Has the CS Chaos line been a failed series?... IMO, yes, I believe so...

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

Joined
Aug 4, 2013
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So, I'm not saying that every model in the Cold Steel series has been a poor seller, but I do believe that the series as a whole, has been.

The Chaos double edged dagger seems to have been a good seller for Cold Steel, and is still being offered.
But, the Tanto, Kukri, and the Stiletto models in that series didn't stay around too long before they discontinued them. The Chaos Bowie model seems to still be holding on, although I highly doubt it approaches anywhere near what the yearly sales of the Chaos double edged dagger.
Then there's the 2021 release of the Chaos Push Knife/Dagger model, which may already be pretty dead in demand and sales of it.
Of course this is just my opinion of all this, but one based on what seems to be pretty obvious.

My prediction is this... I highly doubt that any more Chaos models will enter the series, and likely that the Bowie version will go Do-Do Bird as well, which would possibly leave the Chaos double edged dagger as the only survivor of it's breed.
 
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I have these four Cold Steel Chaos models in my collection, strictly kept as collectables...



I do wish that Cold Steel would have used an aluminum handle and steel striker studs for the Chaos Push Knife/Dagger, (instead of using a plastic handle and plastic striker knobs).
The cheapening of these areas are, imo, almost instant nails in the coffin for this latest, and likely last, of the Chaos series offerings.
 
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I think they were just too broad in trying to sell them, and the numbers bear it out. Just too many models for such a narrow market. I'm surprised the Tanto version didn't sell well, but I can see why the stiletto, kukri, and push dagger were/are slow. I also think times were relatively peaceful for the introduction of a new knuckle knife series. Modern knuckle knives seem to do best when it looks like a country is gearing up for war, then after a bit, the market flattens out.

I really wish they tried a true 1918 replica through their Windlass/Indian venture. You'd get interest from historical collectors, plus the bump up in quality from Cold Steel being involved. I think it would've been a win-win.
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
I have these four Cold Steel Chaos models in my collection, strictly kept as collectables...



I do wish that Cold Steel would have used an aluminum handle and steel striker studs for the Chaos Push Knife/Dagger, (instead of using a plastic handle and plastic striker knobs).
The cheapening of these areas are, imo, almost instant nails in the coffin for this latest, and likely last, of the Chaos series offerings.
Click to expand...
Chaos under glass on display is great idea ! :cool:

Using to equip to join an old school biker gang ...not so good . :eek:
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
I have these four Cold Steel Chaos models in my collection, strictly kept as collectables...


12"
I do wish that Cold Steel would have used an aluminum handle and steel striker studs for the Chaos Push Knife/Dagger, (instead of using a plastic handle and plastic striker knobs).
The cheapening of these areas are, imo, almost instant nails in the coffin for this latest, and likely last, of the Chaos series offerings.
Click to expand...
Shoot I would carry those on occasion. Magnum Tanto XII carried sometimes too and the Taipan.
 
tltt said:
I think they were just too broad in trying to sell them, and the numbers bear it out. Just too many models for such a narrow market. I'm surprised the Tanto version didn't sell well, but I can see why the stiletto, kukri, and push dagger were/are slow. I also think times were relatively peaceful for the introduction of a new knuckle knife series. Modern knuckle knives seem to do best when it looks like a country is gearing up for war, then after a bit, the market flattens out.

I really wish they tried a true 1918 replica through their Windlass/Indian venture. You'd get interest from historical collectors, plus the bump up in quality from Cold Steel being involved. I think it would've been a win-win.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I could see the CS 1918 Trench Knife reproduction idea being pretty cool, but... Windlass Steelcrafts actually has that out under their own brand. If I remember correctly, it's actually quite pricey, especially having been made in India.






PS.
I just looked up the Windlass Steelcrafts 1918 Trench Knife, the pricing seems to be at the one hundred fifty dollars range.
As for the customer reviews, they are pretty mixed, but enough reported negative issues that makes that 150 dollar pricing not worth it, (imo).

As you said, if Lynn Thompson's Cold Steel were behind it, there would likely have been a certain amount of uptick in it's quality, since I too have noticed that Windlass Steelcrafts gives a bit more attention to items they have made for Cold Steel over their own branded items.
 
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Well, my decision on whether or not I would continue buying some more of Cold Steel's products, (before the new owners possibly start cutting some of those products out), was made.
The decision is to add in a few more of what I feel are most likely to go DoDo Bird, and that I would likely kick myself for not getting while the getting was still good.
My first order, (placed yesterday), for this continued pursuit of such items, was for the Chaos Double Edged Trench Knife.



I currently own four of the six models in the Chaos series, they being the following:

*Chaos Kukri
*Chaos Stiletto
*Chaos Tanto
*Chaos Push Knife

Now with my having placed an order for the Chaos Double Edged Trench Knife, the Chaos Bowie will likely be one of my next upcoming orders, just to have the entire series in my collection.
The Chaos Bowie is currently out of stock at my preferred online vendor, but they still have it on their list of incoming products, so I will wait until they return to back in stock status and then place my order in for one.



The Chaos series knives that I currently own are simply a part of my collecting hobby, and getting the rest of that series is just to add them all to that collection.

I am hoping that the Double Edged Trench Knife & Bowie specimens now coming out from the new GSM owned Cold Steel are still to the same specs as they have been. I mean, I imagine the handle and blade materials are the same as they've been, (SK5 carbon steel blade & aluminum handguard), but I hope the striking knobs are still made of steel, not plastic like on the Chaos Push Knife 🤞
I'd return them if that winds up being the case.

The Chaos series tang, based on this pic floating around somewhere online, seems to be a well thought out design.
They are pretty wide, and have rounded corners, (no built in stress risers) 👍



I could be wrong, but I truly feel that the Chaos series will no longer continue being in their upcoming catalog(s).
While the Double Edged Trench Knife seems to have been a decent seller for CS, it seems they too may have run their course in sales.
All of them will likely wind up being pretty cool collectables that one can hold onto for reasons of posterity.

My plan, for now, is to finish getting the full Chaos series into my collection, and then ponder what else, if anything, will be added onto my "I should get" list 😊

PS.
I will make sure to come back to this posting and share my pictures and opinions about the incoming Double Edged Chaos when I receive it, (hopefully sometime next week).
The vendor only got them back in recently, so I imagine that it will have the new Cold Steel logo on it's blade that GSM is now using, maybe along with new markings/company information on the product's packaging.

One thing I will certainly inspect and report back here on, will be on the knife's striker knobs. Up until know, and still listed as being on the Cold Steel website, is it's blade being made of SK-5 Carbon Steel, an aluminum handle, and a steel striker knob.
So, I will look to to see if my incoming specimen has it's blade marked with the SK-5 steel designation. I will also see if the handle is still aluminum, and the striker knob still made of steel.
With the latest Chaos offering, (the Chaos Push Knife), having plastic striker knobs, it has me concerned that Cold Steel, (under GSM ownership), may try slipping in such a cost cutting shortcut onto the Chaos Double Edged Trench Knife. I mean, it is unlikely that they did that to it, but I will check and report back here on it.

I'm thinking that the Cold Steel Chaos Push Knife was designed from the get go to have the plastic striker knobs. It was already a big departure from the previous models in the Chaos series by being designed with a polymer handle, so it's not a stretch that they designed it to have the plastic striker knobs too. If all this was planned as such, then it means it was done while Lynn Thompson was still at the company's helm, and would not have been a feature that GSM had chosen.
In any case, I believe the Chaos Push Knife being made with a plastic handle and plastic knobs, was a big mistake if what they wanted was a sales winner for the company.
Mark my words, the new for 2021 Cold Steel Chaos Push Knife will not be a product they continue to make during 2022.
If they even bother listing it in their 2022 catalog, it will only be because they would want to get their remaining inventory of them sold and behind them.
 
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The Santopane rubber trainer version of the Chaos double edge dagger is still available, as is the FGX Nightshade version of the Chaos stiletto.
I don't know if these non-metallic versions will be collectible, but I doubt they will still be produced after the rest of the Chaos series are dropped.
 
I believe Knifecenter contributes to BladefForums, so... I'm going ahead with mentioning the following...
My latest order for a Chaos Double Edged Trench Knife was done via Knifecenter. That said, it is being sold in their "specials" category, which is usually equal to meaning Knifecenter "clearance".
I got a gut feeling that the last batch of these Chaos knives that made it here from overseas, are likely the last ones that will be coming in. The fact that Knifecenter has them in their "specials" (clearance) section, likely means that Cold Steel offered them a good price on a final bulk order transaction. Knifecenter is good for doing that... Getting good bulk closeout deals from the manufacturers, and then passing the deal on by offering those products at a savings price to their customers.
That's what I believe is going on with the Chaos Trench Knife, and if so, that almost certainly means no more Chaos models will be offered in the upcoming Cold Steel catalogs. I mean, the Chaos Trench was their best seller in that series, and if that goes, then the Chaos Bowie and Chaos Push Knife will likely be disappearing as well.
It's just my guess, but my seeing similar deals at Knifecenter before, that does seem to be the pattern.
So, if you were thinking of maybe adding one to your collection, now may be the best time to do so.
And, as a bonus, the few bucks less they are currently being sold at, would make them nice stocking stuffers for that special someone you have that may really appreciate such a cool gadget. There are supposed to be major shortages of products for this Christmas season, so this may be a good sure way to grab a few gifts while the getting is still good 😊🎄👍
 
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While I wait for my incoming Chaos Double Edged Trench Knife to arrive to me this week, I've been thinking about the Chaos Bowie and why it reminds me of another knife.
Well, while I was wiping down a few of my collection's items this morning, I realized that what seems a bit familiar to me about the Chaos Bowie, is that it's blade kind'a/sort'a has some visual traits that liken it to Ontario's SP-10 Bowie Knife.
I mean, no, obviously not identical... But, if the SP-10 had a similar handle as the Chaos Bowie, they really would visually compare in many ways...





The blade shapes and high saber grinds are similar. Both have a black coating for their blade finishes.
Blade steels are fairly comparable, with the Chaos being made of SK-5 (which is close to being 1085 carbon steel), and the SP10 now made out of 1075 carbon steel (they made them out of 1095 in the past).

Two differences that are pretty apparent, is that the Chaos has a slightly longer blade, while the SP10 has the thicker blade (it being about 1/4" thick).

I even think that someone a bit crafty, could likely take an Ontario SP-10 blade and fit a Chaos handle to it. Both incorporate similar stick type tangs.
 
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ChuteTheMall said:
Chaos 23 oz vs SP 10 34 oz claimed weight per google, assumed to be without sheaths but who really knows?
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I did a quick google search for the SP10 weight, found a site listing it as 625 grams, (just over 22 ounces)... Dunno

But, even if it is roughly 22 oz, if it had a Chaos handle, instead of the Kraton, it would quickly approach that 30 or so ounce weight 😆
 
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Well, I received my Cold Steel Chaos Double Edged Trench Knife today.
Just another cool addition to my "interesting objects collection" 👍😊👍





The blade is marked as still being in the SK-5 steel 👍

The handle is still made of the cast aluminum 👍

And, the striker knob is still made of steel 👍

In other words, all still seems very much legit 👍

Visually speaking, all of the Chaos series specimens I have obtained thus far, have all been very well executed 👍👍
 
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I had discussed on these forums before concerning the 'Nut-n-fancy' video where he breaks a Cold Steel Chaos Double Edged Trench knife blade while smacking at some shale rocks. The test was done again using a replacement knife in a later video, and that blade survived the abuse, but he did manage to break yet another Chaos blade, (this time a Tanto version), in another video.
Now, to re-visit that discussion, I remember him saying that where he thought the issue was, was not that the steel or it's heat treatment was bad, but rather that the blade being installed into the metal handle, causes major vibrations that have no place to go. He may have something with that guess. I remember those videos, and him whacking some other model knives, (Cold Steel and other brands), and none sounded like the Chaos getting whacked.
The sound the Chaos gave with every whack was a distinct "TINK, TINK, TINK" with each and every hit.
I think the quality and the knife's materials, especially for their price range, are more than acceptable.
But, the steel blade's tang being inserted and tightly joined as one with the metal handle, may be that "Achilles Heel" in the Chaos series design. Again, that "TINK" sound it made during those hard whacks against stone, was a much different sound than the other knives made when they got put through that hard test.

One of his videos shows the replacement Chaos he received, after breaking the first Chaos Double Edged one, being run through the same unrealistic testing again, (this one's blade managing to survive it).
If you watch it, listen for that "Tink" sound, it sorta makes you cringe hearing it with each whack... Eeek!
They also put the handle through a crazy hard test, and although it does end up cracking the handle, it does a decent job when one considers the unrealistic testing.

If you click onto the "watch on youtube" below, it will take you to the video...

 
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Btw... I was perusing one of the big online vendor's websites this morning, and ran across their new selling price for their 2021 Chaos Push Knife... 22 bucks and some change! 😱
So, even if you don't care for that model's specs having a synthetic handle and striker nut, if you want it as simply a collectable, now's the time to get an awesome price!
The price further goes to hint that it's likely to be a 2021 only offering, and that it's likely already been placed on the chopping block, (discontinued), list for Cold Steel.

 
I was able to find this online vendor offering the Chaos Push Dagger at that low price. It sure wasn't any of the internet knife retailers, which are selling it in the $50 range, give or take a few bucks. However, this online vendor is claiming the blade is AUS-10A, whereas the knife retailers list it as SK-5. They also claim the blade is polished, though the picture they have is of course the black blade. Nice discount, but is it the real deal? Or is somebody at this online vendor asleep at the wheel?
 
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