What's you opinion on cold steel?

fnzeee said:
The Recon is good..but not the best sub $40 folder out there. The Ontario Utilitac 2 for $25 with textured Zytel handles, AUS-8a blade, scalloped heavy duty liner lock and and buttery smooth opening beats it hands down. It may be personal preference, but I own both and would say the Utilitac for 25% less beats the Recon cold.
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I own a utilitac 2 as well. I just think the recon is a better knife - by far. I don't really care about smoothness at all. I like the fact that the recon won't fold up on you. I'm not saying the utilitac is a bad knife. It's not. I'm just saying: tri-ad + g-10 > liner lock + zytel
 
I have several Cold Steel knives that I've aquired and put to use over the years... Overall, I don't think they're bad knives for the money. Probably one of my most carried (and still one of my favorite production folders of all time) is the original Voyagaer Large clip point. I know they did a "re-design" on that entire line over the last couple of years, but in my opinion, they didn't improve the design "overall". Personally, I think they should have left everything as is and just incorporated the triad lock, pivot screw, and maybe a full flat grind, and left everything else alone.

As for the marketing, I do agree that it's quite over the top, and I'm not sure they're really doing anything to the knives that you couldn't do to several other comparably priced folders or fixed blades.

I also find it astonishing that after years of complaints about their pocket clips, blade coatings, and blade steels, they really haven't done anything at all to change any of them; in fact, in some case, it's probably gotten worse.

Granted, they do have the recent release of the xhp recon tanto with DLC, but realistically, I think they could compromise a little bit. Start offering something in 154CM or S30V range, and still keep the knives relatively affordable.
 
Love the recon 1; I have the regular size and the mini. Like so many have said, great for price. That said, I typically reach for an Emerson or a fixed blade over the Recon 1; it the former case, because of steel and in the latter case for strength. The recon 1 is a decent compromise between my cqc13 and my Becker bk17 (clearly, I'm comparing clip points across all three).
 
I like em well enough. Nothing bad about them, but nothing amazing either. Solid, reliable, cheap knives. I have had many, but don't tend to hang on to them for whatever reason. The only one I have now is the Code 4 clip-point. Nice knife, but a little slippery.
 
I've been happy with every CS knife I've bought.

The fit and finish on my medium Espada is as good as anything I own in the $140 range
 
SaintlyBrees said:
I've got both of the CS Tuff Lites (reg and mini) and love 'em both.
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Yep. :)
My dad cleaned a couple of geese with his Mini Tuff Lite; I had to fix a roll where he'd gone through the wing bones, but it was a simple fix...seconds on sandpaper.

I gifted mine to a friend who had unfortunately lost the Benchmade (I forget which model) I'd previously given him. His opinion was that it was enough blade with a suitable amount of handle to do the tasks he needs to at work. :thumbup:

I have some stupidly expensive knives, and I plan on getting another Mini Tuff Lite.
 
jstrange said:
I like em well enough. Nothing bad about them, but nothing amazing either. Solid, reliable, cheap knives. I have had many, but don't tend to hang on to them for whatever reason. The only one I have now is the Code 4 clip-point. Nice knife, but a little slippery.
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Fortunately that's what I'm looking for
 
Since we're on the topic of Cold Steel here. Do CS's Triad lock knives develop vertical bladeplay over time like other backlocks?
 
XiaolongJackson said:
Since we're on the topic of Cold Steel here. Do CS's Triad lock knives develop vertical bladeplay over time like other backlocks?
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The lock is self-adjusting for wear.
Thus, it will take a long time before vertical wiggle comes into play.
 
I love Cold Steel. I have lots of knives from lots of different companies, but more from Cold Steel than any other single brand (except, possibly, Opinel :D). I don't think you can really go wrong with either of the knives you're looking at. I recently picked up a Recon 1 in plain edge, clip point configuration. I love it. Easy to open and close, wicked sharp, zero play, etc. Top notch fit and finish all around, as I've come to expect from CS. :thumbup:
 
victoribuck said:
Fortunately that's what I'm looking for
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I don't think you will be disappointed. Just pick one that looks good to you. They all function about the same (assuming you pick Triad models). I will say I am not a fan of the black blade coatings. Their stone-wash is really nice and the satin is pretty, but hell for fingerprints.
 
Can't disagree the triad lock is exceptional, but I think its a bit of an overstatement to insinuate that the utilitac is going to 'fold up on you'...or that the triad lock could not, likely with the user accidentally opening the lock (as opposed to any mechanical failure). Also bears noting that no lock however good will turn a folder into a fixed blade.

Zytel vs G-10 I think depends on the implementation and style of knife, but I think most would agree with you...G-10 is the favorite in the knife world.

I mentioned the utilitac as an example of another high quality value knife in the under $40 range. There are many others these days, whereas some years ago CS really was the only contender in this category. I probably should not have stated the comparison with the Recon 1 so strongly...a lot of it has to do with personal preference. Bottom line, you can get great knives from CS...or from other makers in this price range.

AntDog said:
I own a utilitac 2 as well. I just think the recon is a better knife - by far. I don't really care about smoothness at all. I like the fact that the recon won't fold up on you. I'm not saying the utilitac is a bad knife. It's not. I'm just saying: tri-ad + g-10 > liner lock + zytel
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For me personally, it's rare that I see a Cold Steel design that tickles my fancy.
The few that do look like solid, well build knives, but so far, I've never gone ahead and purchased one. Just too many other designs from too many other companies taking up all my spending cash.

However, I will say, if I ever need to buy some ninja throwing stars, I know which brand I'll be buying :P
 
I have a current generation recon-1. It locks up rock solid and it is smooth opening. It fits my hand quite well, but it is a large knife.
 
fnzeee said:
Can't disagree the triad lock is exceptional, but I think its a bit of an overstatement to insinuate that the utilitac is going to 'fold up on you'...or that the triad lock could not, likely with the user accidentally opening the lock (as opposed to any mechanical failure). Also bears noting that no lock however good will turn a folder into a fixed blade.

Zytel vs G-10 I think depends on the implementation and style of knife, but I think most would agree with you...G-10 is the favorite in the knife world.

I mentioned the utilitac as an example of another high quality value knife in the under $40 range. There are many others these days, whereas some years ago CS really was the only contender in this category. I probably should not have stated the comparison with the Recon 1 so strongly...a lot of it has to do with personal preference. Bottom line, you can get great knives from CS...or from other makers in this price range.
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Well for something to be an "overstatement" it has to be stated. I did not insinuate anything. I simply said I like the fact that the recon won't fold up on you. That's not a knock on the utilitac, it's an observation on the recon, and no insinuation of anything.

No, no folder will become a fixed blade. However, the tri-ad is the most robust lock I have found, and there is about a 0% chance a user could accidentally disengage the lock. I've tried.

Zytel vs g-10 doesn't really depend on the implementation and style of knife. It depends on cost of materials and price to the consumer. It's ok, you can admit it, g-10 is better.

Sure, personal preference has a play in everything under the sun... But some things are just cut and dry facts.
 
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