ugaarguy
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- Joined
- Mar 19, 2006
- Messages
- 13,828
They hade some folders that had very strong locking mechanisms compared to many near that price range on the market, or hard to find on the market at all.
However most that had a design strong enough to make use of it had handles made of metal, which have predominantly been discontinued and replaced with plastic versions that will bend or warp under actual abuse or allow enough movement for the lock to fail if force is applied in a realistic way from a less than perfect angle to the lock.
The Rajah 1 for example was pretty beefy and like a folding machete that could take some abuse with a durable lock. If you used it as a knife and resisted using it as a hatchet it was more durable than most knives on the market and would last forever.
It cost a little more than the Cold Steel folder market seems to target. It was discontinued and they now have rajah 2 or 3 that are crap by comparison, handle does not support the blade with rigid metal and would give out, but more affordable to thier target audience.
Quantity over quality is the path the company has seemed to be heading, and they phase out the quality.
Let's look at this objectively. I'll stick the folders since that's the area where I have more knowledge.
The Rajah II and III folders have thick Grivory handles. Grivory was developed as (and is used for) a metal replacement in high stress automotive applications. It's stonger than Zytel, and does not need metal liners. Benchmade makes the HK Soldat in Grivory without metal liners. Spyderco makes the Manix 2 lightweight from a similar automotive grade plastic without metal liners. The Rajah series does not need metal liners for strength. If you don't like it you have the right to that opinion, but I think an unproven assertion that the knife will "give out" is more than a bit over the top.
Al Mar Knives Eagle / Falcon / Hawk series knives are lockbacks made with AUS-8 blades and Micarta handles, and they don't have metal liners. Cold Steel's most similar products are the American Lawman, AK-47, and Recon 1 lines. Those knives also use AUS-8 steel for the blades. Their G10 handles are at least as strong as Micarta, and the Triad Lock is stronger than any standard back lock. They aren't as pretty as the Al Mar Micarta handle knives, but the Cold Steel G10 folders are half the price for comparable blade sizes.
Cold Steel's Voyagers have always been positioned as direct competition to Spyderco's Delica and Endura folders. The Delica and Endura currently have steel liners nested in their FRN handles, and have been upgraded to VG-10 blades. Cold Steel has stayed with AUS-8 blades, but they have Grivory handles with steel liners. Three inch blade Voyagers sell in the low $40 price range, and their 4" blade brothers bump up to the high $40s. In contrast, the Delica and Endura (with 2.9" and 3.75" blades, respectively) are priced from the mid $60s to high $60s / low $70s price ranges. Build quality is equivalent, and once again you get the stronger lock from Cold Steel.
I'm not even a Cold Steel fan. I currently own exactly two of their knives, while I own many Spydercos, many Benchmades, and several Bucks (amongst others). So, I think I'm very brand neutral.