Do Cold Steel Knives live up to the Hype?

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I'm with the "some of the stuff is decent and some is crap" group. They don't make anything spectacular but they make some ok stuff. They charge too much for their better stuff when really it's sort of middle of the road kind of quality.

Their cheaper stuff ranges from somewhat decent to pretty crappy. I've owned a few of their knives over the years and they aren't terrible but I wouldn't recommend them because I think you can usually find something better for the money (especially the >$100 stuff they sell). If you want a cheap $20 knife to beat the crap out of and possibly lose in the woods.....they are perfect for the job though. I'd buy one for that purpose in a heartbeat.
 
I don't know about their "crappy" or "expensive" lines, but for $70 delivered off ebay you can't complain about the Recon Tanto. I especially think that the 2010 Recon 1 folder's are a great deal for $60 delivered or ebay. The Cold Steel stuff I've bought recently is sharp, tough as a tank, and cost effective. What's not to like?
 
Great post Zoog,

I carry an Emerson...but a few years ago I realized it wasn't a self defense knife at all even though I previously though it was. It takes 2 motions to get in action and is harder to do (more fine motor skills involved) than drawing a gun (not saying it is slow or all that hard...just "harder"). Further, even if I don't have a gun, I would still solve a close threat with my hands, not trying to deploy the knife while also fending off a deadly force threat with only my left arm.

Could it come into play, sure, just not likely. So I keep carrying it to do what it always does, open stuff. Overkill price-wise for the chore but oh well.

I also don't like slashing as favored by many "knife fighting" arts for the reasons mentioned in Zoogsters post (and it tends to be less effective). It creates exactly the type of wounds cops expect to see on victims! "Defanging the snake" (intercepting/slashing their weapon arm) looks just like them cowering in fear and you slashed their arm. I doubt witnesses will tell the difference in their testimony.

Stabs to certain parts of anatomy work quicker and look less brutal with way less blood (it's relative, they're still dead).
 
I don't honestly think that you're less likely to get in trouble because you stab rather than slash someone. Sorry if I went overboard in paraphrasing, but is that seriously what you were saying strambo??
 
Not to hijack the thread, but defensive wounds are on the back side of the forearms as opposed to FMA style attacks.
 
I have had my Cold Steel Voyager for two years now and I love it. I got it when they were on sale it is 5 inch completely serrated. Got a great deal and has cut through all of my tasks with ease. I have several other of their products, but my voyager has been phenomenal.
 
I don't honestly think that you're less likely to get in trouble because you stab rather than slash someone. Sorry if I went overboard in paraphrasing, but is that seriously what you were saying strambo??
Click to expand...
Basically...but not that simple, it's just a point to ponder.

First, we are talking about a deadly force scenario, you should be doing whatever will best help you survive. I feel penetration is better than slashing based on anatomy and ancidotal ER evidence as well as historical evidence from when warfare was edged weapon dominant.

I have a photo that made the rounds of someone sliced deep all over his body. He's carved up like a side of beef. He killed the person who did it to him. So, I advocate using penetration for rapid incapacitaion as a survival tool.

As to the legalese (which only matters if you survive). Re-read Zoogster's post. The police are pre-disposed to see any knife event as being either a murder or at best mutual combat, not pure SD with the knife user being the good guy.

Anything that adds further evidence to this notion would be bad. As far as wound patterns: with a blade up grip, yes, the cut would be to either the inside or outside of the forearm and probably biased towards the top. However, with a down grip, the blade is used to trap as well as cut and the slash would be to the inside/outside and towards the bottom.

Hold you forearms up like a shield and think of someone slashing at your throat. You will get cut on the bottom, outside and inside of your forearms as they slash from side to side.

Add in the fact that the threat will switch from offense (after you "de-fang" his weapon) to defense...and he will get some classic "defensive wounds" as he tries to shield from your further slashing attacks.

When the dust settles, you are left with (lets assume for this case) dead attacker, his wound patterns and your word. If there are witnesses...hope they are good ones.

It may be a minor thing: having to deal with the criminal justice system after killing someone w/ a knife is gonna be bad either way. I would rather have to explain a small penetrating would to the heart, aorta and/or kidneys etc. (the knife equivalent of shooting) than all the cuts to his arms and why he was still the aggressor in spite of them.

That said: the legal battle comes after, I will use what I think is most effective to stay alive and deal with the aftermath. I don't think slashing is nearly as effective as penetration to certain anatomical areas. Either way it is going to be an ugly mess during the fight and in the courtroom.

Oh, I have a couple CS knives...there is some really good value in some of them like my Recon Tanto, small neck knife, and cheap (but rugged) folder I got in the PX for $30.
 
Many years ago cold steel had many products made in Seki, Japan. The stuff was very nice quality. Now CS has many knives made in China and the stuff is crap. For the $$ I would rather get a CRKT knife, it is made in china but the quality control and materials are better than CS. The quality is equal to if not better than the current CS line. I owned an original CS safekeeper w/ leather sheath and lost it. I went to go replace it w/ a current CS production safekeeper and you can tell the difference in steel and the crappy plastic sheath is worthless. To this day I still hate myself for losing that old school safekeeper. I also own a newer production voyager and it is sharp is hell but the cheap plastic clip broke after a week of carrying. I now stick w/ Benchmade, kershaw, and CRKT brands. Even SOG knives have gone down hill. The original SOG stuff was great. The current production stuff is crap.
 
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while i do really like my (U.S. made) Recon Tanto, am quite impressed with the CS's a client just sent me (to have sheaths made), and honestly feel CS had a lot to do with pushing the entire knife industry into more of a durability based midset, i remember this older guy, who owned a knife shop, telling me that Ontario was basically everything CS set out to be minus the hype. i have one coming, soon, and would be happy to find out he was correct being that they're made in the U.S. and quite inexpensive.

i needed a new camp knife and was eyeing the Recon Scout in San Mai III, but went with the Ontario Gen II SP42 instead. my logic was - Japanese made bowie (wow, that doesn't even sound right) for $200 or a U.S. made knife of similar dimensions and (hopefully) similar capabilities for 50bux. hmmmm..... yea, lemme see....
 
9" San Mai steel blade. OMG! This is amazing!

It has a solid construction, is razor sharp and has a great weight to it.

The sheath is thick, too. This is necessary since this beast will cut anything in his path. For me, this Tanto lives up to the hype.
 

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I have yet to get anything bad from Cold Steel. I never buy their high-end stuff.

I only shop the Special Projects website, so I buy at slightly lower prices.

My Recon I has been at my side every day for 3 years and running. It just won't quit.
I also use their cheap Finn Bears as fishing knives.
They're great and easy to clean.

On the other hand, I would never buy one of their $300 or $400 knives. And I can't comment on their quality.
 
To answer your question about hype, and the video, I would respond that it works for that guy and in the demos they do at the shows, but most advertising is geared toward making a sale rather than skinning a buck. I have purchased, and carried, and used a fairly large number of knife types so my preferences are individually characterized by this. The only CS knife I have is a Master Hunter that I purchased used for $20 off of Ebay over 10 years ago. It stays strapped on my hunting gear. Takes to the stone well and has handled skinning well. Now, If I can find someone that makes a kydex sheath for it.
 
FWIW, when I was a machinegunner in the USMC back in the early 90's, the Cold Steel combat Tanto was the knife that everyone wanted, but few actually spent the money on. I know I wanted one, but considering that a kabar was around 30 bucks and the tanto was about 2 or 3 times that, most of us went with the Kabar.

If I could do it over again, I would go with neither, personally. I found a Gerber dagger at some point along the line late in my USMC career that was about the perfect fighting knife: Small, easy to mount (remember, this was before molle and attachment points everywhere) in a variety of places, light and unobtrusive. For daily use, I found this new company "Spyderco" that at the time I had never heard of and became a lifelong fan as a result of that relationship. God bless the Kabar (and, by association, the Tanto) because it is a good knife, but in my experience they were too heavy and cumbersome relative to their usefulness. I would own a Kabar because Marines own Kabars, and that would be about the only reason I would own one. The tanto falls under the exact same description.
 
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OMG! just got to see another str8 up WINNER, first hand, made (er.. uh.. sold) by Cold Steel - the G.I. Tanto. i had recommended it to a friend, w/o knowing much about it, just because it was in his price range and made for throwing (i know he likes to throw his carry knife).

it is an amazing knife, for the price. i carry more expensive knives than that, yet i'm kinda wanting HIS instead. it's a little tank and it feels great in the hand. it's feels really durable, like it wants to pry stuff, yet nimble and not clunky at all. it was 30bux shipping included. man that's hard to beat.

it comes with a crappy sheath, but (for me) that's a plus lol.

i've had bad luck with CS's customer service, but fantastic luck with their products. i won't hesitate to buy more of them :)
 
Does Paul Chen still make that Tactical Tanto?
Real nice piece!


Isn't the GI tanto just a hunk of steel they managed to get some 3rd world factory to put an edge on??
 
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Cold Steel knives are overpriced and overhyped. Most of them are halfway decent, and they do a lot of things nobody else will (A boar spear!?!?), but a lot of their features or designs are also blatant ripoffs. The materials are decently put together, but not of especially high quality.

And doing anything Lynn Thompson does in his videos voids the warranty, which to my way of thinking makes the videos worthless.
 
Madcap_Magician said:
Cold Steel knives are overpriced and overhyped. Most of them are halfway decent, and they do a lot of things nobody else will (A boar spear!?!?), but a lot of their features or designs are also blatant ripoffs. The materials are decently put together, but not of especially high quality.

And doing anything Lynn Thompson does in his videos voids the warranty, which to my way of thinking makes the videos worthless.
Click to expand...

You have some good points:

They don't warranty abuse despite their videos.

The MSRP is high but they don't sell for that. I find them cheap on the secondary market.

Their videos are like Extreme Shock's videos, which is a lot of hype, I agree.

Given the price on the secondary market is 1/4 retail and 1/2 of e-tail and the construction is actually excellent on the Master and magnum tanto's, I have been happy with my purchase.
 
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