Warcraft San Mai

tatsu

tatsu

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Oct 2, 1999
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Thoughts on the San Mai Warcraft? What steels are used? I've only seen it listed as "San Mai III".
 
tatsu said:
Thoughts on the San Mai Warcraft? What steels are used? I've only seen it listed as "San Mai III".
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Pretty sure all versions used 420 for the outer layers. The original "San Mai III" had an AUS8 core. Then there was "VG-1 San Mai III". Both of those were made in Japan. Currently it is just called "San Mai", is made in Taiwan, and has a VG-10 core.
 
I have used it for years... I would trust this steel out of ALL of CS's steels the most...
The only downside IMHO is the 420 is very soft so it scratches easily so the blade can get quite marked up just putting it in and out of the sheath, especially if there is any dirt on the inside of the sheath
In real life this steel will do anything and everything you ask of it and more...
Plus the lamination line looks cool 😎
 
Strideruser,

Great to hear the San Mai holds up well with use.

For those that own Warcraft blades, please post pics. Action shots would be great!

And for those that have handled and used the original 3V and the newer San Mai versions, your thoughts on both would be much appreciated. Do you prefer one over the other? If so, why, (steel used, handle design, etc.)?
 
I have owned the 12 inch model of the new San Mai Warcraft for a few months now. It actually uses VG1, not VG10 as it's core, with 420J sides (confirmed by Lynn Thompson during his review of the blade.)

The knife is truly excellent and a great improvement over the original warcraft. The handle is much more comfortable and in a more natural position, with the jimping in a better location. The original Warcraft 3V, especially the 12 inch model, had some issues with the handles coming loose, Cold Steel used undersized T6 screws to attach the handle scales, and there are many reports of them working loose. The new Warcraft San Mai uses much larger screws, and they are spaced apart better and more efficiently. So the loose hand scales should no longer be a problem.

The problem I have is the price. The original Warcraft had superior 3V steel and cost less. GSM downgraded the steel and jacked up the price. Knowing this, I would not pay anywhere near what many are asking for this blade. I paid around the $200 mark for mine, which is about the max I would pay. Shop around and you can find them at this price range.
 
DayofReckoning said:
I have owned the 12 inch model of the new San Mai Warcraft for a few months now. It actually uses VG1, not VG10 as it's core, with 420J sides (confirmed by Lynn Thompson during his review of the blade.)

The knife is truly excellent and a great improvement over the original warcraft. The handle is much more comfortable and in a more natural position, with the jimping in a better location. The original Warcraft 3V, especially the 12 inch model, had some issues with the handles coming loose, Cold Steel used undersized T6 screws to attach the handle scales, and there are many reports of them working loose. The new Warcraft San Mai uses much larger screws, and they are spaced apart better and more efficiently. So the loose hand scales should no longer be a problem.

The problem I have is the price. The original Warcraft had superior 3V steel and cost less. GSM downgraded the steel and jacked up the price. Knowing this, I would not pay anywhere near what many are asking for this blade. I paid around the $200 mark for mine, which is about the max I would pay. Shop around and you can find them at this price range.
Click to expand...
I remember that video, and being surprised he said VG-1. Everything else says the current Taiwan San Mai has a VG-10 core, so I think maybe Lynn was just so used to VG-1 that he had a slip of the tongue.

ETA: K KenHash and I talked a bit about it: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/cold-steel-warcraft-san-mai-iii-series.1874751/post-21260152
 
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jlauffer said:
I remember that video, and being surprised he said VG-1. Everything else says the current Taiwan San Mai has a VG-10 core, so I think maybe Lynn was just so used to VG-1 that he had a slip of the tongue.

ETA: K KenHash and I talked a bit about it: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/cold-steel-warcraft-san-mai-iii-series.1874751/post-21260152
Click to expand...

Maybe you are right, I was just going by what Lynn said. VG1 vs VG10, not really a whole lotta difference to be honest. It would be nice to know for sure though.
 
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