighting each other. Now I generally wear Levi's and Dickies, but I am not going to carry a knife that will destroy a pair of pants faster than I can.....Now my old Recon 1....no issue. Original Voyager....nope. New Tuff Lite.....perfect.

All CS could do is mold a small flat area under the clip....like pretty much everyone else does. Why the hell, even after dozens of YouTube and hundreds of web comments, that CS cannot fix this issue. It is like Lynn designs a kick ass knife and finishes with "I hate pants....destroy them all!!!!"

I'll still give CS my money on other products, but not on the folders with the aggressive clips and grip pattern.....
 
They are rough, and the clips are tight too... It seems it would be an easy fix. One thing about them, once in pocket, they aren't going anywhere
 
Robert Ptacek said:
New molds for injection molding the grips cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.
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This has been an issue even with the last gen. Also, R&D should of seen this as a potential issue. Hell, if you handed me a prototype Voyager, the first time I put it in my pocket I would of said something to them.
 
You could remove the clip and sand down the area smooth. I find that most of my knives and firearms need a little personalizing.
 
They are really tight from the factory, but if you gently bend the clip and sand underneath a little, it is much better. If you do this though, you will marr the handle slightly and hurt the resale value. Luckily, they are very reasonably priced. For me the Voyager is an outdoor work knife. The American lawman is a great knife for EMS, police, etc. In both situations you want the knife to stay in your pocket and the owner may chose to leave the clip and handle intact from the factory. Maybe it is better for the owner to decide. The fix is pretty easy. I have altered an American Lawman, lg Vaquero, and a lg Voyager.
 
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mwhich50 said:
They are really bad from the factory, but if you gently bend the clip and sand underneath a little, it is much better. If you do this though, you will marr the handle slightly and hurt the resale value. Luckily, they are very reasonably priced. For me the Voyager is an outdoor work knife. The American lawman is a great knife for EMS, police, etc. In both situations you want the knife to stay in your pocket and the owner may chose to leave the clip and handle intact from the factory. Maybe it is better for the owner to decide. The fix is pretty easy. I have altered an American Lawman, lg Vaquero, and a lg Voyager.
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Yeah....I know about the fixes...JB Weld, Epoxy etc. But on my pocket knives from other brands, none have ever fallen out of my pocket....and I mountain bike pretty regularly. In fact none have even backed out a little after a ride.
 
I wonder what folder Lynn EDC's? And if he had the clip or scale worked on to not destroy his pants??
 
I feel you on this. I might be in the minority, but I honestly wish CS would back off the texture of their G10 somewhat. I won't hesitate to buy their products, as I don't mind sanding it down, but I just feel that it's a bit unnecessary.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I feel you on this. I might be in the minority, but I honestly wish CS would back off the texture of their G10 somewhat. I won't hesitate to buy their products, as I don't mind sanding it down, but I just feel that it's a bit unnecessary.
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That is the deal...I bought the Voyager knowing it will have to be modded. But there are a few other CS knives I want, but don't because I know I will have to mode them before I will carry them.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I feel you on this. I might be in the minority, but I honestly wish CS would back off the texture of their G10 somewhat. I won't hesitate to buy their products, as I don't mind sanding it down, but I just feel that it's a bit unnecessary.
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This is my opinion as well. Sure, it's not hard to do that extra work, but we shouldn't NEED to do that extra work. And no, I don't buy that "keeps it in your pocket" argument either. I've never lost a knife from my pocket, and none of the non-CS knives I carry are anywhere near as aggressively textured as CS.
 
jjoanty01 said:
I wonder what folder Lynn EDC's? And if he had the clip or scale worked on to not destroy his pants??
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Lynn usually carries 2 XL Voyager Vaqueros or 2 Hold Out I folders
If he's wearing a suit he usually carries an XL Espada and a Laredo Bowie in a Mike Sastre sheath
The folders are all straight out of the box, the fixed blade features a custom sheath

The retention on our knives is deliberately strong. Our knives are incredibly popular with Military personnel and LEO's who all ask for a very firm retention on their knife.
We do our best to try and please everyone, (you'll notice that the Code 4 series is a much smoother draw) but some people love that strong pocket retention and actually seek it out as a positive feature on our knives.
Rest assured, we hear you...but there are also other people who love the knives exactly the way they are.
I can't go into too much detail, but let's just say watch this space :)

Alternatively, if the clip really feels too tight for you, just bend it slightly. That way it is loose enough for a smoother draw, but the handle material will still give you excellent retention and stop you from losing your knife. Simple fix. Problem solved.
 
I understand completely about the concerns regarding the tight pocket clips and course peel-ply G10 tearing up pants pockets.

I would rather have this than the super-smooth G10 that most other companies use.

It is one of the many features that is why I buy Cold Steel products.
 
Cold Steel Knives said:
That way it is loose enough for a smoother draw, but the handle material will still give you excellent retention and stop you from losing your knife. Simple fix. Problem solved.
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The problem is, it's still unnecessary. I've carried knives for years, most of them with much less aggressive texturing than your products. You know how many of them have retention issues, or how many I've lost? Not a single one of them. You can provide plenty of texturing and grip, MORE than enough to prevent retention issues or "losing your knife" without making the handles capable of doubling as a cheese grater.
 
I've lost two knives which were clipped to my front pocket. I like the aggressive texturing because of how it feels in hand, but also because I can easily use a piece of sandpaper to adjust the amount of clip/pocket friction to exactly what I want it to be. It's easy to lessen the amount of friction. I feel that it would be harder to increase it though were the situation reversed. If the mod were a difficult one, I'd be frustrated, but because it's so simple, I actually view it as a positive because it gives me the opportunity to fine tune my knife so that it's exactly the way I want it to be.

I can see why some get frustrated by this though.
 
You could literally fix the issue in a few minutes with a piece of sandpaper.

I lost more than one knife that was smooth under the clip, or did not have enough strength/retention.

I'll take a knife with too much retention over too little. I can adjust with a slip of high grit sandpaper.


They can be a bit rough on pants.......but you are not gonna loose one!
 
Bigfattyt said:
You could literally fix the issue in a few minutes with a piece of sandpaper.
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And I could easily sharpen up a dull knife too, doesn't mean it's not lame when companies ship their knives unsharpened.

Nobody said ship a knife with slick handles, but there's a difference between texturing(which many knives have, and you will NOT lose them), and texturing that you could use as a paper shredder.
 
How about an insert that snaps in under the clip. You get two with the knife.....One, I hate my pants grippy and another that is less grippy.
 
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