Prying? Really?
A message from Lynn
- Thread starter Cold Steel Knives
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Why would you pry with a folding knife? Really? Get a tool specifically meant for that purpose. Nobody sane buys a knife for prying purposes. They are meant for cutting
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I'd love to try a CS again(last one I had was in around 1990), but there's really nothing that appeals to me to the point of pulling the trigger. The 4-MAX is too big for my tastes(when is that coming out anyways???) and while the Swift is close, I can't stand assisted openings. The ones that are too big are ,well..., in my opinion, too big. The smaller ones have tiny cutting edges that don't appeal to me, either. As long as other companies offer designs that appeal to me, they'll continue to get my money. I don't doubt the performance is there, but the designs still leave me meh...
While not directed at any particular poster....I would also ask.... Why would you chop or split wood with any knife? Really? Get a tool specifically meant for that purpose. Nobody sane buys a knife for chopping, splitting wood purposes or trying to break rocks (Nuttin Fancy). They are meant for cutting.
In an emergency, personally, I would trust the testing done at the CS factory. Unless one has an agenda, beating on a good quality knife to "test" it IMO is INSANE!
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Plenty of people chop and split wood with knifes. There is a classification of knives that are designed exactly for that. How about "Nobody sane hangs 400lbs of weights on a folding knife?" "nobody sane spine whacks a knife?" I could go on but i think you get the point, as you allude to with the statements about an agenda, but it does confuse me a bit. Are you saying CS has no agenda, or that their agenda is ok?
Why not split wood with a fixed field /bushcraft knife
though? They are built for such tasks. And why use a knife instead say, an axe ? Well they usually are lighter and in a more compact package so why not?
Of course though, no one ought to baton with something a folding knife usually, except maybe triad folders as they can take it much better than something with "regualar" lock backs, liner , frame etc..
And the rock breaking done by Nutnfancy on the chao trech knife i think that may be quite realistic in a way as since its a " fighting knife" it may be subjected to extreme shocks when parrying or having an accidental miss.
But thats just my opinion though
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That's exactly what the first fellow I responded to was doing though...it shouldn't fly either then.
And nobody hammers with the spine of their folder either...but people keep bringing it up as a great test of knifey goodness. Apply your logic to that phenomenon.
And before you talk about knives getting stuck and creating negative pressure, sideways forces occur in real life too...so prying as a test would be just as valid, especially when claiming the title of ultimate knife strength.
Perhaps I'm not sane then...I built this specifically FOR chopping and splitting wood:
Four and a half years--and many trees--later, and it's still going strong. Then again, it's far heavier and stronger than anything Cold Steel ever built. :thumbup:
I can understand why they think Cold Steel's agenda is alright, and it is; they want to sell knives.
I was just putting my opinion against their opinion because hey, it's a discussion forum, so that's what we all do here.
Well, I'm off to do things which sort of matter in the real world (at least for me, not for the rest of you, naturally...I'm not that important), so Merry Christmas Eve Eve (looking forward to Christmas; I have 2 knives waiting for me that I know of :thumbup: :thumbup
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If knives are only made for cutting, then why is lock strength important? Last time I checked you cut with the sharp side of the blade- not the dull one...
I wonder why other mfr's don't feel the need to directly compare themselves to others? Maybe because they have a product that they developed to cater to their customers and don't really CARE what the competition does- so they feel no need to bash/compare themselves to other's products.
Despite their reputation, I was on the fence about CS until I saw the link at the top of this post... Keep it classy CS
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If knives are only made for cutting, then why is lock strength important? Last time I checked you cut with the sharp side of the blade- not the dull one...
I wonder why other mfr's don't feel the need to directly compare themselves to others? Maybe because they have a product that they developed to cater to their customers and don't really CARE what the competition does- so they feel no need to bash/compare themselves to other's products.
Despite their reputation, I was on the fence about CS until I saw the link at the top of this post... Keep it classy CS
Sorry CS broke all ur favorite knives.
I have yet to find a folding knife in the Recon 1's size range with better ergos. A few with comparable, but none that felt clearly better.My butt is just fine...thanks for your concern regarding it though.
I still have more Cold Steel products than many of those who post here, so I'm speaking from experience.
On their huge knives, like my XL G-10 Espada, Large Espada (with bolsters), Rajah 2 and XL Vaquero Voyager, the "hugeosity" is unmatched by others, with the exception of the Spyderco Tatanka that I prefer over the Large Espada and Voyager (the Rajah still gets use though). The XL Espada got edge warp something fierce, and had to be fixed with a small brass hammer, and the Cold Steel rep said it wasn't meant for actual outdoors use like chopping (his words, not mine).
When it comes to their smaller offerings like the Recon series, Lawman and others in that size range, I have been thoroughly unimpressed.
They cut okay, but other manufacturers have produced knives with better ergonomics, you know, for when you actually use the knife for extended periods.
The only smaller knife of theirs I like at all is the Tuff Lite and Mini Tuff lite, both of which I have given to a friend because he needed a knife, and I prefer my other, non-Cold Steel knives in that size range.
Now I realize that a bunch of die-hard fans will reside around these parts; I get it.
I know that you probably want to congratulate each other on having the best knives EVER...but they aren't the best.
They are okay.
Deal with it.
I'll agree with you 100% that the o-rings are crap. But I am 6'5" and he heavy duty sword cane is long enough for me to use.
Here is a guy that is short with the HDSC
[video]https://youtu.be/2SMYES1NhCs[/video]
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I think the same argument could be made of some of their lock strength tests
Scratch that....somebody already beat me to it. I read everything in the thread but the last 3 posts lol
Similar grinds with similar tips will pry comperably. The Ultimate Hunter, will pry as well as any other folder out there of similar blade stock.
But when you take the best Demko Designs, against the best from Strider, Hinderer, etc, the Demkos wipe the floor with the others every which way. With the Striders, Hinderer etc, you have to worry about too early or late a lock up, blade play, lock rock, ball indent, etc. With an AD10 or 4Max, your only worry is that the knife somehow becomes self aware, and enslaves humanity.
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I found it feels almost long enough when standing in one spot, but it doesn't work when walking.
With a few years of ongoing back problems, I have had an unfortunate amount of chances to use various canes and walking sticks.
I don't leave the house without a walking stick at all these days; my favourite is a 48 inch long hawthorn walking stick I made last fall.
For a cane, 40 inches long works pretty good for me.
Sorry to confuse you. I actually was playing on what Glenn had said. I know with my $$$, I'm not going to take a knife that I bought and beat on it to see is I can make it fail or see what the limits of it are. I also realize CS has an "agenda" and that is to market their product. While I sometimes wonder just where Lynn Thompson is coming from, I think the testing at CS is pretty subjective and after watching many of his videos, I also believe that Andrew Demko tries to be honest and fair in the tests he performs.
Fair enough!
Perhaps I'm not sane then...I built this specifically FOR chopping and splitting wood:
Four and a half years--and many trees--later, and it's still going strong. Then again, it's far heavier and stronger than anything Cold Steel ever built. :thumbup:
That's not a knife, That's a KNIFE!
If you built it as a dedicated "chopper", while you dedicated your time and the materials to that labor of love (I love it), you didn't drop the coin for something that was a knife (not a KNIFE) and then try to push it to or beyond it's limits for no reason other than to see if it could do it.
Merry Christmas to you and yours too!
You wouldn't want a folder to close on your fingers while doing some heavy duty cutting right? And especially in countries where guns are illegal, people may resort to knives as a self defense tool, and a pocket knife is usally the most ideal as its so compact and usually easier to carry than fixed blades. So a strong lock is indeed important as you'd want your knife to cut the attacker, not cutting yourself when the knife's lock fails on you
Insipid Moniker
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I found it feels almost long enough when standing in one spot, but it doesn't work when walking.
With a few years of ongoing back problems, I have had an unfortunate amount of chances to use various canes and walking sticks.
I don't leave the house without a walking stick at all these days; my favourite is a 48 inch long hawthorn walking stick I made last fall.
For a cane, 40 inches long works pretty good for me.
Ouch! Back problems are...well, being that we're not in W&C I won't use the language I'd like to, but suffice it to say I hope healing/relief is in your future.
I'm not 6'5" by any means, but I prefer a longer cane or walking stick as well. I actually picked up a Cold Steel training staff and cut it down to about 48", drilled a hole for a lanyard and applied some bicycle handlebar tape to make a nice walking stick.
As for the complaint about the ergos, we often disagree, but I'm somewhat with you on several Cold Steel models. I honestly think ergos are objective, but personal. I get that CS has a tendency to focus more on weapon retention than comfort for extended use, but the Ultimate Hunter is much the opposite and I've found it exceptionally comfortable in a variety of grips. Combine that with them running the XHP in it significantly harder than the other models and it's a real winner. If you haven't totally written off Cold Steel (don't blame you if you have, I know our respective tastes about their comparison testing/advertising are pretty opposite) I'd urge you to give it a try.