[Proposal] Talkin' Cold Steel Products

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Jan 23, 2011
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Hi, Folks,

What do you think of having a new thread each week to discuss a specific category of the Cold Steel product line? We can share which ones we own, which are our favorites, which ones are duds, whatever.

What do you think of dividing things this way:

I. Folders, 4" blade or less
II Folders, over 4" blade
III. Fixed Blades under 6" blade
IV. Fixed Blades over 6"
V. Throwers and Archery
VI. Hawks, Axes, and Machetes
VII. Bats, Clubs, Sticks
VIII. FGX, Grivory, and Trainers
IX. Swords
X. Polearms, Maces, Shields
XI. Books, Videos and other Media
 
Hi, Folks,

What do you think of having a new thread each week to discuss a specific category of the Cold Steel product line? We can share which ones we own, which are our favorites, which ones are duds, whatever.

What do you think of dividing things this way:

I. Folders, 4" blade or less
II Folders, over 4" blade
III. Fixed Blades under 6" blade
IV. Fixed Blades over 6"
V. Throwers and Archery
VI. Hawks, Axes, and Machetes
VII. Bats, Clubs, Sticks
VIII. FGX, Grivory, and Trainers
IX. Swords
X. Polearms, Maces, Shields
XI. Books, Videos and other Media
82 views and a big MEH...

Oh well it was worth a try :)
 
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I have two other old AUS8 Vaquero XL , one SE and one PE that I often carry . This one is reserve .

 
The Voyager is probably one of the best values for the buck, in Cold Steel's line-up. A great EDC for those who want a solid, working-folder.

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Yup. Black body and clip, tough enough, light weight enough. Love em' ! The 4 and 6 inch Tantos, along with the 6 inch serrated Vaquero are my faves.
 
Some topics will need more than a week, some will die sooner. Do I have to wait 3 months until it's time for my choice?
 
Question, What keeps knife buyers from buying CS knives? I have my beliefs what are yours?
I am a serious knife buyer who appreciates and buys Cold Steel. There are a lot of us. Cold Steel sells an insane number of "units" and not merely to regular non knife folks. That said, I understand your question.

My answers:
1. the folks who are into higher end production knives tend to gravitate towards companies that limit themselves largely or exclusively to these higher end products. BMW does not sell a ten grand grocery getter. Bark River doesn't offer a thirty dollar utility knife. Cold Steel does, and always has. Lynn Thompson made a point of ensuring that everyone, no matter how little they had, could afford a world class knife they can trust -- potentially with their life.

2. The focus on martial products. Cold Steel designs, tests, and makes a lot of weapons. They are unapologetic about it. This bothers some people. Perhaps worse, they have never hesitated to call out other manufacturers who market their knives as weapons when they are clearly not up to the task. Sorry folks, your 3" liner lock is not a fighting knife, even if you call it something cool like the 'Grayman Operator.'

3. The knife world is a team sport. People have their team and they root for them and hate the other guys. More, we have invested money in it and want to fell that we spent wisely. Some manufacturers have even encouraged this team and clique thing as a way to drive sales.

At the end of the day a knife really is just sharpened metal (or rock I suppose) that you use to cut things. In what practical way is a Recon 1 different than an Endura? What job will the one do that the other cannot? One might be stronger, but does that matter? One might be lighter, but will you notice a couple quarters weight difference in your pocket? Blade Steel? The most iconic knife company in America, Randall, makes their amazing blades from steel that a true aficionado would dismiss out of hand if another maker offered it.

We have our teams and our expensive knives, and we defend them. The sale of Cold Steel to some ignorant and indifferent Mega Corp opens the door for many previous fans to walk away. They are invested in OLD Cold Steel, REAL Cold Steel. That customer loyalty is not included with the purchase of a brand name,, and so far GSM has done nothing to win it. Nor do they care.
 
Question, What keeps knife buyers from buying CS knives? I have my beliefs what are yours?

Up to this point, I don't really see anything stopping people. Aside from some anti-CS fanatics, CS seems to be popular among people into knives, survival, self-defense, martial arts, etc. I remember years ago when people were offended by CS's hunting video and were virtue-signaling like SJWs, claiming they were so offended that they'd get rid of all their CS knives. I doubt they actually did that. The average customer also is not the type of person who care whether the things the fanatics say against Lynn Thompson are true or not.

They also have knives in multiple price ranges, so you can get small, mid sized, and large knives in the $30.00 and under range, the $50.00 to $100.00 range, the under $200.00 range, and the $200.00+ range. If the current rise in prices has nothing to do with production problems and is an intentional move to increase their prices to those of typical customs, then this reason for people to buy CS might no longer apply.
 
Question, What keeps knife buyers from buying CS knives? I have my beliefs what are yours?
Somewhat expensively , absolutely nothing has keep me from Cold Steel purchasing to an overdone ridiculous degree , far beyond any practical needs . šŸ˜›

I do much prefer the more expensive models , but still feel that they are a much better value than comparable performance models from competitors . Especially if you are patient and shop around for the best prices . :cool:

What other people do and why is often a mystery to me . Some can't be happy with anything but the fanciest and most trendy /expensive /newest super thingie .

Or the absolute best fidgety knife , stylish design , or the cheapest impressive looking junk available .

I just buy what appeals to me and try not to worry too much about other people . ;)
 
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