Received my Cold Steel Cinquedea...

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

Joined
Aug 4, 2013
Messages
3,989
I was excited about receiving this, especially since I've eyed it from afar since they first came out with it in 2016.
I was hoping she'd be a keeper, and that she is... a keeper! :)
I am quite the "picky sorts" of a guy, and when a product arrives in my mail, I so hope that the unboxing and inspection of the item causes a big smile on my face. Well, that occured for me with this acquisition... A big smile!
Basically my inspection checklist of the knife & sheath included the following:
*Damage from shipping?
*Rust?
*Overall acceptable straightness?
*Missing components?
*Fractures in metal or wood?
*Scratches, gouges, other imperfections in overall finish?
*Acceptable sharpening?
*Overall execution?

This item cost me $150 delivered. When I consider the price, and what I received for that amount, (and knowing full well that this product is made with an abundance of hands on human labor), I feel the value is pretty incredible.

I don't know what GSM, (Cold Steel' new ownership), will keep, remove, add, or otherwise change going forward... But, this currently is still a steal of a deal product offering, (as are some other products that they still have in their stable of products). The value of the US Dollar is starting to show a decline, and with so much printed money being injected into the economy, I see that trend as continuing. Of course there is also the supply chain interruptions caused by the world's pandemic shutdowns, and that too can easily keep hurting the availability of products, which can also cause prices to keep rising.
I have said this before, we might be looking at current availability and pricing as the "good ole days" in the very near future. The new GSM ownership is just one aspect of the unknown for us, with many other variables coming into play as well.
If there is something you want, and can get, (even with a little waiting for backordering), then my friendly advice is to go ahead and do so, because that chance may pass, or may cost you a lot more money if the purchase is delayed.

As for my CS Cinquedea... I am very happy with my acquisition of it! It's now just another very cool big hand forged knife found in my "interesting objects collection" :)


 
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One of the things I've liked about Cold Steel's offerings, is that so many are not actually reproductions of anything. Yes, they are often based on historical pieces, but they make it their own in having them made with designs that set them apart.
As an example of that, their 1917 Frontier Bowie takes cues from what most would consider to be traditional Bowie styling, but... they also add in unique traits to make them unique in their own right.
Historical Bowie knives were not known for incorporating blades with fullers, but yet the Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie has a massive fuller, (on both sides). Historical Bowie knives are almost always found to have, (or have had), a polished carbon steel blade, where as the CS Frontier has it's carbon steel blade done in a polished blued finish. The Frontier's blade has a big choil, which I've not seen pictured on any historical Bowie, but... this was not to copy something of old, it's there as a feature that helps in choking up on the blade. Yes, the big guard does hinder that a bit, but it still allows for some form of that to still be done.
The grip on the CS Frontier Bowie is another major departure from historical Bowie knives, it having it's simple, but uniquely shaped, one piece Rosewood handle. That handle's flatness was incorporated specifically for the purpose of helping secure better edge alignment during the swing of the knife. The method of securing that handle, via screws, is also a departure from historic Bowie specimens. There are pro's and con's to this form of assembly, but I personally like the ease it offers in being able to tighten it if it loosens, and the ability to easily remove the wood handle entirely if one needs, or wants, to replace it. Also, if for some reason the knife gets heavily drenched with water or some other liquid, one can remove that grip to clean and dry everything before reassembling it.
Even it's title as being the "1917 Frontier Bowie" has a reason... The "Frontier Bowie" part of it's title is for making the comparison of it to large historical Bowie knives that were sometimes carried by mountain men and many frontiersmen types of the past. Those knives tended to be more daily use general purpose, and could be quite big knives. They were not just tailored as fighting knives, or made as fancy show pieces. These "frontier type" Bowie knives were more basic in their design, lacking many of the flashy refinements that many Bowie knives carried by the more heeled city folks, gambler types, and others. Those folks were more apt to have a fancier Bowie knife imported from Sheffield England, and were better suited for looking good/status symbol, and for the use as a self defense tool if the need arose.
As for the "1917" part of it's name... That came from some subtle cues borrowed from their Cold Steel 1917 Cutlass, cues that were also extended to the Frontier Bowie's leather sheath, (it obviously borrowing from the 1917 Cutlass' sheath).
So, this is how Cold Steel made it a unique Bowie knife that does not directly copy anything, but rather borrows cues from previous offerings of different eras, and adds quite a few unique features of it's own. What they came up with was not a copy/reproduction, it's a freshly designed Bowie based knife.
Fantasy?... I feel that term has incorrectly been used too often against this knife. I don't feel it to be a "fantasy knife" at all, which is USUALLY a knife not made to be functional, but strictly more of a way over the top flashy wall hanger type object... More of a decorative object.
The Frontier Bowie is obviously not flashy, is definitely fully functional, and by most standards, is not over the top in it's styling. It's a modern day made Bowie, having it's own design, but leaning with a flair that gives it a vintage look.

So, this is how I see many of Cold Steel' products... They are uniquely Cold Steel. And that is why this Cinquedea fits right into that pattern of Cold Steel designs... Yes, it is based on the historical Cinquedea, (hence Cinquedea being it's model designation), but it is not meant to be a reproduction, but rather a Cold Steel knife based on some historical Cinquedea cues with the addition of Cold Steel's own unique sprinkles of design.

Dare I say, they have a platform similar to that of Ruger Firearms. They too tend to take many cues from arms of the past, but add so much of their own design, that it not only makes them unique, but also collectable in their own right :)
A good example would be Ruger's Mini-14... While borrowing from historic/classic designs, it is still a unique Ruger firearm, and again, collectable in it's own right.
 
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would ya take a pic of this one in hand....im trying to grasp the sheer width of the blade. yeah dimensions I can look up but sometimes a pic tells me everything better. appreciated.
 
jbmonkey said:
would ya take a pic of this one in hand....im trying to grasp the sheer width of the blade. yeah dimensions I can look up but sometimes a pic tells me everything better. appreciated.
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Well, the name means "five fingers" which refers to either the ribs between the fullers or the width of the blade depending on who you ask...it's REALLY wide;)
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:




My hand's glove size is men's small/medium.
I have included one of my Cold Steel Frontier Bowie knives and a $50 bill in one of the photos for helping in the size comparison :)
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that's shows its size very well. thank you for that picture in hand and comparison pics with frontier and such.
 
My looking at the many fullers found on this CS Cinquedea, I do wonder if they were all ground in, or if they were mostly forged into the steel prior to the grinding process?
 
So, I have continued my perusing of Cold Steel products on various websites. I not only enjoy the perusing, (kind'a like modern day window shopping), but I also get a feel of what is being offered out there, and how prices may or may not be rising because of the pandemic and our current inflation situation.
Well, it really was not that many weeks ago that I received my CS Cinquedea, which I had placed a backorder on because everyone, including Cold Steel themselves, were out of stock on. My recent online search of the Cinquedea turns up that Cold Steel is again out of stock on them, as is the big online vendor that I purchased mine from. It actually seems that most of the other reputable big name vendors are likely out of stock again on them as well. The one place I definitely still see them available at, is the site starting with the letter "a" that many sellers use as a platform to sell from. The only problem I have noticed with buying from there, is that CS items seem to receive more spotty reviews, with some believing that maybe many sellers using that platform are possibly offering slightly less than first quality specimens. Not sure if that holds any truth, so I stick to buying directly from a few reputable CS vendors, just in case ;)
Prices are seemingly being held at bay, but with manufacturing businesses costs rising on so many levels right now, and with so many Cold Steel products flying out of their inventory, (CS seemingly not being able to keep them in stock for very long at all), I can sense that the pricing will be going up very shortly, (specifically on those items that are currently so hard to keep in stock). It's simply how supply and demand usually works on these sorts of things.
I still have two CS items on backorder from one of my favored CS vendors, (a Rondel Dagger & Chaos Push Dagger), and I'm glad that I placed the backorders for them. It makes it more likely that I not only get them sometime soon after CS themselves gets them, but also locks in their pricing for me.
Seeing how fast, or not, CS items go in and out of stock, gives one a good idea of which items are the current hottest sellers for Cold Steel... The Cinquedea does seem to be one of those items.
 
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johnnywizzo said:
Has anyone purchased a Cinquedea and been unhappy with it? I'm still on the fence...
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It is actually a very simple thing to buy. It’s primary purpose is to serve as a decorator item. So if you feel it looks decorative go for it.

edited to add:
All of the components (with the exception of the decorative handle pins) are steel. There is no zinc/pot metal.


Cinquedeas.jpg

*The top knife is probably a 19th century reproduction. Note the old handle repair and the inlaid stones in the ricasso.

n2s
 
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