GSM Outdoors acquires Cold Steel

[Solomonson]

Japan has become an expensive place to make knives. Even Spyderco makes a large portion of their knives in Taiwan, and the Taichung plant produces some of the best knives to ever wear the bug logo. The Taiwanese made full size CS Tuff Lite I have is better than the Japanese made Voyager I bought in the late 90's. That Tuff Lite is pretty close in fit and finish to the 3x more expensive, USA made, Spyderco Native 5 Lightweights I have. The Native 5 LWs have better lockup, but the N5 line is widely regarded as the best back lock Spyderco makes in terms of fit and lockup. I'd put the Taiwanese made CS Tuff Lite up against a Japanese made Spyderco Delica any day of the week.

So true! I'm old enough to remember when "Jap crap" was used to denigrate tools, knives, etc. made in Japan. Now "made in Japan" is a huge sales tool. The difference between Chinese production in 2020 and 2000 is astounding.

 

[Old Dog]

So true! I'm old enough to remember when "Jap crap" was used to denigrate tools, knives, etc. made in Japan.

I'm old enough to remember when some of the best baseball gloves were made in Japan.

I've never looked at country of origin and prejudged quality. Both Japan and China have produced excellent steel for any number of products over the years. It used to crack me up when guys would sell their Springfield Armory pistols simply because of the "Brazil" marking (another country producing excellent steel). I've spent time in Japan, Korea and a few other countries, and can attest to the fact that many of these countries have production values and quality control that puts a lot of American companies to shame.

 

[Speedo66]

Hard to trust China when there have been so many scandals involving adulterated products. I think we all remember the large number of dogs who died when a Chinese firm basically substituted a cheaper poisonous ingredient in dog food.

Same for adulterated baby formula. Hard to imagine a society knowingly risking children’s lives in so blatant a manner. Toys for children were also made with lead and falsely labeled.

So you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t trust business’s there to make products that actually conform to what they say the are. There have been many cases where products there were made to high standards as specified by contract with American purchasing companies, but after initial testing and acceptance, the Chinese manufacturer cheapened subsequent production, sometimes with unsafe product.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

FWIW, Knifecenter.com has a nice sale going on a bunch of Cold Steel products. If you want to get a pre-buyout CS item, now would be a good time. I decided to pick up a second Bushman and an African Walking Stick.

 

[Fiv3r]

I bumped a few of my Cold Steel items up on the Amazon Wish List to inspire my wife to buy me for Christmas. I kinda sorta accidentally found out that I'm getting a True Flight thrower. It's no Carbon V, but at least its a tough piece of steel.

Honestly, most of the folding knives they offer don't do it for me. However, if I can swing a couple extra bucks, I may have to pick up a San Mai Trailmaster while they are still around.

 

[Speedo66]

FWIW, Knifecenter.com has a nice sale going on a bunch of Cold Steel products. If you want to get a pre-buyout CS item, now would be a good time. I decided to pick up a second Bushman and an African Walking Stick.

I looked through all 13 pages of Cold Steel items for sale, amazing number of products.

Also, quite a few direct design knockoffs of other's existing products. No shame there...

 

[SharpDog]

Just ordered a Cold Steel Trail Master in Sam Mai III for Christmas. Before GSM screws it up. I've always wanted one so it's a check off the knife bucket list.

 

[Solomonson]

Just ordered a Cold Steel Trail Master in Sam Mai III for Christmas. Before GSM screws it up. I've always wanted one so it's a check off the knife bucket list.

Wouldn't it be something if they improved the product quality and lowered the price of the CS Trail Master?

 

[SharpDog]

Wouldn't it be something if they improved the product quality and lowered the price of the CS Trail Master?

Well, they could bring back the good kydex sheath CS discontinued with the TM a while ago but since things like that have been happening I would tend to think they are going with cost savings and streamlining. I did also order a kydex sheath and a Master Hunter in CPM 3V (which still comes with the good sheath).

 

[hso]

First article about GSM/Cold Steel -

https://knifenews.com/new-cold-steel-owners-gsm-outdoors-talk-acquisition-future/

The biggest end of the year surprise in the knife world was when Cold Steel founder Lynn C. Thompson announced the sale of his company to GSM Outdoors earlier this month. Immediately questions arose about the future of Cold Steel’s products, materials, and, most importantly, the personnel.

We had a chance to talk with Doug Mann, Vice President of Product Development & Brand Management at GSM Outdoors, to discuss the acquisition, and what will and won’t change going forward.

Who’s Staying, and What’s Changing?

First and foremost, the GSM deal means that Cold Steel’s California-based operation has been shut down. This means that, yes, Cold Steel employees lost their jobs. “Operations were relocated to our headquarters in Irving, TX,” Mann explains. He goes on to say that some personnel was retained. “Employment offers were extended to several people, some accepted while others did not. The lead sharpener and designer were among those that have either relocated or accepted new jobs with the company. Unfortunately some positions were eliminated.”

Mann also told us what Thompson himself already confirmed: that both he and Andrew Demko are staying with the company. “Lynn Thompson is still on board and is currently working to finalize the 2021 new items and will be working with our team on new designs for the future,” Mann says. “Andrew Demko will continue to do what he has done for Cold Steel for years by bringing cutting edge knife designs to the table.” More than 20 new products were in the pipeline prior to the sale, and those are still expected to be revealed in the coming months.

Mann points out that there will be some immediate major changes on the consumer end. Cold Steel’s branding has been given a refresh. “Two things that everyone has most likely already noticed are a new website and updated logo.” The second change is something that was important to Thompson when considering GSM as a prospective buyer: the ability to produce and maintain consistent stock of products.

Over the last few years, certain Cold Steel knives – particularly headliners like the AD-10 – went through periods of restricted availability. “Cold Steel’s devoted following may have noticed a lot of items were out of stock prior to the sale of the company,” Mann says. “GSM brings the financial foundation to keep inventory levels in line with customer demand.”

The Future of Cold Steel’s Models and Materials

But what about discontinuations? Does GSM intend to trim the catalog down now that they’re in control? “There are no plans to discontinue or halt production of any models at this time,” Mann says. “That being said, Lynn opted to keep some of the niche categories for himself such as blowguns and spears, hence why they are notably absent on the new Cold Steel website.”

A corollary concern to potential discontinuations was the future of Cold Steel’s material choices. The community has watched Cold Steel move from entry-level and budget stainlesses into some very capable, high-performance steel at their behest. There’s understandable worry that the new ownership won’t have the same priorities in this department. “It’s important to note that there are no plans to change the steels used in the knives,” Mann responds. “We are committed to maintaining the level of quality and performance that Cold Steel’s hard-earned reputation was built upon.”

 

[TTv2]

Agree with others, needing the original receipt is their way of creating a burden for the buyer, which they hope will keep claims down. Not off to a good start.

In today's world of ever increasing online sales, the email that gets sent that confirms an order is saved on the internet for a very long time and easy to access with a simple search.