Are Cold Steel knives as good as they say?

[poppy37]

I'm looking for an EDC knife and have been leaning toward Cold Steel. Are they as good quality as they are advertised? what qualities do I need to look for in a knife? I'm looking at a medium sized folder that I can slip in my pocket. Any info would be appreciated.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Old School]

I have numerous Cold Steel knives: Lawman, Voyager, Tanto and others and believe them to be a great value in a medium priced knife.

This is my latest one: http://www.coldsteel.com/americanlawman.html

[tokerblue]

I have numerous Cold Steel knives: Lawman, Voyager, Tanto and others and believe them to be a great value in a medium priced knife.

- They're a decent value for a EDC knife. I had a few models over the years and they held up fairly well. I haven't bought one in years though (other than a Mini-Pal) since buying knives from companies like Spyderco, Benchmade and Emerson. I think the build quality, steel and ergonomics are much better... for just a little more.

[dairycreek]

Over the years I have accumulated quite a number of Cold Steel knifes. Some have been very, very good while others have tended toward being a POS. My problem has been that, sometimes, I cannot tell which is which before I make a purchase. In a very general sense I have found that the more expensive the knife has been the better it turned out to be.

[Superhouse 15]

I have several and think they are excellent. I often carry a fixed blade CS I bought in 1988 and it's still a favorite.

I buy my boss at the gunshop something strange from them every Christmas. A battle axe or war hammer or spear or sword or something. It's a tradition.

[atctimmy]

I believe that their better stuff is made in the states and has a good reputation. Their cheaper stuff I THINK is made overseas and it is crap. I bought my dad a a machete from them and it was a total turd (it was cheap). In life, especially with knives, you get what you pay for.

Spend the money up front and buy once.

[crabbys44]

I have complete faith in Cold Steel products of all types. I have exclusively carried Cold Steel since the 80's. It even supplanted my K BAR in the Corps.

Now I carry the Recon Tanto. It is a medium size folder (4" blade) and is quick enough to open with a quick snap of my wrist. I can usually open it faster than most who carry switchblades. My favorite folder was the Vaquero Grande. Unfortunately, the blade is over the 5.5" limit in TX.

[poppy37]

I'm looking at either a Cold Steel Recon 1 or an Emerson CQC 7A. I dont mind spending a few extra bucks to get a knife thats gonna last over the long haul.

[shockwave]

I love my Cold Steel knives, especially the Ti-Lites - both the 4" and 6" are well worth having. Their knives tend to be way overbuilt and incredibly solid.

Like any other weapon, a knife will always have pros and cons. Once you start collecting, there's no end - I must have at least 50, counting the throwers.

[CDRGlock]

I have a San Mai Master Tanto and it's a great knife. It is as sharp as advertised and easy to sharpen. I never tried to bend it or do the stupid stuff on Lynn's demonstrations.

[SamRudolph]

Are the knives as good as Lynn Thompson says they are? No, because doing anything that he does in his advertising videos with your Cold Steel knife will void the warranty.

Are they good knives? It depends. Cold Steel is a distributor and marketer, not a manufacturer, so it really depends on who's making their knives at any given point. They had a few years where they were really good, because Ontario Knife Company was making their knives.

It's difficult to tell anything about even things like their knife steel, because they use proprietary names for the steel in their knives and the actual makeup of that steel varies depending on who is making it at a given time.

I do not consider them as good of a value as Spyderco, Benchmade, or Kershaw, given that you can get a knife that is just as well made or better out of better materials for a similar price or slightly more.

But many of their knives are not BAD quality per se, just not as good as many similarly priced knives.

One thing that Cold Steel is good at is coming up with wacky, off-the-wall self-defense items and oddball ethnic-inspired knives. They've done well with those.

[sgb]

Like many other companies Cold Steel made a reputation using quality steel made in the USA ......... now most of their knives are made in china and they're skating on their reputation to sell product. Just My .02

[tokerblue]

I'm looking at either a Cold Steel Recon 1 or an Emerson CQC 7A. I dont mind spending a few extra bucks to get a knife thats gonna last over the long haul.

- The Emerson is the better knife. It's also made in the U.S.

I would buy the version with the Wave.

[TBob]

- The Emerson is the better knife. It's also made in the U.S.

+1 on the Emerson. There's no telling who actually made a Cold Steel knife, so the quality varies considerably. In addition, the CQC-7A's 154CM is a better steel than Cold Steel's AUS-8, but not as good as, say, S30v. In the knife world especially, you tend to get what you pay for.

[SamRudolph]

+1 on the Emerson. There's no telling who actually made a Cold Steel knife, so the quality varies considerably. In addition, the CQC-7A's 154CM is a better steel than Cold Steel's AUS-8, but not as good as, say, S30v. In the knife world especially, you tend to get what you pay for.

154CM is for all practical purposes as good as S30V. The difference between AUS-8 and 154CM is miles, the difference between 154CM and S30V is inches, and it's lateral inches. I prefer 154CM or D2 for having a less toothy edge and being a bit easier to sharpen.