Why do knife snobs hate Cold Steel??

[vwb563]

AUS-8A will bend long before it breaks, believe me I know, I have bent it before and straightened it out more than once on a few AUS-8 knives.

154CM will snap.

Exactly! Any knife steel is, sooner or later, is gonna have to be resharpened no matter what kind of "super steel" it is so having a knife made of a "supercharged" edgeholding steel is not that important to me. I had much rather have a steel that bends rather than snaps when put in a bind. I have used Cold Steel's AUS8A folding knives for years and they hold an edge just fine, even when used to cut massive amounts of cardboard and everyone knows how hard cardboard is on a blade. Then when re-sharpen times comes AUS8A is very easy to resharpen compared to the "supersteels". Cold Steel folding knives are quality made knives with super duper strong locks and very good steels. A great value for the money imho if you value your fingers. :thumbup:

 

[cziv]

Not on my Edge Pro it's not, it eats steel like ZDP etc for breakfast so VG-1 is no problem.

BLUNTRUTH was doing a mouspad convex sharpening video on his Master Hunter. I wasn't aware that you could convex an edge on the Edge Pro?

 

[Ankerson]

BLUNTRUTH was doing a mouspad convex sharpening video on his Master Hunter. I wasn't aware that you could convex an edge on the Edge Pro?

You can't.

I don't waste my time with convex edges.

 

[kawr]

I know AUS8 has its uses as a beater steel but really its quite awful in a lot of ways. I find 8Cr13MoV better than AUS8 in some cases. There is no end all steel which is why I wish CS would offer just a little bit more variety of steels in their models. Just a TINY bit more variety in steels and I would put CS in my top 3. I would pay more for a Lawman in VG-10 or just anything else. Still I think from what I've seen in my lone CS purchase of the Lawman, its a hell of a knife at a reasonable price and its obvious CS can make a knife as well as any other production company. I dont like carrying fixed blades in general so its nice having a folding knife that is somewhat close to fixed blade strength.

 

[GrinderMcgee]

Spyderco Delica 4 Flat Ground FRN- 89,95 list price
- VG-10 steel (better knife steel than VG-1 used for the Voyager line)
- Flat ground
- skeletonized stainless steel liners

Spyderco Endura 4 FRN- 94,95 list price
- VG-10 steel (better knife steel than VG-1 used for the Voyager line)
- skeletonized stainless steel liners

Spyderco Pacific Salt Black FRN- 99,50 list price
- H-1 steel (will not rust!)

I'm also a big fan of the Benchmade Griptilian, mostly because of the ecellent grip that is provided by the handle.

Compare to:

Cold Steel Recon I- 104,99 list price
- according to the website: a standard that is hard to beat- Aus 8A (not bad, but not as good as VG-10 and not a 100% rustproof steel like H-1)
- Teflon coating (value depends on personal taste)

Cold steel folders that use Aus8A:
Recon
American Lawman
Espada
Spartan
Rajah
Ti-Lite

Fixed blades?Check out Fallkniven. Expensive but real quality.

I own about 70 decent knives. Mostly in the 50,- to 250,- range. Some of those knives are made by Cold Steel and I have handled (worked with) Cold Steel fixed blades that are owned by a friend of mine. Otherwise it’s mostly Spyderco and Benchmade for folders, Ka-Bar and Buck for inexpensive fixed blades and Fallkniven for slightly more expensive knives.

I can say that although my experience with Cold Steel is not bad, it’s not a brand I recommend to friends, simply because there is a lot of choice out there. Widely available brands like Spyderco, Benchmade and Fallkniven provide (at least in my opinion) better quality and/or better value for money.

Thanks for finally coming off of some information.

So when you think knife, it is a pocket knife, and when I think knife, it is a fixed knife. But for a work knife, a $25 Black Rock Hunter or Pocket Busman holds its own very well compared to the economy models littering other manufacturers catalogs.

VG-1 has worked great for me so far and sharpening the stuff has been a breeze.

Whoever was talking about the bend test, when a knife bends 90 degrees, it doesn't come back true, and that is why it is not shown.

Looks to me like what we have here is a case of the internet making every one an elitist on steel choice.

 

[A.P.F.]

Thanks for finally coming off of some information.

So when you think knife, it is a pocket knife, and when I think knife, it is a fixed knife. But for a work knife, a $25 Black Rock Hunter or Pocket Busman holds its own very well compared to the economy models littering other manufacturers catalogs.

VG-1 has worked great for me so far and sharpening the stuff has been a breeze.

Whoever was talking about the bend test, when a knife bends 90 degrees, it doesn't come back true, and that is why it is not shown.

Looks to me like what we have here is a case of the internet making every one an elitist on steel choice.

Heh, I can work with that.

I am getting a bit of cogitative dissonance here, as many people's 'experiences' seem to be contrary to mine. It would seem to me that many are not taking the heat treating into account when they refer to Cold Steel's AUS-8 or Buck's 420HC. Anyone who has actually used the steels as treated, seem to come away with a new respect for them. Just my observation, FWIW.

 

[Ankerson]

Heh, I can work with that.

I am getting a bit of cogitative dissonance here, as many people's 'experiences' seem to be contrary to mine. It would seem to me that many are not taking the heat treating into account when they refer to Cold Steel's AUS-8 or Buck's 420HC. Anyone who has actually used the steels as treated, seem to come away with a new respect for them. Just my observation, FWIW.

Yes Heat Treating and Tempering can make a huge difference in how a steel performs.

But it won't turn AUS-8 or 420HC into S90V, M390 or ZDP.

 

[GrinderMcgee]

..and S90V or ZDP are not workable like Buck's 420 HC either.

It seems no matter what the current choice is the demand will always be for more variety in options, and Cold Steel does not supply that part of the marketing which is the bread and butter some other profitable businesses.

Different angles but the end game is the same and that is selling knives. Materials and marketing are just excuses for your own bias opinions and we're all guilty to some degree.

 

[Ankerson]

..and S90V or ZDP are not workable like Buck's 420 HC either.

It seems no matter what the current choice is the demand will always be for more variety in options, and Cold Steel does not supply that part of the marketing which is the bread and butter some other profitable businesses.

Different angles but the end game is the same and that is selling knives. Materials and marketing are just excuses for your own bias opinions and we're all guilty to some degree.

Not sure about ZDP, but S90V can be tempered to be very flexable while still holding an edge for much longer than 420HC ever will. S90V costs a lot more than 420HC does so it's apples and oranges.

There are trade offs depending on what is needed etc.

 

[waynejitsu]

I know AUS8 has its uses as a beater steel but really its quite awful in a lot of ways. I find 8Cr13MoV better than AUS8 in some cases. There is no end all steel which is why I wish CS would offer just a little bit more variety of steels in their models. Just a TINY bit more variety in steels and I would put CS in my top 3. I would pay more for a Lawman in VG-10 or just anything else. Still I think from what I've seen in my lone CS purchase of the Lawman, its a hell of a knife at a reasonable price and its obvious CS can make a knife as well as any other production company. I dont like carrying fixed blades in general so its nice having a folding knife that is somewhat close to fixed blade strength.

I agree, however, what I have noticed is they seem to get whatever they can buy the cheapest and then that is "their steel".
Carbon V was the best, that is, until Camillus went out of business (who made the Carbon V knives for CS), now, there is no more Carbon V, not because they "found" something better, but because it is not available from who made their knives.
Camillus was never popular, but that is who was making many of the CS knives..., go figure, LOL!!

 

[GrinderMcgee]

Not sure about ZDP, but S90V can be tempered to be very flexable while still holding an edge for much longer than 420HC ever will. S90V costs a lot more than 420HC does so it's apples and oranges.

There are trade offs depending on what is needed etc.

Workablity is referring to ease of sharpening not lateral strength.

I agree, however, what I have noticed is they seem to get whatever they can buy the cheapest and then that is "their steel".
Carbon V was the best, that is, until Camillus went out of business (who made the Carbon V knives for CS), now, there is no more Carbon V, not because they "found" something better, but because it is not available from who made their knives.
Camillus was never popular, but that is who was making many of the CS knives..., go figure, LOL!!

You are, however, aware that the premium knives have been made in AUS8 in Japan for more than a decade now? How about the newer VG-1 laminate that is in the Japanese blades? Is it dirt cheap to weld steel into san mai?

Camillus has made millions of knives for soldiers since WWII, and is one of the oldest American manufacturers(1876). Not that anyone needed me to point it out.

Do not mistake my statement of fact for an insult but your comment is false.

 

[Ankerson]

Workablity is referring to ease of sharpening not lateral strength.

I know what you meant.

S90V is much harder to work with than AUS-8 etc.

 

[bada61265]

thanks for the lockup on page 4. i think whatever videos were on there could of been left as links so not to be such a huge hold up.

btw, i like cs and dont care about who thinks they suck or not. i own 2 cs knives, recon tanto and a ti lite 6". the recons just a plain bad ass blade. had it for 10 years and it wont break. my ti lite well wtf its about as impractical as it gets, its beautiful though and its as strong as any other folder i own. dont have many other cs folders i like alot, though i might go for a lawman at some point, who says aus 8 is crap? might want to see how many other companies use it or comparable steels in there mid level knife lines. kershaws, spydercos, benchmades da da da di da. of course u can get a cs in san mai III if you want a higher end knife. id love to have a trailmaster in san mai. fact is, cs make some knives that are just desirable to have. like some that i own i dont use them much, can really only carry one or two knives at any given time on a daily basis anyway. least for me. lol. this goes for any brands. i love spyderco, have a tenacious, persistance in 8cr13mov steel. id compare that to my experiance with aus 8. the aus 8 might have more luster to it. i have the endura 4, awsome, as well is my Stretch zdp. couple of kershaws a 8 year old leek and a newer all black Blur. and a SOG aegis, i could be nitpicky enough to rag on them all, well kinda like the stretch so far. will see as time goes by how it holds up. cs has quite a few knives id not consider buying, so do them all though. i wouldnt base my desicion entirely on hearsay and political back and forth. ive seen all that in other forums. just try mentioning the wrong brand on ar15.com forums for instance. the colt fanboys will try to eat you for lunch if you let them.

 

[cziv]

thanks for the lockup on page 4. i think whatever videos were on there could of been left as links so not to be such a huge hold up.

Get off of dial-up bro :thumbup:

I like the Kershaw Leek but can't compare mine to AUS8 - it's an S30V model, nice. I like the look of CS's AUS8 better than the 8cr13mov steel. I'm not sure how they compare, but the CS AUS8 has a nice sheen to it and the edge is better IMHO, even though they're both easy to sharpen.

 

[Hitzy]

Some of why I dislike CS.
$350 for a Xlarge Espada here in Canada...made offshore, AUS8 steel, insane retail price.
$200 for a Black Rhino, also AUS8, also rediculous.
Master Hunter in San Mai $110, but the Pendelton Classic in San Mai $340....that's some expensive micarta there
1055 Kukri $25 but the SK5 (1085) Kukri....$225 bucks...and the San Mai....$500.
They definately take the cake when it comes to production knife mark-ups.

 

[GrinderMcgee]

Of course, why pay $350 for a knife that cannot be found in any other companies lineup and absolutely is the world record holder for lock strength and overall size? I mean afterall, in cardboard slicing tests S90V outperforms AUS8 by a wide margin.

Hitzy buddy, show me another blade that could replace it and not "marked up" so high.

SMIII Master Hunter, rubber handle yes but very nice blade. ESEE-4, still $100, and carbon steel instead of laminated stainless. Great knife also, but same price.

Now find one other company that produces an actual Kukri in knife form as Cold Steel does to compare. That is what this is all about, show a comparison that proves the markup is unreasonable. A HI BAS is nothing like a GK.

You are just upset that the products are not made in the States AFAICS.

 

[Charlie Mike]

Didn't take the time to read this cuz I don't have to. My first CS knife was a dud from the design up... a Triple Action that fell apart within 2 months. Everything since then was pretty cool. I can say that my second strongest folder is a CS Spartan. My strongest is a Demko custom based on the Espada. Some CS knives are POS and I figure we all have the discernment to know what they are. Anything with a Tri-Ad lock is good to go.

 

[Ankerson]

Of course, why pay $350 for a knife that cannot be found in any other companies lineup and absolutely is the world record holder for lock strength and overall size? I mean afterall, in cardboard slicing tests S90V outperforms AUS8 by a wide margin.

Hitzy buddy, show me another blade that could replace it and not "marked up" so high.

SMIII Master Hunter, rubber handle yes but very nice blade. ESEE-4, still $100, and carbon steel instead of laminated stainless. Great knife also, but same price.

Now find one other company that produces an actual Kukri in knife form as Cold Steel does to compare. That is what this is all about, show a comparison that proves the markup is unreasonable. A HI BAS is nothing like a GK.

You are just upset that the products are not made in the States AFAICS.

If that knife was made in S90V instead of AUS-8 it would be around $450 to $500+ instead of $350 with the added expense of S90V and the extra wear and tear on the equipment and abrasives to grind it.

 

[GrinderMcgee]

Are we agreeing or misunderstanding? My Espada comment was internet sarcasm . The knife is in the highest levels of production quality and innovation to me. The steel(AUS8) is known to be quality.

 

[Ankerson]

Are we agreeing or misunderstanding? My point is that the knife itself is solid gold. The steel(AUS8) is known to be quality.

We are agreeing. :thumbup:

AUS-8 is a good steel, I never said it wasn't.

However there are better steels on the market that are just as tough and will hold an edge longer. However these steels cost a lot more than AUS-8 does do the production costs and the end cost would go up by a percentage depending on the steel used.

I know why CS uses AUS-8.

It's a tough steel and affordable so the customers can have a good solid product at a reasonable price. Remember LCT's claims to the Strongest knives etc.

You can't put something like 154cm against AUS-8 when testing for toughness and strength, AUS-8 will come out on top every time.

Sure 154cm will hold an edge longer, but it's more brittle than AUS-8 so it will snap, read break a lot easier than AUS-8 will. That's just the properties of the steels and there is no getting around that.