Who Carries a CS Gunsite?

C

Confederate

Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Messages
2,826
I have one in each size, 4-inch and 5-inch, and love them both. The larger one I normally carry in a sheath originally intended for a Smith & Wesson PowerGlide, a knife I've found little use for. Anyway, I haven't seen it referred to often and wondered if anyone carried one on a regular basis and what you liked or didn't like about it.


ColdSteelGunsite_5.jpg


ColdSteelGunsite_3.jpg


And since someone else put a picture of their cat on, I figured I'd put a picture of my friend. He's a neighborhood cat who thinks he owns my home and everything (and everyone) in it.

Moggy.jpg
 
I had a Gunsite II and carried it daily for 6 months... then I lost it! :( I really liked the knife and discovered that a 4" blade is my perfect EDC blade length, particularly when paired with a small slip-joint.
The changes I'd like to see to the Gunsite platform are a more pronounced forefinger guard, better blade steel, stainless steel handle liners, and an unserrated option... yeah, that all adds up to a different knife :P I really do like the Gunsite knives, though.
 
well, as many people know i don't like CS, but i did use to have a gunsite...UNTIL I DROPPED IT ON THE CARPET AND THE TIP BROKE! it ain't half bad...honestly it has a nice feel, and flicks out easily...if you're looking for a powerful feeling knife, then the gunsite is definetly it
 
Always loved the look of them but the price has always put me off. I mean, $65 for Zytel and aus 8?
 
The Gunsite line seems like just a slight variation on the Voyager line. How are they really different? They both use VG-1, not AUS-8. They both have the zytel handle and pocket clip. The Voyager comes in multiple configurations, including the tanto with 1/2 serrated blade. The only difference seems the branding.

That said, my Voyager has been my primary EDC for over a year, and I have not one bad thing to say about it. Light, takes and keeps a scary sharp edge, strong lock. IMO for the money either the Voyager or Gunsite is well worth it.
 
Taking a longer look at the Gunsite, the blade shape seems to be actually cross between the Hatamoto (which also has the finger grooves along the spine towards the tip for fine cutting work) and the Voyager. Otherwise the knife is a Voyager.
 
I carry one (5inch blade) and like it a lot. I bought it over the Voyager series because I preffered the jimping and liked the false edge. I'd love to see it unserrated though. HOWEVER, those serrations are excellent so I don't complain a lot. It came and has remained very sharp and it's one of my go to knives when I need something tough and large but can't have a fixed blade.

 
Last edited:
yobbos1 said:
Always loved the look of them but the price has always put me off. I mean, $65 for Zytel and aus 8?
Click to expand...
Yes, but there's nothing wrong with Zytel or AUS8. One of the big problems with Cold Steel's new Rajahes is that they're steel reinforced and weigh a ton! Also, the knife is now being made with VG-1, which is supposed to be a step up in the blade steel. I mean, if the knife were made with 154CM or VG-10, very few would be able to afford it. That's quite a hunk of steel they use.

Also I think AUS8 is much maligned. Cold Steel does a great job of heat treating their stuff (except when the point breaks off, of course). Still, for a knife that size, edge retention has to be weighed against the steel's ability to take punishment, and AUS8/VG-1 does a fairly good job of that and in the vast majority of cases, bend instead of breaking.

Finally, who else offers 5- and 6-inch blades in quality folding knives? I have some Maxam knives that I use mostly for runs when I'm likely to lose a good knife. I keep a Maxam SKLARGE (below center) in both my car and my wife's car and don't have to sweat losing them. Junk knives also come in handy for my wife's gardening work—cutting vines and even digging up weeds.

AUS8 is good enough for reliable use, plus I think it's a decent steel. The Gunsite is just like the Voyager, except they get a little more attention. I also like the sculptured blade and the jimps topside. Having a guard would be nice, but I've never had a problem holding on to the Zytel grip. (Zytel, BTW, is one of my favorite grip materials. I love the grips of the old Recon 1s far better than the G10 slabs they now have.)

For the size, weight, strength and price, I think the knives are a bargain.


CheapKnives_2.jpg


The SKLARGE (center) is a BIG knife, but it's a Maxam. The
M-Tech on top is a fair knife for cutting, but isn't very strong,
and the Maxam on the bottom is actually one I carry every
now and again, especially if I'm apt to run into an unexpected
metal detector. On one occasion, I actually had to stuff it
under a bush when I forgot my name badge at work. After
work it was still there. (I was only allowed a 2.5-incher in
my work building.)


BigKnives.jpg


The big Maxam on top and a Cold Steel Voyager 5-inch
on the bottom. The Maxam cost me seven bucks and is a
linerlock, but it's better than no knife. I almost always have
a smaller knife of better quality.


ColdSteelGunsite_1.jpg


The Gunsite's blade is a double-grind design on the plain
edge and is chisel ground on the serrated side. That's
another plus. I despise chisel grind plain edges. It also
has a sculptured blade, which is attractive. Oh, and let's
not forget the jimps on top.
 
Decent knife for about 30-40, but I certainly wouldn't pay more. Light, fairly solid handle, and a solid blade. Never had issues with the tip, dropped it on all kinds of stuff.
 
I have the newer VG-1 gunsites in 4" and 5". I like them a lot. Never any problems. I also have an older 5" in AUS-8 and the blade seems to last like the energizer bunny.
Fav CS folder, though, is my 6" vaquero grande. All have very smooth action and the lock back mecnanisn is very reliable. Never came close to paying MSRP.
 
I have no problems whatsoever with aus 8 or Zytel, the only thing that puts me off is the price related to the materials used. If I were to find a Gunsite at the $40 to $50 range I'd grab one in a heartbeat.
 
I've had no experience with the Gunsites, but have with Voyager Tantos, and IMO a Gunsite is just a slightly modified Voyager Tanto.

I've carried a Large Voyager Tanto in AUS 8 EDC for about a year. There were no problems with it. When I want to carry a big folder I carry an XL Voyager Tanto, but that is aways in addition to my regular EDC.
 
I've noticed over the past year that the price of knives has increased drastically. I paid sixty bucks for my CS Vaquero X2, about fifty for the Gunsite I and forty for the large Voyager. I've always preferred the large Voyager to the Buck 110 because of the weight and ease of opening, but the Buck is a better knife if one looks only at the materials.

Still, I've found the knife prices reasonable, all things considered. The Gunsite has a very good lock, a very strong blade, holds an edge reasonably well and it's a knife you can bet your life on. One thing I think we often overlook is that many times the handles and the locks are worth more than the blades. One of my favorite carry knives is the Cold Steel Recon 1. It's the old version, I think I've said, and it has a 440A blade. That blade is no better or worse than the 440A blade in my Cold Steel Night Force or Pro-Lite, but I very rarely carry the others. I like the steel-reinforced Zytel grip and the axis lock, as well as the size and balance of the Recon 1. As a result, when I rushing out the door, I often grab it out of all the others.

Basically, it's a bit unfair to judge a knife solely on how much we think the components should cost. The question, rather, is: Is there a comparable knife on the market that has the size, balance and strength of the knife in question. In the Gunsite's case, I don't know of any. Benchmade, Spyderco, Kershaw, Boker and others have no competing knives. And really, the way inflation's been lately, sixty bucks isn't
all that much to spend on a large, strong, dependable knife that Lynn Thompson would personally bet his life on! (I mean, that alone
convinces me....:D)

Still, we are in a free enterprise system. I just don't know of any competing knife that pulls the duty of these large Voyager-type models.
When you consider how long they last and what they'll do, most decent knives are a bargain.


ColdSteelTantoSerration.jpg


The Voyager is essentially the same knife as the
Gunsite. I like the serrations for most cutting jobs
and feel that they boost a knife's defensive
capabilities. They aren't as intrusive as the
absurd bumpy patterns found on most knives.
 
IMO the zytel-handled Spydercos are comparable to the Voyagers in their same size range. For about a year my EDC was both an Endura and Large Voyager (1990s models, both in AUS 8 with integral zytel clips) and IMO the quality and materials were so similar that they looked like they could have been made by the same company but just different models.

When you move on to the XL Voyagers and things like the Vaquero series, I don't know of any comparisons.
 
Yeah, they're great box cutters. And I'd love to see Spyderco offer some hypersize knives. So far, the Voyager line seems to be their signature series, and the Gunsites were a great idea. When I think of all the people that go through Col. Cooper's Gunsite tactical firearms school, and those who don't go but are familiar with it, it makes for a knife that has a special meaning to the military, law enforcement and tactical firearms community.
 
If I remember correctly, according to Tim Wegner, the original, full-sized, Spyderco Wegner model was the knife originally considered for being named the official knife of Gunsite, but neither Tim Wegner nor Spyderco felt that the association with Gunsite would would be beneficial, so Gunsite went with Cold Steel.

The serrations on the CS Gunsite models were always a deal-breaker for me. If they offered a plain-edge model, I think it'd be a cool piece.

Regards,
3G
 
I traded a guy on here for one, rock solid knife. I love the utility in yard work. Was digging some post holes and kept coming across roots from nearby tree, some were near wrist thickness, Gunsite went right through them with a whack or two. Now worries if i bang up the edge a bit, it sharpens up easily. Weekend EDC is easy, it doesn't weigh much. Possibly one of the best bang per buck deals out there. Seriously considering the 6" clip Voyager based on my experiences with the Gunsite. The clip blade is probably a better overall-use blade design.
-On the serrations; the tips of the smaller serrations will snap off on tougher materials, but they remain sharp anyhow.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top