The Cold Steel Voyager in AUS10 steel is THE BEST knife you can buy for the money...

I've been carrying mine for a few days (large clip point). I added a Snaggletooth to it but forget it's on there half the time. I don't know why, as I always seem to remember the wave opening feature when I'm carrying an Emerson. On the other hand, it's only been on there a couple of days so maybe it will become subconscious after a while.

I suppose I find the knife just as handy as my Recon 1 spear point or AD-10 but just behind them a little in "refinement." I don't mind the texturing since I sanded it down under/around the clip. I also noticed right away that although the texturing is very deep and sharp, they cleverly left it off the top and bottom edges of the handle and a little bit around the corners; the places where you exert most of the force on the knife when using it. Those parts of the handle are much smoother.

I figured the extra thickness of the Voyager would make it more comfortable in hand but I think I still prefer the feel of Recon 1 grip the best out of the three.

I paid just a tiny bit shy of $50 for my Voyager. I'm very satisfied with it at that price. I think if you're the type who doesn't like to tinker with or "customize" your tools a little bit, you might not be happy with the pocket clip and excessive texturing under it. And as is typical with the Tri-Ad lock, you might get one that is sprung a little (or a lot) too tight.

I think the only modern EDC I have that was as cheap or cheaper is a $28 Cold Steel ProLite clip point, which I think is also a great value.
 
I read elsewhere that cold steel discontinued the older voyagers as they wanted metal liners in the handle.
I never understood why they needed metal liners as I never had a problem nor did I ever hear of anyone have a problem with the old style handles.
The old style was certainly lighter and thinner.
I am now even more convinced with the new 2021 lineup and prices if you want anything grab it now and hold on to it.
And if you have anything you don't like or want, everything cold steel is going for high dollar right now.
The voyager may still be available by the new owners, I am cautious as to at what price and what quality later on.
I held onto buck 110 ecolite's as I liked the lighter handles for that reason. I liked them and now they are gone.
As consumers we never know what will be available, discontinued or changed by the company.
People are paying huge money for the old hideout's and talwar's then they reintroduce them at a huge price.
We just never know.
IN MY OPINION
 
GatorFlash1 said:
NEW AUS-10A/Cold Steel Voyager Must Have! - YouTube
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No offense intended to that very popular Youtuber, but I can't sit through one of his videos due to his overemphasis on what seems to be every third word. Why do many of these guys think they need to use a "Youtube voice" or special Youtube manner of speech? It sort of reminds me of what was known as the "puking" style of some radio DJs from days gone by (thankfully). Ugh!

If that guy just spoke in a normal voice, I'd probably watch all his videos.

That being said... ;)

Another popular prepper/survival/bushcraft Youtuber has been reviewing some of the XL Cold Steel offerings lately; even non-bushcrafty tanto blades. Interesting....
 
Thats the video that inspired my purchase. That thumbnail just looked too good to ignore. Now I feel like a cat who heard the can opener. They got me.
Edit. Still love my knife.

desmobob said:
No offense intended to that very popular Youtuber, but I can't sit through one of his videos due to his overemphasis on what seems to be every third word. Why do many of these guys think they need to use a "Youtube voice" or special Youtube manner of speech? It sort of reminds me of what was known as the "puking" style of some radio DJs from days gone by (thankfully). Ugh!

If that guy just spoke in a normal voice, I'd probably watch all his videos.

That being said... ;)

Another popular prepper/survival/bushcraft Youtuber has been reviewing some of the XL Cold Steel offerings lately; even non-bushcrafty tanto blades. Interesting....
Click to expand...
 
Maybe it's just my personal experience, but it seems like Cold Steel knives had become more popular in the knife enthusiasts' "main stream" just as Mr. Thompson was in the process of selling the company. They seemed to have started to appear in more and more Youtube reviews and knife videos.

I had always known about Cold Steel but just didn't have an interest in tantos or extra-large folders, knives and tools aimed more at self-defense, etc. and didn't really know much about the product line. But in the last year or so I started seeing popular reviews on useful EDC-friendly knives that were being recognized as high-value, low-budget options. I got on board in the week previous to the company's sale and bought my first CS EDC folders. I quickly broadened my scope to fixed blades and XL knives.

I'm thinking the large Voyager might gain in sales and become a much more popular knife. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I think it's hard to deny its value for the dollar.
 
We got one as a gift for a friend, I think he'll be surprised.


He's not fan of clip points, but well, it's bought already, I doubt he'll be disappointed tho.
 
dirc said:
lmao

back to the title & op
imho, it's not the best knife you can buy for the money... it's decent, but a simple rat in d2 gives more bang for dollar...
as does a bunch of others...
14c28n steel in a ruike hussar 3.5" blade with g10, and it's only $35
a
Click to expand...

I liked the Hussar so much I bought the Ti framelock version in S35VN. I am using them in the workshop and testing anodizing and similar things on them.
 
powernoodle said:
Gun and knife guys get their greatest joy from bickering on the interwebs.
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You should stumble into a truck forum during a "discussion" on rear end gearing or, God forbid, diesel vs. gas! It's a free for all!
 
One thing I don’t like are the clips on the Voyager. Every one I’ve handled has had zero spring. Other than that it’s a great knife.
 
100% agree in that size range. I bought both the clip point and tanto when they announced the sale to GSM and they both came perfect. The blade grinds are just about perfect. I used a lot of their AUS-8 years ago and if the AUS-10 is an improvement this further bolsters OP's claim. It's also my favorite handle shape in the entire cold steel large sized folder line-up.
 
kylemiller said:
100% agree in that size range. I bought both the clip point and tanto when they announced the sale to GSM and they both came perfect. The blade grinds are just about perfect. I used a lot of their AUS-8 years ago and if the AUS-10 is an improvement this further bolsters OP's claim. It's also my favorite handle shape in the entire cold steel large sized folder line-up.
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I have the clip point voyager and hope to purchase the Tanto point in the not so distant future. However, they are difficult to find right now and appear to be out of stock just about everywhere. I fear this, along with the sale of the company, could mean an increase in price, but I hope that's not the case.
dboblades said:
aus10 just doesn't cut it for me edge retention is pretty poor
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https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/ct/the-advancement-of-aus-10-steel.htm
 
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dboblades said:
aus10 just doesn't cut it for me edge retention is pretty poor
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As you may know, the composition of AUS-10 and VG10 are very similar. They are both high carbon stainless steels with a bit of vanadium in the mix. I consider them interchangeable. They differ from the 440 series and 154CM in having smaller grained carbides. That lets them take finer edges, but they are not quite as wear resistant. I really like AUS-10 and VG10 since they suit my taste for sharpness and are more wear resistant than AUS-8 and the Sandvick alloys.

https://knifeinformer.com/knife-steel-composition-chart/
 
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My math goes like this.

Looks like an edge in Maxamet, will last six times longer than aus10 (Thanks Pete!). That means sharpening aus10 every day vs sharpening maxamet once a week (because we don't work on sundays :).

So, Maxamet yields a significant time saving, but more importantly, one maxamet blade will last six times longer too, because it is sharpened 6x less often... so, a knife in aus10 should be more than six times cheaper than the same knife with a Maxamet blade to compete successfully... But it is not.

And then we are not even taking the wasted human hours spent and the elevated costs of abrasives maintaining aus10 into account.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...yUHhUmDLAP1hJ1dN_0q5G4tug/edit#gid=1242742384
 
kobold said:
My math goes like this.

Looks like an edge in Maxamet, will last six times longer than aus10 (Thanks Pete!). That means sharpening aus10 every day vs sharpening maxamet once a week (because we don't work on sundays :).

So, Maxamet yields a significant time saving, but more importantly, one maxamet blade will last six times longer too, because it is sharpened 6x less often... so, a knife in aus10 should be more than six times cheaper than the same knife with a Maxamet blade to compete successfully... But it is not.

And then we are not even taking the wasted human hours spent and the elevated costs of abrasives maintaining aus10 into account.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...yUHhUmDLAP1hJ1dN_0q5G4tug/edit#gid=1242742384
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Nonsense masquerading as logic . :rolleyes:

Touching-up/ honing an edge takes seconds . Most people don't do that much cutting with a folder to matter .

Show me all these worn out down to the nub Cold Steel Voyages that needed replacement because the steel was so flimsy it all wore away . NEVER happens !
 
DocJD said:
Nonsense masquerading as logic . :rolleyes:

Touching-up/ honing an edge takes seconds . Most people don't do that much cutting with a folder to matter .

Show me all these worn out down to the nub Cold Steel Voyages that needed replacement because the steel was so flimsy it all wore away . NEVER happens !
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I couldn't agree with you more. The previous post made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.
 
kobold said:
My math goes like this.

Looks like an edge in Maxamet, will last six times longer than aus10 (Thanks Pete!). That means sharpening aus10 every day vs sharpening maxamet once a week (because we don't work on sundays :).

So, Maxamet yields a significant time saving, but more importantly, one maxamet blade will last six times longer too, because it is sharpened 6x less often... so, a knife in aus10 should be more than six times cheaper than the same knife with a Maxamet blade to compete successfully... But it is not.

And then we are not even taking the wasted human hours spent and the elevated costs of abrasives maintaining aus10 into account.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...yUHhUmDLAP1hJ1dN_0q5G4tug/edit#gid=1242742384
Click to expand...

Last longer in what state though? If the edge is covered in snaggy microchips I don't care if the edge between the chips is still sharp.
 
Snaggy microchips? Not IME. And I used the PM2 in Maxamet as my one and only knife for a month.
 
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