What is with Cold Steel?

T

truecarbon

Joined
Nov 11, 2007
Messages
20
Maybe I have just been blinded for the last 13 years but having owned just about every type of knife from Randell to "pakasteel" I have personally seen Cold Steel knives put out comparable products to everyone else. So whats the deal guys whats the hostility towards CS?
 
Do a search.

I must admit, after a few years here, it really does get old to see the same horses beaten to death every month.
 
i always liked their products. i just got tired of the owner bashing every one elses products as if his were the only ones worth buying and you were stupid for not buying only his.,,,VWB.
 
vwb563 said:
i always liked their products. i just got tired of the owner bashing every one elses products as if his were the only ones worth buying and you were stupid for not buying only his.,,,VWB.
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That about sums it up!!
Used to be: Great products, and entertaining but decently informative hype...

Now: crappy products (increasingly lower grade steels, increasingly obscure manufacturers and materials, and other sleazy cost cutting), and dishonest, misleading, and increasingly ridiculous hype..

They ALMOST had it, but they (read LYNN THOMPSON) got greedy!
 
I do welcome help but you still haven't explained things in case you didn't noticed I have been around this business fot the last 13 years and have my own proof. so come on some real answers here please.
 
If you ask me benchmade is just as bad when it comes to hype they are always stating that their knives are superior. When I tried to send back my AFCK that I used in the sandbox that did not hold its own against my Voyager that preformed the same duties basically their response was tough luck.
 
there's the copycat knives, and not just similar styles. (gi tanto, sharkie marker, etc)

the company bashing (others, of course).

the open hostility on his website towards other makers.

accusations of others using obscure chinese manufacturers, when nearly all his knives are from china.

lynn thompson is in to the marketing. he is not a designer or manufacturer. he is good at what he does, evidenced by the success of his company.

i find cold steel knives to be poorly made, with poor materials, for the most part. many are a good dollar value, but i dont mind spending money for what i want and a product i believe in.


some say they dont care about the company, only the product. i believe the product speaks for the company and the company should be able to stand on its own merits.


from what i have read here on the forums, even those who use cold steel knives will say that much of their product line is crap. note they do not say they "DO NOT LIKE" a particular knife or even many knives. i dont have the money or patience to sift through all the hype, then find many of their knives are crap, then sift through the rest to find one of quality.

they should ALL be of good quality, and the decisions i have to make should be entirely subjective. that is, choosing a knife that suits my needs from a company whose goal is to make/sell nothing but well made knives.
 
i have no plans to buy another cold steel product, ever.


but in the end, buy what YOU like. i, for one, will never talk down to someone who likes cold steel knives.

i like that others like knives and enjoy the hobby just as i do.

i find their marketing distasteful. i buy as much in to the company as the knives themselves, so the individual ethics and behavior of the owner (s) have meaning for me.


but, again, buy what you like and want. find out for yourself if their knives will suit your needs.

and most of all, post pics of whatever you decide to purchase!!! :)
 
I think this is all just biased because I am down to earth and in a business where it come down to equipment that delivers. As I stated before my voyager came out above the AFCK in the same settings that is "proof in the pudding" where I was. Its just like the argument my comrade and I had about my Livesay A2 compared to his "Busse" my A2 performed just as well as his knife but for less. All I am saying is that for the money don't you think you are getting ripped off for something that is not truly superior when the stuff hits the fan?
 
Cold Steel does seem to have a polarizing effect on this community. Why? Who knows? Some people like them, and they're in their rights to like them. Some people hate them, and they're in their rights to hate them. When it comes to CS, I frankly don't know or care enough to care or know.
 
I have been a long time user of CS products. I never even heard of LT or his advertising until I joined this forum. I will continue to use their products until it is proven to me, by me, IN THE FIELD that their knives don't offer me as much or more for my knife dollar than most other brands. I don't give two hoots about the CS presidents personality. Like other knife makers, he is competing in a tough market.
 
I've used Cold Steel products for over 20 years, particularly their Bowies, and have found them to perform very well!! Had a Carbon V Trailmaster that I used for years, that wound up doing duty in NO after Katrina - still waiting to get it back. Knife has been used HARD, still performing. With the switch to SK-5 (China), I decided to see for myself if there was a big letoff in performance - NOT. Been ringing out a Laredo, and while I prefer Carbon V, the performance of the SK-5 Laredo is not that far off. One hell of a lot of knife for the money!! My opinions are based on actual experience rather than parroting what someone else has said. Lotta that around here.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
lynn thompson is in to the marketing. he is not a designer or manufacturer. he is good at what he does, evidenced by the success of his company.

i find cold steel knives to be poorly made, with poor materials, for the most part. many are a good dollar value, but i dont mind spending money for what i want and a product i believe in.
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Lynn Thompson has not only designed several of cold steels better products but has helped in designing many more. You find the materials to be poor? hmmm i would like to know how many here think that about spyderco, perhaps you? since they are of the same materials by the same makers except the cold steel knives generally have stronger locks. I have tons of knives from just about every manufacturer i can think of and CS ranks with the best of them. Many peoples responses to CS hatred is just hear say being repeated as you obviously have done since if you really knew anything about the company you would have known that in fact LT is a designer. Perhaps you have tried the cheap CS products or perhaps the better ones are too pricey in your opinion so you have not tried them.
 
Leave Cold Steel alone!! Why can't you just leave Cold Steel Alone????
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sdt11670 said:
Lynn Thompson has not only designed several of cold steels better products but has helped in designing many more. You find the materials to be poor? hmmm i would like to know how many here think that about spyderco, perhaps you? since they are of the same materials by the same makers except the cold steel knives generally have stronger locks. I have tons of knives from just about every manufacturer i can think of and CS ranks with the best of them. Many peoples responses to CS hatred is just hear say being repeated as you obviously have done since if you really knew anything about the company you would have known that in fact LT is a designer. Perhaps you have tried the cheap CS products or perhaps the better ones are too pricey in your opinion so you have not tried them.
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I agree 100%. I've never had a CS knife that didn't cut.
 
Jamesh Bond said:
That about sums it up!!
Used to be: Great products, and entertaining but decently informative hype...

Now: crappy products (increasingly lower grade steels, increasingly obscure manufacturers and materials, and other sleazy cost cutting), and dishonest, misleading, and increasingly ridiculous hype..

They ALMOST had it, but they (read LYNN THOMPSON) got greedy!
Click to expand...

My sentiments exactly. All the threads over all these years could be boiled down to this. The owner is a whiny, short-cutting braggart, IMHO.

thx - cpr
 
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