Spine Whacks and Lock Strength

Cold Steel Knives

Cold Steel Knives

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This VIDEO was interesting...

As seen on the Cold Steel Forums - thanks for the heads up :)

As you know here at Cold Steel we believe that a sharp folder should be a strong folder and we take a lot of pride in our locks and their durability.
We're always trying to push the boundaries of what a folding knife can do

we make PROOF testing videos to back up our claims - therefore it's very interesting to me to see side-by-side comparisons with other brands (who don't provide proof) made by the knife-buying public.

It's actually something we have been doing since the beginning here at HQ but it's fascinating to see members of the public doing these tests themselves.
I will suggest a word of caution here though - we take the edge and point off the knives when we do these tests. Safety first!
 
That guy demonstrates why I don't like buying used knives.
Real great guy for abusing his girlfriend's knife too.:rolleyes:

He should carry a hammer rather than a knife.
 
I have never done a spine whack on any knife I own. I know my CS knives will take it, but I don't do it because it is really hard on the parts.

Both the old Recon 1 and new Recon 1 with the triad lock.

I have had a double handful of knives that cost as much as the CS, or more, and had completely unreliable locks.

I have had locks fail and cut me. My older brother had to get surgery on his thumb from a lock failure. That knife was just as expensive as the Recon1.
 
I don't see the point of spine whacking a knife. When do you use the back of a knife? I never have. When you cut something (what a knife is for) a lock doesn't do anything. I wouldn't do anything with a locking knife that I wouldn't do with a SAK.

In my 37 years on this planet I have NEVER had a lock fail on me.
 
That was 9 minutes of my life, I will never get back...

Spine whacking proves absolutely nothing. I've owned numerous CS knives, and have never doubted the strength. Using a folding knife they way they were intended to be used, even the cheaper knives would do what they are suppose to do. Cut... Granted, I wouldn't care too own most of the cheaper ones he used, but they would work, and when used correctly, there won't be a problem.

I've carried slip joints for years, and have never had a problem because they don't have a lock.
 
Cold Steel Knives said:
This VIDEO was interesting...

As seen on the Cold Steel Forums - thanks for the heads up :)

As you know here at Cold Steel we believe that a sharp folder should be a strong folder and we take a lot of pride in our locks and their durability.
We're always trying to push the boundaries of what a folding knife can do

we make PROOF testing videos to back up our claims - therefore it's very interesting to me to see side-by-side comparisons with other brands (who don't provide proof) made by the knife-buying public.

It's actually something we have been doing since the beginning here at HQ but it's fascinating to see members of the public doing these tests themselves.
I will suggest a word of caution here though - we take the edge and point off the knives when we do these tests. Safety first!
Click to expand...

So what this tells us is that cold steel knives are right up there with cheap knives and gerber.

A slip joint would "fail" this pointless test but that successful design has been in use for more than 2000 years.

I use a hammer for hammering, a pry bar for prying, a screw driver for screwing and a knife for cutting, it's so simple it's genius.
 
It is a valid test, well I would say spine tapping is a valid test to make sure the lock is within tolerances and won't fail.

There is no question on the strength of the Tri-Ad lock in my mind, I would like to see a slimmer model with that lock more inline with the older Voyagers though.
 
Jaytaylor said:
So what this tells us is that cold steel knives are right up there with cheap knives and gerber.

A slip joint would "fail" this pointless test but that successful design has been in use for more than 2000 years.

I use a hammer for hammering, a pry bar for prying, a screw driver for screwing and a knife for cutting, it's so simple it's genius.
Click to expand...


Sometimes when you are out in the middle of nowhere, you don't always have a tool bag with you.
The CS folder is the only folder I would ever use for Bayoneting, prying or other abuse that knives costing 3x as much would fail.

I would hardly call a Cold Steel knife "cheap" although they have a great price point for what you get. There is a difference between "cheap" and "value"

The reason for the vid is to show the strength and the quality of the locking mechanism on the CS brand, and I've had a CRKT frame lock fail on me. Fortunately, I was holding and cutting in a way where my fingers were out of harms way.

I've owned numerous Guns and Knives for about 40 years and as far as Pistols, I will go with the Beretta M9 with Tritium Nite Sites as my "go to" sidearm.
As far as an everyday, SD EDC knife, I will go with Cold Steel.

Currently, I own just three CS knives: The Voyager Vaquero 4" Serrated, the Voyager Vaquero 5.5" Serrated, and the Ti Lite 4" Zytel.
I also have a drawer full of big brand name knives that don't match up to CS so they just sit there. I oil the blades once in a while to prevent rusting, and I give some away as well.

The 4" Vaquero is my usual EDC - the grip and the ergonomics feel as if they are a part of my hand and the TriAd lock is second to none and the knife feels light as a feather but also feels as solid as a rock.

I love this knife so much I will likely buy another one, probably with a straight edge.

The 5.5" Vaquero is my SD knife when I need to spend time in unfamiliar or sketchy parts of town.

And the Ti Lite 4" Zytel goes inside my suit pocket when I'm dressed up for business or a night out with a special lady.

Unfortunately, I live in Kalifornia and can't carry a firearm although I have at times and will continue to do so, but the penalties are harsh so I carry the next best thing - a large folder.

And I've given more than one knucklehead a rap on the melon with the spine of my Vaquero 5.5" knife - it's not always necessary to draw blood or send someone to the hospital to get your point across and end up in jail over the weekend (or longer) before you can tell someone your side of the story before you are let out. But it's also good to know that the locking mechanism is infallible under a variety of conditions.

I consider the Cold Steel knives the equivalent of a late-model Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 - a World Class Supercar that beats any Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and other cars costing 3-10x as much as the Corvette, yet the Corvette turns a faster lap at Nurburgring, the track in Germany where sports car makers tune and test their cars and is the quintessential track where all sports cars are measured by. It is the ultimate proving grounds for Supercars.

But hey, the Ferrari uses better leather on their seats and has a hood emblem with a dancing pony on it. Surely that makes up for the $300,000 price difference.
Oh, and don't forget the required $10,000 tune-ups on the Ferrari...

Like I said, there is a difference between "cheap" and "value" and price and/or name is not always an indicator of quality or being superior to a lesser priced product.

Nor does it make that lesser priced product "cheap" - it makes it a great value as many cutlery enthusiasts have come to discover.
 
Hmm, looks like some folks haven't figured out that you cut with the sharp side. ;)
 
RevDevil said:
Hmm, looks like some folks haven't figured out that you cut with the sharp side. ;)
Click to expand...

Knives have many ways to inflict pain and to teach a wannabe gang-banger a lesson other than stabbing/cutting them.

I don't need the hassle of cutting some teenage punk and being taken to jail when a firm rap on the head will be as effective without the hassle, and knives can be quite effective without actually cutting someone.

Hopefully, you were just kidding unlike that clown above.
 
This thread went off topic almost immediately ending up with personal attacks and mud-slinging. All this taking place in a new manufacturer's forum.
 
Last edited:
22 posts removed for personal insults.

Edit to add: now that the squabbling is gone, lets see if we can continue with the original topic.
 
Last edited:
PHP87 said:
Knives have many ways to inflict pain and to teach a wannabe gang-banger a lesson other than stabbing/cutting them.

I don't need the hassle of cutting some teenage punk and being taken to jail when a firm rap on the head will be as effective without the hassle, and knives can be quite effective without actually cutting someone.

Hopefully, you were just kidding unlike that clown above.
Click to expand...

I typically use my knives to cut non-human materials, never had the need to use one for SD.
 
It amazes me that people are so quick to take a dump on Cold Steel's name and their ways in THEIR OWN FORUM.
Sure not everyone likes them, but keep it in W&C at the most.

Makes me wonder what will happen if Gerber gets a forum here...


Now for knife content. Because this is a knife forum.
I would love to own a Recon 1, i've heard wonders about the locks. It's nice to know it will never fail on me.
 
Here are 2 of my older hard use testing videos of the Recon 1 and American Lawman, fits into the thread topic. :)

[video=youtube;1tGPwTROoCg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tGPwTROoCg[/video]

[video=youtube;ZtQ6OApfleU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtQ6OApfleU[/video]
 
Ankerson said:
Here are 2 of my older hard use testing videos of the Recon 1 and American Lawman, fits into the thread topic. :)

[video=youtube;1tGPwTROoCg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tGPwTROoCg[/video]

[video=youtube;ZtQ6OApfleU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtQ6OApfleU[/video]
Click to expand...

I actually watched both of those, and a couple from another manufacturer, the other night Jim. I enjoy your videos.
 
Cold Steel Knives said:
This VIDEO was interesting...

As seen on the Cold Steel Forums - thanks for the heads up :)

As you know here at Cold Steel we believe that a sharp folder should be a strong folder and we take a lot of pride in our locks and their durability.
We're always trying to push the boundaries of what a folding knife can do

we make PROOF testing videos to back up our claims - therefore it's very interesting to me to see side-by-side comparisons with other brands (who don't provide proof) made by the knife-buying public.

It's actually something we have been doing since the beginning here at HQ but it's fascinating to see members of the public doing these tests themselves.
I will suggest a word of caution here though - we take the edge and point off the knives when we do these tests. Safety first!
Click to expand...

Three brands specifically mentioned in that video were Kershaw, Benchmade, and Spyderco. They have a forum-presence here on Bladeforums.com as well.

I was actually considering giving Cold Steel another chance, but after seeing this thread - I think I will stick with manufacturers who don't call other companies out. Clearly Benchmade, Kershaw, and Spyderco don't have anything to prove or they would be naming Cold Steel in threads like this.

Spine-whack tests prove only that in one specific set of conditions, knife A will still function while knife B will not. It doesn't prove that the knife has good edge geometry, long-term stress-friendly ergonomics, cutting ability, edge-retention, handle durability, etc.

It's a lot like the "Drive over an AR15 magazine" test everyone was doing to prove how durable their mags were but when they were dropped from a standard height onto a hard surface, they would crack/bend/break and essentially cause a failure. The "Drive-over" tests meant very little in the way of real-world use.


BTW, Benchmade did provide an actual tangible measurable test on the new Ball Axis Flipper:

[video=youtube;verXb0gZoM8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=verXb0gZoM8[/video]


One last thing: If I bought a Cold Steel knife from another member here on Blade Forums and it failed, would Cold Steel warranty my knife?





This is probably the most convincing video anyone could watch regarding Cold Steel's products:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PQiaurIiDM

Other than possibly this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhknaG9ifbs
 
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