Trench Hawk Came W/O Nut

B

Boss Hogg

Joined
Jul 30, 2022
Messages
199
I recently bought a new Trench Hawk from Canadian Preparedness (I’m in the US), and it was missing the nut for the upper bolt. I contacted the supplier, and they won’t respond at all. I contacted Cold Steel, and they don’t have the nut. It’s not worth returning the Hawk to Canada, and I don’t want to use it without the nut. Obviously, I’d like the actual square nut that it’s supposed to use, rather than trying to find a substitute.

Anyone have suggestions? Thank you.


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Bummer man. You could get a fender washer the same size as the circle and then cut the sides off of it with a dremel or whatever you might have, but it's still a pain.
 
Sorry to hear that.

You likely not going to have any luck with Cold Steel customer service. Cold Steel was purchased by a conglomerate who has no interest in supporting the brand other than by initial sales.

That is a fairly unique fastener; it won't be easy finding either. You will likely have to just visit a well-stocked hardware store and see what can be made to work.
 
MolokaiRider said:
Sorry to hear that.

You likely not going to have any luck with Cold Steel customer service. Cold Steel was purchased by a conglomerate who has no interest in supporting the brand other than by initial sales.

That is a fairly unique fastener; it won't be easy finding either. You will likely have to just visit a well-stocked hardware store and see what can be made to work.
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I was afraid that this might be the case. I’m guessing that CS doesn’t supply the hardware with a replacement handle. There is a mom and pop hardware store that has all kinds of weird stuff (some of it NOS from the 70s), so that might be a good place to look.

Yeah, I’m still shocked that Lynn sold off CS to GSI, but money talks I suppose.
 
LimpCroissant said:
Bummer man. You could get a fender washer the same size as the circle and then cut the sides off of it with a dremel or whatever you might have, but it's still a pain.
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That’s kind of the route that I was thinking. I was just hopeful that someone knew where to get that special nut. Not the end of the world or anything, but I’m not happy with the retailer.
 
Boss Hogg said:
That’s kind of the route that I was thinking. I was just hopeful that someone knew where to get that special nut. Not the end of the world or anything, but I’m not happy with the retailer.
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Yea, wish I could help ya, but that one looks like a tough one to find.
 
I wonder if one of these would work- https://www.mcmaster.com/nuts/stain...nt~metric/metric-steel-narrow-base-weld-nuts/

Of course it would cost you to find out.

I would grind the edges off a washer until it fits in that space, then use a metric hex or acorn/cap nut. You would need a longer bolt because it looks like the stock bolts aren't designed to go all the way through, but instead thread into an internal type of nut. This sort of stuff you could get a Home Depot or Lowes, maybe other retail hardware stores as well.

And I'm assuming the hardware is metric.
 
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killgar said:
Of course it would cost you to find out.

I would grind the edges off a washer until it fits in that space, then use a metric hex or acorn/cap nut. You would need a longer bolt because it looks like the stock bolts aren't designed to go all the way through, but instead thread into an internal type of nut. This sort of stuff you could get a Home Depot or Lowes, maybe other retail hardware stores as well.

And I'm assuming the hardware is metric.
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Thanks for the link. I think it’s worth a shot - I will buy some and see if I can come up with a solution that works. I need to dig out my calipers and figure out the bolt diameter, but I’d assume that it’s metric as well.
 
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Buy a T-nut and cut it to fit the recess. That way, you won't have a nut projecting from the side of the head that could get in the way.
 
killgar said:
I wonder if one of these would work- https://www.mcmaster.com/nuts/surfa...-base-weld-nuts/system-of-measurement~metric/

Of course it would cost you to find out.

I would grind the edges off a washer until it fits in that space, then use a metric hex or acorn/cap nut. You would need a longer bolt because it looks like the stock bolts aren't designed to go all the way through, but instead thread into an internal type of nut. This sort of stuff you could get a Home Depot or Lowes, maybe other retail hardware stores as well.

And I'm assuming the hardware is metric.
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Boss Hogg said:
Thanks for the link. I think it’s worth a shot - I will buy some and see if I can come up with a solution that works. I need to dig out my calipers and figure out the bolt diameter, but I’d assume that it’s metric as well.
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Bolt size is confirmed as M6. I’m finding some cheaper versions of those weld nuts on Amazon. Guess I should also measure the nut dimensions on the Hawk and see if I can find something that won’t require any grinding.
 
Josephldoyle said:
Cold steel won’t replace the whole thing under warranty? They are seriously just saying ‘tough luck’ to you?

Would the warranty have covered it if the nut was lost during use?
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They initially offered me a 20% discount code, which doesn’t help at all. When I then asked if I could file a warranty claim, they said that I could. The problem is that I would have to pay to ship it to them and wait for however long it would take.

I just spent less than $6 to Amazon for a box of nuts (although I only need 1) that I’ll have to grind a bit to make work, but the dimensions are pretty close. It kind of sucks, but I really don’t want to deal with a CS (GSM) warranty claim. So while I’m not happy, it’s not with CS that I have issues.

The real problem here is that Canadian Preparedness won’t even bother to respond to my emails. I had other trouble with this and a previous order from them (him), whereby he canceled and refunded part both orders. The items were listed in stock when I placed them, and only changed to out of stock after the second time I ordered them…No apology, no reason, just a emails each time stating that my order was partially refunded.

Now I did get the free international shipping because my orders were over the required amount. That was still honored with the partial cancelation (even though the orders would have been significantly under the amount with the canceled items), but I might not have ordered one of the other expensive items that I did receive had one of the canceled items been unavailable when I ordered. I suspect that he threw in a defective Trench Hawk on purpose because they had to eat the shipping, but maybe that’s me just being paranoid.

Basically, I’m done with Canadian Preparedness. If he really did include a defective item on purpose, that is obviously unacceptable. But the fact that I can’t get a response is almost just as bad.
 
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LimpCroissant said:
No bueno my friend. I hope you can get it going.
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Thanks - and I’m sorry to complain about the details…just want a tool that I can use.

The nuts(s) that I bought will work, but will require some grinding…better to spend $6 and an hour of elbow grease than dealing with return shipping shipping charges and a warranty claim.

I’ll update when I’ve got the hawk ready to go.
 
Yup I absolutely feel ya. I just got a user Benchmade Bugout for cheap that has a missing screw and a stripped screw to two missing screws. I knew it going into it so it's all good there but I have some old BM screws that are the same size and thread pitch but much too long. I emailed BM about getting some replacements but I might just shorten the screws up myself. I'd like to get her going asap, I feel you.
 
Bumping my old thread here because I have to do so…

I never got anywhere with the Canadian supplier or with Cold Steel directly.

But, I contacted “Stick” through a YouTube comment, and he not only sent me two more nuts and bolts…

He sent me an entirely new Trench Hawk as well.

This is amazingly good customer service coming directly from the new face of their company. He also spoke to me personally on the phone, asking for any input as to how to make the company better, and he was a really nice guy. This probably sounds like BS, but it’s totally true.
 
Just a bit more.

I sent Stick a few emails of what I thought were good ideas for CS going forward. He had asked for any help, and seemed to genuinely care about what he could do. Here is the list of my recommendations that I sent to him so far:

1. Start using T8 screws instead of T6, especially on the larger folders.

2. Promote some type of quality improvement program, like Spyderco’s CQI.

3. Put a thumb detent along the lock bar of the triad locks to make it easier for people to push down.

4. Make a G-10 variant of the Code 4, but keep it slim.

5. Bring back the XL Recon 1 like they did with the Talwar and Hold Out.

6. Offer the Fenzy in more colors, like they used to have available.

If anyone has some constructive suggestions, I’m happy to relay them to Stick. He’s an approachable guy. Or if you’d like to contact him directly, send me a DM.
 
Boss Hogg said:
Just a bit more.

I sent Stick a few emails of what I thought were good ideas for CS going forward. He had asked for any help, and seemed to genuinely care about what he could do. Here is the list of my recommendations that I sent to him so far:

1. Start using T8 screws instead of T6, especially on the larger folders.

2. Promote some type of quality improvement program, like Spyderco’s CQI.

3. Put a thumb detent along the lock bar of the triad locks to make it easier for people to push down.

4. Make a G-10 variant of the Code 4, but keep it slim.

5. Bring back the XL Recon 1 like they did with the Talwar and Hold Out.

6. Offer the Fenzy in more colors, like they used to have available.

If anyone has some constructive suggestions, I’m happy to relay them to Stick. He’s an approachable guy. Or if you’d like to contact him directly, send me a DM.
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Readily available common spare parts, such as pocket clips and screws. If a customer breaks a clip or loses a screw, they should have the ability to purchase a replacement directly from Cold Steel.

Some effort made on after sales support.

Bring back leather sheaths… at least on the higher priced knives. It’s a travesty that a 3V Natchez Bowie or Trailmaster comes with a plastic sheath.
 
Josephldoyle said:
Readily available common spare parts, such as pocket clips and screws. If a customer breaks a clip or loses a screw, they should have the ability to purchase a replacement directly from Cold Steel.

Some effort made on after sales support.

Bring back leather sheaths… at least on the higher priced knives. It’s a travesty that a 3V Natchez Bowie or Trailmaster comes with a plastic sheath.
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Okay - I’ll pass this on to him on my next email. If you think of anything else, let me know. Thank you.
 
Honestly, other than a few hiccups like unsharpened machetes… the quality is still there.

Every post-GSM knife that I have purchased has been perfect. I just got a GSM era Survivalist in today. The fit and finish is perfect for a knife at any price, let alone a $60 dollar knife of this size.

If the service issues could be fixed, Cold Steel could once again be great.
 
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