General consensus of Cold Steel?

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The Unknown User

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What do you guys think of Cold Steel?

I've read this forum a bit, as well as other forums purely devoted to knives, and I've noticed I don't see much about Cold Steel. What I do see is positive, but rarely anything other than something along the lines of "I have a Cold Steel (model name), and it's pretty cool."

Compare this to the constant "Benchmade is absolutely awesome" remarks I see here, I can't help but wonder if Cold Steel's claims of having the sharpest and strongest knives on the planet is untrue. I liked their advertising gimmick (free DVD and catalog showcasing how tough their knives are), but I wonder if I got sucked into it.

I bought a Large Voyager with a 4" plain clip point, and I think it's really nice. It's the first folder I've ever bought, and I know it's sharp as I gave myself a couple of nice cuts playing around with it. It cut my skin so cleanly, I didn't notice them until hours later when I went to wash my hands and noticed the dried blood. It's gross, I know, but it just goes to show that the blade is awfully sharp.

The only problem I have with it is that the blade has shown noticeable wear after I whittled some wood. I got bored, and started grabbing fallen branches trying to make a stake or something. I mostly just peeled off bark and tried to make a nice cone at the end of a couple of pieces. Later, I noticed the very tiny "chips" taken out of the edge of the blade. If I cut something now, I can feel it. It's almost like it has very tiny serrations now. Is this normal for a knife? Is this a sign of poor quality?

Is Cold Steel a good company to buy from? Or are they complete crap hidden behind well-devised marketing?

I obviously know nothing at all about knives, so feel free to educate me. :)
 
Don't worry about the gushy comments from folks. You'll see that sort of unwarranted enthusiasm on the net. Considering all the good companies producing good products you can mark it up to limited experience. After decades of playing with a staggering range of knives I may have become jaded, but most companies produce perfectly good knives these days.

Cold Steel produces products that provide good value at all their price points.
 
Cold Steel's products are good quality, no question about that. The edge chipping on your example may be from a couple things:
1. Were you twisting the knife as you whittled?
2. Sometimes, a knife escapes the factory that got messed up during the heat treating process. I have an expensive set of kitchen knives from a quality maker. The smaller chef's knife from the set is near useless as it chips under normal kitchen use!
Be of good cheer, though. If what I suspect to be the case is true, your knife isn't really chipped. Just run it over a steel a couple times and I think the "chips" will disappear.
 
I have owned 3 Cold Steel knives, and have yet to have any problems. I use my knives too...believe me...I uuuuuuuuuuse them. They are tools. I gave one of my Cold Steel knives to my brother because he didn't own a good knife, and I still have my Recon Scout: http://www.coldsteel.com/39lrs.html

I also still have my Land and Sea Rescue: http://csstoreonline.stores.yahoo.net/29rls.html

But, I am selling my Land Sea Rescue (Picture #14): http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=3383803#post3383803

Wow, as I was viewing the Cold Steel site I came across this hair brush for bad-hair-days:
Honey Comb: http://www.coldsteel.com/92hc.html

Back to your question about the edges...no Cold Steel knife should chip from something so mundane as that. I have used my fixed blade Cold Steel knives for chopping branches when I forgot my small axe. E-mail the company and ask that they replace it under warranty.

Doc2005
 
Well, when I was whittling, I did find myself turning the edge somewhat (creating a bigger angle to the actual wood) when I'd hit a knot or the joint of a branch. It was almost like I was trying to pry it apart with a crowbar. Is this what did it?
 
You probably don't want to know what I think of CS, but it is a sign of their quality that the knife was not heat treated properly. Lots of guys whittle and don't mess up the edge of their knife.
 
I think that Cold Steels motto should be "Pretty Good Knives for the Money".

That's basically what they are, okay and fairly durable.

That's my take on them, but I don't whittle, so maybe my experience has been different from some people.

My experience consists of using knives for cutting boxes, rope, cords, tape, card board, plastic tubing, splints, cloth bandages, seatbelts and every once in a while animal skin or food. If there's any sort of prying to be done, I get something else (like a prybar).

I've only ever had two Cold Steel knives and I thought that they were okay, but just okay.
 
I only own one CS--a Hunter model---its been an OK knife----some of the folders I've seen in the store I wouldn't touch with 10ft pole though.
 
I've carried Cold Steel, Kershaw, Spyderco, CRKT, Gerber, and Benchmade. I'd have to say CS is pretty high on my list still, but if you still have too much doubt, go find yourself a Benchmade Griptilian. It's a heck of a good knife and at about $60-70, it's in the CS folder price range.
 
I am with Don , I have a less than favorable opinion of Cold Steel Knives or their marketing . Their DVD makes a nice drink coaster though ;)
 
The 551 Griptilian? I'm about to order one, I think.

I had a Kershaw and a Gerber in my possession earlier, but I've found that a folder with a 3" blade is too small for me to open with one hand. I returned them since if I needed to open it I'd have to use my left hand, which defeats the purpose.

I have to say I love the fact that my Voyager can be opened with one hand, not to mention the tactile feedback of the blade snapping shut or locking open is very pleasing. :)

But, the fact that the blade was damaged whittling a little wood is scary. I was going to go get a 3" Voyager, but I worry that that blade would have the same problem as the Vapor and Paraframe I I had earlier today.

Is the 551 a back lock? I hate frame locks.

Can anyone recommend a good folder from Kershaw or Gerber I should look at? Again, it's gotta be a little bigger than a 3" blade. I'd prefer a back locking folder, but if a knife is really good enough I'll get one with a frame lock.
 
I own like 4 maybe 5(need to go check for sure) Griptilians-----I carry a 551 daily---it pushed out Spyderco as my EDC.

The Axis lock is unlike any other system you'll come across---very strong and very slick.

I highly recommend them.

If you can spend a few extra bucks---look into the Cabela's exclusive Griptilian----with the D2 steel upgrade.
 
Cold Steel

I own a cold steel Ti-Lite, but I sure do not whittle with it. Its been good so far when I have needed a very sharp knife and a very pointed one at that. I also own a CS Finn Bear in the 4116 Krupp Stainless. Its got a wicked edge on it (practically the sharpest of my field knives) but I have yet to test it because CS just floated 4116 KS onto the market. I also own a CS kukri Machete, which was ground incorrectly from the factory and required alot of work. However, to those that read my post about the kukri machete I have been using it in the field to cut down saplings, trim brush back and make fish spears and it stays relatively sharp. All I need to do is touch it up on a translucent Arkansas stone and go back to work. I have been using SOG products alot lately though and found them to be as worthy as my CS products, as well as my Benchmade Monochrome. I think CS products are one of my top five in the list, but that does not limit them to making a few mistakes from a bad heat treat to an incorrectly ground edge. I think that even the "best" companies can make mistakes. I would say my top 5 would be (in no order of best), 1. Cold Steel, 2. Benchmade, 3. Frosts (mora), 4. CRKT (when you can find a well made one), 5. Spyderco. :cool:
 
someone correct me if I am wrong but Cold Steel doesn't actually MAKE any of their knives. They may design a few .

perhaps their marketing should start with saying " The overseas factories that make our knives for us...."
 
Cold Steel doesn't actually MAKE any of their knives
Click to expand...

Most knife companies don't make all (or any) of their knives "themselves". The only knife companies with their own manufacturing facilities where they do everything themselves are Buck, Randal King, Bear MGC, Benchmade and Ontario. Far as I know all the others farm all or part of the manufacturing of the knives under their label out and some of that is overseas.

So, most knife companies don't actually MAKE any of their knives.
 
Cold Steel is just hysterically overhyped in their marketing. It's like what happens when you have a 14 year old kid hyped up on gallons of Mountain Dew and a Sam's Club sized box of Pop Rocks doing your ad copy.

However, once you filter out Lynn Thompson's hot air, you're left with a pretty good product for the money.

Mike
 
Well, it would appear I feel for their marketing ploys. In my defense, I know very little about knives. I don't know why a different blade type is important, or how the serration pattern of a serrated blade helps cutting power, or the types of materials that make a good knife.

I can't say I'm unhappy with my Voyager, because well, I'm really not. When I think about the chips I put in the blade, I realized that I was torquing the blade back and forth on knots I'd come to in the wood I was whittling. I think it's my own fault. I sharpened the entire blade, and the chips are good, and I just love that shine that comes off of the blade.

I should have done more research (i.e. see what other people think of different brands) before buying. Word of mouth is always the best advertisement for a company.
 
In a nutshell "Cold Steal" are crap, but hey it's your money and possibly life on the line. if it's worth $50 then God Bless. My lifes worth a bit more!
 
I would not go so far as to say their products are crap. Their products are decent, mid-range production blades. They're certainly nothing special, but they're also not actually bad.

Now, if you compare the reality of their quality with the bluster of their ad campaigns...then yes. They don't live up and are crap by comparison. However, I don't think Excalibur would live up to Lynn Thompson's standards. I mean, then man practically invented (or reinvented, or radically improved) everything about metalworking, donchaknow.

Mike ;)
 
IMO... Overblown marketing, kinda-sorta-OK products. I've got (IIRC) a Carbon V Master Hunter. The only time I carry it is when I'm deer hunting in "freeze your digits off" cold weather, when I want a handle that's very easy to grip and not at all slippery. Any other time, I have a bunch of other knives I prefer.
 
Right now, I own two of their pieces: a full size tanto and a Laredo Bowie; I bought each from ebay at prices substantially below typical retail. I've never been much attracted to CS folders. They're both nice knives. There are flaws, but moreso in design than in material or workmanship. For example, there is no good reason for the Laredo to not have a lanyard hole, but it doesn't. Are they the greatest, knifiest knives ever? No, but at what I payed for them, I'm satisfied.
 
I do not know about the Cold Steel knives, but have had a smaller Benchmade, Mchenry&Williams with the axis lock. I have carried and used this as my primary pocketknife for probably twelve years and it shows no appreciable wear. I just touch up the edge on a diamond "stone" when need and clean and oil the piviot a few times a year. I like it so well I got a couple of spares in my gun safe.
 
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