Why do I hate Cold Steel?

I'm a lover not a hater, didn't use to like their designs at first,then I bought one of the recon mini ...... that was it for me. ease of carry ,edge holding,value,etc..- I now have about 30 CS knives no regrts at all.
 
I think for many Cold Steel falls into the Mall Ninja trend. There's a fine line between being tactical and being "tacticool" but I think Cold Steel actually does pretty well with their folders. I really like the looks of the Recon 1 as well as the Code 4 and Broken Skull.

I've owned one of their Tuff Lites and really enjoyed it. I guess for me it's their lack of US manufacturing. They used to be made in Japan and then switched to Taiwan so I've always wondered if China was a matter of time because they tried China before and the quality wasn't there.

Some will say that if the quality is there who cares but I do like buying products made stateside if I can help it.
 
Just thought I’d add one more thing, my 2 favourite daily carries from cold steel at the moment are their new satin blade exclusives in S35VN. Never leave the house without one of these in my pocket. The smoothness of the action, blade grinds, edge bevels and overall fit/finish on this new run have been flawless.
 
Used to be turned off strongly by Cold Steel because I didn't like the juvenile mall ninja marketing strategy. I (incorrectly) assumed that because they had that silly marketing strategy, no serious knife user would buy them and their products must be crap.

I was wrong. Within the last year some folks here on BF convinced me that it was worth trying some of the newer CS products in CTS XHP. I got a Recon 1 and and Ultimate Hunter, totally satisfied with the quality of both knives. They are good designs, not perfect but better than average, with premium steel, strong locks, and great handle ergos. Very strong on bang for the buck, you get a lot of knife for your $$. The main things I would change if I could are the clips, perhaps slightly thinner factory blade grinds, and on the Recon, slightly less aggressive G10 scales.

I've been so impressed by the quality and value of those CS blades, I'm also looking at a few of their fixed blades in carbon steel and 3v.
 
Interesting thread and I can certainly understand your point of view. As an example, I hate Chevy and love Ford. I have absolutely no rational reason, I just hate Chevy. I have owned Chevy's in the past and they were fine, and I have owned Ford's in the past that were nothing than a POS so go figure.

Now as far as Cold Steel is concerned, I have no opinion of them one way or the other. They are a company and like all successful companies are driven by profit first. I actually just bought an American Lawman. It's an ok knife, it cuts (things like my right hand index finger) just fine and seens solid enough. It has a fairly comfortable handle and a nice sized sharp as heck blade, works for me. Not to mention, I almost have that $%#@!! lock releasing easier (BTW the bruised finger/thumb bones are healing up quite nicely thank you) without requiring both thumbs to press the lock bar.

However, I can't see me buying another CS knife as none of them "tickle my fancy" and I just love having my fancy tickled.
 
I got about 4 minutes in on the posted video - once he mentions Killing the Dangerous 7 - Rhino , Hippo's etc I lost all respect for him as a human being .
I have Hunted & fished ... stopped hunting turned to Skeet , fishing is mostly catch & release ... If I were dependent on hunting / fishing for sustenance it would be different but I'm not . There are quite a few species that are in Jeopardy [extinction] and not enough awareness .
I fish locally where Stripped Bass are a targeted trophy species - the population is way down at this point -

Why would anyone need to kill "Trophy " animals to stuff and hang - Hippo , Rhino etc ... Don't get it - just my thoughts ..
 
colin.p said:
Interesting thread and I can certainly understand your point of view. As an example, I hate Chevy and love Ford. I have absolutely no rational reason, I just hate Chevy. I have owned Chevy's in the past and they were fine, and I have owned Ford's in the past that were nothing than a POS so go figure.

Now as far as Cold Steel is concerned, I have no opinion of them one way or the other. They are a company and like all successful companies are driven by profit first. I actually just bought an American Lawman. It's an ok knife, it cuts (things like my right hand index finger) just fine and seens solid enough. It has a fairly comfortable handle and a nice sized sharp as heck blade, works for me. Not to mention, I almost have that $%#@!! lock releasing easier (BTW the bruised finger/thumb bones are healing up quite nicely thank you) without requiring both thumbs to press the lock bar.

However, I can't see me buying another CS knife as none of them "tickle my fancy" and I just love having my fancy tickled.
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Leave the knife half open in a drawer over night for a few nights.
 
Never had a CS knife that didn't cut, and cut well. Whatever people may think of his advertising approach (which apparently works pretty well), I find his knives to be top notch in materials and design -- LT is one of the most innovative knife designers of the last two or three decades IMHO, and like many others incorporates designs from top people in the field.
 
mfm22 said:
I got about 4 minutes in on the posted video - once he mentions Killing the Dangerous 7 - Rhino , Hippo's etc I lost all respect for him as a human being .
I have Hunted & fished ... stopped hunting turned to Skeet , fishing is mostly catch & release ... If I were dependent on hunting / fishing for sustenance it would be different but I'm not . There are quite a few species that are in Jeopardy [extinction] and not enough awareness .
I fish locally where Stripped Bass are a targeted trophy species - the population is way down at this point -

Why would anyone need to kill "Trophy " animals to stuff and hang - Hippo , Rhino etc ... Don't get it - just my thoughts ..
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Agreed. I'd rather get close to them, Capture them with a awesome Camera, and mount that on the wall. Of course, carrying a weapon to give yourself a chance just in case, but, no, no reason to kill endangered species. they have just as much right to be on this planet as you do.
 
I liked a lot of CS knives, the Code 4 was one of my favorite EDCs but I just cannot get over their business practices anymore. Personally, I feel like they do a disservice to the knife community by adding to the perception that people who carry knives are maniacs who are only looking for an opportunity to stab a hunk of meat or cut the arms off some blood squirting dummy. Just adds fuel to the anti-knife fire, and then there are the frivolous lawsuits.....Sue CRKT for false advertising yet they advertise the worlds sharpest knife (not even close). What closed the door for good for me was their Cold Steel Arrow videos where they are hunting fish (one of the stupidest things I have every seen) and hogs that was done in very poor taste. I know i'm just one person but I purchase a lot of knives and they have certainly lost a lot of my business. Zero Respect for Cold Steel.
 
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Would the "American tanto" be ubiquitous today if it weren't for Cold Steel hyping it as they have? I think not, which is a sin I lay at Thompson's feet as I consider it to be one of the more silly and least useful blade patterns devised (no matter who actually came up with it).

As for their swords, Cold Steel needs to stop grinding them like knives. No historical sword carries a grind like that. Otherwise, I like their selection of patterns in their catalogue.

I also like their selection of bludgeoning toys like sticks and clubs and so on. They used to have a flanged mace that looked like a WWI trench mace. I would never use it except on melons for fun, but I still wanted it. Thompson knows how to appeal to the history and weapon nerd's avarice!

My first modern tactical folder was a CS; a size large Voyager half serrated tanto. In 1995 I thought it was the best thing ever. Thin, clipped to my pocket, one hand opening, tough as nails, and oh-so-tactical. But the AUS8a didn't keep an edge, the "tanto" point really never never did anything well (or even halfway decently), and the serrations were impossible to keep sharp and rolled on even slightly abrasive materials. Once I lost it on a trip, I felt free to explore other options. I returned to the Buck 110. A friend gave me a 112 which I used heavily and which taught me to appreciate 440 more than AUS8. I gave up on the "tactical" vibe and returned to appreciating more traditional patterns.

I wish I still had my stag handled Carbon V Trailmaster with the leather sheath. I picked up an SRK in Carbon V to remind me of it and I do like that steel after all. And I think I would get a lot of use out of CS's Tuff Lite: A small wharncliffe one handed opener with a pocket clip would be a good little tool in the barn or garage. Oh, and my buddy loves the Outdoorsman Lite I gave him. He has some finer knives, but for our hunting and fishing trips he keeps coming back to it for its durability. I still dig out the Eland every so often, I know my CS machete will never let me down, and the Plainsman's tomahawk has gotten me out of a couple of tough spots and splits kindling in camp nicely.

But I think CS for now remains a catalogue of cool toys for me. I won't be going back to their knives anytime soon.

Zieg
 
SO skipping past everything but OP I will say my known reasons for not buying a Cold Steel are multitude of factors. Firstly their advertising no longer appeals to me they are a great bridge from beginner with a "Knives are so bad @#$" mentality. They are very much marketed with a juvenile style this isn't to say their products are not good in their own right this is a critique on their style of advertising. My second reason is that while they build a strong working product for a great value they don't offer much with great aesthetics or aesthetic variety. The third and last reason I can think of is that in the end when I have found something of their interesting enough to consider I usually end up finding something similar enough from another manufacturer that I like better.
 
BladeScout said:
....except for the Panda.

Fed up with those furry, lazy bamboo eating good for nothing fatsos.
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FTFZaGF.jpg
 
The Zieg said:
Would the "American tanto" be ubiquitous today if it weren't for Cold Steel hyping it as they have? I think not, which is a sin I lay at Thompson's feet as I consider it to be one of the more silly and least useful blade patterns devised (no matter who actually came up with it).
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Strange, I find it the best pattern I've ever tried, by a long shot, for opening box and packages, something I do a lot of, since it give you a secondary point with a wider angle, thus negating the risk of cutting too far in a box and damaging the content. It's also great for scraping and rope cutting, since it's basically a sheepsfoot with a frontal bevel, also things I do a lot as a millwright.
But hey, different stroke for different folks.
 
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The Zieg said:
As for their swords, Cold Steel needs to stop grinding them like knives. No historical sword carries a grind like that. Otherwise, I like their selection of patterns in their catalogue.
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Which CS swords - they have quite a big range of different repro sword models from various countries and historical periods?
 
I can definitely appreciate the usefulness of the pattern for scraping in your millwright context. For package opening, less so as I have no trouble choking up on a blade to prevent over penetating the box. Cutting rope, not the best in my experience. But the American tanto is a successful pattern, for sure. If it weren't, it wouldn't sell. I just don't like it. It never did anything well at all for me except look tactical. When it came to my chores, it was lacking.

Zieg
Floatingby said:
Strange, I find it the best pattern I've ever tried, by a long shot, for opening box and packages, something I do a lot of, since it give you a secondary point with a wider angle, thus negating the risk of cutting too far in a box and damaging the content. It's also great for scraping and rope cutting, since it's basically a wharncliffe with a frontal bevel, also things I do a lot as a millwright.
But hey, different stroke for different folks.
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Floatingby said:
Strange, I find it the best pattern I've ever tried, by a long shot, for opening box and packages, something I do a lot of, since it give you a secondary point with a wider angle, thus negating the risk of cutting too far in a box and damaging the content. It's also great for scraping and rope cutting, since it's basically a wharncliffe with a frontal bevel, also things I do a lot as a millwright.
But hey, different stroke for different folks.
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Agreed, American Tantos are perfect for killing packing tape. Easiest shape to open packages with. :thumbsup:
 
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