Cold Steel seems to be keeping quality high

[TTv2]

Recently got the largest model Luzon and I remember early last year rushing to order the smaller Luzon because of concerns that once Lynn sold the company to some conglomerate that the quality would tank. The good news I have is that doesn't seem to be the case and IMO, this newest CS knife I bought looks and feels better than the one I got when Lynn was still the owner.

I would say the one thing to keep an eye on is what blade steel is being used for any knife you'd buy, been seeing crappy steels used in budget CS knives lately, but so long as the steel is good, I think the build and finish quality of the CS knives is as good as ever.

Just my two-hundredths of a dollar.

 

[DDeegs]

Good to know, thanks

DDeegs

 

[SteadyD]

I don’t yet own a cold steel but I’d like to add one at some point. I’ll likely look for something they offer in the “built like a tank” range.

 

[ms6852]

I've own cold steel knives and have lost just as many or given them away. I have always been satisfied with the steel and edge retention. Glad to hear that the quality has not suffered.

I have the X2 Voyager with serrated blade that I have used to cut through the pelvis of deer and bone and still sharp as ever. Wish they had not stopped producing it.

 

[Bcwitt]

Recently bought a warrior series Katana & also the mpl-50 spade. Both are well made from very tough steel.

 

[hso]

warrior series Katana

That's a beast of a sword. Good review here - https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/cold-steel-o-katana.html

 

[Bcwitt]

That's a beast of a sword. Good review here - https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/cold-steel-o-katana.html

It feels great. A bit heavier then i was expecting, but very weildable.

 

[Bcwitt]

That's a beast of a sword. Good review here - https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/cold-steel-o-katana.html

Thats the O Katana (38" blade) mine is 24" or so. 39 total. Features otherwise identical. Its the longest blade i can draw efficiently w my offhand. Makes a great companion for my Arisaka 99.

 

[bannockburn]

SteadyD

I’ll likely look for something they offer in the “built like a tank” range.

I got this SR1 Lite for Christmas a couple of years ago. At close to 7 oz. in weight it's not my idea of "Lite" but it's definitely a solid feeling and well built knife!

 

[trekker73]

I have to play devils advocate, I was never a big fan of cold steel. However my experience with them was the lower end peices. I found their variety of machetes cool but blades were bit too soft and needed too much sharpening for all day work. Condor and ontario were better for heavy use to me.

Their swords were more like 'sword shaped objects' in that they are over-built from historical norms, heavy, usually no distal taper( taper meaning blade thickness reduces towards the tip which is what allows balance, faster recovery and higher velocity at the tip in real sword fights). Like most production swords they dont taper because its cheaper to make, are flat stock to the end, so a lot heavier in the hand and slower etc. Great and tough for stabbing car doors or cutting up wood pallets in a youtube review, but would get you killed pretty fast against a real sword. Thats not all of their swords though, as I understand they made some higher end models with real taper and balance

 

[sparkyv]

I've not ever owned a CS knife, but am interested. I can always use another tank. I see Irving, TX mentioned on their website, but where are they manufactured?

 

[Kookla]

I believe Cold Steel has most of their knives made in Taiwan.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I believe Cold Steel has most of their knives made in Taiwan.

Some are yes. But typically they are honest about origin of manufacture and they charge the prices accordingly.

 

[Kookla]

I have no issue with their Taiwan made knives- think all the ones I have are made they. Cold Steel makes good knives, have carried their Ultimate Hunter for a few years now. Not the biggest fan of their marketing, but is what it is.

 

[FTG-05]

Some are yes. But typically they are honest about origin of manufacture and they charge the prices accordingly.

That's debatable. I don't recall every seeing COO on their website. The vast majority of the time when I want to find the COO, I have to go to Amazon Q&A for a specific product. One of the top five questions is almost always COO; someone is quick to answer.

If CS honest about COO, it's mostly via price. A $25 knife *probably* isn't gonna come from Taiwan or Italy and a $250 knife isn't gonna come from China.

 

[Blkhrt13]

That's debatable. I don't recall every seeing COO on their website. The vast majority of the time when I want to find the COO, I have to go to Amazon Q&A for a specific product. One of the top five questions is almost always COO; someone is quick to answer.

If CS honest about COO, it's mostly via price. A $25 knife *probably* isn't gonna come from Taiwan or Italy and a $250 knife isn't gonna come from China.

That being said, making fair assumptions based on price point is good enough for me, all I care about is getting what I pay for.

 

[Ranger99]

I haven't bought any CS since L T
sold out. If I were truthful to myself,
I won't live long enough to use up
all the cutlery I've accumulated
over my lifetime. I have a good
many MADE IN USA Carbon V
knives, and probably as many of
the japanese knives, and they're
all good users. Have a couple of
old machetes from when he started
offering them that are hard working
pieces. The newly offered ones
are supposedly different steel from
the far east or asia

 

[hso]

The newly offered ones
are supposedly different steel from
the far east or asia

I'm aware of machete's made in South Africa. All from companies that make working machetes used in those areas. I'm not aware of any from Asia or China.

 

[Space Ghost]

Recently bought a warrior series Katana & also the mpl-50 spade. Both are well made from very tough steel.

I've had a couple CS knives over the years, but no big real nice ones.
I picked up their Crane Wakasashi about a year or so back, after my daughter wanted my old no name Katana. (still pretty nice)
VERY pleased with the quality. (Way better than what I gave to her. She & her brother will be fighting over this one when I get dead)

 

[Ranger99]

I'm aware of machete's made in South Africa. All from companies that make working machetes used in those areas. I'm not aware of any from Asia or China.

Didn't know for sure
The ones I have are good working tools.
Used one a few weeks ago to trim up
the bushes bordering the alley

 

[hso]

Didn't know for sure

Glad we could clear that up for folks.

I personally like the South American machete manufacturers like Condor, Imacasa, and Tramontina better and consider the Ontario tops (ignoring special runs from Bark River). I don't have any experience with the Italian companies, but have read good things about them.

 

[JShirley]

My local Walmart has two large knives that are claimed to be CS "Bushcraft". They are short machete length, and less than $20 for both!

 

[jyo]

I've mostly had Cold Steel SRK knives made in USA and Japan---all really good knives, but some of the feedback I read on knife forums is not so good regarding SRKs made in Taiwan---mostly reports of soft steel...
On the machete front---I bought three South African made Cold Steel branded machetes 34 years ago (!) when I bought my house with a huge yard full of trees and brush---$7 bucks each---still have two that with sharpening from time to time are still very serviceable and going strong! The third one I gave to my gardner at the time because he liked it so much...

 

[herrwalther]

Nope. Cold Steel is owned by the GSM Outdoors conglomerate. Won't touch anything owned by them after arguing with their customer service for over a year...