Coldsteel: Made in Taiwan, or Ventura CA?

A

alan aragon

Joined
Dec 10, 2003
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i recently stopped by the local knife shop ("king of knives") at the oaks mall in southern cali. i looked at a cold steel tanto, the 9" blade, i think it was.. anyway, to my surprise, it stated on the blade that it was made in taiwan. not only that, but the grinds were uneven, and the quality was noticably inferior to what i'm used to. it looked like a $60 knife priced at $160. right next to it was a recon tanto made in ventura, CA.

any cold steel heads know what this might be about? there's probably a simple answer for this, but the offices are running their answering machine at the moment.
 
Originally posted by averageguy
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=285540
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^^hmmm... helps a little bit, but still a lot's unexplained to me.

in the end, i hope i don't end up wishing i got one of cold steel's original high-quality tantos while they were still readily available in stores.

comes to show you that you gotta grab stuff before they get sourced out to cheapville.. maybe i'm wrong with the case of the high-quality cold steel tantos of yore. i hope i am.
 
The Cold Steel knives made with Carbon V are contracted to Camillus in New York. The Cold Steel knives made with AUS-10, AUS-8A, and stainless San Mai are made in Japan. The Cold Steel knives with Sub-Zero 420 and 400 are made in sunny Republic of China, Taiwan, and Formosa <grin/>, and I believe that many of their swords are made in PROC (Murdering Commie B@st@rds China). I've heard that some of their swords are or were made in India and I have no idea who does their Bushmasters, spears, or 'hawks.
 
Did it have a rubber guard? If so, the only 9 inch tanto by Cold Steel with a rubber guard is the Oyabun and the suggested retail is about $100.00 but most catalogs have it for much less. http://www.knivesplus.com/CS-19BT-Cold-Steel.HTML I've not really looked at many Cold Steel products in stores in the past couple years so things might have changes, but the last time I checked to regular tantos were still made in Japan and better quality than those made in Taiwan. You can get far better knives than an Oyabun for $160.00. If you are looking for a large fighter, for $160.00 you can get an Ontario Bagwell Bowie http://www.1sks.com/store/ontario-bill-bagwell-bowie-the-fortress.html . If you want a CS Tanto the Recon Tanto http://www.knivesplus.com/CS-13RTK-Cold-Steel.HTML is carbon steel and made in the USA. It is a little shorter than the Oyabun but has a much better blade.
 
yes, it was in fact the oyabun that i looked at, whose workmanship was really poor. this one was made in taiwan. even the ventura-made recon tanto seemed to be hastily manufactured.

i remember when they had the standard tanto & magnum tanto, i think both were available with stainless steel guards (at least the magnnum was). this was back in the late 80's/early 90's i think.. anyway, they were crafted to the "t" once upon a time, for anyone who remembers.
 
Never saw them, or most other knives, back then, but I did see a knife from back then recently. Crazy Tom brought an old-school Cold Steel tanto with his Society for Creative Anachronism gear to a Lameco seminar. That knife was solid and I believe the pommel was brass. Como se di se "sweet"?

Another good place to buy your Cold Steel products is Wholesale Hunter. In the posted link, only the Oyabun is made with Sub-Zero 420. The rest are AUS-9A or San Mai.
 
Originally posted by thombrogan
Never saw them, or most other knives, back then, but I did see a knife from back then recently. Crazy Tom brought an old-school Cold Steel tanto with his Society for Creative Anachronism gear to a Lameco seminar. That knife was solid and I believe the pommel was brass. Como se di se "sweet"?

Another good place to buy your Cold Steel products is Wholesale Hunter. In the posted link, only the Oyabun is made with Sub-Zero 420. The rest are AUS-9A or San Mai.
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mucho dulce, amigo..

infinite gracias thom.
 
I just found this sight today,have been looking for sometime for a
great knife sight.

My first knife was a Cold Steel Recon 1 folder.
After reading about the steels they use I went back to check on mine,
they say it is made from 440 stainless sub zero and that it is made in Japan.

I guess it doesn't much matter because shortly after buying it I found out that if I got caught with it in my pocket I would get a free
ride in the back of a cop car,seeing it has a 4" blade and all.:D

Thanks to whoever put up this sight.
 
Anderson,

Welcome to Bladeforums!

This site is hosted by One Stop Knife Shop.

If you're looking for a similar knife to your Recon-1, but you're able to handle 440C and American production, check out Benchmade's Griptillian and Mini-Griptillian series. Actually, everything Mel Pardue makes for Benchmade (he designed the Griptillian series) is under 3.5".

For a lot more cutting efficiency, but for less money than a Recon-1 or Griptillian, Spyderco has a limited run of their Calypso Jr. It can be found online from several reputable dealers for around $42. Its blade is 2.875", but its cutting power is a lot more.
 
My friend bought a Cold Steel Recon after being "sold" on the Cold Steel product by a dealer showing the videos. The sample Cold Steel Recon was made in Japan. The one he recieved was made in Taiwan. I've gotten Cold Steel knives with a flat (read: FLAT) edge.
Cold Steel's forte is marketing, not quality control. In the same price range, you can pick up a Benchmade or a Spyderco. Always been satisfied with these.

Diablero

P.S. The Hawks are made in Taiwan (Formosa :)) and come with an edge like a brick. Damn, why didn't I save the $$$ and go with ATC?!
 
Originally posted by alan aragon
yes, it was in fact the oyabun that i looked at, whose workmanship was really poor. this one was made in taiwan. even the ventura-made recon tanto seemed to be hastily manufactured.
Click to expand...

$160 for an Oyabun is outrageous. Mine cost $50 and I feel like I was ripped off.
 
Originally posted by swingshot
$160 for an Oyabun is outrageous. Mine cost $50 and I feel like I was ripped off.
Click to expand...
true. the mall is definitely a good place to get ripped off buying knives, so i limit my mall purchases to tuff-glide & militec.

btw, i'm glad to know that the impeccable san mai tantos by cold steel are still available on the secondary market (i'm guessing they're out of production since they aren't on the cold steel site?!).

diablero - that's true about the obayun, but i found another good link - in addition to the one provided by thom - for the tantos i want:

http://store.knifecenter.com/pgi-Cu...o Knives,2,16,=,cs,&,157,=,fixed,&,60,=,tanto

hoo-rah...!
 
Thombrogan: Thanks for the welcome and the advice.
I have bought two different Browning knives to replace the Recon,but I am now somewhat addicted to knives,so I am looking at adding one of the Benchmades to my collection.Thanks again.

I have heard lots of pros and cons regarding Cold Steel.
They seem to be the one that everyone loves to hate.:D
I am vey happy with my Recon,it is the first knife that I ever bought
that I could actually shave with.Great knife for only $60.00
 
You're welcome, Anderson.

Cold Steel makes some very great products, and their owner is often quick to give credit where it's due, even if it means shelling out the big bucks. Where he ties the proverbial pogo-stick to the end of his genitals and does the Tigger dance is in the over-promotion of his products and attack on his competitors. There's a certain sense that Mr. Thompson never listened to Kenny Roger's "The Gambler".

For under $60, but just as slick as the Recon-1, go with any Benchmade Griptillian. For less than a Griptillian in price, but among the best cutters at any price, go for Spyderco's Calypso Jr. (while available) and their Delica. Their Native and Native III are very popular, too, as superb, precision cutters with reasonable prices.

Careful with the addiction. We're talking some of the $40-60 folders now, but you'll end up buying or pining for Mayo TnT's, Stiders of all stripes, Sebenzas, and knives that don't exist yet. It's sick, sad, and without sympathy.
 
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