Cold Steel

[Daveho]

After the discussion in the somewhat off topic price increase thread about the value offered by cold steel for the price I thought it prudent to look into them and to try one out-
Obviously the only model I found slightly appealing was discontinued a while back, the recon 1 mini however finding one was not a big effort and I was glad to pick one up on the secondary market as i don’t particularly want too align myself with the company.
Looking forward to it arriving however, any of you lot into their offerings?

[Cycletroll]

I have several Recon 1's and an American Lawman. Outstanding value, tough folders. Especially like the hollow ground cts-xhp.

[The Deacon]

Wouldn't say I'm "into" their offerings, but I do own a Cold Steel sword cane and one of their now discontinued K-4 fixed blades and like them both.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I have some of their knives and some are better-made than others but from what I see and use, all are very good. There are some design issues I do not like, for example, on their Voyager line, I prefer the older models with their polished satin finishes and smoother handle scales, than the current stone-washed blades and the current handle scale patterns, which dig into the skin of the hand when I use them. They are good knives, though.

I also like the Cold Steel Finn Wolf folder, and their Mini Tac knives.

[JD Spydo]

I'm glad you brought this up "Daveho" about the Cold Steel knife company. They are another USA knife company that I've had a lot of respect for. Now of course I love Spyderco's folders 20 times as much as I do anything I ever owned in that category from Cold Steel. But Cold Steel has a lot of specialty products that I think are great for their price range.

I've owned 3 of Cold Steel's Gurkha Kukri models for a long time now and frankly I wouldn't own anyone else's. The 3 of them that I own are all well made units and one of them is at my bedside all the time. The Carbon V, 5/16ths thick model literally saved my life and got me out of a potentially lethal situation once and for that reason alone I'll always cherish it.

[Daveho]

Sounds like there is a story there.
Philosophically speaking I don’t love the company but some seem to love the product and there’s usually a reason-
Can’t wait for the recon to show up

[vivi]

I think their large Voyager at $50 is one of the best value folders out there. It has an incredibly comfortable handle, rock solid lock, and superb slicing geometry.

The XL Voyagers are neat, but not something I EDC. Great for a hunting bag or trail bag when you might need to trim back some overgrown trails but don't want the weight & bulk of a fixed blade. Best folding chopper I've used, hands down.

[cbrstar]

I feel like Cold Steel is the most over hyped knife on the market.

[anagarika]

At $75ish, the Broken Skull with Triad Lock and XHP is great value. It’s not as refined or comfortable as Endura, but it is lightweight, strong, FFG, and overall is excellent choice.

The Voyager XL is very comfortable and confidence inspiring even for my smaller hand.

[demoncase]

I have a number of Cold Steel products.

The recent Tanto Code 4 in XHP is the most Spyderco like in feel and handling with the slim alloy handle. It's really well thought.

I have both sizes of Ti-Lite and the 6" is silly

Their OSS and Kobun are nicely made but the AUS8 steel gets a hard time from their kydex sheaths.

I like some of their line but their marketing antics are a distinct turn off. Screaming about ultimate strength and chopping up pig carcasses on YouTube is for a demographic that I dont belong to.
Likewise, when they used to claim they were "the sharpest and strongest knives in the world" when mine weren't even the strongest or sharpest knives in my house was also a bit much for my English reserve.

[ChrisinHove]

Likewise, when they used to claim they were "the sharpest and strongest knives in the world" when mine weren't even the strongest or sharpest knives in my house was also a bit much for my English reserve.

Lol.

[Doc Dan]

I like a lot of their knives, but not a lot of their marketing.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Doc, do you prefer their knives to be stonwashed or satin finished? Also, what do you think of Cold Steel serrations?

[cbrstar]

When I first got into knives around 2012-2013 I remember seeing the Recon 1. In person I just thought the fit and finish was a little crude and I didn't like that black coating on the blade. The knife had Aus8a steel and I just kinda felt the quality overall was on par with my SOG and maybe my CRKT.

But the thing is if I remember correctly it was only approx $45 US. So IMHO the whole point of the knife was that it was supposed to be tough and cheap enough that you could use it however rough you wanted to. I think I even saw a video where they used it as a throwing knife. It was supposed to be the ultimate beater knife.
Well fast forward to now and the Recon has a MSRP of $169 so IMHO it's no longer a beater knife. I know the steel is better but to me that wasn't the point of the knife.

I'm also not a believer that the trilock is something magical. It's just a lock back with a stop pin to prevent blade play.

[vivi]

I feel like Cold Steel is the most over hyped knife on the market.

I feel the opposite. I think people overlook their lockbacks in simple steels with plastic handles because chinese flippers are all the rage these days.

Their machetes are also a great value. I got mine for $10 a piece with sheaths included. Didn't come with a functional edge, but few machetes do. Holds up great once you grind a real edge on it.

[The Meat man]

Their machetes are also a great value. I got mine for $10 a piece with sheaths included. Didn't come with a functional edge, but few machetes do. Holds up great once you grind a real edge on it.

I will second this. I have their two-handed katana machete. If I recall correctly it was only about $45. Polypropylene handle and spring tempered 1055 carbon steel - it's well-nigh indestructible and takes a razor keen edge. I also appreciate the extra handle length; it gives you lots of grip options as well as superb control. In my opinion it's hands down the best machete on the market today.

[knivesandbooks]

I've had a couple of American Lawmen. They were great and I gifted them to people. Nothing about them was super impressive or unique, but they were solid knives for the price-- a great value really. I actually bought the American Lawman instead of the Manix Backlock. Yeah, I eventually bought the Manix Backlock too but the CS was a better value. I'm not interested in any cold steel knives over $100-$115 though. I find Cold Steel products are best at being high value. I do regret not buying their Ranch Boss. It was a a bone handled stockman made by Canal Street Cutlery with S35vn blades. You can still get one at BHQ but it is more expensive now.

I hate their marketing, their dlc on everything (they use REALLY good dlc though), and their stupid names they put in large, stupid fonts on their blades.

[cbrstar]

I feel like Cold Steel is the most over hyped knife on the market.

I feel the opposite. I think people overlook their lockbacks in simple steels with plastic handles because chinese flippers are all the rage these days.

Their machetes are also a great value. I got mine for $10 a piece with sheaths included. Didn't come with a functional edge, but few machetes do. Holds up great once you grind a real edge on it.

See that's the thing they are no longer cheap anymore.

But the main reason I think they are way over hyped is this. Companies like Spyderco, Benchmade etc can sell themselves on their own merit. They don't need to try to put other companies down to show how good their knives are. You can place a Spyderco into the hand of someone who knows nothing about knives and they will recognize instantly that it's something special. Cold Steel not so much.

https://youtu.be/_O1h-XjnoVI
[googlevideo]https://youtu.be/_O1h-XjnoVI[/googlevideo]

Here's a prime example. Wildsteer at the time was a relatively new company that came up with something that's maybe a little quirky but at least it was original. So of course Cold Steel has to have a vid where they "beat it". I don't even like Wildsteer, but that video left a bad taste in my mouth and made me realize that Cold Steel is really insecure about their product, And they have made tons of videos like that!!

But this is nothing new, just look at the cut out from their catalog from 1995...



They literally took a shovel and ground it down into a knife lol!!! But hey guys Chris Reeves is totally ripping you off as our shovel knives are just as good. Don't be a sucker buy 15 of our shovel knives for the whole tribe.

I feel like Cold Steel isn't a premium knife company but a fantasy knife company who wants to charge you premium prices. And they feel they can do that by trying to make other knife companies look bad instead of putting the extra effort and money into making a premium product.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Alright, let me play the part of "Mr. Cold Steel Advocate" here. I am not trying to put down the Chris Reeve Knives or criticize his prices. But, let's look at this from a purely functional point of view. You say that Thompson and Cold Steel took some shovels and ground them into knives.

Let's look at the prices vs the function:

Do the merits of the Cold Steel Bushman meet the claims put forth in the catalog? Yes or No? Meaning, inch for inch, would the Cold Steel Bushman series of knives hold up to serious hard field use or not? If the Cold Steel Bushman has the hardness, flexibility, toughness, and sharpness and other properties, to hold up to the claims they are making, then the choice is obvious.

[Bloke]

I find Mr Thompson highly entertaining and informative. :)