Whats up with noone liking Cold Steel!?

Aniketos

Aniketos

Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Messages
345
Hey everyone reading this,

I am really confused here, and somewhat upset as to a bunch of things that are said here about Cold Steel knives. It seems like most of the gentlemen that come to this forum do NOT like Cold Steel. Personally I dont understand why at all. Few reasons why that make me feel like this.

1) When you talk to ANY Cold Steel person @ their facilities you are talking to the biggest knife nuts on the planet.

2) In my honest opinion They use good materials, and construct some great knives.

3) Which I think is the biggest point. How many other manufacturers do you see film and release a PROOF video just to prove how kick-ass their blades are. --

You say "well any sharp knife can cut", " any blade can cut slices of beef, rope, cardboard, car hoods, and have their handles punched through concrete slabs" OK fine I also say ANY good knife CAN be used to do this. However- Wheres the other companies proving theirs can do it also with flying colors.

I own Microtech, (have owned) a MoD. Lemme just say this It says in their warrenty card .... BOLD LETTERING DO NOT USE THE WRIST-SLAP OPEN TECHNIQUE OR USE YOUR KNIFE TO THROW!! That is not a quote but I do know it is said along that exact point. BTW. they void your warrenty if they find you opened it like this. Cold Steel freaking throws a bunch of their knives into a wall over 200 times each just to prove their locking mechs and the durability. All of them were mechanicly sound, although they even showed the knives that had broken tips. No offense but ive owned knives like Spyderco, Kershaw and those knives wouldnt take that kind of abuse.

What this entire thread is mainly trying to say is.....

People dont like Cold Steel for some reason or another.. FINE! I got no probs here with that, but be fair other manufacturers SAY their knives are the best no proof on actual real life testing.. while Cold Steel does. They state on their new proof DVD.
I quote "Simply put, our competitors grossly exaggerate, they SUGGEST and IMPLY high performance, rather then PROVE the worth of their products We back all of our claims with horrendous torture testing and graphic demonstrations. We prove that we make the WORLD'S STRONGEST, SHARPEST KNIVES and document it all on video tape. Your responce please! Thank you for reading this.

p.s No im not from Cold Steel, just a confused consumer//knifeaholic
 
I like Cold Steel,and i especially like their video "PROOF". It is the first film,i have not yet watched their latest "More Proof". I have only good things to say about their marketing and that they realy shows in front of live camera how tough their knives are. The only thing i do not like,is their steel switch in many of their knives to poorer steel. Otherwise,i think they are among the best knife manufacturers on the hole market.

Manowar
 
I like Cold Steel knives and have not had any problems with them.My fav is their Ti-Lite.
 
I just bought one of their knives. Only because they were the only one who makes it.

At one time, I wanted to develop a knife with them and tried to contact Lynn Thompson and did not even get the courtesy of a reply.

Others seem more interested.
 
My understanding is that actually repeating anything shown in their "Proof" vids will void the warranty.

So, that raises a few questions.


Above and beyond that, my experience with their customer service and warranty has been terrible. When I contacted them about repairs for a broken clip on a voyager folder, I was essentially told 'buy another; you're not covered under warranty'. :grumpy: I've since found other manufacturers who actually honor their obligations.

Serrations are terrible. 'nuff said

I carried a cold steel for 5 years; my dad gave it to me, and I keep it around for sentimental reasons. But I have repeatedly been underwhelmed by CS.
 
My problem with Cold steel is this. Yes, the videos are fun to watch, BUT if you want to do anything on the video and your knife breaks, you have voided the warranty because of abuse! To me, it's a case of not trusting the buyer and not standing behind their products, even after advertising them as "extreme" use or whatever. Just in case you are wondering, yes, I own a Cold steel, but I am trying to sell it:p. To answer you question on why don't more makers do this...Busse Combat does AND they stand behind what they make. Period. If it breaks, they will replace it! That is trust in their product, and trust in the consumer. Great company...BETTER blades. That's just my opinion, I could be right!:D
 
I don't thik it's the knives anyone has a problem with; it's Lynn whatever-his-last-name-is...Thompson?...that people don't care for. He is a pretty abrasive personality and uses a lot of hype in advertising.

Lacklustre customer service has also been an issue.

I have a Master Hunter in their Carbon V steel that I really like, and wouldn't mind trying one of their slipjoints if they weren't so overpriced for their delrin scales.
 
Originally posted by alphamaniv
To answer you question on why don't more makers do this...Busse Combat does AND they stand behind what they make. Period. If it breaks, they will replace it! That is trust in their product, and trust in the consumer. Great company...BETTER blades. That's just my opinion, I could be right!:D

I agree! That is the main reason why I have stopped buying Cold Steel and leaned towards Busse Knives and Swamp rat.
 
i must say that my limited cold steel experience has been great. I own two of their recon tantos and have yet to find a knife i liked better for outdoors work. When i broke my blade in half the customer service with them was dealt with my my local knife shop (where i purchased the knife) and was quick and easy, with a replacement knife mailed out to me. I do admit though, that i have found some differences in the carbon v steel used through the years. I noticed that a recon tanto a few years older has a different weight and performs slightly better than a new one, which is sorta dissapointing.
-mike
 
I don't like all the hype. I also fail to see the relevance of alot of the stuff done in the videos. If it isn't covered by their warranty, they must not think it falls under the scope of the acceptable use for the knife. I couldn't care less about things that the knife "might" survive but void the warranty. (you said yourself that they show some of them break) Don't show me what I'm not supposed to do, show me what the knife IS good for.
Other brands have stood up to MY tests in everyday life and held up very well, and the warranty is still good. And they don't have that "in your face" marketing routine that I can't stand.
 
CS's Carbon V fixed blades are great products, solid performers fr the price. When it comes to folders, quite frankly Cold Steel is behind by almost any measure ... what makes Cold Steel irritating is that they make up for weak products by talking about how great 420 is, and claiming 8A is a better steel than ATS-34. Their carbon V fixed blades might hold up to (at least some of) Cold Steel's hype; their folders definitely don't. IMO, of course.

Joe
 
I won't go into specifics, but Cold Steel DOES have some pretty interesting designs. It's a shame that they don't mate those great designs with "better" materials...(VG-10 steel, G-10 scales).
 
Originally posted by Joe Talmadge
CS's Carbon V fixed blades are great products, solid performers fr the price.
Click to expand...

Agreed Joe.., a really good heat treat and hard to match at street prices.

Originally posted by Joe Talmadge
When it comes to folders, quite frankly Cold Steel is behind by almost any measure
Click to expand...

You are too kind sir :).., they are junk! In my view they have had plenty of time to have decent folders evolve, and the best "Folding Knife" they make across production domains is the "Arc Angel" Balisong (one of their more recent products). It's not perfect by any means.., but the edge dynamics are good, and the knife is tough. The handle finish looks like I did it....lol...(that means not good!).


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
Good users for the most part these days, and CS is still one of the most innovative cutlery firms around. The Master Hunter is a classic. I have used Voyagers hard for years without any complaints; they're good, tough, affordable cutters. You can pay a lot more for a folder which will provide only incremental improvements. I would venture that to survive CS has to provide lower priced blades for all those non-knife-nerds out there (like most of us used to be), and their cheaper products will serve that market perfectly fine. Until they come across Blade Forums, of course:D
 
CS makes a great knife.
My edc is a x-large Voyager tanto folder.
When my plastic clip broke, I sent it back,
and they replaced it with a new knife with a metal clip.
I also like my San Mia III fixed tanto, and SRK.
I dont carry my good knifes everyday, like Microtech,
but don't mind a bit beating up a CS.
Just my 2 cents......
 
their fixed blades are good stuff
i can't say the same for their folders though :D
 
SRK is my 'Bug out' fixed blade, and my reprofiled Recon-Scout (swedged) is my camp knife...love 'em!

No experience with their folders...I have an inherent distrust of knives that break in the middle... ;)

Mel
 
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