SK5 vs O1 Trailmaster

ManRay

ManRay

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Oct 9, 2014
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So which one of these blades would you chose if you could get both for the same price? Taiwan made 01 trailmaster or chinese made SK5 coated trailmaster?
 
Without question the O1 model. I have them both and the O1 is amazing. Takes a great edge, holds it well and is put together with better detail than the SK5 models.
 
Does that include both the China made SK5 model AND the Taiwan made SK5 model that preceded the current 01 model?
 
I've heard that the Chinese sk-5s were to be avoided. Taiwan ones are excellent
 
I'll take a Chinese SK-5 any day. Haven't a clue where you heard they were to be avoided. I've tested them personally and have heard nothing but glowing reports from people who have actually used the knives. In fact, they've acquired the nickname "China Dolls". Absolutely nothing wrong with them. People just bitched because it said China on the blade (Japanese SK-5 steel), so they moved production to Taiwan with a resulting price increase. Still laughing over that one.
 
Mike Sastre said:
I'll take a Chinese SK-5 any day. Haven't a clue where you heard they were to be avoided. I've tested them personally and have heard nothing but glowing reports from people who have actually used the knives. In fact, they've acquired the nickname "China Dolls". Absolutely nothing wrong with them. People just bitched because it said China on the blade (Japanese SK-5 steel), so they moved production to Taiwan with a resulting price increase. Still laughing over that one.
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I believe I'd read the HT had a lower consistency was all. It's still a 5/16" slab of steel, it'll take a beating in most cases. Like I said, just what I'd heard. Either way, I can only speak to my Taiwan sk5, and it's great.
 
If the only reason that CS switched from China to Taiwan manufacturing after just a year or two was that "people bitched" then I'd have to say
that I don't think there's a knife company out there that listens that much to it's customers' opinions.
 
There were a significant amount of people saying they would never buy anything with "China" on the knife when the switch was first made. This was before it was so common to have knives produced there. Couple that with a lot of the undeserved bias against Cold Steel, and it just makes sense from a marketing aspect to change production to Taiwan. I've never heard of anything wrong with the China Dolls, and since I'm a Bowie guy who does package deals with my Southern Comfort sheaths, I paid attention to ensure giving a quality product to my customers, which is why I did the "hands on" testing in the first place. MSRP on the Laredos in Carbon V was $400, China Dolls was $200, Taiwan 1st gen. $275, current Taiwan O1 $285. There were some inconsistencies in the handles of the initial batch of Taiwanese Laredos (size and a few developed cracks) that were immediately fixed. I know because I had to exchange a very small number. The handles of the China Dolls had the same feel as the Carbon Vs.
 
Too me it boils down to "buy American" when at all possible the job you save may be your own. Period.
 
There's probably nothing wrong at all with those "China Dolls" Mike. As I've said before you got the ones that were checked by Cold Steel in Ventura and then passed on to distributors and dealers. I haven't seen anything to suggest that the China made models that reached consumers were bad. But good luck trying to sell a China made TM on ebay, compared to the US Carbon V, Taiwan SK5 and 01 and Japan made Sanmai ones. The prejudice against "China Made" is still there, although the fact that the countless counterfeit Cold Steels, including the counterfeit TM are from China may have an influence. As I said, for whatever reason that only Cold Steel knows they switched to Taiwan manufacture and it has worked very well for them. The Taiwan manufactured models seem to have bee widely accepted, despite some resistance at first as well. Cold Steel still has some of their lower end models manufactured in China so obviously they aren't going to say anything as to why they actually switched. If they did it to make their customers happy, then all power to them.
 
Ken, I never sell on ebay and have probably long ago sold all the China Dolls I had, except the 1 or 2 that are users. Just trying to set history straight and people's perception of the Chinese built SK-5s.
 
The internet has been both a blessing and a curse. There are countless people who believe that
all Cold Steel blades will "chip" and their handles will melt into goo because they "read it on the internet".
 
Totally agree, Ken. With enough repetition by the internet parrots, all of a sudden an untruth becomes a "fact". There's a lot to like about the internet, but you must keep your BS Filter on at all times.
 
Mike Sastre said:
Totally agree, Ken. With enough repetition by the internet parrots, all of a sudden an untruth becomes a "fact". There's a lot to like about the internet, but you must keep your BS Filter on at all times.
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BUT IT'S ON THE INTERNET! IT MUST BE TRUE! ;) Seriously, sample size bias and confirmation bias make fools of us all and the internet makes it far easier to do that.
 
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