Cold Steel Spectre.

[RazorSharp86]

I bought this knife unused for $300 (or so, it was a year back).
since then i replaced it 3 times because it didn't open/close smoothly.
It still doesn't function smoothly.
Very dull from the factory, and i couldn't sharpen it no matter how many times i tried.
It is a nice knife to put on the shelf and enjoy it's aesthetics once in a while though.

[RazorSharp86]

Here's the blade with my tattoo's reflection on it. :p

[MANIXWORLD]

Here's the blade with my tattoo's reflection on it. :p

Dude,what steel does this knife have?im not realy a big fan of CS.,They make more weaponry than useful tools, WRT knives and else,IMHO.
some interesting designs though,dont realy dig their bladesteel choice either,on most models they produce.

[RazorSharp86]

Hi MANIXWORLD.
These guys use VG-1 and San.Mai.3 on their high end models.
I find both steels to take nice highly polished finish, and though they come razor sharp from the factory, I couldn't manage to sharpen any of my San.Mai.3 knives. Edge retention was alright... since it is a weapon, not a user, it wouldn't be preference anyways. Rust resistance is very good. And their knives are always too thick for me to say if the steel is brittle or not.

[LowSpeedHighDrag]

I'm not a a fan of Cold Steel at all, but that tattoo picture looks pretty cool.

[Monocrom]

It would be nice if once in a while Lynn's hype actually came close to being true. :rolleyes:

[RazorSharp86]

It would be nice if once in a while Lynn's hype actually came close to being true. :rolleyes:

The hype is so high, it would only match reality in a Brothers Grimm novel :p
even though i love their swords (i own one)
and their fixed blades are of VERY high quality (I own a 3 of those).
Folders though... NEVER AGAIN!! (and i ownED 4 high end ones, and still own 2 cheap ones).

[jzmtl]

It would be nice if once in a while Lynn's hype actually came close to being true. :rolleyes:

Their hype is so high it's now in the negatives. The bushman I bought to try out CS had its edge rolled or flatterned from cutting a plastic water bottle, then their customer service completely ignored me. Never CS again.

[MCM]

I use a 4" Tanto Voyager as a utility / gardening & pruning knife for use around the house.
Works great for that. I can get it sharp as **** on a course rod, but does not last too long.
The Tanto works great for removing gasket material etc from flat surfaces.
Makes a fine utility knife for home improvement use.
Its a great $40.00 tool. Nothing more, nothing less.
Have a Master Tanto San Mia III purchased new about 10 yrs ago.
It looks great sitting in the collection. That rounds out my CS collection.
Would buy a Mini Tanto to match my Lg version if one came by though.
Other wise, no plans to add CS. They just went too low end / mall ninja for me.
Oh, did but buy a Walkbout XL walking stick off e-bay last month.
Gave it to the wife for walks. Its like a cane turned from baseball bat stock with a nice heavy knob on the end.
Worth looking up..............
Am very happy with it! Would work well against man or beast.

[GlenD65]

I have 3" and 4" tanto Voyagers. They make great beater knives. I also have an SRK with Carbon V steel. The Carbon V holds its edge extremely well and usually comes back to razor sharp with a couple swipes on my Sharpmaker. Lynn Thompson is an arrogant showman but I have tried several of his cutting tests and I have to admit that the knives perform as described. Spyderco is still my favorite though...and you'll never hear Sal tooting his own horn. Then again, he doesn't have to. We do it for him.

[MANIXWORLD]

I have 3" and 4" tanto Voyagers. They make great beater knives. I also have an SRK with Carbon V steel. The Carbon V holds its edge extremely well and usually comes back to razor sharp with a couple swipes on my Sharpmaker. Lynn Thompson is an arrogant showman but I have tried several of his cutting tests and I have to admit that the knives perform as described. Spyderco is still my favorite though...and you'll never hear Sal tooting his own horn. Then again, he doesn't have to. We do it for him.

Amen to that bro-you just look at a Spyderco and the knife sells itself-precision-perfection-satisfaction.

[Agent Starling]

I really like that knife. Haven't ventured into CS yet, but I've had my eye on some of their knives for awhile, like the Scimitar and maybe the Ti Lite. Never understood why people bag on them but some of the above posts have given me some insight.

Mind you, I haven't seen any other knife co. that makes any knife that will even come close to replacing my beloved Spydercos...but is it true their folders are, um, not recommended? Not sturdy as far as lock-up, or what?

One thing that has always appealed to me is that they seem to have a lot of ethnic or ethnic-inspired designs.

Agent Starling :spyder:

[RazorSharp86]

I really like that knife. Haven't ventured into CS yet, but I've had my eye on some of their knives for awhile, like the Scimitar and maybe the Ti Lite. Never understood why people bag on them but some of the above posts have given me some insight.

Mind you, I haven't seen any other knife co. that makes any knife that will even come close to replacing my beloved Spydercos...but is it true their folders are, um, not recommended? Not sturdy as far as lock-up, or what?

One thing that has always appealed to me is that they seem to have a lot of ethnic or ethnic-inspired designs.

Agent Starling :spyder:

Dear Starling, If you ever decide to venture, as said, into CS - make sure you choose their fixed blades! i've had many folders, and most of them did not function properly (poor lock-up, not smooth action).
For the price, you'd expect a very high quality... but it did not meet my needs/expectations.
BTW, i have quite a few CS "high end models". (a Hatamoto, Spectre, Ti-Lite (blue anodized titanium) and the Caledonian edge)

[Agent Starling]

Dear Starling, If you ever decide to venture, as said, into CS - make sure you choose their fixed blades! i've had many folders, and most of them did not function properly (poor lock-up, not smooth action).
For the price, you'd expect a very high quality... but it did not meet my needs/expectations.
BTW, i have quite a few CS "high end models". (a Hatamoto, Spectre, Ti-Lite (blue anodized titanium) and the Caledonian edge)

RazorSharp, I guess that's one more thing...they have a lot of knives that are more expensive than Spyders, and I'd rather spend the money on a Spyder for a little less, and cuz I know what I'm getting versus buying out of curiosity. But I'll keep that in mind about the folders. If the lock-up's no good, might as well buy another Spyder, or an Emerson....

Come to think of it, I have bought one thing from CS, the Honey Comb... :D

Agent Starling

[Sakuraba#1]

STR speaks very highly of the strength of many Cold Steel lock-backs.

[El Tigre]

I have three models of Voyager, and a Scimitarr folder. The locks of these models works perfectly.

"El Tigre"

[RazorSharp86]

I must have had just bad luck with their liners i guess.... and i mean REALLY bad luck, because all of my folders by CS are "high end", except my Triple Action (Worst buy ever, broke the first day)

[Vicarious Reality]

I have plenty of sub $100 CS, and i never had a problem. Some of them are a bit cheap, yes, but i don't expect anything else.
This 6'' Ti-Lite i have here has one of the smooothest locks.

[Monocrom]

I really like that knife. Haven't ventured into CS yet, but I've had my eye on some of their knives for awhile, like the Scimitar and maybe the Ti Lite. Never understood why people bag on them but some of the above posts have given me some insight.

It's not just the products, it's the owner. Some folks think of Lynn Thompson as a scum-bag. His feud (for lack of a better word) with Mick Strider is a perfect example of what I mean. There was much discussion of it over at BladeForums, so I won't re-hash it here.

Sometimes I'll buy a Spyderco knife over a different brand, simply because I know Sal will be getting my money. Despite having some good models, at least the ones that weren't blatantly ripped off from other individuals, buying a ColdSteel product means Lynn gets your money. For some of us, that is a perverted notion that is too difficult to stomach.