Please fix your blade grind Cold Steel

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insta9ves

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Since the focus for 2015 seems to be the "Quality", i shall post it here for your visibility.

I just received my new Code 4 Spear Point and I'm beyond disappointed, Cold Steel. You would think the new XHP model would have better quality, but compared to my AUS8A Code 4, the new XHP blade grind is POS. For those who says you can fix it by re-profiling the edge, NO! For the 1000th time mentioned, it's not the cutting edge that is off ground(even though that happens 9 out of 10 times anyways), it is the BLADE STOCK, that is being ground unevenly.

My new XHP Code 4 for example, the blade stock is 3.5mm, but when you look at the blade, edge facing you, the edge looks like there is 2mm on the right side and 1.5mm on the left side relative to the blade stock. Also, the spine area, where the flat meets the curve, instead of a straight line, i get small waves, like the grinder moved deeper in the middle of grinding. The new more wear resistance XHP steel probably magnify this issue even further.

My new XHP American Lawman has very severe off grind as well, where the flat part on the right is 3-4mm longer that the left side towards the tip.

I'm beyond disappointed, considering that all 4 of my new CS knives acquired this month have off grind! Code 4 XHP and Lawman XHP was particularly bad considering that they are my favorite.

These should never have passed QC. Fix them Cold Steel!
 
Did you even try to contact them to help fix your problem before ranting in their forum?

Pics?
 
My 2015 Ultimate Hunter has asymetrical grind lines as well. I have seen other people comment about the grind being off on theirs as well. It seems fairly common on the knives. I still think the knives are an amazing value, just not perfect. I like my ultimate hunter and plan on buying more.
 
jobasha11 said:
Did you even try to contact them to help fix your problem before ranting in their forum?

Pics?
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No pic needed, im sure they are well aware of this, as there have been multiple reports. Just want to get the message across. Definitely wont stop me from buying, wont stop disappointing as well.
 
shootist16 said:
My 2015 Ultimate Hunter has asymetrical grind lines as well. I have seen other people comment about the grind being off on theirs as well. It seems fairly common on the knives. I still think the knives are an amazing value, just not perfect. I like my ultimate hunter and plan on buying more.
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I must respectfully disagree.

Commonplace or not, "good value" or not - if a person's spending good money on a knife that is supposed to be symmetrical but 'some' are and 'some' are not......then there's something wrong and the QC is not catching it. This is not a case where a customer is going to a custom knife maker and getting something they knowingly will be different from another. It's custom...and therefore is APT to be different from another of the same "model." CS knives are, for the most part, mass produced products.

If the blade is supposed to be symmetrical and it isn't...."good value" is immaterial UNLESS it's sold as a "second" or a 'custom/1-off build.' The blade isn't right and if the company [any company, not just Cold Steel....and not just knife companies] is selling the item with flaws, they [the company] needs to fix the issue and make it right by the customer.

Various sources reveal this knife to sell between $105.80 and $189.99. What you and I consider a "value" may differ greatly and if a customer is spending ^^that^^ kind of money on something, it should be the same thing from product to product.

If you are buying a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee that has a whopping 23 miles on it for $38,000 and your spouse notices the hood is misaligned by the factory.....are you going to be happy with that or are you going to push the issue to have it made right?

Don't get me wrong shootist...I'm not trying to cause an issue.......rather....I'm trying to be a 3rd party / impartial voice of reason.
 
druid189 said:
I must respectfully disagree.

Commonplace or not, "good value" or not - if a person's spending good money on a knife that is supposed to be symmetrical but 'some' are and 'some' are not......then there's something wrong and the QC is not catching it. This is not a case where a customer is going to a custom knife maker and getting something they knowingly will be different from another. It's custom...and therefore is APT to be different from another of the same "model." CS knives are, for the most part, mass produced products.

If the blade is supposed to be symmetrical and it isn't...."good value" is immaterial UNLESS it's sold as a "second" or a 'custom/1-off build.' The blade isn't right and if the company [any company, not just Cold Steel....and not just knife companies] is selling the item with flaws, they [the company] needs to fix the issue and make it right by the customer.

Various sources reveal this knife to sell between $105.80 and $189.99. What you and I consider a "value" may differ greatly and if a customer is spending ^^that^^ kind of money on something, it should be the same thing from product to product.

If you are buying a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee that has a whopping 23 miles on it for $38,000 and your spouse notices the hood is misaligned by the factory.....are you going to be happy with that or are you going to push the issue to have it made right?

Don't get me wrong shootist...I'm not trying to cause an issue.......rather....I'm trying to be a 3rd party / impartial voice of reason.
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Very well said Druid, couldn't have put it better.

I love CS, the design, the lock, the company, even the AUS 8A steel is totally fine with me. I'm a CS fanboy, not a hater, anybody can tell from my very short post history here. I just couldn't stand this QC issue, and i have experienced this since i started buying CS in 2010. 4 out of 4 American Lawmans had very off grind, the variance is big between same model as well. Also happened to 3 out of 5 Recon 1 over the last 5 years. Some may say that this is just the number i made up, or that I'm being OCD, but whoever has a big collection of CS folder can testify. You prob don't need to have a collection to notice this.

Price is definitely not the issue here, i've seen many $30 kershaw not having this issue, also not on many cheap models which are all produced outside the USA. It all boils down to poor tolerance between their grinders producing big variance, maybe some of them are more worn than the others. Slight variation is obviously acceptable, but not to this level.

The feeling of suspense whether you will get another uneven ground blade everytime you open a new CS package is not a good one.
 
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One problem with the blade grind problems that our coming out is that it raises questions about other issues. If they can't or will not QC something as obvious as a badly ground blade then some will start to wonder about things they can't see like heat treatment.
 
I hope this isn't an issue with the 4-max... I'm looking forward to that knife so much. I mean logically it shouldn't be an issue since it is a totally different operation and production facility so hopefully they'll monitor this internally, but if cold steel's QC is lacking there is always a chance something can slip through.
 
I have the Code 4 clip point in XHP. The grind doesn't look too bad, though there is some curving and slight inconsistency along the bottom of the flat. Not really enough to bother me though. If the blade has a crappy grind, I wouldn't hesitate to send it back. CS has created excitement and high expectations with the changeover to XHP. They don't want to blow this with bad QC. I think they'll get it figured out.
 
As always, we stand by our products 100% and our warranty covers all defects in materials or workmanship.
If you have a problem with your knife please contact our customer services team straight away. They will do everything they can to help you and resolve the issue.
I'm not a member of that team, so I don't evaluate the knives, but they can be reached via the customer service link on our website.
For the fastest possible response I always suggest calling our HQ. Our team are here 6am-6pm on weekdays and they will be happy to help
Thanks
 
I have no way of confirming this-this is just MY THEORY based on buying knives from various dealers, and directly from Cold Steel. When I have purchased knives directly from Cold Steel, the F&F has always been fantastic. I believe that they hand inspect the knives they keep for their own inventory, and the rest go to dealers, ie: cherry pick . Likewise, some dealers just sell better finished Cold Steel knives than others. Maybe some dealers are buying seconds cheap, but not disclosing them as such. Obviously, Cold Steel is not going to undercut their dealers, so the products on their website are going to be priced higher, but the items they sell directly, are going to be the cream of the crop.
 
ursamajor said:
I have no way of confirming this-this is just MY THEORY based on buying knives from various dealers, and directly from Cold Steel. When I have purchased knives directly from Cold Steel, the F&F has always been fantastic. I believe that they hand inspect the knives they keep for their own inventory, and the rest go to dealers, ie: cherry pick . Likewise, some dealers just sell better finished Cold Steel knives than others. Maybe some dealers are buying seconds cheap, but not disclosing them as such. Obviously, Cold Steel is not going to undercut their dealers, so the products on their website are going to be priced higher, but the items they sell directly, are going to be the cream of the crop.
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Interesting theory... even though I doubt it, im not arguing against it, unless there is any official words from the CS.

After using for a while, i kinda got used to the uneven grind and learned to ignore the flaws. Sure it wont affect the functionality much. A scar on your face or a crooked nose will not impede your day-to-day functionality, but it's there...

This thread is not to look for any compensation, or to rant out of anger. My purpose is simply to raise this issue to CS so that they have a visibility on it and possibly improve their QC for everyone's benefit(including myself, cause im gonna buy more) in the future.
 
insta9ves said:
Since the focus for 2015 seems to be the "Quality", i shall post it here for your visibility.

I just received my new Code 4 Spear Point and I'm beyond disappointed, Cold Steel. You would think the new XHP model would have better quality, but compared to my AUS8A Code 4, the new XHP blade grind is POS. For those who says you can fix it by re-profiling the edge, NO! For the 1000th time mentioned, it's not the cutting edge that is off ground(even though that happens 9 out of 10 times anyways), it is the BLADE STOCK, that is being ground unevenly.

My new XHP Code 4 for example, the blade stock is 3.5mm, but when you look at the blade, edge facing you, the edge looks like there is 2mm on the right side and 1.5mm on the left side relative to the blade stock. Also, the spine area, where the flat meets the curve, instead of a straight line, i get small waves, like the grinder moved deeper in the middle of grinding. The new more wear resistance XHP steel probably magnify this issue even further.

My new XHP American Lawman has very severe off grind as well, where the flat part on the right is 3-4mm longer that the left side towards the tip.

I'm beyond disappointed, considering that all 4 of my new CS knives acquired this month have off grind! Code 4 XHP and Lawman XHP was particularly bad considering that they are my favorite.

These should never have passed QC. Fix them Cold Steel!
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I second that! My Tuff Lite and new AD10 both have horrible primary grinds. I found this out by trying to reprofile my blade to 17degrees per side.

The bad grind is driving me nuts. When I put my AD10 on my WE Pro I just mounted it and started my progression as usual but this time assuming my grind was acceptable. Not until I ground off a lot of steel with my course stone did I look at the bevels. I noticed one of the secondary bevels was 200% wider than the other!!!! In order to fix the look of the knife I have to set one of the angles to 15 degrees and the other to 30 degrees. This make me sick and I have missed the 30 day return window with AMAZON.

I feel like I might toss this knife on the side of the road and never by a Cold Steel again. I guess you live and learn. NEVER assume a grind is even before set it up on WE Pro and start hogging off metal. I will now always closely inspect my knives as soon as I open the package. No more missed return windows for me.

I could have saved a few frustrating hours tonight if I could have found my angle cube to check everything out before grinding away.
 
I am not going to go through any more trouble trying to get Cold steel to warranty or replace my badly ground knife. How do you take a picture of a bad primary grind??? I also don’t want to pay shipping to send to them. I am posting to there forum to try and convince others to stay away from their knives. I have 2 Cold Steel knives in my collection and BOTH of them have horrible primary grinds.
 
insta9ves said:
No pic needed, im sure they are well aware of this, as there have been multiple reports. Just want to get the message across. Definitely wont stop me from buying, wont stop disappointing as well.
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I am not so forgiving. There are plenty of knife manufactures that have much better quality control and provide better value. WE Knives, Civivi, Spyderco, CJRB, QSP, Kizer, CRKT, Kubey, Twosun, etc. These are among many in my collection that have much better quality control. I don’t expect perfection but I do expect a reasonably good grind.
 
ursamajor said:
I have no way of confirming this-this is just MY THEORY based on buying knives from various dealers, and directly from Cold Steel. When I have purchased knives directly from Cold Steel, the F&F has always been fantastic. I believe that they hand inspect the knives they keep for their own inventory, and the rest go to dealers, ie: cherry pick . Likewise, some dealers just sell better finished Cold Steel knives than others. Maybe some dealers are buying seconds cheap, but not disclosing them as such. Obviously, Cold Steel is not going to undercut their dealers, so the products on their website are going to be priced higher, but the items they sell directly, are going to be the cream of the crop.
Click to expand...
If it was a good company they would toss their quality rejects in the garbage instead of tarnishing their name by sending out seconds to dealers. They have lost me as a customer after buying my only 2 CS knives with horrible primary grinds.
 
AntDog said:
You set one edge bevel at 30° and the other at 15° to fix a bad primary grind? 🤨 Something smells fishy. Post pics.
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Not fishy at all. I am not going to spend any more of my time and effort helping CS to try and save face. They have mud on it and they should stay dirty. I think that buyers should beware.
 
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