Cold Steel Knives In Combat

I’ll have to poke around and see if I can find my photos. Iraq 2004 at a makeshift PX in Kuwait. Me and a couple others found a few SRKs in claimshell packages. Carried it through my tour there. Unfortunately, in a lean time I sold it..... but I’ll dig for some pictures.
 
I hope the Trailmaster in 3V comes out soon. Uncle Sammy might be sending me to the Dark cont.
And would love to carry a Trailmaster
ESP one of the older ones
 
caine said:
I hope the Trailmaster in 3V comes out soon. Uncle Sammy might be sending me to the Dark cont.

And would love to carry a Trailmaster

ESP one of the older ones
Click to expand...

If your orders arrive before the 3V Trail Master does--and you don't want a San Mai version, or feel like tracking down an older Carbon V model--I'll suggest that you could do a lot worse than one of these three (shown with the Trail Master for size comparison).

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They're all lighter than the Trail Master, and are very ergonomic. You won't break any of them. The Warcraft and Survivalist are quick in the hand. The Marauder is a sleeper of a knife that lots of people overlook (and shouldn't). If you don't like the subhilt, sand it off. If you want a really aggressive fighting edge, get the fully serrated version.

Plus, you could buy all three for what a 3V Trail Master will cost!

That said, if a Trail Master is what you're after, there really is no substitute. Find one, buy it, and never look back.


-Steve

P.S. - The Drop Forged Bowie appears to be available now--looks like another worthy consideration, maybe even better than the Survivalist.
 
Caine's post about his forthcoming Africa tour reminded me of another Cold Steel knife that fits this thread. A fellow knife enthusiast I knew was a Special Agent in the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). Sometime around 2005, he received a posting to the DSS protective detail at an African embassy (I can't remember which, but it was in a hotspot country).

He wanted a good knife to take with him, and after discussing it with me and assessing his needs, he ordered a Master Tanto. He really liked the knife and told me that he was going to carry it on his body armor during his deployment. That wasn't as easy to do back then because the Tantos still came with leather sheaths, but he wanted to ensure that his knife was readily accessible if needed.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of his knife, and I lost touch with him after he left for his Africa assignment. So instead I'll just include an Internet photo of a similar vintage Master Tanto for your viewing pleasure.

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___________________________________________

This excerpt is from an article published in 1989 in a special-edition periodical called Guns & Ammo's Complete Guide to Combat Knives. The article, entitled "Special Knives for Special Forces," was written by Greg Walker, at roughly the same time that he was getting started with Fighting Knives magazine.

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You'll note that, as it would again before the Gulf War, Cold Steel was willing to give Walker knives to supply to the troops. And, once again, the special operations soldiers to whom Walker sent the knives admired and appreciated them.


A brief editorial comment: Lynn Thompson had multiple articles published in this magazine. He used to be fairly prolific with his writing throughout the 1980s, back when there were magazines willing to acknowledge Cold Steel's existence....

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Lynn also had several articles published in Soldier of Fortune over the years, including one in which he extolled the virtues of carrying a Spyderco Mariner as a utility pocketknife. I challenge anyone to find a comparable article from Sal Glesser--or any representative of any knife company, for that matter--supplying similar public praise for Cold Steel's products.

___________________________________________

Recent digging through material for my Old Cold Steel Ads thread turned up a couple of additional references that are relevant here.

This ad from October 1991 calls out the popularity of the SRK during Desert Storm.

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And this interesting ad from August 1991 offers more detail about those first Recon Scouts earning their keep in Kuwait. Note that the knife pictured appears to be a first generation model, as issued prior to the start of the war.

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___________________________________________

Chief Petty Officer Edward R. "Eddie" Gallagher, shown with his teammates from Alpha Platoon on SEAL Team Seven, wearing his first-generation Spike.

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-Steve
 
DangerZone98 said:
What about the GI tanto? Was it carried by soldiers?
Click to expand...

Are you asking if it has been issued? Not that I'm aware of. Has it been carried by soldiers? Very likely. But I haven't run across any photos yet.

If you're inquiring about the G.I. Tanto name, that's a long, tired story that you can read about in practically any Strider Knives thread. But I'll give you the short version.

Strider Knives hit the tactical knife market like a tidal wave in the early 2000s, primarily because owners Strider (real name Burger) and Dwyer lied prolifically about their military careers and capitalized on people's general admiration for military special operations soldiers. The knife and gun magazines did nothing to vet the Strider stories and printed scads of glowing articles claiming that Strider blades were capable of ridiculously unbelievable feats of strength and sharpness.

The Strider juggernaut came to a limping halt, however, when Kevin Schlossberg (via Blade Forums), and, simultaneously, Lynn Thompson (via the Cold Steel Web site) publicly exposed Dwyer's and Burger's fraudulent military claims, as well as Burger's criminal background. The days of Strider Knives being treated like royalty in every media outlet were over.

The earliest Strider knives were little more than sharpened slabs of high-end steel with paracord wrapping for handles, outrageously overpriced due to the makers' phony resumes and fawning magazine writers. Exemplary of the "Strider look" was the company flagship, the BT model.

Angered by the Strider fraud and the complicity of a knife press that wouldn't give Cold Steel the time of day, Lynn created the G.I. Tanto, which mimicked the look of the BT while outperforming it and selling for less than one-tenth the price. The knife's name had a double meaning: It was a jab at Strider Knives, implying that Cold Steel's knife had about as much military provenance as anything Strider produced. And, it was a callout for the military audience, emphasizing that it was a knife that any G.I. could actually afford, while still performing to Cold Steel standards.

The funny thing is, despite its tumultuous beginnings, the G.I. Tanto appears to be a big seller for Cold Steel. It's been in the catalog ever since it was introduced. Especially with its updated plastic handle and improved sheath, it's an amazingly tough knife that will do everything a soldier asks of it.


-Steve
 
The Whip said:
Are you asking if it has been issued? Not that I'm aware of. Has it been carried by soldiers? Very likely. But I haven't run across any photos yet.

If you're inquiring about the G.I. Tanto name, that's a long, tired story that you can read about in practically any Strider Knives thread. But I'll give you the short version.

Strider Knives hit the tactical knife market like a tidal wave in the early 2000s, primarily because owners Strider (real name Burger) and Dwyer lied prolifically about their military careers and capitalized on people's general admiration for military special operations soldiers. The knife and gun magazines did nothing to vet the Strider stories and printed scads of glowing articles claiming that Strider blades were capable of ridiculously unbelievable feats of strength and sharpness.

The Strider juggernaut came to a limping halt, however, when Kevin Schlossberg (via Blade Forums), and, simultaneously, Lynn Thompson (via the Cold Steel Web site) publicly exposed Dwyer's and Burger's fraudulent military claims, as well as Burger's criminal background. The days of Strider Knives being treated like royalty in every media outlet were over.

The earliest Strider knives were little more than sharpened slabs of high-end steel with paracord wrapping for handles, outrageously overpriced due to the makers' phony resumes and fawning magazine writers. Exemplary of the "Strider look" was the company flagship, the BT model.

Angered by the Strider fraud and the complicity of a knife press that wouldn't give Cold Steel the time of day, Lynn created the G.I. Tanto, which mimicked the look of the BT while outperforming it and selling for less than one-tenth the price. The knife's name had a double meaning: It was a jab at Strider Knives, implying that Cold Steel's knife had about as much military provenance as anything Strider produced. And, it was a callout for the military audience, emphasizing that it was a knife that any G.I. could actually afford, while still performing to Cold Steel standards.

The funny thing is, despite its tumultuous beginnings, the G.I. Tanto appears to be a big seller for Cold Steel. It's been in the catalog ever since it was introduced. Especially with its updated plastic handle and improved sheath, it's an amazingly tough knife that will do everything a soldier asks of it.


-Steve
Click to expand...
Thanks Steve. Really interesting and educational. The GI’s a fun knife to have, but I’m not too thrilled about the Secure-Ex sheath. Other than that, it’s a pretty rock soild knife.

If we ever get a GI Tanto II, I wanna see it drop the finger choil and the upper guard.
 
I swear I saw a drop or spear point version of that knife once but could never find it again. Too bad, it was pretty awesome as I recall. Must have been a dream, or maybe someone’s custom mod, but it sure seems like something CS would or should put out there.
 
Blue Sky said:
I swear I saw a drop or spear point version of that knife once but could never find it again. Too bad, it was pretty awesome as I recall. Must have been a dream, or maybe someone’s custom mod, but it sure seems like something CS would or should put out there.
Click to expand...
Probably a custom mod. A GI knife in other blade shapes and in better steels would be pretty sick.
 
I’m pretty sure it was a spear point, though that clip point works too. Nice rendering, whoever made it.
 
I’ve given out a few Kobun’s to family when they went on tours. It’s cheap enough for someone to not care about, light weight and tough enough for most jobs.

I always thought the old style plastic clip was useless but one used it for discreet diplomatic CP work and liked the fact he could wear it IWB or on a boot if needed.

First one I gave out to replace a Stiff KISS that was lost on a jump, that must of been 2 decades ago.

3v SRK and Recon tanto’s are definitely an upgrade but also twice the weight and in the context of needing a sharp stabby tool I’m not sure they would be carried as much.
 
I joined the Army in late 89', and got to Ft. Riley spring of 90. With a stead paycheck going into my account every month, I finally was ready to buy some Cold Steel knives, which I'd lusted after all during my teens.

The first one I bought was the big Magnum Tanto, with an 8-3/4" blade. Cost I think 120 bucks in 1990, which was about 1/6th of a month's take home pay as an E-3 in the Army. Beautiful knife. Thought about packing it along with me to Saudi Arabia, but bought an SRK instead.

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The below SRK was the knife I used for the rest of my 3-1/2" years of active duty. I think I bought it summer of 90 or so. The only knife the Army issued was the M9 baronet, which was a terrible knife, and they considered them Sensitive Items (even though they cost about 80 bucks), so if you lost one (which wasn't hard, the sheath had this stupid Quick Disconnect feature that would could separate when you didn't want it to - ask me how I know!), you'd have to hunt around for it, and if lost, pay for it.

Cold Steel didn't have a lot of cheaper, more field style knives in 90 - they were the nice Tantos and Trailmasters, and the push daggers. But they did sell the SRK, which was a great knife. I think it cost 60 bucks, and I must have gotten in mail order as Ft. Riley didn't have any good gear shops around. This baby was carried on my various web gear from then until I ETS. The blade was kept in place well with the strap, and I never had any issues with it falling out. This one is one of the early versions, where the blade is parkarized, not the later epxoy style coating.

Stateside I'd had it on my web belt, but for Desert Storm, I wanted to be more taci-cool, and had it lashed to my left right LBE suspender , like in all the cool action movies from the 80's like Predator. I tried it on the left side first but it was too hard to reach across my body with all the gear on, so I put it on the right, blade side down. I ran an Alice clips across the suspender, tied an end of a some 550 cord to it, the wrapped the sheath with it. Worked very well, and in 4 months of time in the desert, it never came loose. Was a very fast deployment of the knife. Back in the early 90's solders, even Infantry troops, were not given pistols as backup weapons, so if you had problems with your rifle, it was onto giving the enemy some cold steel instead. Now I did smuggle my own pistol over there - homie wasn't going to go into combat with just one gun, but that's a different topic.

The SRK served me well. The suspender mount was a bit taci-cool, but you could get it out when you needed to quickly, without either digging into a pocket or a belt pouch for a folding knife, or fiddling around on your belt trying to reach for it. Worked great when you were seated in a truck or armored vehicle. It opened many an MRE, ammo pallet, shipping wrapping, and lots of other things during my time over there, and during my next 2 years or so in the Army. I've sharpened it a few times, and it always takes a nice edge.

It now has an honored place in my safe, and one I'll keep the rest of my days.


SRK___38C_SRK_jpg-2492980.JPG
 
As for others, I really don't remember anyone else in my company having anything neat or fancy. I was always the gun and knife and weapons guy, while most of the other guys kind of knew the M16's fired 22 caliber bullets, not that they were SS109 rounds, 62 grains with a steel core, etc.

I'd have swapped out knife tales with anyone who had anything neat, but don't remember such knife talk.

The SRK did a great job, and it's about the optimal military knife. Nice and pointy if you need some stabbing, nice curve at the front for slicing, good edge, and a solid sheath, all in a 75 dollar package.
 
In celebration of the eighth anniversary of the start of this thread, I've decided to discuss my own carry of Cold Steel into a combat zone. The reasons I had for not mentioning it sooner are mostly dispensed with, and the thread hasn't been updated in a long while, so this seems as good a time as any.

In the summer of 2005, I volunteered with my then-employer for a temporary duty assignment to Afghanistan. In preparing for my trip, naturally I thought long and hard about what knives to take. As voluntary TDY assignments were relatively new ground and the unit I was traveling for was bad about supplying relevant details, I was left to guess about a great deal of my equipment needs and some of the logistics of my trip. My biggest concern, knife-wise, was whether, as a civilian, I would be subjected to customs searches en route and therefore liable to have some (or all) of my knives confiscated by overzealous customs officials.

Strider was The Big Deal back then. (The lies about the knives and their makers were still flowing like water and hadn't been exposed yet.) So I bought a PT model, thinking its small size would pass through just about any country's customs search. But when the knife arrived, I found it too small, as well as too expensive for what it was. As I examined it, I thought, 'What could I do with this $300 PT that I couldn't accomplish with a $30 Gerber LST?' When I discovered that my employer wasn't funding any of my gear procurement (after I'd already bought a bunch of stuff, naturally!), that clinched it and I returned the PT.

Back to square one for a locking folder, I finally decided to take one of my Cold Steel Voyagers, a partially serrated Large Tanto model. I figured that it was inexpensive enough to not cry over if it was confiscated or I lost it somehow, small enough to not draw too much unwanted attention, and tough and sharp enough to tackle anything I could ask of a folder while also serving as a backup to my fixed blade.

For my fixed blade needs, I seriously considered taking a Cold Steel as well, giving preference to an SRK or Recon Tanto. But again, my concern over confiscation plagued me, especially in Afghanistan. I could deal with possibly giving up a quality folder, but the idea of having a combat knife siezed from me and then later potentially turned against me or my fellow countrymen on the battlefield was anathema. So I ended up taking a Frosts Mora instead.

As it turned out, my customs fears were unfounded. My passage through Europe was uneventful. And when I deplaned in Kabul, I was met on the tarmac by my country-wide commander, who introduced himself, shook my hand, and handed me my issue pistol and body armor before piling me and my travel companions into his vehicle to drive us to his office for our in-brief. Clearly this was a war zone, where administrative procedures were rightly discarded.

When I got to Bagram, where I was assigned, I eventually visited the base PX and discovered that it contained both SRKs and Recon Tantos for sale. I considered buying one to carry with me. But at the time it seemed like an unnecessary waste of money, as my primary duties were not exactly what I'd volunteered for and my excursions into the field would be few.

As it happened, I didn't need to buy another knife anyway. Roughly midway through my TDY, as I was cleaning out one of our vehicles, I found an SRK left behind under one of the seats. After determining that it didn't belong to anyone in my group and no one knew anything about where it came from, I threw it in my pack and it accompanied me for the rest of my tour. Thankfully, I never needed it for anything. (I didn't use my Mora for much, either. But that doesn't mean I wasn't glad to have it along.)

My Voyager served me well throughout my time in Afghanistan. I didn't end up demanding too much of it, just the typical knife chores. Toward the end of my TDY, I pulled it out to use for something and one of the guys on my task force expressed his admiration for it and offered to buy it from me. He was a Ranger and probably had need of a good folder, so I thought seriously about taking him up on his offer or just giving it to him. But that knife had been a constant companion during my entire time in-country and I just wasn't willing to part with it. In retrospect, I'm glad I kept it, as both it and the SRK are special to me now, reminders of a tough assignment that I hope made at least a small difference in preserving America's security.


So, that's the history. Here are the knives.

The found SRK. The custom camouflage job was already on the blade.

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My round-trip Voyager.

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-Steve
 
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