A2 Steel Update

This is the trailmaster i saw fail, with that tiny tim laughing like a friggin idiot
 
This is the trailmaster i saw fail, with that tiny tim laughing like a friggin idiot

Can't. Have to go to YT to watch. Obviously he is after the money more than he is sharing it, I will take a pass.
 
No big deal they are idiots and Im really getting tired of this batonning crap anyway....
 
Don't think it's fake, but at one point there were TM's that didn't have the radiused transition to the tang. Not sure if they were supposed to and didn't, or if they never did up to a certain point and then there was a design change.
 
I think thats the worst part, that guy sounds like an ambulance; just because of that kackling clod im glad it broke....
 
That was bad batoning technique. I froze it at the 16 second mark, and I could see the knife tang break off to the left side because he had hit the blade tip on the side, not the top. Too much lateral stress did it.

The other thing you have to consider is how many times before had he, or somebody else, used that same knife to do stuff like that. Because if you stress any metal enough times, it will eventually fail due to "metal fatigue". Probably, microscopic fractures form over time, and it causes a sudden catastrophic breakage.
 
That was bad batoning technique. I froze it at the 16 second mark, and I could see the knife tang break off to the left side because he had hit the blade tip on the side, not the top. Too much lateral stress did it.

The other thing you have to consider is how many times before had he, or somebody else, used that same knife to do stuff like that. Because if you stress any metal enough times, it will eventually fail due to "metal fatigue". Probably, microscopic fractures form over time, and it causes a sudden catastrophic breakage.

I do not believe it was an actual Cold Steel. I have never seen anyone claiming that these knives break at all, let alone this easily. I don't imagine even the 4034 knives will fail this badly. It looks to me like they are trashing a cheap knock off for clicks.
 
New to me youtube test of Cold Steel's 4034 steel, comparing it to 8cr13. To me the test looked fair enough to be worth talking about. For those who just want to cut to the results, the 4034 came in well below the 8cr13 in edge retention (175 vs 125). From his comments regarding other tests that he has done, 4034 is basically bottom of the barrel budget steel. In other words nothing new or unexpected.

EDIT TO ADD: I just watched his other budget steel test. Interestingly, the 8cr13 did a bit worse in that test and was tied at the bottom. Nothing he tested there did as poorly as the 4034 did in this test.

 
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I do not believe it was an actual Cold Steel. I have never seen anyone claiming that these knives break at all, let alone this easily. I don't imagine even the 4034 knives will fail this badly. It looks to me like they are trashing a cheap knock off for clicks.

It had a black painted guard. I have seen that on the knockoffs, but not on the real Trail Master knives.

n2s
 
It had a black painted guard. I have seen that on the knockoffs, but not on the real Trail Master knives.

n2s

All of the black bladed TMs came with black coated guards too. The satin ones have uncoated guards.
 
So 8cr13 is the upgrade !

Amazing, isn't it. In that guy's other budget steel test video the worst steels tested (including the 8cr13) managed about 150 cuts against the rope he was cutting that day. This potentially means that Cold Steel's 4034 has significantly worse edge retention than Aus8, 8cr13, and even 420.

That's the unbelievable thing with this saga. Cold Steel decided that the other bottom of the line budget steels they have used in the past -- Aus8, SK5, and so on -- were entirely too good for their new line of flagship knives. But it begs the question: if the top of the Cold Steel lineup is now 4034, what is the bottom of the line gonna be made of? I guess next year's Vaquero will be crafted from the prestigious and mysterious "Surgical Stainless".
 
I think a Cpm 3v full tang with bolt on G10 scales would be great. Think of it as a Trail master evolved to its next logical step.

That would be great, but for now it looks like Cold Steel no longer produces their premium large fixed blade designs in any steel, let alone 3V.

If you see something in their higher end lineup you want, and it is available, you better get it while you can.
 
Is Cold Steel's 4034 constructed in a cladding fashion, like San Mai? I ask because I was examining the new Outdoorsman Lite and noticed different coloration at the blade's center in certain spots. It's somewhat visible in the first photo and much clearer in the second.

IMG-9506.jpg


IMG-9502.jpg



It could be just grind anomalies that I'm seeing. But if the steel is clad, it certainly would explain how Cold Steel gets superior performance out of it.

-Steve
 
My Outdoorsman Lite has the same appearance on the choil, but it catches light when rotated, indicating a slight depression there to me. I'm pretty sure that's the reason for the appearance. But, when you see it, it sure does look like its laminated. I can't imagine any reason to laminate 4034 either, since it seems pretty strong, just limited on edge retention. I would love to think that CS accidentally mounted San Mai blades on Lite handles, but I'm not that lucky:D
 
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