General consensus of Cold Steel?

The only knife companies with their own manufacturing facilities where they do everything themselves are Buck, Randal King, Bear MGC, Benchmade and Ontario

Click to expand...

hso, I thought Spyderco made some of their knives in Golden,Co.

Well, Steeltiger, I am glad to know the capability the 4116 LACKS so I can throw it in a tackle box or shell bag and forget about it until I need an emergency blade. It seems that upon further attempt my ODA just wont take a fine edge without being ground so in the first place. It may be bullet proof but what damn good is it if it wont even cut weed whacker cord? Pathetic, IMO. I own several CRKT'S (a companion, a Komodo 7 and a Sawtooth 2000 in fixed blade) and they take very fine edges and last. I have several pocket knives from CRKT as well and only my M-16 has any problem with retention. CRKT blades seem to be hit and miss but my CRKT blades are all AUS 4, 6 and 8, so that might have something to do with it. It would also seem my CS Kukri wont take an edge on it, but it gets a better one than my ODA and thats good enough for clearing brush and chopping the heads off snakes. My Ti-Lite seems to be the only worthwhile blade from CS that I have left and its taken me a long time to get it razor sharp like in the video. Shame I wasted my money on that ODA, seems like I would have been better off buying a Camillus or actual Ka-Bar field knife and an Ontario machete. Or, rather, A bigger SOG field knife because my Seal pup and Field pup are both razor sharp knives and worth every penny, same as my Twitch II lim. edt. Lastly, anyone on here find a way to make these slabs of cold steel take a thinner edge without too much work? False advertising in the video of a razor sharp ODA or OSS.... :banghead:

With what are you sharpening? My Spyderco triangle sharpener has very coarse diamond rods that let you hog off a lot of metal pretty quickly when it is necessary to completely reprofile an edge.

I have EZ Lap Diamond credit cards, soft, hard, black and translucent Arkansas stones....

modifiedbrowning said:

hso, I thought Spyderco made some of their knives in Golden,Co.

Click to expand...

That is absolutely correct. Yojimbo, Chinook, Military, Native, Paramilitary, and others are all made in Golden, CO. Basically, if the steel is foreign, then the knife is usually made in that country (ie. VG-10 is Japanese, and the knives using it are assembled in Japan. S30V is made by Crucible, so the S30V knives are made in Golden).

Gorgoroth,

The CRKT knives I’ve had with AUS-6 have had terrible edge retention, and aren’t worth much IMHO because of it. If your M-16 has Zytel scales, then that is probably why you have that problem with it. Their AUS-8 isn’t bad at all. I wouldn’t buy a knife with AUS-4. VG-10 is better than all three.

BTW: those CS knives you were talking about were most likely made by Camillus, as were anything with “Carbon V”. Camillus went under in February, so if any of you like the Carbon V, or any of those CS knives, you’d better get them before they dry up.

Best way to reprofile an edge of a difficult knife is to get the coarsest hone you can find. Diamonds work well, but can wear out after a while. A good way to go is take a flat board and glue coarse sandpaper to it. There are many other ways to get the angle down on the edge.

Richard,

I have one of the Rollocks with Aus 4, a folding falcon with Aus 6 and a Kasper/Polkowski companion in Aus 6. the M-16 is Aus 8. Companion on my hip right now. Just got home after a day of wading the river, fishing. It did fine. Guess that Two blade hunter with faux jigged bone handles from Camillus is worth saving in the box. Think A Mill File would work on the edge of that knife?

I use a cheap set of tool & die files I bought at a show for heavy work. Don't know about a mill file. Start slow untill you get a feel for how much it will take off. When you get the primary bevel you can go to finer grits.

I had the Kasper/Polkowski folder. Couldn't hold an edge worth a can of beans. Had an M-18 that was very good. M-16 with alluminum handles (AUS-8) should be pretty decent. Might call CRKT on that one if the edge doesn't hold up. Or, just try some VG-10.

My K/P is a fixed blade. Feels very comfortable compared to a sheath hanging down, 'cept the handle pokes me in the ribs a bit. Other than that, no job right now and no money beyond the monthly allotment for heavy labor renderd in turn for smokes. (no more than a few bucks here and there, just enough). Would like some VG-10, but it seems to be very pricey. Think for now I'll stick to my Benchmade Monochrome ala N690 And My CS Ti-lite ala Aus 8.

Oh lookie, I just got senior member status! woooo!

CS makes pretty decent mid-price knives.
Their fixed blade Carbon V knives were the real standouts in their line-up. Great straight Carbon Steel knives that take wickedly sharp, toothy edges and hold onto that edge pretty good to boot. They had a very good heat treat on the Carbon V blades. They are still my favorite knives in the CS line-up.
Their Voyager line was okay when they were using AUS-8A. Not great, but, okay. I believe they could have taken the hardness up another point on the HRc scale enhancing the edge holding of those particular knives. They opted for better toughness so the sacrifice was a slightly softer blade. Toughness comes with a price and that price is usually laid at the doorstep of edge retention. The good part was even though they weren't as working hard as they could be, they are easy to sharpen and like all AUS-8A blades take a VERY sharp, keen edge. You just have to sharpen them a little more often.
Now, where I find fault with CS is their very overpriced "San Mai" knives. Most of those are ridiculously overpriced, IMO. It's a clad steel and likely not cheap to make, but, the steel they use as the center cutting edge steel is not what I consider a premium grade. It used to be AUS-8A. I have no idea what it is now that they've re-vamped their steel. If your going to charge premium prices for a clad steel knife, you damn well better be using a premium grade of steel for the cutting edge. Like VG-10 or D-2 or BG-42 and so on. There are plenty to choose from.
Now, having said that:
What I like best about Cold Steel is that Lynn Thompson, as over-the-top as he is, has 'nads enough to offer product in his line-up you do not see from other makers. For example, where else can you find a company that offers spears?
And Sjamboks? And walking sticks that are stout enough to double as combat weapons aren't too common either.
I have to tip my hat to CS for their intestinal fortitude. They do have a rather unique line of tools you can't readily find elsewhere.

An inexpensive way to try some good VG-10 is the Browning Ice Storm.

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/bricestlilok.html

Hopefully they'll be around when your raise some funds. I have personally used that knife and it's what made me to decide to stay away from knives with what I'd consider lesser blade steel. I think the price is low because I don't see it on Browning's web site anymore. It has got to be the best deal in cutlery currently going. There are two different styles. The one to get is the one with the rounded handle (the other handle is straight, and not a very secure design for that lock). These knives are made by Mcusta. Very good quality.

If you can touch the edge of a knife with a file, then the knife is no good.

Files are usually around 54 or so Rockwell C, any good knife is going to be harder than that.

CS is a marketing company that imports knives. They send out RFB's all over the world, and the lowest bidder gets the contract.


BRKT, Queen cutlery, Northwinds, and several others are all made here. A lot of Bucks and Benchmades are made overseas too, I think there are a few Gerbers still made here, but they have fallen off the radar as far as I am concerned. Knife companies can make it here, but they can not sell american knifes at 15 dollars at wally world and make it.

pete f said:

A lot of Bucks and Benchmades are made overseas too

Click to expand...

That is not 100% true. I don't know about Buck but Benchmade has a seperate line of knives that are made overseas. Most of their knives are made here.

Recently went on a day long fishing trip off the main road. Lashed my ODA to my pack. It seems to do all right, as long as the chore does not require an extremely sharp knife. So, I had my Frosts Mora incase I needed superior sharpness.

Have only seen one mention of SOG, I believe all knives are made in USA.
Benchmade, CRKT and SOG are all quality companies that backup a quality product. I had a Kershaw folder that my dad gave me that I loved, good quality and a blade that would hold an edge.

My take on Cold steel is they were once great, but frankly, are currently garbage.

Cold steel once made fun of makers that used stuff like 420j2 junk steel, while they used/contracted "Carbon V" (technically 0176-C / 50100b--good stuff) for their "serious" knives. Now, Cold Steel no longer uses Carbon V (check their web-site) and uses the same bottom-grade 420 or sk5 they made fun of on most of their knives (and some nice but overpriced laminates on others.) Also, after losing to Busse on their trailmaster challenge (back when it was made out of good steel), they REALLY ratcheted up their hype machine and stopped any factual, verifiable claims. Good knife companies tell you specifically what steel is used on their knives, as good steel is a selling point. Cold Steel uses the same marketing fluff words they used to make fun of now. The actual materials their knives are made of, are for what they charge, trash. IMO

Almost forgot....A little bird told me that their good knives (Carbon V) were actually made by Camillius. So when Camillius went belly-up, so did Cold Steel's good models.

I was present when Byron...broke one at the blade/handle seam by throwing it into plywood.

Click to expand...

Broke a Bushman? Isn't that one piece of steel?

Gorgoroth, thats a sweet name, and I am guessing that I am one of the few that associates it with Metal.

As far as CS goes, I like thier products OK. The cheapo Kukri I bought from them has been worth every penny I paid for it, and I know that the fixed blades were very popular back when I was in the USMC. Not such a fan of their folders, from the viewpoint of aesthetics. Sounds goofy, but there are enough excellent choices in daily carry folders out there that aesthetics is a perfectly reasonable thing to consider, in my mind. I have looked at a few benchmades, and they are on my list of knives to try out.

Khan

If your thinking about the Black Metal band, than yep, we are on the same page. I own three SOG knives, now that someone mentioned them. I have a Seal Pup marked Seki City. My Field Pup is not marked, but I think its made in Taiwan. I bought a Twitch II limi. edition at a steal price of $25! It's made, supposedly, in the U.S.A. I find SOG knives to be superior to Cold Steel knives. On A majorative term, anyways...

In their latest catalog, on page 88, the first three knives: the "Sure Balance Thrower," the "Pro Balance Thrower," and the "Perfect Balance Thrower," are all blatant copies of Harry McEvoy's Tru Balance Knife Company knives. The last one is a clone of the famous Tru-Bal Bowie Axe, a knife I lusted over as a teenager. Would I buy Lynn's clones? The ones that don't credit their source? No, thanks.

On the other hand, I've considered buying another Special Forces Shovel. I have one, and I use it all the time. It's a good little tool and a fearsome weapon, if need be.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

Hello guys. I am new to the forum but I would like to share my experience with you about CS knives. I used to own and used several of them. The reason why I dislike them is that when during one of my vacations in the back country I lost the screw and opener disk of my Recon Tanto Folder. As soon as I came back home I sent them an email requesting a price quotation of the parts lost. They replied a couple days ago asking about whether the knife was from Taiwan or Japan (as if that mattered much). I replied back with the required info. The next day they replied again telling me that they would send me the parts at no charge. After waiting for more than 2 months for the needed (and wanted parts), guess what....... THEY NEVER ARRIVED!!! I emailed them asking if they have sent or not the part and they never replied back. After that, I decided not to pursue the matter any further and sell ALL my COLD STEEL knives. I can see that they don't stand behind their products. They might sell reasonable priced knives but their Customer Service sucks. I am not only a knife user BUT also a knife retailer. After selling my CS inventory, I don't plan to stock their products anymore. I hope that Lynn Thompson see this post.

I bought a CS SRK for $50. To me, it is well worth it. When I received the knife, I noticed a problem with the sheath. I called CS and they sent me a replacement sheath for free.

I like their fixed blades. I held the Voyager (folder) and the handle felt very cheap and didn't inspire confidence. I could be wrong but that's the impression I got when I held it.

yep, pretty good knives for the money. i have a few items from them, but honestly i dont hesitate to pay more, knowing that i get top quality. for midrange, moderate usage they are decent knives, and have a wide selection.