Lightraven
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2004
- Messages
- 1,170
I consider the Cold Steel push daggers ideal for concealed defensive use, but the sheaths have significant flaws.
Thoughts on Cold Steel knives:
- Thread starter Outdoors Fanatic
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Bushman5
Enlightened
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2007
- Messages
- 977
I own both the large CS Bushman, and the small CS Bushman, and they are excellent knives for wilderness use. I did have the big bowie and one of the tantos. they were liberated by an old roomate 
I like my CS Bushman series, they have been VERY useful for my wilderness pursuits, particularly shelter building with the bigger one, and general camp use with the small one.
I would'nt mind one of their shovels, they are actually really strong, but unlike the SPetnaz soldier wannabee in that video, i would actually use it as a ...gasp....SHOVEL...you know for digging cat holes in the woods and rain trenches around my shelter....
Having said that, I despise CS's marketing and blatant rip offs of other bladesmiths. If i abused my CS knifes the way they show in their ads, i would have chipped, bent or broken knives, and possible cuts to myself..... The owner should stick to marketing non stick frypans at 3am on the TV, and not marketing knives. :shakehead
Apparently in lynn thompsons world there is a real problem with watermelons roaming the street adn attacking people. Lynn seems to be constantly attacking watermelons with his fiberglass sjambok. Personally i have yet to encounter a watermelon while walking the streets, not have i ever found the ned to carry a shovel, a sword, a cane, a tomohawk and ten knives on my body.
I like my CS Bushman series, they have been VERY useful for my wilderness pursuits, particularly shelter building with the bigger one, and general camp use with the small one.I would'nt mind one of their shovels, they are actually really strong, but unlike the SPetnaz soldier wannabee in that video, i would actually use it as a ...gasp....SHOVEL...you know for digging cat holes in the woods and rain trenches around my shelter....
Having said that, I despise CS's marketing and blatant rip offs of other bladesmiths. If i abused my CS knifes the way they show in their ads, i would have chipped, bent or broken knives, and possible cuts to myself..... The owner should stick to marketing non stick frypans at 3am on the TV, and not marketing knives. :shakehead
Apparently in lynn thompsons world there is a real problem with watermelons roaming the street adn attacking people. Lynn seems to be constantly attacking watermelons with his fiberglass sjambok. Personally i have yet to encounter a watermelon while walking the streets, not have i ever found the ned to carry a shovel, a sword, a cane, a tomohawk and ten knives on my body.
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Thanks for reminding me..... If anyone would like to re-produce any of the torture tests in Lynn Thompson's "Proof" videos, CS will void your warranty. Yeah, the exact same tests that Mr. Thompson uses to supposedly prove how tough his company's products are; equals "abuse" if re-produced by someone else. Imagine that.
cutlerylover
Banned
I know it seems stupid but think about it, at least Lynn Thompson recognizes that it is abuse and a knife is used for cutting...He does what he does to show how durable they are if they were abused like that, which they are not suppose to be in the 1st place...I don't care how he markets knives, he is a buisness man, but the only thing I don't like about him is he puts down other knife companies, which most knife companies don't do as a general rule unwritten rule...but I don't care enough to boycott all of his products...The only thing that I never understodd is in EVERY single video he ever put out he dares other companies to try to do what he does...and I understand No one has stepped up sop to speak because they don't need to "stoop down to his level" to sell knives, but to be honest I would love to see a third party do the same tests on a few different brands knives...I happen to like knifetests.com to see how much abuse certain fixed blades can take, but the tests are not consistant with all the knives...Also I wonder why Lynn does not do these tests on the other bnrands knives in his videos to show how they "fail" Is that a legal issue? Like maybe hes just not allowed to show another brand name? Hmmm, interesting thougts here...Anywayit woudl be nice to see another company put out a similar video...I just find it entertaining to say the least, lol....It does not in any way make me want to buy their stuff, I just like ANY fottage of knives doing anythgin, lol, thats how much of a knife nut I am...
jtice
Flashaholic
I for one think Cold Steel knives are actually quite good for the price.
I think its rather stupid to compare them to other knife companies, which cost 2 to 3 times as much.
You get what you pay for as always.
But, I still think Cold Steel is one of the best bang for your buck ones out there.
I dont like any of their folders, mainly due to the designs.
But I like their fixed blades alot.
You get a well made, full tang, thick bladed knife for a decent price.
One you can USE, and not care about beating up.
I have a Recon Tanto, was only about $50,
nice thick blade, even stays fairly thick at the tip.
The rubber knurled handle has some decent grip.
I have a Trail Master on the way also
(BTW, if anyone has a non-black Scout they want to sell...)
I also have a $9 Cold Steel Machette.
It is the thinner cheapo one.
And it has been excellent for how thin it is.
Springs right back into shape, even when bent over really hard.
Another excellent knife for the money is Ranger knives.
I have a Ranger RD9, and it is simply superb.
Not super fit and finish, but the steel is amazingly strong, the edge stays perfectly smooth even after heavy chopping.
Like anything else, you dont want junk, but you dont want to pay double the price just so a nice name is on the side of it.
If you want a nice to USE, Cold Steel is a nice choice.
~John
I think its rather stupid to compare them to other knife companies, which cost 2 to 3 times as much.
You get what you pay for as always.
But, I still think Cold Steel is one of the best bang for your buck ones out there.
I dont like any of their folders, mainly due to the designs.
But I like their fixed blades alot.
You get a well made, full tang, thick bladed knife for a decent price.
One you can USE, and not care about beating up.
I have a Recon Tanto, was only about $50,
nice thick blade, even stays fairly thick at the tip.
The rubber knurled handle has some decent grip.
I have a Trail Master on the way also
(BTW, if anyone has a non-black Scout they want to sell...)
I also have a $9 Cold Steel Machette.
It is the thinner cheapo one.
And it has been excellent for how thin it is.
Springs right back into shape, even when bent over really hard.
Another excellent knife for the money is Ranger knives.
I have a Ranger RD9, and it is simply superb.
Not super fit and finish, but the steel is amazingly strong, the edge stays perfectly smooth even after heavy chopping.
Like anything else, you dont want junk, but you dont want to pay double the price just so a nice name is on the side of it.
If you want a nice to USE, Cold Steel is a nice choice.
~John
jtice
Flashaholic
oh, also, I think all those tests are stupid also.
Cold Steel has a bad habit of making goofy vids to demo the knives.
Most any knife, even junk, can do what they demo.
Its just a matter of how long the edge holds up, and it the knife would break after Repeated abuse.
As for that one guy hitting that CS knife with a Stider axe, that is REALLY stupid.
That proves NOTHING.
Give me any axe, and any knife, a $2000 knife I dont care,
you will still be able to destroy the knife hitting it with an axe.
You cant beat physics.
~John
Cold Steel has a bad habit of making goofy vids to demo the knives.
Most any knife, even junk, can do what they demo.
Its just a matter of how long the edge holds up, and it the knife would break after Repeated abuse.
As for that one guy hitting that CS knife with a Stider axe, that is REALLY stupid.
That proves NOTHING.
Give me any axe, and any knife, a $2000 knife I dont care,
you will still be able to destroy the knife hitting it with an axe.
You cant beat physics.
~John
jtice
Flashaholic
paulr,
Yes, it looks just like the Trailmaster, but its a bit smaller.
If you have the NON-Black one, I might be interested
What steel is yours? They made them in a couple different steels over the years.
Should look like this,,,
http://www.coldsteel.com/37s.html
Though, that is the newest one, made in their new multi layer steel.
Which raised their price, ALOT.
~John
Yes, it looks just like the Trailmaster, but its a bit smaller.
If you have the NON-Black one, I might be interested
What steel is yours? They made them in a couple different steels over the years.
Should look like this,,,
http://www.coldsteel.com/37s.html
Though, that is the newest one, made in their new multi layer steel.
Which raised their price, ALOT.
~John
jtice
Flashaholic
oh,,, to answer the OP's question (heh imagine that)
If you want to spend under $200, I think Cold Steel is fine.
I think that is what they are best at, a sub $200 knife you want to USE.
If you want something that is super nice fit and finish, has more of a reputation and following, and you are willing to spend over $200,
then there are better choices out there.
~John
If you want to spend under $200, I think Cold Steel is fine.
I think that is what they are best at, a sub $200 knife you want to USE.
If you want something that is super nice fit and finish, has more of a reputation and following, and you are willing to spend over $200,
then there are better choices out there.
~John
jtice, yeah, that's the one I have. Mine is stainless, AUS-8 or something like that if I remember right. Definitely not black. OMG I can't believe how expensive those things have gotten. The Master Hunter too, $100+, who are they kidding? Nice sturdy knife but I think they were around 35 bucks when I got mine.
Outdoors Fanatic
Flashlight Enthusiast
This is the one I'm looking at right now-- Recon Scout in SK-5 High-Carbon steel:
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8972
It seems like a decent camping knife with the right size at a great price. Is this steel good? I know it's far from being stainless, it doesn't matter though. I can take care of it.
I'll probably ignore those expensive models made in VG-1 San Mai III steel. For that same money I can get a Zero Tolerance knife or a top of the line Benchmade like the Presidio or the big Rukus Folder.
BTW, big thanks to all of you!
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8972
It seems like a decent camping knife with the right size at a great price. Is this steel good? I know it's far from being stainless, it doesn't matter though. I can take care of it.
I'll probably ignore those expensive models made in VG-1 San Mai III steel. For that same money I can get a Zero Tolerance knife or a top of the line Benchmade like the Presidio or the big Rukus Folder.
BTW, big thanks to all of you!
Outdoors Fanatic
Flashlight Enthusiast
I think that knife is a tad bit too big for comfortable backpacking. I'd carry a machete or an axe if I needed that blade size... I'm sure it's a great blade for car camping...
ErickThakrar
Enlightened
the video with the axe wasn't made to demonstrate how tough the knife is. It was done as a kind of protest against the way Cold Steels marketing has attacked Strider. That's why they used the Strider Crash Axe.
I recently re-handled a Cold Steel Kukri for a buddy. It had seen some relatively light use and the kraton handle that CS is so proud of had started to split.
For some reason, CS was giving him a lot of flak about getting it repaired, despite their warranty.
So I re-did it for him in G10.
When I removed the kraton, I found out that these handles are only held in place by the brass ferrule. Not only that, the handle allows water to seep in underneath it and as such, the tang had started to rust. This would undoubtedly have gotten much worse over time.
Frankly, I think it's a major design flaw.
Like has been mentioned, a lot of the CS knives are ok. Or were ok. But more and more, their shitty business practices, their dodgy, outlandish designs and the arrogant posturing of Lynn Thompson, has soured me on CS.
I will not buy any of their products as a simple matter of principle these days.
I recently re-handled a Cold Steel Kukri for a buddy. It had seen some relatively light use and the kraton handle that CS is so proud of had started to split.
For some reason, CS was giving him a lot of flak about getting it repaired, despite their warranty.
So I re-did it for him in G10.
When I removed the kraton, I found out that these handles are only held in place by the brass ferrule. Not only that, the handle allows water to seep in underneath it and as such, the tang had started to rust. This would undoubtedly have gotten much worse over time.
Frankly, I think it's a major design flaw.
Like has been mentioned, a lot of the CS knives are ok. Or were ok. But more and more, their shitty business practices, their dodgy, outlandish designs and the arrogant posturing of Lynn Thompson, has soured me on CS.
I will not buy any of their products as a simple matter of principle these days.
Bushman5
Enlightened
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2007
- Messages
- 977
I know it seems stupid but think about it, at least Lynn Thompson recognizes that it is abuse and a knife is used for cutting..He does what he does to show how durable they are if they were abused like that, which they are not suppose to be in the 1st place...I don't care how he markets knives, he is a buisness man, but the only thing I don't like about him is he puts down other knife companies, which most knife companies don't do as a general rule unwritten rule...but I don't care enough to boycott all of his products...The only thing that I never understodd is in EVERY single video he ever put out he dares other companies to try to do what he does...and I understand No one has stepped up sop to speak because they don't need to "stoop down to his level" to sell knives, but to be honest I would love to see a third party do the same tests on a few different brands knives...I happen to like knifetests.com to see how much abuse certain fixed blades can take, but the tests are not consistant with all the knives...Also I wonder why Lynn does not do these tests on the other bnrands knives in his videos to show how they "fail" Is that a legal issue? Like maybe hes just not allowed to show another brand name? Hmmm, interesting thougts here...Anywayit woudl be nice to see another company put out a similar video...I just find it entertaining to say the least, lol....It does not in any way make me want to buy their stuff, I just like ANY fottage of knives doing anythgin, lol, thats how much of a knife nut I am...
if he wantsa to show how "tough": his knives are, do it with REAL WORLD tests: repeated cutting, repeated sharpening, repeated exposure to water, mud, tough hides, blood, and saltwater , cutting of various materials etc etc etc.
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PhantomPhoton
Flashlight Enthusiast
I've never been able to bring myself to buy a CS knife... unless you count those sweet little Zytel Tantos.
Their redneck marketing turned me off the first time I saw it. I've been interested in their San Mai offerings but haven't found one yet that had a decent design. Krayton is terrible imho.
Their older Carbon V blades were durable and a pretty good deal. Rust issues aside they're decent knives. Prices have been rising over the years though and that value is diminishing. Also they're now producing "cheap steel" knives and replacing a lot of the older Carbon V models. I'm not interested in their knives anymore.
Their redneck marketing turned me off the first time I saw it. I've been interested in their San Mai offerings but haven't found one yet that had a decent design. Krayton is terrible imho.
Their older Carbon V blades were durable and a pretty good deal. Rust issues aside they're decent knives. Prices have been rising over the years though and that value is diminishing. Also they're now producing "cheap steel" knives and replacing a lot of the older Carbon V models. I'm not interested in their knives anymore.
I ordered my Trailmaster from this ebay seller, you can checik it out!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cold-Steel-Reco...hZ011QQcategoryZ88906QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
Regarding the size of the Trailmaster.. I Have a friend who took a knife making course in the States some years ago. He was told some rather useful stuff there, like when going out in the woods etc, you bring tre knifes. The choice of knives is based on what you are going, and how long youre planning to stay out.
You bring three knives, one big that takes care of all the biggest choping need you might have, then a smaller one that takes care of wood carving, food preparation etc. And finally a multitool like a leatherman with sissors can opener etc...
My Trailmaster is going with me depending on how heavy pack Im bringing and where Im going, I might bring a smaller knife like a recon scout or even smaller and a machete instead sometimes. I tryed to find one knife that matches all my needs, but the closest I come to this is the three knife set up...Mig not work for everyone, but it works for me!
Just have to mention that my friend got to meet Bill Moran himself for some knife lessions!
And remember! A big knife can do what a small nife can, and more, BUT not the other way around!
You bring three knives, one big that takes care of all the biggest choping need you might have, then a smaller one that takes care of wood carving, food preparation etc. And finally a multitool like a leatherman with sissors can opener etc...
My Trailmaster is going with me depending on how heavy pack Im bringing and where Im going, I might bring a smaller knife like a recon scout or even smaller and a machete instead sometimes. I tryed to find one knife that matches all my needs, but the closest I come to this is the three knife set up...Mig not work for everyone, but it works for me!
Just have to mention that my friend got to meet Bill Moran himself for some knife lessions!
And remember! A big knife can do what a small nife can, and more, BUT not the other way around!
There's a rather infamous pic on Bladeforums that shows otherwise.
The owner didn't abuse the knife. Just used it for the common wilderness task of batoning. The knife didn't just chip at the point, it snapped apart! Rather spectacularly as a matter of fact. Severe failure. I might still have the pic of the broken blade on my home comp.
I won't be home for most of the day. But I'll try to upload it when I get a chance.
jtice
Flashaholic
I have the tanto version of Recon Scout,
http://www.jtice.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=ColdSteel-ReconTanto
I like it so far, thick blade, feels pretty grippy.
I managed to get it quite sharp.
Though I have not gotten a chance to really abuse it yet, no batoning, etc.
I did some light chopping with it and the edge help up fine.
That same guy that has all the vids of him destroying knives,
tested the Cold Steel GI Tanto and seemed to like it,
Sure, he broke it, but it took a good bit of abuse first.
Not bad for a $30 knife.
http://www.coldsteel.com/80ft.html
~John
http://www.jtice.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=ColdSteel-ReconTanto
I like it so far, thick blade, feels pretty grippy.
I managed to get it quite sharp.
Though I have not gotten a chance to really abuse it yet, no batoning, etc.
I did some light chopping with it and the edge help up fine.
That same guy that has all the vids of him destroying knives,
tested the Cold Steel GI Tanto and seemed to like it,
Sure, he broke it, but it took a good bit of abuse first.
Not bad for a $30 knife.
http://www.coldsteel.com/80ft.html
~John
