Which Cold Steels are made by Hattori?

J

jencarlos

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Hey there guys. Wanted to ask someone on here with way more knowledge than me on the subject of Cold Steel knives that are made in Japan.

So to start, I know the San mai trail master is still made by Hattori in Seki. The other San mai models left over that haven’t been axed, such as the master hunter, recon tanto, and the srk in San mai are all made in Japan as well, but NOT by Hattori. So my question is this. Is the vg-1 core San mai outdoorsman a Hattori-made knife or no?

I always assumed it was, just like the old tantos and tai pans, which are its “brothers”. Most of my research tells me that the only cold steel knife still made by Hattori is the trail master in San mai. However, there’s still several places that list the vg-1 core San mai outdoorsman as available for purchase. Does that mean that the outdoorsman is a non-Hattori Japanese knife, or is it just old stock? Thanks so much guys
 
Most likely those places that list VG-1 San Mai III Outdoorsman have old stock.
 
This is the info I have - not sure how accurate (I believe the hattori collector site also mentions cold steel knives Not made by hattori, this is the reason I am not 100% sure about the below info) - most info from the great site hattori collector


Ken (hattori collector) - please correct any information if it is Not correct - thank you !


The below information is all the information I have; dates are 1st year of production in San Mai Japan.

Hattori made (makes) these - San Mai - Cold Steel Knives in SEKI, JAPAN:

Black Bear Classic -

2006 VG1 San Mai III, with the same Model # 14BBCJ (“Aus8A Made in Japan” is also Model # 14BBCJ)

Mangum Tanto II, IX and XII -

2006 VG1 San Mai III. These Hattori made, in Japan, are discontinued. Now made in Taiwan.

Master Tanto -

2006 VG1 San Mai III.

Outdoorsman -

2007 VG1 San Mai III.

R1 Military Classic -

2006 VG1 San Mai III, with the same Model # 14R1J (“Aus8A Stainless, Made in Japan” is also Model
#14R1J). Discontinued 2012.

Recon Scout -

2007 VG1 San Mai III. Discontinued 2014.

Tai Pan -

2007 VG1 San Mai III. Discontinued 2016.

Trail Master -

As of 2018, only the VG1 San Mai III Trailmaster continues to be made by Hattori in Seki, Japan.


In 2015 Cold Steel ceased production of a number of VG1 Core San Mai III model knives in Seki, Japan due to costs. Alternate production was started in Taiwan using other steel materials.

San Mai III - SRK, Recon Tanto, Master Hunter, Laredo (and I think Natchez) are/were made by Kinryu Corp, Seki.

In 2018 due to the high demand for San Mai III models, Cold Steel commenced production of a number of San Mai III models, such as the Magnum Tantos and Taipan, etc in Taiwan using a VG10 core laminate.
As of 2018, only the San Mai III Trailmaster continues to be made by Hattori in Seki, Japan.


https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bargain-price-san-mai.1554556/

Post #9 (of hattoricollector.com)

VG1 and VG10 are made by Takefu Specialty Steels [the actual steel]. Until very recently [2018-ish], Takefu did not export VG10 so just about any knife (of any brand) you saw that was VG10, either solid or laminate, was made in Japan. Now Takefu has started exporting to Taiwan and both Cold Steel and SOG have picked up on this very quickly. This allowed Cold Steel to re-introduce the formerly Seki made models but made in Taiwan using San Mai laminate. I guess the demand was there that the blacked out versions didn't fill.

As to why the Trail Master continues to be made in Seki, and with the earlier VG1 laminate, who knows. Could be contract timing, supply of VG1 laminate on hand, or even just LT wanting to keep CS's relationship with Hattori going. One thing is for sure, going to VG10 core San Mai with Hattori manufacture would probably have put the price of the Trail Master way up. Just look at the Fallkniven VG10 core models like the A1 and A2 which are made in the same factory.
 
thank you all for the info. i did come across the hattori collector website as one of you posted. after that, my only confusion was about whether or not outdoorsman production was ceased by hattori and restarted somewhere else in Japan, or if everything available now is just Hattori new-old-stock (NOS). thank you Nephron and Mike Sastre for clearing that up.

"Your name goes here", I think I read somewhere that part of the reason the trail master is still something that Cold Steel asks to be made by Hattori as opposed to the other knives is changes in Japanese law. IIRC, changes in Japanese export laws placed knives like the tanto and tai pan into a category where they are considered purely as lethal martial arts weapons, which naturally precludes any utility in their purpose, and now illegal to export. knives like the trail master, while of course OK for self defense, also can be used for more sporting (read: "utilitarian") purposes, such as hunting and bushcraft, which would make them ok for export. if anyone wants to chime in with more info on that, please do.

again, i much appreciate the replies
 
- The VG1 core Sanmai Outdoorsman was made by Hattori and is discontinued. It is not being made by any other knife maker in
Japan. As others correctly point out, you might be seeing old stock.

- Changes in Japanese law have made Tantos and Daggers illegal to possess in Japan. So there is no domestic market anymore.
This started as a result of a mass stabbing incident back in 2008 with 12 victims known as the "Akihabara Massacre".
The mass media first reported that the perpetrator used a "survival knife", and later corrected it to a "dagger". This put into motion
the advancement of laws against Double sides blades-daggers. Ironically, it eventually came out that the dagger used in that incident was some cheap no-name made in China model, not one made in Japan. But the damage was done.
That eventually morphed into a ban on Tanto bladed knives, as
the long existing "Gun and Sword Law" which prohibits the possession of a "Tanto" without registration did not cover Tanto bladed
knives. The reason being that a true Japanese Tanto is defined as one which can be taken apart; blade and handle can be
separated. Obviously a knife like the CS Magnum Tanto, can not be taken apart, despite it's functionality being the same as a
traditional Japanese Tanto. A far as I am aware, Knife makers in Japan can still manufacture Tantos and Daggers if solely for the
export market but the process and costs of getting special permits to do so make production costs prohibitive so nearly all Knife
makers in Japan have ceased making Daggers and Tantos.

- RE the video- What LT says about Seki is correct , it is hot as hell in the summer and all the makers lament that no
young people want to enter the industry. But- He doesn't say everything. G. Sakai for example, who made all of CS's folders until
2006/2007 is a super modern air conditioned lazer cutting factory. They are quite busy making folders for Spyderco and SOG. And the main reason that CS could not keep Hattori production is because of competition from Fallkniven, who practically buried Hattori with a contract for all of their fixed blades.
But I believe the biggest main reason for the switch from Japan to Taiwan, which goes back to 2006 is the USD to JYEN exchange rate. This is what caused US Knife companies to switch for economic reasons.
 
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