Wary of carrying Cold Steel products?

[CHighfield]

Is anyone else here wary of carrying their stuff? I just don't like the fact that they have videos of their products rending flesh on their website--I feel like it would be 100% used against me if i were to be brought to court after a self-defense situation.
kinda like a "hand load" versus a "store-bought self-defense" load ("He used that 'Handmade Devil Round' in his 'Black' 'Assault Rifle' to 'Murder' this 'Innocent Kid'")...
Maybe I'm just overly paranoid about having to defend myself and being in legal trouble afterwards...
Any other issues you guys could think of?

 

[lemaymiami]

My only criteria for any blade is "does it meet its intended purpose", can I afford it, and will it provide a good length of service...

I've carried Cold Steel (and lots of other brands) but can honestly say that I've never seen one of their videos..... The good news about blades is that other than size or auto legal restrictions any legal problems will solely be based on whatever you actually did with that blade (and whether it was or was not justified under the circumstances...).

Maybe I have a different take on it than most. I always carried a very sharp blade every day as a cop for 22 years but they were never used for anything other than cutting seatbelts, clothing, or those heavy nylon handcuffs.... I stood ready to use a blade in self defense but never lost control of my primary weapons so I was never tested in that way.... The past sixteen years I've worked as a fishing guide and still carry a blade. It's augmented by several work knives all the way up to heavy curved fish cutting blades (a pair of scimitars by Forschner in the 10 to 12" size - Forschner calls them cimiters or breaking blades...). I just consider them tools of the trade but any of them would make great defensive weapons if required. As a matter of speculation I imagine that most offenders would probably not consider attacking a butcher with all their blades right there either....

 

[glistam]

I hear worries of this kind of thing a lot, and I think it's bunk. I read a lot of court transcripts and case law, and I have yet to see any usage of the knife brand's promotional material as evidence. Most never even say what brand it is, at most saying it is a "buck knife" or "like a buck knife" when all they mean is "one- or two-bladed folder with bolsters." Heck I've never even seen the design come into play, with the exception of arguing if the knife meets existing statutory or common law terms, such as a "dirk" or "dagger." And this was never used to swing the justifiability of a assault; it was only used to make a call on whether the carry was illegal.

The court wants to know what you did, and why you did it. They don't really care what you did it with other than it was "a folding knife," "a handgun," a pipe etc. Food for thought: the vast majority of edged-weapon assaults, robberies and homicides are done with non-folding culinary knives.

 

[CHighfield]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

@glistam,

I've never read any transcripts or anything, but I'm sure that would alleviate many of my worries on subject matter such as this. I do, however keep up with several of the decisions ultimately made in such cases. But yeah, that seems to help to know that they're mostly looking for legality of carry.

 

[JoergS]

Prosecution and lawyers will always find a way to let you look very bad. Use a home made weapon and they will say that you are obsessed with arms, use a kitchen knife and they will say you used a butchering tool against a person and so forth.

So you might as well carry what you like, and not give a rodent's backside about what they might say in court.

 

[mljdeckard]

You're overthinking it. Carry what you want.

 

[hso]

Maybe I'm just overly paranoid about having to defend myself and being in legal trouble afterwards

It isn't uncommon for someone to ask this question and the answer is that it probably won't be important amongst all the other issues if you successfully have to use a knife to defend yourself.

 

[Blackhawk30]

Newer CS knives are impossible to close.Way too much force has to be exerted on the lock.They changed the lock up area.

 

[sgtstryker]

I carried one of their Voyagers in 4'' for ten years, til the clip broke off, somehow..It was half serrated, did all I asked of it, tough knife. Now I carry the Recon 1, different locking method but so far so good. The Voyager rides in a pouch with a larger knife now.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

If you are in a situation where you are down to a knife to defend yourself, the after-action legal worries are the last thing on your mind. That being said I have heard some good things about Cold Steel, especially their push knives.

I carry a Kabar Large TDI knife on duty. If it ever came down to me using it I want it to always be there, be fast, and work. As long as you feel comfortable, carry whatever.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

If it cuts and keeps an edge it is a keeper my me.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I'm generally with the OP and don't like products that are presented/advertised in such a way as to potentially require an explanation for my association with the publicly presented attitude due to simply owning one of their products.

Or, I simply shy away from association with manufacturers who feel Cold Steelish advertising is a positive thing and choose not to be amongst their target customer base.

I'm mostly the same with any excessively bad-assedness marketing like the gratuitous use of skulls, cross-hairs and the like.

In the simple light of internet hypothetical outrage, it's easy to say the connections won't e made but we all know they can be and might as well be avoided ahead of time.

I remember trying in vain to dissuade a friend from naming his Rottweiler "Pain"... Boy did he live to regret that and so did the dog - for a while.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I just don't sweat that stuff. I carry handloads and whatever blade I feel is up to the budget and job.
Court is a magical place where anything can happen. So, if I wind up there I fully expect to be railroaded since I can't afford a Johnny Cochran level of legal defense.

I would imagine some enterprising DA's office could seize your computer and sift through all your posts here and on other fora to find something incriminating that you've written.

IMO, just carry what does the job, makes you smile, and meets your budget. There's no way to predict what the lawyers will do to you.

 

[jbkebert]

I saw my first commercial for a cold steel product today. Couple that with internet ads and there is no way I would own their products. What a bunch of over-hyped extreame-shock ammo wanna be crap.

Just my take.

 

[Ivy Mike]

I saw my first commercial for a cold steel product today. Couple that with internet ads and there is no way I would own their products. What a bunch of over-hyped extreame-shock ammo wanna be crap.

Just my take.

So you don't like their ads.

Ever handled one of their products?

I guess Glock perfection is too snobbish for you and gold dots too bling bling?

 

[Gryffydd]

As long as you don't defend yourself with one of their products while wearing gym shorts, a dress shirt, and a tie that's too short you should be fine.

 

[jman74]

I'd be more worried about the horrible fit and finish on their folders that I've seen lately then I would be of their marketing scheme. Lynn Thompson is a marketing genius. He makes a TON of money marketing low to mid-range products to a specific target audience. Some Cold Steel stuff is nice, but it's usually not the products seen in his ads.

 

[Certaindeaf]

But you/we/me may well drive X car shown/advertised slaloming down the peopled boulevard at breakneck speed. One actually advises not to do this/it's illegal and the other shows/proves how well the tool works. What was the question/assertion?

 

[jbkebert]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbkebert
I saw my first commercial for a cold steel product today. Couple that with internet ads and there is no way I would own their products. What a bunch of over-hyped extreame-shock ammo wanna be crap.

Just my take.

So you don't like their ads.

Ever handled one of their products?

I guess Glock perfection is too snobbish for you and gold dots too bling bling?

Now that you mention it. Yes I have handled some of their knives and a couple of the spears. Granted I have not handled any of the high end steel products that they tout. My thoughts on the fit and finish of these products is that of something made in China. I looked at a kukri at a recent gun show. My lord I hope it was a factory second. The blade edge was burnished on one side. The grind was done by only the most highly skilled 10 year old they could find. For the money they ask for thier products I expect more.

2nd. Your right I do not own a Glock. Nothing wrong with glocks at all. A dang fine pistol by any standard. Fanboys however I can do without.

3rd. I do have a few boxes of Gold Dots. I use them for carry ammo in a couple of my wheel guns. However I have had cycle issues with them in a couple 1911's. So I switched to Winchester Rangers if I take a semi-auto along for the day.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I carry a XL Voyager every day . carried a large for around 10 years till the clip broke Then went to XL. I have several of his fixed blades as well .

 

[Rexster]

I owned some early Cold Steel fixed blades, which were of quite good quality, especially considering the price. As for folders, I have been relatively loyal to Spyderco since the early Police and Mariner models.

Anything sharp, and made of decent steel, can cut things. A video showing this is simply showing what any good blade can do. I am much more concerned about the buffoonery of Lynn Thompson being used to impeach my character, by implying I am a fan of his personality, and I am not even meaning in a courtroom, but in general. I have seen him at the Blade Show, too.

I don't like a person who insults folks as a way of trying to make himself look better. I found one of his broad-brush insults, published on his website, directed at another blade brand, to be personally insulting to me, because, yes, I, too, wear military-style boots. (Danner boots happen to be the only
non-orthopedic footwear that really work for my feet, and, moreover, military-type boots are nearly
ubiquitous among LE patrol personnel these days; I wear a badge for a big-city PD.) My consideration of a couple of Cold Steel purchases at the time, a stick and a fixed blade, were set aside after I read that. I will purchase products from those who do not insult military veterans and LE folks.

His website also pirated photo images from Karambit.com, without permission or
attribution. Of course, his Riposte articles masqueraded as editorials, which might give one more freedom to use images for editorial purposes, but they looked like advertising, to me. By the way, Lynn Thompson totally misunderstood the extended grip of the karambit, that he was trying to ridicule.

Sorry, I seemed to have vented a little much.

 

[JShirley]

I like Spyderco because they make good knives and have sterling business principles.

I don't like Cold Steel because some of their knives are crap, and I feel they are not always an ethical company.

Spyderco has agreed to make a knife Sam and I designed. If it's a major success, I expect to see a Cold Steal copy eventually.

John

 

[JTW Jr.]

I don't like a person who insults folks as a way of trying to make himself look better.

Indeed he is a real piece of work. Looking back to how he ridiculed and slammed the Karambit to be a worthless knife and spent a good bit of effort claiming it in-effectiveness , only to realize it was something he could make a buck on and then came out with one.

Cold Steel is an over hyped marketing and design company, not a knifemaking company. Nothing is made by them, all made for them. Which certainly explains their cheap feel to most of their stuff.

With that said , if that is all one wants is a cheap knife that is fine. But when I see someone carrying a $1200 handgun and a $20 knife. I do get a chuckle.

" as long as it cuts " - that's like saying as long as the gun goes bang that's good enough. For me , that is not good enough.

 

[limpingbear]

Ive used Cold Steel knives for years, and never had any real issues with them. When i lost the thumb stud off my small voyager i sent them a message asking how much to replace it and they sent me a new one, no charge. The videos they show are intended to show you how much abuse those blades can take and how well they perform in cuttting. Its like gun makers showing how accurate thier guns are.
Personally I like them....YMMV

 

[Blade First]

"...I expect to see a Cold Steal copy eventually."

I see what you did there...heh.

It's the price you pay for good design, John. Just ask George Kellgren.

...Mr.O