Cold Steel Outdoorsman

D

Deaf_Smith

Joined
Nov 7, 2019
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40
At a pawn shop I found this Cold Steel Outdoorsman.

It has stainless guard and pommel.

On the right side it says 'Made in Japan' (kind of faint) written across the blade right above the guard.

On the left is "OUTDOORSMAN" (in bold letters) and below that "by Cold Steel INC. Ventura CA". It is written across the blade near the spine.

The blade has some top serrations for one's thumb but.. the blade is sold along the top.

The black leather sheath has 'Japan' stamped on the back and the belt loop is riveted to the sheath. 4 rivets (all black).

So what is the age of this? It is not like the newer ones at all. And the steel?

It looks EXACTLY LIKE THIS ONE BELOW!

 
Deaf_Smith said:
At a pawn shop I found this Cold Steel Outdoorsman.

It has stainless guard and pommel.

On the right side it says 'Made in Japan' (kind of faint) written across the blade right above the guard.

On the left is "OUTDOORSMAN" (in bold letters) and below that "by Cold Steel INC. Ventura CA". It is written across the blade near the spine.

The blade has some top serrations for one's thumb but.. the blade is sold along the top.

The black leather sheath has 'Japan' stamped on the back and the belt loop is riveted to the sheath. 4 rivets (all black).

So what is the age of this? It is not like the newer ones at all. And the steel?

It looks EXACTLY LIKE THIS ONE BELOW!

Click to expand...
Early to mid 80s. The 1988 catalog has the next version with the bonebreaker spine. Steel is what they called "400 Series Stainless", so not sure what it really was, but probably same or close to the AUS8A that they changed to later.
 
Thanks! I paid $48 today for that knife! Yes.. tax included $48.43!

I wanted an Outdoorsman since .. well over 40 years! I do have an old CS Tanto... I modified a bit to use as a scuba knife. Still have it to (but there are some rust pits... the ocean is not a friend to any steel, even stainless!)
 
Deaf_Smith said:
Thanks! I paid $48 today for that knife! Yes.. tax included $48.43!

I wanted an Outdoorsman since .. well over 40 years! I do have an old CS Tanto... I modified a bit to use as a scuba knife. Still have it to (but there are some rust pits... the ocean is not a friend to any steel, even stainless!)
Click to expand...
Wow...great deal!:thumbsup:. Enjoy!
 
Deaf_Smith said:
Thanks! I paid $48 today for that knife! Yes.. tax included $48.43!

I wanted an Outdoorsman since .. well over 40 years! I do have an old CS Tanto... I modified a bit to use as a scuba knife. Still have it to (but there are some rust pits... the ocean is not a friend to any steel, even stainless!)
Click to expand...

You used a CS Tanto as a "Dive knife"?? I can only say...Wow!!!
 
tess_lawrie_fan said:
Could you kindly elaborate for this newbie why a Tanto knife would be a surprising choice for a Dive Knife? :thumbsup:
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Probably nothing wrong with using a tanto style knife as a dive knife, but using an old CS Tanto for that seems a bit crazy in hindsight, knowing how valuable they can be nowadays. Curious what mods were made to it, as one concern I would have is the salt water getting under the krayton and rusting the tang.
 
jlauffer said:
Probably nothing wrong with using a tanto style knife as a dive knife, but using an old CS Tanto for that seems a bit crazy in hindsight, knowing how valuable they can be nowadays. Curious what mods were made to it, as one concern I would have is the salt water getting under the krayton and rusting the tang.
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I have the same concern about the hidden tang. I don't like the idea of having water (of any kind) going there... Thanks for the explanation.
 
Dunno exactly what steel CS used as its '400 Series' but it is very tough and rust reisistant and takes a very fine edge -- speaking of my original tanto with the brass fittings. Never used it in combat but it's a great camp knife and also very handy for butchering big game -- the tanto tip shears through joints like a chisel and that nice long curved edge slices beautifully.
 
tess_lawrie_fan said:
Could you kindly elaborate for this newbie why a Tanto knife would be a surprising choice for a Dive Knife? :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

As a former scuba diver of many years I've seen alot of dive knives big and small. With just a few exceptions going back to the 50s/60s, dive knives generally follow two patterns; one is that they have at least some serration, sometimes an entire edge-because nothing cuts wet rope underwater as well as a serrated blade. And two, they do not have metal bolsters for the obvious reason that it's just another piece of steel prone to rust. I can add that they do often have pommels though, because sometimes when you need to get your dive buddy's attention you can tap your tank behind you. Dive knives are universally straight bladed as they are often used as tools for prying underwater. In fact because of this, some makers eventually disposed of the pointed tip entirely. The steel type has never needed to be based on edge retention, but rather corrosion resistance. And for this reason steels such as Aus6, 420j2 and Krupp 4116 variants are commonly used. Today there is at least one Titanium one which developed from the military need for a non-magnetic one. Bear in mind that "dive knives" are different from "spearfishing knives", the latter being more like daggers for quick kills. So, a CS Tanto "can" certaibly be used as a dive knife (as just about any knife can) but it was never designed for it.
 
Deaf_Smith is not the first person to mention using a Cold Steel Tanto as a diving knife on these pages. It was brought up once in one of my older threads, as well. But, like Ken, I'm always rather shocked by the choice to use the Tanto that way. I'm not a diver myself, but I recognize what divers need in a knife. I also know about knives and what sea water does to them.

To all the points that Ken raised about his surprise at someone diving with a Tanto, I'll add this. When Cold Steel's Tanto was taking the knife world by storm in the early 1980s, there were already multiple companies making dedicated dive knives. By far, the biggest were Wenoka

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and U.S. Divers.

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But Tekna

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and a lot of other companies offered dive models, as well.

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Even the Ontario MK 3 was supplied by the military as a dive knife at that time.

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In addition to being designed by divers (or at least with diver input) and made for diving applications, all of these knives were significantly less expensive than a Cold Steel Tanto. The Tanto has only ever been marketed as a fighting knife. Yet I marvel at the other roles to which owners have applied it.


Deaf_Smith, it sure sounds like you got a tremendous deal on a first-generation Outdoorsman. Congratulations! As John indicated, that knife was released in the mid-'80s. Based on my research, I believe it was 1985. If you get a chance, please share photos of your knife!


-Steve
 
tess_lawrie_fan said:
I'm not a huge fan of half-serrated blades, but I would make an exception to that Tekna at any time. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Actually, Tekna (Tektite Industries) still exists and still sells the Ocean Edge model for a remarkably reasonable price. I met the owner at Blade two years ago and he's a very nice man. He's slowly-but-surely bringing the brand back with many of the great knives it pioneered all those decades ago.

nephron said:
Got mine so long ago, can't remember, '70's or '80's.

View attachment 1657763View attachment 1657764View attachment 1657765
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Beautiful! I loved that original from the first moment I saw it in a catalog as a kid! It was too expensive and hard to find, though, so it took me over a decade to finally buy one, and by that time they'd changed the design just slightly. If memory serves, yours is from the very early 1980s. I recall the ad touting the molybdenum/vanadium elements in the steel as giving it better stain resistance and edge-holding properties. Thanks for the pictures and the stroll down Memory Lane!


-Steve
 
So the holes are there only to alleviate the weight?

I'm glad it's still in production and I'm glad the owner is a nice man. The blade is made in Italy now.

I don't dive and I don't collect knives, but I'd like to buy this "Ocean Edge" someday.
 
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