Why doesn't anyone make knives that compete with Cold Steel?

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jedi391

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I fully disclose up front that I am in no way an authority on knives. Having said that whenever I research knives I find that Cold Steel seems to make knives to specs I'm looking for and no one else does. For example my ideal edc is a 4 in blade folding knife with a pocket clip with a strong locking mechanism for security. I'm not a huge guy (6'1") but I find that I can carry a 4 inch folder and not even notice its there so I can't find a reason to go smaller. Above 4-4.5 inches for a folder seems to be overkill because anything requiring more size seems like it should be a fixed blade task.

I find Lynn Thompson to carry himself as a bit of a carnival act but the bottom line is the knives are well made and competitively priced. I typically edc a Recon-1 (although I wish they made it without the black coating also) or a Voyager.

I looked for alternatives recently and CRKT locks don't seem as strong and all the blades I could find were sub-4 inch blades. Kershaw was the same deal. Gerber and Buck had some options that were close like the Omni Hunter, but it's allot heavier and there's no pocket clip. I am a fan of the CQC-15 which is close to 4 inches but I wish it wasn't a liner lock, and I can't justify more then one at a time since they're so pricey.

Am I just missing a bunch of knives that are out there?
 
cold steel is getting better with their new products,especially the 2011 voyagers....they make practical folders that get the job done.I prefer to use a knife with a tri ad lock every day at work and put hard use on it and don't have to worry about lock failure.
 
You are right that Cold Steel may be the leader of their particular market niche: moderately priced, medium to large beefy folders with a killer lock. But consider also the Spyderco Manix 2, Zero Tolerance 0550/0551 and a number of other "hard use" ~4" folders.

Btw, you can lose the black coating on that Recon-1 pretty easy.

recon_1_bare.jpg
 
I think cold steel occupies a niche, decent build quality, tough designs, exemplary locks in a knife that leans towards the military/LEO side of things. They are affordable tough as nails knives that offer larger choices, what's not to like?
 
Look at a Spyderco endura's in their many variations. As long as you're using your knife as a knife (ie: not stabbing through car doors, or beating the living crap out of them), the endura will serve you fine.
 
Also they make lots of "fun" items that no one else would be willing to make. Synthetic warclubs and hunting boomerangs for instance. :p
 
powernoodle said:
You are right that Cold Steel may be the leader of their particular market niche: moderately priced, medium to large beefy folders with a killer lock. But consider also the Spyderco Manix 2, "hard use" ~4" folders.

Btw, you can lose the black coating on that Recon-1 pretty easy.
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I have a hard time thinking of the Spyderco "Mainx 2" as hard use, there's a review here on this forum somewhere where they expose it's delicate lock, as well delicate....
 
That Recon-1 looks great. I'm always afraid I'll just screw up the knife. How'd did you go about doing that? I checked out the ZT knife. It's nice but a 3.5 blade and I have 4 inch as a personal preference.
 
You might take a look at a Benchmade 710 if you want to upgrade steel wise. It's a classic design that's also very tough and sits right at a 4" blade. The 275 Adamas is also an option.
 
Finarfin said:
I have a hard time thinking of the Spyderco "Mainx 2" as hard use
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Well, that gets us into the topic of what constitutes hard use. For me - since its a knife and not a crow bar - hard use entails cutting and slicing. For others, the term might include prying open manhole covers and trunk lids. But thats not just hard use, its abuse.

Either way, the Manix 2 can hardly be properly characterized as "delicate." JMO. :thumbup:
 
I'd have to disagree with you on a few points. First i cant believe that there are no 4 in folders with strong locks other than those produced by Cold steel. You take a bit of a stab at the liner lock and say that you with the Emerson didn't have it. Now I'm not going to defend Emerson specifically but i will say that a properly executed liner lock is as strong as any other quality lock design. A testament to this is the fact that its one of the oldest lock designs that was later popularized by Michael Walker. Also, there are many other quality 4in folders being produced by other companies such as the Zero Tolerance 0550/0551 and the 0330. Another excellent 4in folder that comes to mind is the Benchmade 710. Most of the popular locking mechanisms are all about as strong as the next. What separates them is the quality and materials used in their manufacture. If you really do abuse you knife to the point where the breaking strength of your knife is very important then a fixed blade is the only logical option.
 
Finarfin said:
I have a hard time thinking of the Spyderco "Mainx 2" as hard use, there's a review here on this forum somewhere where they expose it's delicate lock, as well delicate....
Click to expand...

Your right, it fails miserably as a hammer, pry bar, screw driver, and pick. However, using it as a knife and cutting things with it is a different story.
 
Are Cold Steel's made in America ? I really like there pendelton hunter series in VG-1 . Your next best bet would be Zero Tolerance or Emerson . BTW Ontario makes some nice beefy folders ....
 
Coduhhh said:
Look at a Spyderco endura's in their many variations. As long as you're using your knife as a knife (ie: not stabbing through car doors, or beating the living crap out of them), the endura will serve you fine.
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Maybe the OP's point is exactly that. A knife that can survive stabbing through car doors, etc.
 
Spyderco has the Manix, Military, paramilitary, and endura which are in the ball park, but yes, not quite the same. They all fall easily into hard use, just maybe not as bombproof as a beefy tri ad knife. Spyderco focuses more on "better" steel and slicing, but are very capable of dirty work.

I respect what cold steel does well, it just doesn't appeal to me in any way. Mostly because I have worked very thin, "fragile" knives through very dirty, hard use and they've come out just fine.
 
Say what? ? ? ? ? :eek:

Maybe you like the style of knives that they make and the fun videos on their website but by no means are they a superior company. Just about every maker on this forum makes knives of equal quality and certainly Spyderco for folders and ESEE for fixed are just as well made if not better. I am partial to American made which is why I no longer support Cold Steel. Thats not to mention Bark River and to top it off with all the Busse family. If you need a decent folder at a good price Kershaw(Zero Tolerance) even makes some great folder models made in the good ol USA. Cold Steel makes entertaining videos with overweight dudes cutting stuff in spandex but its not for me.
 
RevDevil said:
Your right, it fails miserably as a hammer, pry bar, screw driver, and pick. However, using it as a knife and cutting things with it is a different story.
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The Manix 2 is often misrepresented as hard use, or even as a defensive weapon(I've seen that done repeatedly at the Spyderco forum)which it very definitely is not, yet it does incorporate that almost paper thin tip doesn't it? Spyderco clearly intended this knife to be percieved of as a weapon, the tip thin to facilitate piercing. I can also dredge up countless advertisments billboarding it's locking mechanism as hard use, which is dubious, at best! For light duty utility it's generally fine, though even there it can be of questionable utility as in my experience that too thin tip is often left behind somewhere along the cutting trail.
 
spydercos are for slicing cheese,making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and food prep.

cold steels are for everyday hard use and self defense.
 
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