knives-usa.com

Win a Cold Steel Knife

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:48:37 +0000

Win a Cold Steel knife in our marketing contest.

While we used to sell Cold Steel knives we no longer have the time to run an ecommerce store. But we such huge Cold Steel fans that we
can’t let the site go. We will be REVIEWING various Cold Steel knife products and reporting it on this site. These will be long term reviews
of our experience with what we believe are the best production knives being sold today.

It’s simple to participate. Mention our site (knives-usa.com) on a Web site and you earn a point. Place a link from a Web site to our site and
you earn 3 points. We will post the leading score on the home page.

Our first contest ends on December 16, 2009. Just in time to ship it to you for Christmas.

Any points you earn will carry over to our next contest that ends in February.

The Cold Steel knife we give away will be brand new and retails for at least $40.

Cold Steel Blade Performance

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:44:17 +0000

We insist all of our knives deliver extraordinary performance for their asking price. In other words, “they must deliver their money’s worth”.
In order to achieve this goal, we are vitally interested in all the elements that are critical to performance.
When it comes to the blade, these include profile, thickness, blade geometry, edge geometry, steel and heat treatment. Every one of these factors is studied in great detail to arrive at the optimum combination for a specific use. If the knife is a folder, we concentrate on the locking mechanism to ensure the strongest, safest construction. For handles, we strive to develop the perfect mix of materials and ergonomics to offer the most comfortable secure grip available. Above all, we TEST what we make! Rigorous testing is the only way to ensure we get the level of performance we demand.

Steel & Heat Treatment

Carbon V®

Some of our Cold Steel knives are made from Carbon V¨, a high carbon, low alloy cutlery grade steel. This steel is superior in performance to most other steels due to its chemistry and also because of the close controls that we maintain at every stage of the manufacturing process. These controls begin at the steel mill where Cold Steel specifies the desired microstructure of the steel. Once smelted, each steel shipment is microscopically checked for structural quality, cleanliness and chemical content by an independent metallurgist not in the mill’s employ. The blades are then blanked parallel to the rolling direction of the steel plate to optimize grain flow along the length of the blade. The final step is a precise heat treatment sequence that was developed by Cold Steel specifically for this custom steel. This heat treatment process is one of our most highly guarded trade secrets. It was arrived at over several years by using an exhaustive series of practical and metallurgical tests and observations.
Overall, we believe that attention to detail in every phase of the manufacturing process is the primary reason for the superiority of our blades.

San Mai III®

San Mai means “three layers”. It is the term given to the traditional laminated blades used by the Japanese for swords and daggers. Laminated construction is important because it allows different grades of steel to be combined in a single blade. A simple way to think of this type of construction is to imagine a sandwich: The meat center is hard, high carbon steel and the pieces of bread on either side are the lower-carbon, tough side panels. The edge of the blade should be hard to maximize edge holding ability, but if the entire blade was hard it could be damaged during the rigors of battle. For ultimate toughness the body of the blade must be able to withstand impact and lateral stresses. Toughness is generally associated with “softness” and “flexibility” in steel, so that surprisingly, if an entire blade was made “tough” the edge would not be hard enough to offer superior edge holding. San Mai III® provides a superior blade with hard (higher carbon) steel in the middle for a keen, long lasting edge and tougher (lower-carbon) steel along the sides for flexibility. This laminate is 25% stronger than the incredibly tough AUS8A stainless.

AUS Stainless
The words “stainless steel” are misleading, because, in fact, all steel will stain or show discoloration if left in adverse conditions for a sufficient time. Steel is made “stainless” by adding Chromium and reducing its Carbon content during the smelting process. There is a serious performance trade-off with stainless steel. As the Chromium increases and the Carbon decreases, the steel becomes more “stainless”. But, it also becomes more and more difficult to sharpen, and the edge-holding potential is seriously impaired. This is usually why most stainless knives are rarely razor-sharp and quickly lose what little edge they have.
In contrast, at Cold Steel® we use AUS 8A Stainless, a high carbon, low chromium steel that has proven itself to be the ultimate compromise between toughness and strength, edge holding and resistance to corrosion.
AUS 6A is a medium to high carbon stainless which is tougher than ATS-34, 440C, ATS-55, etc., but still holds a good edge. This means it is particularly well suited for heavier, longer blades that are subjected to a lot of stress while chopping and hacking.
Like our other stainless steels, AUS 10A is a high carbon variety. It is equal in strength and toughness to AUS 8A but has the extraordinary advantage of an additional 20% in edge holding ability. This gives it a wide performance advantage over other steels like ATS-34, ATS-55 and 440V. The only knives Cold Steel® is currently manufacturing in AUS 10A Stainless steel are the Triple Action™ Folding Knives.

440A Sub Zero quench
Cold Steel® has always sub zero quenched the blades that we have manufactured in Japan, and we are now adding this often omitted, yet crucial, process to the heat treating sequence of the new blades we are making in Taiwan.
Typically, stainless steel blades suffer from retained austenite after they have been heated to critical temperature and then air or gas cooled. The big drawback of this procedure is that it doesn’t get the blades cold enough to assure complete transformation from an austenite to martensite grain structure. Only by freezing-sub zero quenching-stainless blades to 120 degrees below Zero (Fahrenheit), will the austenite be completely transformed to martensite. This, in turn, assures the blade will be as hard, strong, and wear resistant as it can possibly be.

Trail Master

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:39:22 +0000

You know, it’s hard to start with this knife. In the old Carbon V steel version of the Trail Master Bowie knife it was unbeatable. Sharp, durable, imposing are the first words that come to mind. It feels great in the hand.

I will have a more detailed report soon. Does anyone have info on the non-Carbon V Trail Master?

The Carbon V® Trail Master® is, without a doubt, the most knife for the money ever built. In terms of sharpness, edge holding, strength and sheer cutting power, it will outperform any factory made knife we know of and 99% of all hand forged knives as well.

Desperado

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:26:44 +0000

The Desperado of the Old West – a legendary fixture of American folklore. As the name suggests, this was a desperate man, an outlaw, with nothing left in life to lose, and an astonishing reputation to be gained. With this unbeatable attitude, and some formidable skills with a gun and a knife, he became one fierce opponent, worthy of respect and often, widely feared.
Cold Steel proudly offers a knife which lives up to that reputation, and more, with our versatile Desperado!™
The Desperado™ features a serrated, 5″ Nogales™ clip point blade and an innovative egg-shaped Kraton® handle. It effectively combines the performance sensibilities of a push dagger with the versatility and convenience of a conventional boot knife.
Special attention was paid to the knife point. Designed to be sharp, yet thick enough to withstand hard impact and even light prying, the Desperado’s™ point has a strong advantages over other blades with less pronounced curves.

Peace keeper

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:20:01 +0000

Are you tired of looking at those expensive, double edged knives that are so dull out of the box that they won’t cut butter? Or that well known American model that’s so brittle it can break if dropped in the sink? Well there is an alternative. The Peace Keepers™ – Cold Steel’s® double edged knives that perform like nothing you’ve seen before.
Unlike most boot knives and daggers, the Peace Keeper’s™ spear point offers considerable resistance to bending or breaking.
Available in 420 Sub Zero Quench Stainless for lower maintenance, and treated with Cold Steel’s® custom heat treatment, the Peace Keepers™ offer the utmost in strength, toughness, and superior edge retention.

Cold Steel Tai Pan

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:14:37 +0000

The Tai Pan™ embodies all the best features of a classic dagger while minimizing its shortcomings. Most daggers are notorious for thin, easily broken points. In contrast, the Tai Pan™ features a sturdy spear point which is wide and thick enough to resist breaking.
As with the Tanto, the Tai Pan™ features a tapered, black Kraton® handle with a unique flattened oval cross section. Over time, this material and handle shape have proven ideal at preventing the knife from shifting or turning in the hand even under the worst circumstances.

What WE have to say about the Cold Steel Tai Pan
When you hold this knife it feels very sturdy. It seems that it is strong and well made. I like double edge knives and own the Cold Steel Peace Maker, but will likely give it to my brother now that I have the Tai Pan. – Aaron W, Salt Lake City, UT

Cold Steel Master Hunters

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:03:56 +0000

The Master Hunter’s thick, broad blade has been flat ground extra thin with a distinct distal taper for unprecedented cutting ability, edge retention and ease of re-sharpening. The comfortable, deeply checkered Kraton® grip encourages long use without fatigue. This is the new standard for an American-made hunting knife. The Master Hunter has been extensively field tested in Africa, Australia, Alaska and Colorado. It has won the praise of some of the world’s finest hunters including Ross Seyfried of Guns and Ammo Magazine. Available with a Carbon V® or AUS 8A Stainless steel blade.

Mini Culloden

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:43 +0000

Skean Dhu means “Black Knife” in Gaelic (the ancient language of the British Isles). Typically, these knives were carried covertly on one’s person or wedged in a stocking top in the style of the kilt-clad highland warriors.
The Culloden™, commemorates by name, the Scottish nation’s last heroic battle at Culloden on April the sixteenth, 1746. It offers today’s highlander an alternative to the traditional double edged boot knife.
Now Cold Steel® is pleased to introduce a modern, updated version of this romantic and historically significant knife. The thin, acutely pointed blade is made of AUS 8A Stainless Steel. The traditional “jimping” on the back of the blade is both functional and decorative. The deeply checkered Kraton handle is designed to afford a wide variety of comfortable and secure grips.
Comes complete with a Concealex™ neck sheath and steel bead chain lanyard.

Cold steel knives

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:35:11 +0000

Most pocket knives feature “politically correct” blades well under 4″ in length. The Voyager X2 has a 6 inch blade! When opening this knife, there is a resounding CLACK when the heavy blade locks in to place. It reminds one of racking a shell into a shotgun… click here to read why.

At first I thought the Desperado was kind of a loopy knife. That is, until I got my hands on one. It has a strange feel to it, but you know it is made for one purpose – defense. It can be called into action very quickly.

LEARN about the Cold Steel difference before you make your purchase.
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