Ever heard of GSM Outdoors? They just bought Cold steel.

DocJD said:
I actually do agree with this !

Explains a lot of the weirdness near the end .

Like LT claiming they couldn't find any A2 to meet their high standards , but had found some really great 4034SS ?

I knew right then SOMETHING was bad wrong .
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DocJD said:
:eek: Think I finally understand the purpose of that whole thread .

It was designed to be insulting and inflammatory , for the very purpose of provoking an extremely negative response .

LT never wanted to see a cheap stainless on his special babies , (Trail Master , etc ) but was being pressured to do just that .

So he crafted a negative sales pitch , knowing exactly how it would be received by fans on BF .

He wanted to show that this was not a good decision for the new owners to push forward , while appearing to cooperate .

One clue is that the mod introduced the thread by saying " I've got on my flame suit " ( something like that ) .

Some people seem to think LT is stupid or incompetent at marketing . Just the opposite . Hell of a salesman .
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It's very possible that the reason for selling, the steel change, and the statements about GSM's superior "resources" are all related. With no evidence that LT just lied about the steel testing gratuitously, it could just be that CS was strapped for cash and the only vendors who could hit their price-point couldn't provide acceptable quality steel.
 
not2sharp said:
That would be an upgrade for the forums. We should have a shrink available online to conduct group therapy. Now where can we get a really big virtual couch?

n2s
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:thumbsup: Like that old quote :)
We are living through interesting times for sure.
 
spoonrobot said:
You don't know, what you don't know.
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Do explain...

Show me the knife factory. Are the people making cold steel knives employed by Cold Steel? Errr, were they?

Or is it that you are unclear on what it means to be a maker of something?

Again, do explain...
 
SALTY said:
I own, carry and use Cold Steel knives - have for a long time; I like them.
I own and ride Harley Davidson motorcycles - have for a long time; I like them.
I watched this CS video and feel less fulfilled than I did mere moments before watching it.


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The video was likely written by a metrosexual for a metrosexual; at least for someone who likes to makes choices based entirely on emotional appeal. If you are like me, that is not how we view knives. We see them mostly as tools, perhaps as weapons, but in no way as a thing that we want to build an emotional bond with. A good knife for us is simply a good and reliable tool.

n2s
 
The whole Lynn doesn't have a knife factory is shruggable. Most of the small to mid ranged knife companies subcontracted, that's how it was done. Up until a few years ago, most of Spyderco's line was subcontracted. Also people seem not to give Lynn credit for pumping a good bit of money into US based subcontracting from the 80's through the early 2000's. Buck, Western, Ontario, Camillus, even Ka-Bar had work given to them by Lynn.
 
tltt said:
The whole Lynn doesn't have a knife factory is shruggable. Most of the small to mid ranged knife companies subcontracted, that's how it was done. Up until a few years ago, most of Spyderco's line was subcontracted. Also people seem not to give Lynn credit for pumping a good bit of money into US based subcontracting from the 80's through the early 2000's. Buck, Western, Ontario, Camillus, even Ka-Bar had work given to them by Lynn.
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I'm not judging either way. Just stating a fact. It is one of the reasons that a sale like this is much different than say, CRK or Spyderco or Benchmade selling to a massive conglomerate. GSM for the most part bought a brand. With no factory, or machines, or labor force involved, this is very different. Much easier for GSM to hide the cutting of corners, IMO.
 
tltt said:
The whole Lynn doesn't have a knife factory is shruggable. Most of the small to mid ranged knife companies subcontracted, that's how it was done. Up until a few years ago, most of Spyderco's line was subcontracted. Also people seem not to give Lynn credit for pumping a good bit of money into US based subcontracting from the 80's through the early 2000's. Buck, Western, Ontario, Camillus, even Ka-Bar had work given to them by Lynn.
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Yeah, I wonder how much that helped out those companies' bottom line. Couldn't hurt I suppose.

Apparently wasn't enough for Camillus to keep the doors open, though. Damn the luck.

Now that's a manufacturer I really was hurt over losing.
 
Not everyone is aware of transition, not everyone knows a lot about steel, those people will buy Sold Steel without second thought.

Also, GSM is counting on our loyalty to cash in on us too.

That's why Lynn is so nice and talks so big about them.
And that's why they suddenly wrote warranty in a way that looks nicer (I say looks on purpose).
And that's why they ask us what model we want back.

They'll gloriously ressurect some legendary knife in their groundbreaking 4034 carbon steel...
Expect them at your nearby gas station! And bring some scissors or a knife to open that blister pack!
 
Velitrius said:
Yeah, I wonder how much that helped out those companies' bottom line. Couldn't hurt I suppose.

Apparently wasn't enough for Camillus to keep the doors open, though. Damn the luck.

Now that's a manufacturer I really was hurt over losing.
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They were going to start a Walter Brend collaboration line the year they closed, still wish we saw that happen. The Brend collaboration prototype is still floating around somewhere, it was lost during the shutdown.
 
OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
It's very possible that the reason for selling, the steel change, and the statements about GSM's superior "resources" are all related. With no evidence that LT just lied about the steel testing gratuitously, it could just be that CS was strapped for cash and the only vendors who could hit their price-point couldn't provide acceptable quality steel.
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I don't think LT lied , per se . But he really put together the worst sales pitch of all time , on purpose . Just read the response ! :p

This also explains why LT is now appearing only in "hostage videos " and they have zero presence on their own subforum here .
 
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DocJD said:
They might try .

Won't work for long .

Cold Steel is a brand people love to personally proof test . Probably due to CS proof videos .

These days of YouTube etc , the word will be out almost immediately .
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I'm pretty sure 4034 will survive the meat-boot test.

DocJD said:
I don't think LT lied , per se . But he really put together the worst sales pitch of all time . Just read the response ! :p
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There are multiple posts in this thread and the one on the steel switch basically saying the story about testing A2 steel from two vendors is made-up to justify using a lesser steel. That would mean LT lied in a totally gratuitous post on BF. While I agree he did a miserable job of trying to placate the BF horde on the choice of 4034 as a replacement, the underlying reason for moving away from A2 was questioned just as much as the new steel choice. Without more information, questioning the man's integrity regarding the basis for changing is unwarranted, though questioning his judgment regarding choice of "replacement" steel is still reasonable.
 
I still find it most interesting that despite the resources this new company GSM has available, no one has appeared here to directly interact with the Cold Steel fans. Letting things "cool down" before making an appearance here and engaging could be a fatal marketing move for their new Sold Steel brand...
 
evltcat said:
I still find it most interesting that despite the resources this new company GSM has available, no one has appeared here to directly interact with the Cold Steel fans. Letting things "cool down" before making an appearance here and engaging could be a fatal marketing move for their new Sold Steel brand...
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That's not how any of this works. The people at GSM are "money guys" and the fans they are going to engage with are their investors.

For questions or reassurances about Cold Steel would come from one of the two people now who are remaining employees.
 
I'm thinking optimistically here, I know we already see hints of what is to come, but humor me for a moment.

Let's say a knowledgeable and humble person is put at the head of the new Cold Steel and is given nearly free reign. They see from the buzz around the internet that the market is not full of clueless fools, they truly listen, and product quality is maintained.

Maybe they do shift focus and produce more good quality budget offerings, that's where the money is anyways, so as long as they aren't junk I can understand. It would be good for the company's reputation to maintain some high end products aimed at the enthusiast, even if they aren't that profitable there are intangible benefits. It might take a few more years than expected to hit their goals with a smaller profit margin, but afterward they will be able to sell a company with a good reputation for a very hefty sum to someone else, and in the end literally everyone wins and is happy.

Probably not going to happen, these companies usually don't care who they trample in the quest for a dollar, but if GSM proves me wrong and actually cares about product over profits I'll eat crow.
 
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not2sharp said:
The video was likely written by a metrosexual for a metrosexual; at least for someone who likes to makes choices based entirely on emotional appeal. If you are like me, that is not how we view knives. We see them mostly as tools, perhaps as weapons, but in no way as a thing that we want to build an emotional bond with. A good knife for us is simply a good and reliable tool.

n2s
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I could understand relating to a tool you have had for many years, or holds some special meaning to you, or even something that you worked hard to get. For example, the traditional section is full of people (myself included), who have knives that they cherish for a multitude of reasons, and they even go so far as to describe the “soul” that these blades have.

However, I personally would not consider Cold Steel knives as part of that. I have sentimental knives that I hold dear to my heart, but for me Cold Steel was the exact opposite of that- they were hard use tools that I could appreciate in function and style.

I hope that this new company at least realizes the potential opportunity in making QUALITY knives. Even though they were relatively affordable, Cold Steel was not a brand that made “disposable goods”.
 
tltt said:
They were going to start a Walter Brend collaboration line the year they closed, still wish we saw that happen. The Brend collaboration prototype is still floating around somewhere, it was lost during the shutdown.
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Dang. I thought I was bummed about it before.

Of course, I won't touch the new Camillus stuff... and I guess I'm hoping that Cold Steel doesn't end up like today's Camillus or Schrade.

Now whenever I'm in a pawn shop I'm gonna keep an eye peeled for a Camillus Brend proto.
 
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