The 4034 knives are starting to roll out. First real world testing shows promising results

tess_lawrie_fan said:
"Cheaper" is the comparative form of the adjective "cheap", and I use the comparative form when I want to compare two things.

For instance, in the sentence: "The AUS8 steel is cheaper than the S35VN steel", I'm comparing the price of two steels.

I thought my writing was clear enough, but I'll make an effort to make it even more clear. Thanks.
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I'm STILL confused on your meaning . The OP subject steel was 4034 ...so , is that the steel being compared as cheaper than AUS8 /10 ?

WTF does S35VN have to do with anything ?
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And why TF would CS even think to use ANY stainless in this type big chopper ???? o_O
 
DayofReckoning said:
I am as bummed out as many others are seeing Cold Steel has chosen 4034 steel as their choice for some of the new models for 2021. Would much rather have seen 1095, SK5, 01, A2, etc used.

Despite this, a video released by Youtuber Mathew Culbertson, who has tested many Cold Steel products for many years, has some pretty decent results with the Kukri Plus 4034. He does some chopping testing, and it appears the 4034 held up pretty darn well.

Hopefully, more of these 4034 blades will end up in users hands, and we can get more reports on their performance.

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It's a start !

Reviewer "Matt" has done some strong negative CS videos , so was honest , at least back then .

I'd like to see a whole lot more honest , practical hard use reviews on CS 4034 BAK 's . :cool:
 
BeerButtChicken said:
1.4034 has been invented more than a hundred years ago in Germany. It was one of the first stainless steels. Do you really think it would still be around nowadays if it is "junk"??? True, 4034 does not excel in any special field as some of the modern pm steels do - but it is very versatile. It has been used in blades, cutlery, scissors, ice scates, zippers and even musical instruments. It has been tried, tested and proven for decades in the most different applications and it is still around. If Cold Steel uses it today I would give it a try ... :)
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So would I, if they priced at the same level that Sharade sell their stuff for. But, if they want premium prices, they have to do a whole lot better.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
So would I, if they priced at the same level that Sharade sell their stuff for. But, if they want premium prices, they have to do a whole lot better.

n2s
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That’s the crux of the matter right there. Why get a 4034 big blade for premium prices and with lackluster customer service? These knives would have been decent at the $60-$80 range. Would have been tempting just for playing around or decorating the wall.

It’s difficult to pick a $180+ 4034 kukri over a $120 BK9. Heck, you can get a decent big blade from Kailash for less then 180 bucks.
 
IMO there are two main issues that concern people here.

One is the use of a cheap stainless steel in large chopping knives would make them either not as tough as carbon steels or not hold an edge well.

The other is that CS switched to an inferior steel while also raised the price on these Bowies.

These knives cost more than knives most knife people would consider superior from TOPS, Esee, and Becker. For a practical outdoors tool, a chopper from one of these companies would be a better choice.

I can see these selling to those who want the designs and don't care about the steel.

While some might not like it, there would be less of an issue if they used AUS8.

I can understand switching to stainless for business purposes. Many people prefer stainless to carbon. I've even seen ignorant reviewers give low ratings to CS' SK5 and TOPS' 1095 knives because they rusted, claiming that they used inferior steels because of the rust. If that attitude is typical, stainless might sell better than carbon.
 
I know my opinions / knowledge base is out of date , maybe there are some really super tough stainless available nowadays ?

The problem with some of these stainless steel tempered for hardness may seem like good choppers with good edge retention , up to at point .

But in the olden days some were nearly as brittle as ceramic .

I bought a fancy , stupid expensive Al Mar Pathfinder way back when . :(

Went out to clear thru a bunch of hardwood samplings , small branches , etc .

Hilly area with poor rocky thin soil and mature cover , so these samplings actually had very concentrated growth rings and were super tough .

At first , no problems . Cut fine , no edge damage etc .

But then I grabbed the handle two handed and swung with everything I had , trying to make a clean through cut with one stroke .

After a few times , the whole shiny ass, expensive, hyped up POS blade, forward of the hilt , went flying into the woods .

It was catastrophic , instantaneous (to my senses ) failure .

Great looking one second , flying apart the next instant .

So... until I see some kind of proof testing that specially challenges toughness and flexibility , compared to more standard carbon steel with good tough HT , I wouldn't hard use / survival carry one of these 4034 for any price , or even for free .

I'm willing to change my mind . :)
 
DocJD said:
I'm STILL confused on your meaning . The OP subject steel was 4034 ...so , is that the steel being compared as cheaper than AUS8 /10 ?

WTF does S35VN have to do with anything ?
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
And why TF would CS even think to use ANY stainless in this type big chopper ???? o_O
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It seems you haven't read my very first post in this thread. Please take a look, it's a three lines post (#4).
 
420hc is very very tough. im assuming 4034 is too, but havent went and researched it. maybe it isnt? assuming it is very tough great.......but it doesn't hold an edge very long. I know this from using cold steel folders and budget fixed blades with it already. its not heat treated like Bucks Bos 420hc for good edge retention. it doesn't hold up. different steels, but so far I'm not impressed with cold steels 4034.

the biggest issue I have already been said
..they want premium prices for 4034 in these bigger knives. for the right price points I could accept them as is....priced how they are now....no way. complete fail......

nice to see ya posting hardheart hardheart well said btw.
 
I
DocJD said:
I know my opinions / knowledge base is out of date , maybe there are some really super tough stainless available nowadays ?

The problem with some of these stainless steel tempered for hardness may seem like good choppers with good edge retention , up to at point .

But in the olden days some were nearly as brittle as ceramic .

I bought a fancy , stupid expensive Al Mar Pathfinder way back when . :(

Went out to clear thru a bunch of hardwood samplings , small branches , etc .

Hilly area with poor rocky thin soil and mature cover , so these samplings actually had very concentrated growth rings and were super tough .

At first , no problems . Cut fine , no edge damage etc .

But then I grabbed the handle two handed and swung with everything I had , trying to make a clean through cut with one stroke .

After a few times , the whole shiny ass, expensive, hyped up POS blade, forward of the hilt , went flying into the woods .

It was catastrophic , instantaneous (to my senses ) failure .

Great looking one second , flying apart the next instant .

So... until I see some kind of proof testing that specially challenges toughness and flexibility , compared to more standard carbon steel with good tough HT , I wouldn't hard use / survival carry one of these 4034 for any price , or even for free .

I'm willing to change my mind . :)
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I sent the whole busted mess to Al Mar and they did promptly replaced it with the one below .

Used it some , but never trusted it for hard use : or purchased anything, every again, from Al Mar .

 
jbmonkey said:
420hc is very very tough. im assuming 4034 is too, but havent went and researched it. maybe it isnt? assuming it is very tough great.......but it doesn't hold an edge very long. I know this from using cold steel folders and budget fixed blades with it already. its not heat treated like Bucks Bos 420hc for good edge retention. it doesn't hold up. different steels, but so far I'm not impressed with cold steels 4034.

the biggest issue I have already been said
..they want premium prices for 4034 in these bigger knives. for the right price points I could accept them as is....priced how they are now....no way. complete fail......

nice to see ya posting hardheart hardheart well said btw.
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Chemically it seems in a similar ballpark to 420HC. https://www.theworldmaterial.com/din-en-1-4034-stainless-steel-x46cr13-material/ .
 
You can have very tough stainless steel knives.

I once had a United Cutlery (or similar junk brand) boot knife made from 420J2 I bought in the mid-1990s back before I knew anything about steel types. It was the type with a full protruding tang and rubber handle and serrations on each side.

It wasn't a good knife and couldn't really hold an edge or even take a good one.

My nephew got a hold of it and spent who knows how long throwing it. He destroyed the guard, messed up the handle, dulled the knife even further, but the blade was still intact.

That doesn't mean this knife was worth what I paid for it, and I certainly wouldn't want to pay more for it than a knife of comparable size from TOPS, Becker, Esee, etc.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
IMO there are two main issues that concern people here.

One is the use of a cheap stainless steel in large chopping knives would make them either not as tough as carbon steels or not hold an edge well.

The other is that CS switched to an inferior steel while also raised the price on these Bowies.

These knives cost more than knives most knife people would consider superior from TOPS, Esee, and Becker. For a practical outdoors tool, a chopper from one of these companies would be a better choice.

I can see these selling to those who want the designs and don't care about the steel.

While some might not like it, there would be less of an issue if they used AUS8.

I can understand switching to stainless for business purposes. Many people prefer stainless to carbon. I've even seen ignorant reviewers give low ratings to CS' SK5 and TOPS' 1095 knives because they rusted, claiming that they used inferior steels because of the rust. If that attitude is typical, stainless might sell better than carbon.
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Great summary. If I were to get these 4034 blades, I’d have to be honest with myself and limit them to wall hangers or light use. Knives like the Recon Scout and Trailmaster are still beautiful knives, and they’d be a great addition to any collection. The satin finish is nice too.

Further testing by other users may change my mind. If these knives can handle abuse like a softer 420HC, why the heck not. For strictly functional purposes, products from Becker or ESEE would be the wiser purchases indeed.

AEB-L would’ve been nice for a stainless field knife, but I digress.
 
DangerZone98 said:
If these knives can handle abuse like a softer 420HC, why the heck not.
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If I can get the knockoff Master Cutlery version for under $30 in a comparable or better steel, why would I be dumb enough to pay “Sold Steel“ 6x as much for their knockoff of a classic Cold Steel knife.

Anyone looking for wall hangers should be buying from Budk.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
If I can get the knockoff Master Cutlery version for under $30 in a comparable or better steel, why would I be dumb enough to pay “Sold Steel“ 6x as much for their knockoff of a classic Cold Steel knife.

Anyone looking for wall hangers should be buying from Budk.

n2s
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Dunno man. Not all my knife purchases were borne of rational thinking.

The prices are nuts, that’s true.
 
I paid $120 for my Becker BK21 and it is excellent, and I have positively ZERO concerns or worries with it's 1095 CroVan. It's time proven and produces excellent results.

The Kukri Plus 4034 is a hard sell at that price range with it's , as of now, mystery steel, I really think $150 would be about as much as I would pay, and that's only if more positive reports come out.

The most frustrating part of all is there is no middle ground. It's either the 4034, or the absurd prices of the 3V. Nothing in between.
 
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