Cold Steel has a new website

[Benner]

Check out CS's updated website www.coldsteel.com.  Much better than the last.

[Benner]

Lots of cool videos too. 

[Freudian Frog]

Woooo! Videos! I want a Rajah. ;_;

[Benner]

Woooo! Videos! I want a Rajah. ;_;

You're not the only one! 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

About time they joined the 21st century

[duckman1975]

Woooo! Videos! I want a Rajah. ;_;

You're not the only one! 

Yup, still waiting for someone from the forum to buy and review one before I take the plunge.

[Gadget Guy]

Too bad their quality isn't what it once was.    They seem to be all about the $$$ these days.

[Benner]

Too bad their quality isn't what it once was.    They seem to be all about the $$$ these days.

I've been pretty pleased with what I have got from them.

[jzmtl]

Too bad their quality isn't what it once was.    They seem to be all about the $$$ these days.

Way too much hype around CS, I'm done with them anyway.

[donvito]

I used to own an master tanto, beautiful blade, too bad had to sell it. The warrior series Wakizashi looks really good. Can't comment on their new line of products. A friend owns the sptznaz shovel and loves it, I'm thinking of picking one up as well.

[Freudian Frog]

I've one too. Used it to dig a water trench. Turns out my area has really rocky soil...

I need to resharpen that thing. =(

[Nikos]

Now that I spent the last hour or so watching vids of guys tormenting the locks on those CS folders, I wonder how many of our beloved mt's could stand such a test... 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Now that I spent the last hour or so watching vids of guys tormenting the locks on those CS folders, I wonder how many of our beloved mt's could stand such a test... 

Outside of a Swisstool, probably not many

[jzmtl]

All their torture test are pointless anyway. Do you buy a pocket knife based on if it can be pounded through a car hood?

[Benner]

Too bad their quality isn't what it once was.    They seem to be all about the $$$ these days.

Way too much hype around CS, I'm done with them anyway.

Am I correct in thinking that you have only had the 1 bad experience with Cold Steel?

All their torture test are pointless anyway. Do you buy a pocket knife based on if it can be pounded through a car hood?

I feel you are missing the point a tad.  Although the "Proof" videos are a little OTT, they do go the extra mile to show that they stand by their products 100%.  No one else seems to go to the lengths they do.

[Sea Monster]

All their torture test are pointless anyway. Do you buy a pocket knife based on if it can be pounded through a car hood?

Not as such, but it's a comfort to know I always have the option!

[Nikos]

All their torture test are pointless anyway. Do you buy a pocket knife based on if it can be pounded through a car hood?

A better set of questions would be "do you prefer a locking blade on your pocket knife?" and "how much trust do you put in that lock?". If you've answered "no" in the first question, I can understand why you consider their tests pointless. If you only use your blade for slicing then a lock is rather redundant. If you're into piercing, however, a good lock is what keeps your fingers connected to your palm... In that case, it's always a comfort to know that your knife's lock can withstand a force which is on par with your body weight (give or take some)...

[donvito]

I remember finding an old 80s Soldier of Fortune magazine and reading a review of a Cold Steel Tanto, with pictures of it going through a car door. They do make some tough knives that can stand up to a lot of abuse.

[Grant Lamontagne]

All their torture test are pointless anyway. Do you buy a pocket knife based on if it can be pounded through a car hood?

It's funny you should say that... so far, twice in my career as a security speSmurfpillst, I have been on the outside of a moving vehicle, and seriously considered using my knife.  The first time however, it was a transport truck and I thought about taking out the front tire with a (coincidentally enough) Cold Steel Para Edge tanto.  I discounted the idea as the pressure of a tire blowing would mean the loss of the knife, and possible some damage to my hand, and that's assuming I was successful and didn't drop the knife on contact with the spinning wheel. 

The second time was while riding on the top of a getaway car, a Chevy Cavalier.  Again, the CS Para Edge was with me, and I planned on using to it get a good solid hand hold as the driver tried to dislodge me.  In the end I discounted it because I didn't want to take one of my hands off the tenuous hold I had on the car even for the second it would take to draw the knife and ram it into the car's roof.

At no time did the idea of breaking the knife come into my head, mostly because of these videos.  Would I have been so casual about doing jobs like this with any other quality brand?  Probably, since at the time it was more important than buying another knife, but in hindsight I think I did consider these options because I knew the knife wasn't likely to fail on me.  The only thing worse than taking your hand off a swerving car to try and get a better hand hold is to have that hand hold fail you once you do have it

In the same situation though, I would have used a CRKT, Benchmade, Spyderco etc if I'd have had it, provided it was a fixed blade.  Regardless of how many lock strength tests I see, I doubt I would ever have that much faith in a folder.

Of course I understand that I am in the minority with stories like that, and unless Cold Steel is making knives specifically for me (which I doubt) then yes, it certainly is overkill.  Still, Cold Steel has managed to make a nice balance of it- it's over the top, but not too over the top, as there may be times in ones life where you need to pound a knife into something, then put pressure on it.  I knew a guy in the forestry service who was trying to rescue a hiker who had climbed a tree and fell, getting wedged into a split in the trunk.  He used a Grohmann knife as a step after pounding it into the tree with a rock, again because the job warranted it.  The Grohmann didn't look so good afterwards, but was functional and survived to do the job it needed to do.

However, shortly after the original PROOF came out there were a few companies that decided that EXTREME[/u][/i] testing was an even better marketing strategy and one company used a steam hammer to ram their blade through 1/4" tread plate.  While I may consider ramming a small fixed blade through a roof, it's rare that I ever need to mount a blade on hydraulic equipment, and maybe I'm just a girly man, but I don't think I'll ever have the arm strength needed to make that a reasonable test.

Def

[Benner]

You still got the Para edge Def? 

Got any pics?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'll dig it out and see- I think I am on my second one now!

Def

[donvito]

Def you got to tell how the two stories ended, especially the cavalier roof top showdown 

[Grant Lamontagne]

The transport ended with the trucker losing his job after threatening me with a tire iron and trying to get on the 400 hwy in Toronto with me on the outside of the rig.  He's lucky that's all that happened. 

The Cavalier ended up buried up to the front wheels in a snow bank and I went flying into a wall.  Car was totaled, driver was unconscious and the passenger ran off and was caught later.

Both times I walked away unharmed.  Unfortunately the stories are pretty boring in print- you'll have to come to the Sebago meet and hear the story over a few drinks! 

Def

[donvito]

Great stories, and I'll have to take you up on that offer. Traditionally it's held oven a weekend I hope.

[Grant Lamontagne]

If by traditionally you mean the one time we have done it so far, then yes! 

Def