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Heck, I bought a Spyderco Stretch 2 from BladeHQ that had a worse grind, just absolutely atrocious. Sent it back, they refunded full price, then took ten dollars of the knife and put it back out for sale 'as-is, no returns'. Terrible practice
Dude Blade HQ is the shit. I think it's all in how you order, I just ordered a Adamas from Benchmade and I asked them to hand pick one with great action and good blade alignment and I got a great knife. I love the blade HQ folks they really treated me like a appreciated customer
yeah i got a m4 shaman that had a horrible grind from bladehq. Was able send back no issue and they sent me another that was checked before hand to be good. Luckily, was the only limited spydie ive ever bought that didnt sell out within hours. bladehq is great Ive gotten tons from them.
The box opens at 3:37 . The knife shows at 4:23 . Before that, it's just some hysterical voice screeching about how the things are universally bad... Then, the voice gets accompanied with a hysterical laugh and, yes, you got it right -- the things just got even worse...
You’re a weirdo. Looking for validation from internet strangers by talking down to people for no reason. How dare someone show some real personality in their video 😂😂
I remember back in the early ‘90s when I graduated high school, I really wanted their Recon Tanto, as I thought it was a cool design and it was fairly new. It was too expensive for me, but they did offer factory seconds that were supposed to be the same quality, just cosmetically a little imperfect. They used to stamp a 2 on the bottom of the pommel area. I decided to give in and just buy the full quality one, and I never regretted it.
@@DerekKBurks Right on, man- I ended up losing mine around 2001, and never got another. I still love the design, though. It was just like the SRK, but with a different blade. That’s one I always wanted but never picked up- maybe one of these days. 👍🏻
My wife bought me a 2nd recon tanto as one of my gifts years ago. It's the carbon V version and I love it. I've had it for....10 years I guess. Still sharpens up super easy.
Back in the old days of cold steel, that would have had a 2 melted into the handle and sold in their parking lot sale for 70% off. I’ve got a lot of those old school factory seconds.
Cold Steel sometimes offered 'factory seconds' of various grades at discounts. I would not put it past some sellers to sell the 'seconds' as regulars. BTW I bought a Natchez bowie and upon opening the box it the handle had already come apart.
@@idontno0 same here! I dont buy knives on Amazon typically, unless its a Civivi... but i DID buy a Yojumbo on there about 2 weeks ago (because most places were out of stock) and its immaculate. It came from an authorized retailer though... idk if it would have been the same outcome if it was an unauthorized one.... but im very pleased with the knife i got!
100%. Yes some knives on Amazon are genuine but there are also the seconds, counterfeits etc.... and often I've found the seller information less than accurate. I'm not into playing roulette - if I want to gamble I'll go to a casino to lose my money. Use authorised dealers and get genuine. Want some discounts - get to know your local knife dealer and often they will do deals to keep your custom!! Have a great day.
I wouldn't recommend you buy a Spyderco Military off Amazon or Ebay. Some are probably real but lots are not. Bought Ray-Ban sunglasses twice off Amazon for about half price, the sunglasses were not real but were very, very good fakes. Every detail was spot-on except the lens were not polarized which sort of gave it away. was easy enough to get a refund but a waste of time. Gave up on the cheap sunglasses and went to Sunglasses Hut.
Makes it almost seem hand ground I dunno. Perfection is difficult with those grinds where a machine will do it more precise than a hand ground. So maybe these are more hands on lol ironically.
Reading these replies is so cringeworthy. Especially the one right above mine. Oooh fancy pants rich mcgee fuck you. Some people are not knife freaks and dont have an eye for unimportant details.. instead of saying whats wrong youre jsut like "tsk. You wouldn't understand, peasant" and that smiley at tbe end is a cherry on top. Dont be a pretentious cringelord and say whats wrong with it if you see it. But i bet you dont.
I have been buying Cold Steel since the 80s when they started producing Carbon-V steel with the Trailmaster Bowie. I've been a dedicated CS buyer since. I too lusted after the Tai Pan, and finally hid enough $$ from the wife to get one - off Amazon. That was years ago, and I did contact the retailer - he sent me a response same day that he was letting it go at cost b/c it had been in his shop for 3yrs. Mine looks fine, but now you're gonna make me pull it out and measure it! Great video, thanks for posting up.
I understand completely about being frustrated because something doesn't come perfect. Personally, I'd be cool paying discount prices for factory seconds as long as it can cut and hold its edge is all I care about.
That's why when I saw that only the grind and bevel were uneven I was a bit frusterated. Dude hyped this knife up for 5 minutes like we were about to see a terribly made knife and its just a badly made bevel and grind... Idk why he made this video, he literally said he knew this would happen but bought it anyway.
Got an 0562ti from Amazon on Monday for 240 bucks. It’s perfect as far as I can tell, grind looks great and the edge is the sharpest factory edge of any knife I’ve ever had. Maybe I’ve gotten lucky, but I’ve yet to be burnt by Amazon. I do always check the seller profile before I buy anything if it’s not sold by Amazon directly though
Well, this video of yours just sent me to the basement to check out ALL of my CS San Mai knives, including the Tai Pan. Fortunately my initial inspections were still good. I did have to return a CS Nightfall Magnum Tanto in 3V earlier this year, as it was incorrectly advertised and actually a satin finished version. I wanted to keep it, but like you said, it's the principle of the thing. Great vid, thanks.
I really like Cold Steel knives, but I have had to send a few back as well. The most recent one was an SR1 Lite. Everything with the knife was excellent except for the blade hitting the spring on the inside of the knife when closing it “blade wrap”. The others were a 4 max scout with really bad asymmetrical plunge grinds and a large Espada that had up/down & side/side blade play.
Sure, the plunge lines and grinds may be a little off, but it's still made of the same steel. I would take it at a discount. As long as the parts are fitted properly and it will do what it was made to do, it justifies a lower price. At full price? No.
I haven’t read any of the comments below so if I’m just another guy repeating what many others have already said, I do apologize. And I absolutely love your channel and your reviews. First off, you tried buying discount from Amazon, which is always a gamble in my experience as a knife collector. You know better than I how to shop for knives and even you got stuck with a knife that is definitely less than what Cold Steel advertises. Also keep in mind that Cold Steel likes to crank these knives out and even I have noticed a slight lack in their quality control over the years. Which is too bad because they often have good designs but not always the greatest execution when it comes to their manufacturing. That said, I have two Tai Pans in 3V and I got lucky because the grind on both came perfectly symmetrical.....I got luck 😅🤷♂️ I bought both from DLT Trading, a secondary distributor I know you are familiar with. I’d recommend checking their for Cold Steel products in the future. It’s still cheaper than ordering directly from the Cold Steel website. Also, as a fixed blade enthusiast, Cold Steel has always had cheaper sheaths for their products. But it’s better than what Busse has done for years, which is to not offer any sheath at all!!! 😡However Busse has recently offered leather sheaths for a lot of their newer models. But yeah, if you like the Tai Pan (a good geometry for a fixed dagger actually, because the grind is wider than a traditional fairbairn-sykes ice pick lol) I recommend looking into fitting it for an aftermarket sheath of a material of your choosing. Peace and love bro! And I totally recommend avoiding Amazon in the future if you can. Unless you’re absolutely sure the seller isn’t BSing you in someway. 👍
I completely HATE when this happens! Sooooo many knives and manufactures do this! I sold 2 Winkler knives because of this! And returned many more for the same reason! MC you’re right on this one!
That's what I thought at first. The grind doesn't look that bad but I can see why he'd be displeased if he wants a flawlessly made grind but just seems like he's complaining over nothing that's going to affect the knife's performance, especially when he's not even going to use it.
Just bought an AD 15 from Amazon as they were price matching another store. Absolutely nothing wrong with it (maybe I got lucky) was to good of a deal to pass up. Way cheaper than what I would have to pay for one in Canada. Thanks for this video, will definately pay closer attention to Amazon purchases in the future.
I ordered the 3v Magnum Tanto XII from Knifeworks to the UK and it’s basically just a crowbar. The money I saved by ordering from US ($340 shipped vs £385/$494 from CSUK) is great but I’ve been feeling like it’s a factory 2nd - even my 9 year old recon is significantly sharper.
I was in almost the same boat. I wanted a Tai Pan for about 20 years. I recently ran into a price I could afford. It is real, but it's not very good. It has uneven grind lines. I forgot Lynn wasn't in charge anymore. I believe the new Cold Steel to be selling inferior products now. I had the same problem with the Master Hunter. I should have bought one of the knives years ago when it was superior.
I bought a Becker BK14 from Amazon and it was the most disappointing knife purchase I can remember ever making, and I'm 45. I think it had a bad heat treat because the steel was like room temperature butter. One of the few things that I'm fastidious about it's having a razor sharp edge ("razor" depending on the steel of course), so I was sharpening and honing this constantly. Originally the knife fit really snuggly in the sheath so I took the thumb latch off, after 7-8 weeks I had to put it back on to keep the blade secured now. At first I thought that I must have left some burr that didn't get knocked off, seeing as how quickly it would lose its bite. One day I was using it outdoors and needed to set it aside, so I just stuck it into a pine log. I didn't bury it in there, just deep enough to hold it. When I pulled it back out I thought I broke the the edge at the tip, then I saw it didn't break but just rounded off by the log. It seems to have more in common with lead than carbon steel.
U have a 70 year old rock maple cutting board. some reason I thought it was okay to stab my tanto M4 spyderco folder into it. Just to hold it steady/upright for a blade pivot lube job. Knife didn't stick. Didn't hurt the factory tip either
I will also add that I HATE even more when fixed blades are sold with warps in the blades and aren’t straight. I’ve had a Spartan Blades horkos and 2 Emerson PUK with horrible warps. And just about every ESEE is never straight!
All of my ESEE knives are perfectly straight, but Cold Steel folders from the old company was often not. From new CS i have only got perfect blades. I know it is a year since you wrote this
I literally just bought a cold steel on Amazon that was listed on the "deal of the day", two days ago. I wish I would have seen this first. It hasn't shown up yet. And now I am stressed out.
If the price isn't too cheap, I wouldn't worry much about it. This guy hyped up this knife for 5 minutes straight like it was going to be a terribly made knife and the only difference I saw was a poorly made grind and bevel.
I have a San Mai version from 20 years ago, still looks almost new. Great blade. I used to go to their annual parking lot sale when I lived in So Cal. Great deals and they'd haggle. Even then there were people showing up to scoop up the factory seconds to resell.
Hey they often say "Your mileage may vary". In May of 2021 bought a CS TaiPan from Knifecenter. It was satin CPM-3V and just over $300. Always wanted one so finally sucked it up. It is CPM-3V which isn't cheap. Well, was back on Knifecenter in July of this year and they had a DLC CPM-3V version for $199. Been buying from them over 20 years. Bought it. Just as perfect as the other one. Although getting the grease they use off the blade I did note it had a minute amout of black in the grease. Don't think it came off the blade just was a little different. Watched your video, went and got both out. They are both perfect. Some of the best grinds I have seen on CS in awhile. A little stropping and they will snap cut slivers of phonebook paper without tearing. Go figure. Wish a CPM-3V Gurkha Kukri wasn't basically $600.
Well said, Mr. Complex, and needed in today's marketplace! A pox on those who'd pass 2nd rate goods, no matter who they are. Having bought a discounted, Cold Steel from Amazon recently, you can bet I'm putting my readers back on and putting the knife thru a VERY careful inspection! Fortunately, mine's a beater destined for the man/bag, and whatever self derense needs, or mid-nite aito repairs might present! THANKS! AGAIN!
This happens ALL THE TIME on Amazon. Even if you have a legit seller (any brand), I'm convinced at this point they just send all their factory screw up 2nds for Amazon sales WHILE STILL CHARGING FULL PRICE in many cases. Then if a knife gets sent back they just repackage (sometimes don't even bother doing that right), and send it right back out again to another poor soul in hopes they keep it. Very frustrating. The big gamble you take making online purchases of anything you can't visually see and handle beforehand. Sucks for those of us nowhere near any decent stores that sell name brand blades. I've got burned way too many times to just suck it up and purchase from reputable knife sites instead of Amazon.
I bought a Cold Steel knife if I remember correctly it was called a Spartan. I could be wrong as it was well over 5 years ago. I was carving a cedar staff and a huge chunk broke out of the blade. It was definitely a bad heat treat or a defective piece of steel used in the blade. You have to be careful buying stuff from Amazon. A few months ago I bought some broadheads from Amazon that ended up being counterfeit. In order to get them to take them back it was going to be a fifty plus mile round trip to the closest drop off or pay them almost half of what I gave for them to have ups pick them up. I wasn't happy about being ripped off and spent the next couple months calling customer service every couple weeks trying to get them to do what was right. They ended up sending me the same counterfeit broadheads and then charging me for them again. I wasn't being nice after that and got hung up on a couple times after letting them know what I thought of them.. Basically they ripped me off twice. They are scandalous thieves imo. F them!
That type of grind is tough to do - just getting the grinds symmetrical from front to back on a plain ole drop point is often difficult for some makers. I can't afford to do this, but I would bet that if you buy 10 of those from the same "legit" dealer, you will find some of them are wonky like that - it's got nothing to do with it being cheap on Amazon.
For Cold Steel this is normal. Emerson oddly has some great blade grinds and Hinderers are always perfect but those are pretty expensive. I have a Magnum Tanto 12 that they did a pretty good job on but it's off slightly from side to side but not as bad as this knife you have but thats also a Dagger.
True it is a difficult grind to do properly but to be fair the only time I've ever had any grind issues on a Cold Steel was when I ordered it from Amazon, every time I bought a Cold Steel in person it was perfect. I may not be able to afford the Taipan but when I bought the Shanghai Shadow (which is basically the exact same grind but a bit wider) it was one of the most beautiful grinds I have ever seen, but when I had to get a new one online because the old one got stolen it came with the most uneven grind I have ever seen. Needless to say I was very disappointed.
While true, I don't personally think that is excusable. If a company can't produce what is expected then it shouldn't be sold. Difficulty has nothing to do with legitimate business. Price yes, but not following through with the actual sale of a sub par product.
I think could be a bit to do with amazon I work with metal in the industrie (i could never be so upset /in my eyes even weird because it is machineground and flipped/a thought of mine i must say woensdag i see it) Must ad **** ** if you have a complaint perhaps try it yourself haha / or look even deeper at the cutmarks or so left to right (by the way i like the look knife) Never bought a cold steel and didn't enjoy it/ still have it Really want to buy the air lite tanto and the one with the exchangeble blades the name escape me(or woensdag possible in Holland one of the ad 20 versions
No.. Its very easy to do. Its done on a cnc machine.. The only reason the grinds will be off is if the blade was bent and out of what after surface gribding.. Or one stobe was not dressed properly
Well, good luck finding a decent timber rattler style bowie on Amazon. I bought two. First one was a rustic style. What I got was clearly cut from a steel plate, angle grinded and hit with a blowtorch. One side had the profile and the other was flat up to the edge. The second one I got from another company on Amazon. It had the brass fittings and whole nine yards. The problem was, the handle was very thick, square shaped and uncomfortable. It was twice the weight of the first one. The tip was squared off like they just didn't bother to grind it into a point and there were lots of delamination cracks on the spine. I gave up at that point.
Thanks Metal, great video as usual. However isn’t Amazon the perfect place to “take those kinds of chances?” I say that because one may just get lucky…….you may not like you have shown, but it’s always easy to return. I can return virtually anything, and it’s free to return. Also the shipping is usually fast. So your only out just a bit of time if you decide to take a chance. I think we understand about “too good to be true”………however if someone is going to take a chance……..that’s probably the best place to try it.
I bought a couple Cold Steel knives from a trusted retailer recently that were on clearance. One, a Counter TAC II boot dagger, the other a Leatherneck Tanto. The Counter TAC was a little disappointing due to cheap blade steel, but it'll still serve my purposes well enough once I get it on an adjustable angle sharpener. The Leatherneck Tanto? Hooly Schitt...that thing is a beast with a capital 'B'. It's nothing short of a slashy, stabby baby katana with a D2 steel blade and a very grippy, well-fitting handle and solid steel hammer-faced pommel for window or skull cracking. This thing was made for serious business.
I've always had quality control issues with knives. Especially fixed blades. Whether I buy from Amazon or some other place. Some manufacturers are sloppy with their quality control process (looking at you Ontario Knife Company) I recently bought a Ka-Bar from Amazon that was was 20 percent off. The Kraton handle was all sticky. Amazon advertised it as "new." I usually buy directly from Amazon and not third party sellers. My question is, Should I stop buying from Amazon and instead purchase from knife specific websites? Or are quality control issues common among the major knife manufacturers. It's hard cause I'm a sucker for a good deal and Amazon offers some good deals.
1) I use a couple of well established dealers and yes I pay retail but I get quality, service & support and often some nice loyalty discounts or early access to new knives. Most importantly I know I'm getting genuine. 2) A knife at this this price point should not have left the factory. Personally I've been concerned at Cold Steel's quality control and use of cheaper materials over the past 1-2 years and have avoided buying them. Luckily there are many other brands out there to take my money. Sharp blades all.
It's a very slightly off center grind. I can get wanting the blade you paid for to be perfect, I'm the same, but you were a bit over dramatic on how "bad" it was. The grind scratches at the plunge grind were definitely unsightly. I can almost guarantee cold steel uses automated grinders and jigs to grind their blades. My guess is the stock template was either not perfectly flat or was slightly misaligned when set up in the jig which resulted in the slight waviness and uneveness in the grinds as well as being a bit off center on the tip.
This video is old. I sent this back and reached out to Deon Nel to have him create an entirely handmade custom and mirror polished variation of this knife simply to scratch the itch of perfection. I got what I wanted. I don't settle for flawed. I'm more "dramatic" than you could possibly imagine 👍
@@metal_complex no i know, i noticed it was a bit old. Don't worry dude I'm the same with my blades, I've sent many back when they weren't up to par. And I'm a big fan of daggers and have a decent amount of them and probably 1/3 of them were sent back for a replacement because a similar issue with grinds being off center or inconsistent. I'll check out that video you linked cause I'd definitely like to see that custom blade you mentioned.
I think that I may have purchased one knife from Amazon. Maybe not. I read too much early on that spoke to the perils of purchase on several online sellers. Not caveat emptor, but emptor non emo.
My tai pan was as perfect as I could imagine. Also bought on one of these price drops. Then I proceeded to make it not perfect by dropping it on concrete 🙄
The irony is I was just on Facebook in Knife Sales Trading And Feedback talking about how it seems like Amazon has a track record of selling botched blades even from reputable brands. It feels like they get factory seconds or all of the knives that somehow miss all quality control checks. I don't recall a SINGLE knife I've ordered on Amazon that didn't have a fault on it aside from a Cold Steel mini Voyager and Recon 1, everything else was just botched from lock rock to all sorts of other major issues.
Measure it. I don't think it's as you think it is. Also, you didn't do a close up at the tip but from what I can see it looks perfect at the tip. But looking at the picture on the box it also looks as if the line comes up biased toward the "p" in the word pan. Same thing with the actual knife you bought.
Bought some CRKT folders from BladeHQ and had to completely reprofile one. The grind and edge were totally off. $50 knife yeah, but when I can buy RAT1&2s with perfect blades for half the price it's still lame. I also bought a TOPS way back that came as dull as a spoon, wouldn't even cut paper. That one was a real let down.
I'm always weary of when a price looks too good to be true. Sometimes you make out but most of the time you don't. A few years ago I bought a greenlee tool kit off amazon since it was like a third the price of retail. Turns out like what I though someone just fucked up the pricing (within an hour of me ordering them the price was changed to what I would have expected). When I got them I compared them to my old ones and figured they were good. If they were fakes $90 was still a good price since they've survived nearly 3 years of daily use and still going without issue (other than me blowing them up)
By extending the thickest area on opposite sides it increases the thickness width in the center and strengthens the center .. it’s designed that way for strength
@@metal_complex So what? It's not going to affect the performance. You can't expect a company to make knives the exact same way every time. As long as it doesn't affect it's functionality you really shouldn't care unless it's going to be a display item.
@@LethalByChoice Daren, knock this off dude. I paid for it. Not you. The thing is displayed as having a centered grind and after talking with Cold Steel themselves, they also said the grind is supposed to be centered. Discounted or not, I wanted the thing to have the right grind. It's as if you think I used YOUR money to buy something YOU invented. What's with this defensive stance? Chill out dude. It's going back. Worry about yourself. It's done.
They used to make these back in middle-earth. Good for gutting fish and stuff. The problem with a double-edged blade is that YOU WILL eventually end up with uneven sides through use and sharpening.
I bought a brand new Code 4 from a reputable, local dealer. The blade was only ground on 1 side hahahaha. Of course they took it back, but large volume dealers don’t take every knife out to inspect before selling them. They get hundreds of knives in from makers and distributors. They don’t inspect them. Just make sure there’s a good return policy.
i bought a Spike (drop point) neck knife in 4116 approximately the same time frame that also has an asymmetric grind. The two Espada xl (Aus10 and S35vn), Warcraft xl, and Marauder bowie I've bought since then have all been perfect. PS- While I don't consider myself to be a Cold Steel " fanboy"...I think they make some excellent knives of interesting design at a relatively reasonable price.
I have just received my Tai Pan in CPM 3V yesterday and it was perfect. After watching your video I checked my piece carefully and I was glad that everything was perfect. The grind was even on both sides, the four edges were hair shaving sharp without the need for me to touch them up. I bought mine on Amazon. On these big fixed blade Cold Steel knives the factory packed the greased blade in a cardboard sleeve then in a bubble wrap bag, the sheath is in another sealed plastic bag. In the past month I ordered four Cold Steel knives on Amazon, Magnum tanto XII in CPM 3V, Magnum tanto II in San Mai, Magnum tanto II in CPM 3V, and Tai Pan in CPM 3V. Three of them were packed as I described except the Magnum tanto II in San Mai, there was no grease on the blade when I pulled it out from the cardboard sleeve and the edges wouldn't cut phone book paper while all other did. So I suspect it was a returned item and needless to say I returned to Amazon for refund. Be smart when buying knife on Amazon.
Yeah, I usually use Amazon as a last resort when it comes to knife shopping. You can get good deals but I don't really like to risk it and I like to support my favorite knife retailers. ^w^
My two favorite parts in this video: 1. You’ve wanted this knife for a long time, probably since seeing the ad in KungFu magazine as a kid and… 2. You admitted you’ve always wanted this knife AND bought it! Awesome. I’ve had a Recon Tanto for 15yrs and I take it out of the sheath to admire every year or two. Have no idea why I still have it - but I can’t sell it either. Stupid psychology of “things”
When Cold Steel was based in Ventura, California, they held a parking lot sale once each year. I attended the parking lot sales six times over the years. They openly sold factory first and factory seconds during the sale. I have purchased some factory seconds and they have worked perfectly for me. But, the Cold Steel employees were always open about the factory seconds and would point out the errors if you asked. Since the ownership of Cold Steel has changed and they moved their warehouse to Texas, I have wondered what they do with their factory seconds. Maybe my question has been answered. Note: I miss the parking lot sale and the BBQ lunch they provided when you purchased a certain dollar value or above. I am sad that they joined the never ending flow of companies leaving California.
If the knife was cheaper and noted that it has defects, that's not a problem. I myself recently bought a Cold Steel Tactical Katana Machete for 1/3 of the store price, only because there was no factory-led cutting edge. I did it myself, it took a while, but I have a weed cutter, sharpened the way I like it. A much greater cause for worry and frustration is a knife that is poorly heat-treated, and someone wants to use it like a tool - a tool that cannot even be properly sharpened, dulls instantly or breaks.
I bought a Master Tanto off Amazon and it's perfect EXCEPT....the pommel is turned slightly off-center. It's a little annoying to look at, but the thing is solid so I decided to keep it and am not particularly butthurt.
Iv had simular happen in person with swamp rat knives. Went to a gun show that had busse booth set up got a exclusive knife that was made for the show after getting it home and looking over the knife really well noticed the very prominent bend in the blade this was a 7in blade and when put on a flat surface there was a solid 3.5mm gap at the center of the blade and the flat surface!
Little story - I wanted a Cold Steel Outdoorsman knife. I didn't care as much about the metal, I liked the design. I looked for one but price was way out of range. I found a knock-off on Wish an inch longer than the CS version made from all VG-1 steel. I knew it was a knock-off. Problem is, this knife has gone through some very rough times but continues to be the best knife I own for use. Sharper than a razor too with good edge retention. Maybe I got lucky. China makes them all now anyway. Simply a fact CS can't grind anymore, bad workers and bad quality control at CS. Probably going to get worse now since it has been sold off.
Okay I definitely get what you're saying however Cold steel customer service is something I've never had a problem with, every knife that I ever bought from Cold steel If there's been anything wrong with it they immediately fix it or replace it. Obviously this retailer didn't want to send it back to Cold steel for replacement they knew it was defective so please don't blame the company for trying to sell it they also send out factory seconds that people sell as non seconds usually they are permanently marked in some way I know with the old recontantos and SRKs they would literally brand the bottom of the handle with the number two into the rubber..... So I'm just wondering if you've contacted Cold steel what have they said about this?
There was a time , about 5 years ago , I could buy the most beautifully made name brand knives from china direct for very little money. I collected a few.😊
I've been buying Cold Steel for a LONG time. I've gotten not just knives, but swords out of the box, just like that. Unbelievably frustrating. I spent just about $900 on an Emerald Dragonfly imperial katana. I expected a $900 sword. I've got a few $20k+ swords. I didn't have that level of expectation out of it, but, when you advertise a mirror polish, and charge for one, you'd best deliver. Cold Steel just sometimes doesn't deliver that. I feel your frustration bud. This video has made me 2nd and 3rd guess buying the VG-10 San Mai I was considering. Guess I'll look for a different fighting knife to carry with my firearms.
Watching the vid it looks pretty good to me! If the grinds are off, you should have put a ruler on both sides of the grind so we can verify that it's somewhat off! 🤔👍
I've been lucky...six CS fixed blades from Amazon and one return. Got a Recon Scout with retention in the sheath so tight it took two hands to draw the knife. The knife itself was fine, though. Otherwise they all have been perfect.
Yes. I’ve bought a lot of knives from Amazon, which have been fine, but I always suspected that stuff like this probably happened there. Now I only buy from blade hq and sometimes blade center.
In the early 2ks I carried coldseel folders ridiculously sharp out of the box affordable and tough. Last 10 years I go with Kershaw or something else because the steel quality is important.
I got duped on a Cold Steel Master Tanto on Amazon too. A San Mai version. I got it "new" for $159, and now I see why. Today they are selling on Amazon for $119, but that might be because of the new ownership. It has several bad flaws, including a scratch on the blade, scuff marks on the guard, being a bit dull, and other blade imperfections. It's been bugging me ever since I bought it in 2020. I'll probably get the higher-grade CPM steel version from Knife Center or Blade HQ when I can afford it. Hopefully those come out better.
I usually offer sellers two options in this situation. They can refund me an agreed upon percentage of the purchase price for me to accept the lower quality (I’ve gotten some really cool slightly imperfect stuff for stupid cheap) or I can return it as defective and we can part ways.
I want all the knives I purchase to be perfect as well. It's not too much to ask. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues with the 2 knives I've purchased from Amazon. They weren't discounted though.
Old Marine here, need a dagger for self defense. $75 Sheffield SHE006 Fairbairn Sykes British Commando Dagger 6-7/8" from knifecenter. No it's not original, but it would get the job done in a deadly hasty manner.
I got my Briton, Sassy Pants, up to 100 Smithing pretty quickly and she made, with all the perks, 1000s of legendary iron daggers. Once her Enchanting was 100, it was game over. I wonder if she could have worked for Cold Steel.
A well known maker once talked about "Perceived worth'. The illustrative act of picking up an item (knife?) and either going AHHH! or EEEWWWW! Cold Steel?
Maybe I'm wrong, but this knife looks like it has great throwing characteristics. Sorry you got effed, it really sucks when that happens. So far the only time I ever bought a knife that arrived defective was when I ordered a Reate Mini Crossroads from White Mountain Knives. I was so excited to get that knife! I spent full boat for overnight delivery. And when I opened it...gasp. Some kind of black compound had badly freckled the wood micarta scales. It was clearly a factory defect and I was so bummed. That said, White Mountain Knives responded to my email quickly, apologized for the inconvenience and refunded my money the next day. Their customer service is outstanding and they're always a pleasure to do business with.
This is so weird.. I just watched The Knife Junkie “My Cold Steel Fixed Blade Collection - The Knife Junkie Podcast (Episode 349) video yesterday and at the 1:01:30 mark he talks about pretty much the Exact Same thing! How he’s wanted the Tai Pan for a really long time, how and why the prices went up, and so he finally pulled the trigger, got it from Amazon, the grinds were bad, took it to Kohl’s to send it back, and very soon afterwards had received another one that was much better! I can’t help but to question and wonder what ever happened with that knife he returned and if it was sold to someone else. Only thing that makes me think you didn’t receive the same one he returned is that I believe he mentioned wanting the VG10 version because it was cheaper(and maybe more readily available) then the 3V versions that are going for a premium nowadays. Hope you have better luck with the second one like The Knife Junkie seemed to have!
I got the famous $95 SRK San Mai from Amazon and I love it. Can’t find anything wrong with it and I’ve handled the real deal previously. It was a bit dull (still sharp, I’m an edge snob), but that was an easy fix in exchange for $50 cheaper than elsewhere.
I look at it this way. 1. If it work's as advertised but has a flaw that is cosmetic but doesn't effect it in anyway, I'll expect a %25 discount. 2. If the flaw can be fix and I have to do it I'll deduct the price of fixing the flaw plus a %10 annoyance fee plus the %25 discount. 3. If it cannot be fix without costing more than it is worth but still looks good for displaying I'll pay %10 - %25 of what it is worth. I stopped caring about impressing other's or keeping up with the neighbors. I care about quality, value, usefulness so I will be flexible sometimes but never bend to the point it hurts or breaks me.
I got one from Amazon and its much better than the one you got...the grind is nearly perfectly symmetrical...the only thing I noticed is that you can see fine grind lines in blade but its barely noticeable...so could it have been polished/buffed a little better? Yes...am I happy for the 80 dollars I saved? Yep. But I understand why you weren't happy with the one you received.
I was getting this. I thought I was ending up with restocks. That I was buying late and they only had restocks left. This was concentrating the flaws. But makes more sense the manufacturer is contributing to the problem by offloading flawed merchandise. I know I'm getting restocks though. Got a Swiss army knife over lubed and someone tried to give the bevel a mirror finish. They succeeded but also rolled the edge. So they returned it not realizing what they did. It could maybe cut butter. 10s with a small stone and it was a ton better. It'll be easier for more to fix it than truth it. Plus the cost and purpose, it's not with the effort but far from being the first return, if I did.
Every time I have had a similar issue, it might have been a trusted retailer, but the item was located at the warehouse. Lot of knockoffs and other issues happen when that is the case. It gets sent back, warehouse returns person glances at it and if it looks close enough to what is on the box, they put it back in stock. So between the folks that will get the real deal and replace it with a counterfeit and send it back or just a bad build, it is as you stated just buy from the dealer direct.
I order a lot of things from Amazon. But I have to grin about your problem with the knife. Recently I ordered a box of red Twizzlers off of Amazon (from a 3rd party retailer, I'm sure). What I received was a badly damaged bottle of coffee creamer. Yeah, that's not gonna work. PS: Amazon was quick to offer me a complete refund.
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I laughed just like you at it... but it's just your ugly baby.. still your baby.. it's just special, show it the same love..
I have seen better craftsmanship from HARBOR FREIGHT 'Gordon' knives !
Heck, I bought a Spyderco Stretch 2 from BladeHQ that had a worse grind, just absolutely atrocious. Sent it back, they refunded full price, then took ten dollars of the knife and put it back out for sale 'as-is, no returns'. Terrible practice
That sucks man. Super rare for a spydie product to not have a slicey poke end.
Dude Blade HQ is the shit. I think it's all in how you order, I just ordered a Adamas from Benchmade and I asked them to hand pick one with great action and good blade alignment and I got a great knife. I love the blade HQ folks they really treated me like a appreciated customer
yeah i got a m4 shaman that had a horrible grind from bladehq. Was able send back no issue and they sent me another that was checked before hand to be good. Luckily, was the only limited spydie ive ever bought that didnt sell out within hours. bladehq is great Ive gotten tons from them.
I made a dagger and the grind came out just like that. It's very difficult to do 4 grinds perfectly even by hand
Eh, atleast saying it was as is will be some form of indication that it's got an issue.
The box opens at 3:37 . The knife shows at 4:23 . Before that, it's just some hysterical voice screeching about how the things are universally bad...
Then, the voice gets accompanied with a hysterical laugh and, yes, you got it right -- the things just got even worse...
Reading this made me laugh. You tried so hard 🤣
@@metal_complex
I hope it was a normal healthy laugh...
@@Semyon_Semyonych manic actually. Same as I do in my vids when I'm looking at something ridiculous or fascinating in a stupid way.
😂😂😂😂
You’re a weirdo. Looking for validation from internet strangers by talking down to people for no reason. How dare someone show some real personality in their video 😂😂
I remember back in the early ‘90s when I graduated high school, I really wanted their Recon Tanto, as I thought it was a cool design and it was fairly new. It was too expensive for me, but they did offer factory seconds that were supposed to be the same quality, just cosmetically a little imperfect. They used to stamp a 2 on the bottom of the pommel area. I decided to give in and just buy the full quality one, and I never regretted it.
Nice
I have a recon tanto from back then. Still love that thing.
@@DerekKBurks Right on, man- I ended up losing mine around 2001, and never got another. I still love the design, though. It was just like the SRK, but with a different blade. That’s one I always wanted but never picked up- maybe one of these days. 👍🏻
My wife bought me a 2nd recon tanto as one of my gifts years ago. It's the carbon V version and I love it. I've had it for....10 years I guess. Still sharpens up super easy.
They're only awesome if it's the 3V one. Try finding them now is like stumbling on the Fountain of Youth.
Back in the old days of cold steel, that would have had a 2 melted into the handle and sold in their parking lot sale for 70% off. I’ve got a lot of those old school factory seconds.
Me too! Saw this after I posted similar. 😂
Cold Steel sometimes offered 'factory seconds' of various grades at discounts. I would not put it past some sellers to sell the 'seconds' as regulars. BTW I bought a Natchez bowie and upon opening the box it the handle had already come apart.
Yep, I remember they used to have parking lot sales every year at their headquarters, and offered factory seconds and blemished knives
Please answer, how thick was the tang on the bowie? I'm curious if it's thick or a rat tail tang
@@professored7169 It was that special one, made in pieces and connected with a steel cord.
@@markhatfield5621 ok that's what I seen but for that money I would want a full tang, thank you for responding 🙏
1000%.
I always felt buying a knife on Amazon was dodgey. Nice that you put this on point.
@@idontno0 same here! I dont buy knives on Amazon typically, unless its a Civivi... but i DID buy a Yojumbo on there about 2 weeks ago (because most places were out of stock) and its immaculate. It came from an authorized retailer though... idk if it would have been the same outcome if it was an unauthorized one.... but im very pleased with the knife i got!
100%. Yes some knives on Amazon are genuine but there are also the seconds, counterfeits etc.... and often I've found the seller information less than accurate. I'm not into playing roulette - if I want to gamble I'll go to a casino to lose my money. Use authorised dealers and get genuine. Want some discounts - get to know your local knife dealer and often they will do deals to keep your custom!! Have a great day.
If you buy from authorized retailers on amazon it's a non-issue but if you play stupid and buy from joe schmoe that's on you if it's a counterfeit.
I wouldn't recommend you buy a Spyderco Military off Amazon or Ebay. Some are probably real but lots are not. Bought Ray-Ban sunglasses twice off Amazon for about half price, the sunglasses were not real but were very, very good fakes. Every detail was spot-on except the lens were not polarized which sort of gave it away. was easy enough to get a refund but a waste of time. Gave up on the cheap sunglasses and went to Sunglasses Hut.
Never had a problem.
that tai pan doesn't look bad. i guess i missed whatever is wrong with it.
Your pfp is your actual face when watching this video lmao
Makes it almost seem hand ground I dunno. Perfection is difficult with those grinds where a machine will do it more precise than a hand ground. So maybe these are more hands on lol ironically.
You don’t understand knives, I guess. 😊
Reading these replies is so cringeworthy. Especially the one right above mine. Oooh fancy pants rich mcgee fuck you. Some people are not knife freaks and dont have an eye for unimportant details.. instead of saying whats wrong youre jsut like "tsk. You wouldn't understand, peasant" and that smiley at tbe end is a cherry on top. Dont be a pretentious cringelord and say whats wrong with it if you see it. But i bet you dont.
No u
I have been buying Cold Steel since the 80s when they started producing Carbon-V steel with the Trailmaster Bowie. I've been a dedicated CS buyer since. I too lusted after the Tai Pan, and finally hid enough $$ from the wife to get one - off Amazon. That was years ago, and I did contact the retailer - he sent me a response same day that he was letting it go at cost b/c it had been in his shop for 3yrs. Mine looks fine, but now you're gonna make me pull it out and measure it! Great video, thanks for posting up.
I understand completely about being frustrated because something doesn't come perfect. Personally, I'd be cool paying discount prices for factory seconds as long as it can cut and hold its edge is all I care about.
That's why when I saw that only the grind and bevel were uneven I was a bit frusterated. Dude hyped this knife up for 5 minutes like we were about to see a terribly made knife and its just a badly made bevel and grind...
Idk why he made this video, he literally said he knew this would happen but bought it anyway.
Got an 0562ti from Amazon on Monday for 240 bucks. It’s perfect as far as I can tell, grind looks great and the edge is the sharpest factory edge of any knife I’ve ever had. Maybe I’ve gotten lucky, but I’ve yet to be burnt by Amazon. I do always check the seller profile before I buy anything if it’s not sold by Amazon directly though
I also got one on Amazon last year, 224 and it was totally legit, I've always had great luck on Amazon with knives
Well, this video of yours just sent me to the basement to check out ALL of my CS San Mai knives, including the Tai Pan. Fortunately my initial inspections were still good. I did have to return a CS Nightfall Magnum Tanto in 3V earlier this year, as it was incorrectly advertised and actually a satin finished version. I wanted to keep it, but like you said, it's the principle of the thing. Great vid, thanks.
I really like Cold Steel knives, but I have had to send a few back as well. The most recent one was an SR1 Lite. Everything with the knife was excellent except for the blade hitting the spring on the inside of the knife when closing it “blade wrap”. The others were a 4 max scout with really bad asymmetrical plunge grinds and a large Espada that had up/down & side/side blade play.
Sure, the plunge lines and grinds may be a little off, but it's still made of the same steel. I would take it at a discount. As long as the parts are fitted properly and it will do what it was made to do, it justifies a lower price. At full price? No.
Cold Steels are not always the best made but they sure are fun and some of them are amazing.
I hear the Italian longsword is actually not bad. Not great but not horrible for a cold steel sword
I haven’t read any of the comments below so if I’m just another guy repeating what many others have already said, I do apologize. And I absolutely love your channel and your reviews.
First off, you tried buying discount from Amazon, which is always a gamble in my experience as a knife collector. You know better than I how to shop for knives and even you got stuck with a knife that is definitely less than what Cold Steel advertises. Also keep in mind that Cold Steel likes to crank these knives out and even I have noticed a slight lack in their quality control over the years. Which is too bad because they often have good designs but not always the greatest execution when it comes to their manufacturing.
That said, I have two Tai Pans in 3V and I got lucky because the grind on both came perfectly symmetrical.....I got luck 😅🤷♂️
I bought both from DLT Trading, a secondary distributor I know you are familiar with. I’d recommend checking their for Cold Steel products in the future. It’s still cheaper than ordering directly from the Cold Steel website.
Also, as a fixed blade enthusiast, Cold Steel has always had cheaper sheaths for their products. But it’s better than what Busse has done for years, which is to not offer any sheath at all!!! 😡However Busse has recently offered leather sheaths for a lot of their newer models. But yeah, if you like the Tai Pan (a good geometry for a fixed dagger actually, because the grind is wider than a traditional fairbairn-sykes ice pick lol) I recommend looking into fitting it for an aftermarket sheath of a material of your choosing.
Peace and love bro! And I totally recommend avoiding Amazon in the future if you can. Unless you’re absolutely sure the seller isn’t BSing you in someway. 👍
I completely HATE when this happens! Sooooo many knives and manufactures do this! I sold 2 Winkler knives because of this! And returned many more for the same reason! MC you’re right on this one!
What is exactly wrong with the grind? I played it back and saw the one side slightly tapers down but it doesn't look too bad?
That's what I thought at first. The grind doesn't look that bad but I can see why he'd be displeased if he wants a flawlessly made grind but just seems like he's complaining over nothing that's going to affect the knife's performance, especially when he's not even going to use it.
@@LethalByChoicethis guys complaining about a mass produced knife like he paid 1000s and commissioned it hisself
@LethalByChoice The two flats are waaayyyy different widths on either side of that center peak...
Just bought an AD 15 from Amazon as they were price matching another store. Absolutely nothing wrong with it (maybe I got lucky) was to good of a deal to pass up. Way cheaper than what I would have to pay for one in Canada. Thanks for this video, will definately pay closer attention to Amazon purchases in the future.
I've got my new $154 Amazon AD15 in my lap as I'm typing this and it's plue perfect.. cheers 🍻
AD10 is so much better
Wrong actually, you just haven’t found or noticed or understood the issues yet.
MC, you can put this one in the Green Zombie gas station bin.
Looks like a second- which would make sense if you got a fantastic price, wish they would let you know upfront.
Are you complaining about a 1/128th inch issue, I cannot see any issue.
Probably 1/10th inch
Get your eyes checked jack
you’re blind
I ordered the 3v Magnum Tanto XII from Knifeworks to the UK and it’s basically just a crowbar. The money I saved by ordering from US ($340 shipped vs £385/$494 from CSUK) is great but I’ve been feeling like it’s a factory 2nd - even my 9 year old recon is significantly sharper.
That was eye-opening. Thanks for the warning MC.👊
I was in almost the same boat. I wanted a Tai Pan for about 20 years. I recently ran into a price I could afford. It is real, but it's not very good. It has uneven grind lines. I forgot Lynn wasn't in charge anymore. I believe the new Cold Steel to be selling inferior products now. I had the same problem with the Master Hunter. I should have bought one of the knives years ago when it was superior.
I bought a Becker BK14 from Amazon and it was the most disappointing knife purchase I can remember ever making, and I'm 45. I think it had a bad heat treat because the steel was like room temperature butter. One of the few things that I'm fastidious about it's having a razor sharp edge ("razor" depending on the steel of course), so I was sharpening and honing this constantly.
Originally the knife fit really snuggly in the sheath so I took the thumb latch off, after 7-8 weeks I had to put it back on to keep the blade secured now.
At first I thought that I must have left some burr that didn't get knocked off, seeing as how quickly it would lose its bite. One day I was using it outdoors and needed to set it aside, so I just stuck it into a pine log. I didn't bury it in there, just deep enough to hold it. When I pulled it back out I thought I broke the the edge at the tip, then I saw it didn't break but just rounded off by the log.
It seems to have more in common with lead than carbon steel.
U have a 70 year old rock maple cutting board. some reason I thought it was okay to stab my tanto M4 spyderco folder into it. Just to hold it steady/upright for a blade pivot lube job.
Knife didn't stick. Didn't hurt the factory tip either
I will also add that I HATE even more when fixed blades are sold with warps in the blades and aren’t straight. I’ve had a Spartan Blades horkos and 2 Emerson PUK with horrible warps. And just about every ESEE is never straight!
All of my ESEE knives are perfectly straight, but Cold Steel folders from the old company was often not. From new CS i have only got perfect blades. I know it is a year since you wrote this
That’s strange to hear, I’ve had five Esses and all were near perfect.
I've had it on my wish list for a couple decades. I'm not sure if I will buy one now Lynn Thompson sold the company. I did buy a Black Bear back then.
I too got a jacked up Tai Pan from Amazon. Serious buzz kill. Got a hell of a deal too.😂 I returned it and got a really nice one from the return.
I custom ordered that... I wanted it slightly off center for a muscle imbalance... When it arrived I was bored already and returned it.. Sorry...
best comment
I literally just bought a cold steel on Amazon that was listed on the "deal of the day", two days ago. I wish I would have seen this first. It hasn't shown up yet. And now I am stressed out.
If the price isn't too cheap, I wouldn't worry much about it. This guy hyped up this knife for 5 minutes straight like it was going to be a terribly made knife and the only difference I saw was a poorly made grind and bevel.
I have a San Mai version from 20 years ago, still looks almost new. Great blade. I used to go to their annual parking lot sale when I lived in So Cal. Great deals and they'd haggle. Even then there were people showing up to scoop up the factory seconds to resell.
Hey they often say "Your mileage may vary". In May of 2021 bought a CS TaiPan from Knifecenter. It was satin CPM-3V and just over $300. Always wanted one so finally sucked it up. It is CPM-3V which isn't cheap. Well, was back on Knifecenter in July of this year and they had a DLC CPM-3V version for $199. Been buying from them over 20 years. Bought it. Just as perfect as the other one. Although getting the grease they use off the blade I did note it had a minute amout of black in the grease. Don't think it came off the blade just was a little different. Watched your video, went and got both out. They are both perfect. Some of the best grinds I have seen on CS in awhile. A little stropping and they will snap cut slivers of phonebook paper without tearing. Go figure. Wish a CPM-3V Gurkha Kukri wasn't basically $600.
If it was discounted heavily enough, and described honestly, I'd accept that blade. But not if described as perfect....
Well said, Mr. Complex, and needed in today's marketplace! A pox on those who'd pass 2nd rate goods, no matter who they are. Having bought a discounted, Cold Steel from Amazon recently, you can bet I'm putting my readers back on and putting the knife thru a VERY careful inspection! Fortunately, mine's a beater destined for the man/bag, and whatever self derense needs, or mid-nite aito repairs might present! THANKS! AGAIN!
This happens ALL THE TIME on Amazon. Even if you have a legit seller (any brand), I'm convinced at this point they just send all their factory screw up 2nds for Amazon sales WHILE STILL CHARGING FULL PRICE in many cases.
Then if a knife gets sent back they just repackage (sometimes don't even bother doing that right), and send it right back out again to another poor soul in hopes they keep it. Very frustrating.
The big gamble you take making online purchases of anything you can't visually see and handle beforehand.
Sucks for those of us nowhere near any decent stores that sell name brand blades. I've got burned way too many times to just suck it up and purchase from reputable knife sites instead of Amazon.
I bought a Cold Steel knife if I remember correctly it was called a Spartan. I could be wrong as it was well over 5 years ago. I was carving a cedar staff and a huge chunk broke out of the blade. It was definitely a bad heat treat or a defective piece of steel used in the blade. You have to be careful buying stuff from Amazon. A few months ago I bought some broadheads from Amazon that ended up being counterfeit. In order to get them to take them back it was going to be a fifty plus mile round trip to the closest drop off or pay them almost half of what I gave for them to have ups pick them up. I wasn't happy about being ripped off and spent the next couple months calling customer service every couple weeks trying to get them to do what was right. They ended up sending me the same counterfeit broadheads and then charging me for them again. I wasn't being nice after that and got hung up on a couple times after letting them know what I thought of them.. Basically they ripped me off twice. They are scandalous thieves imo. F them!
That type of grind is tough to do - just getting the grinds symmetrical from front to back on a plain ole drop point is often difficult for some makers. I can't afford to do this, but I would bet that if you buy 10 of those from the same "legit" dealer, you will find some of them are wonky like that - it's got nothing to do with it being cheap on Amazon.
For Cold Steel this is normal. Emerson oddly has some great blade grinds and Hinderers are always perfect but those are pretty expensive. I have a Magnum Tanto 12 that they did a pretty good job on but it's off slightly from side to side but not as bad as this knife you have but thats also a Dagger.
True it is a difficult grind to do properly but to be fair the only time I've ever had any grind issues on a Cold Steel was when I ordered it from Amazon, every time I bought a Cold Steel in person it was perfect. I may not be able to afford the Taipan but when I bought the Shanghai Shadow (which is basically the exact same grind but a bit wider) it was one of the most beautiful grinds I have ever seen, but when I had to get a new one online because the old one got stolen it came with the most uneven grind I have ever seen. Needless to say I was very disappointed.
While true, I don't personally think that is excusable. If a company can't produce what is expected then it shouldn't be sold. Difficulty has nothing to do with legitimate business. Price yes, but not following through with the actual sale of a sub par product.
I think could be a bit to do with amazon
I work with metal in the industrie (i could never be so upset /in my eyes even weird because it is machineground and flipped/a thought of mine i must say woensdag i see it)
Must ad **** ** if you have a complaint perhaps try it yourself haha / or look even deeper at the cutmarks or so left to right (by the way i like the look knife)
Never bought a cold steel and didn't enjoy it/ still have it
Really want to buy the air lite tanto and the one with the exchangeble blades the name escape me(or woensdag possible in Holland one of the ad 20 versions
No.. Its very easy to do. Its done on a cnc machine.. The only reason the grinds will be off is if the blade was bent and out of what after surface gribding.. Or one stobe was not dressed properly
Well, good luck finding a decent timber rattler style bowie on Amazon. I bought two. First one was a rustic style. What I got was clearly cut from a steel plate, angle grinded and hit with a blowtorch. One side had the profile and the other was flat up to the edge. The second one I got from another company on Amazon. It had the brass fittings and whole nine yards. The problem was, the handle was very thick, square shaped and uncomfortable. It was twice the weight of the first one. The tip was squared off like they just didn't bother to grind it into a point and there were lots of delamination cracks on the spine. I gave up at that point.
Thanks Metal, great video as usual.
However isn’t Amazon the perfect place to “take those kinds of chances?”
I say that because one may just get lucky…….you may not like you have shown, but it’s always easy to return. I can return virtually anything, and it’s free to return. Also the shipping is usually fast.
So your only out just a bit of time if you decide to take a chance.
I think we understand about “too good to be true”………however if someone is going to take a chance……..that’s probably the best place to try it.
Amazon is slightly better than ali baba.
OR the sellers can be genuine from the start.
I bought a couple Cold Steel knives from a trusted retailer recently that were on clearance. One, a Counter TAC II boot dagger, the other a Leatherneck Tanto. The Counter TAC was a little disappointing due to cheap blade steel, but it'll still serve my purposes well enough once I get it on an adjustable angle sharpener. The Leatherneck Tanto? Hooly Schitt...that thing is a beast with a capital 'B'. It's nothing short of a slashy, stabby baby katana with a D2 steel blade and a very grippy, well-fitting handle and solid steel hammer-faced pommel for window or skull cracking. This thing was made for serious business.
I was very happy using mine in leather crafts, sharp and easy to hold! The little Tanto knife 🍴 is amazing. Also is great when eating a steak 🥩!
I've always had quality control issues with knives. Especially fixed blades. Whether I buy from Amazon or some other place. Some manufacturers are sloppy with their quality control process (looking at you Ontario Knife Company) I recently bought a Ka-Bar from Amazon that was was 20 percent off. The Kraton handle was all sticky. Amazon advertised it as "new." I usually buy directly from Amazon and not third party sellers. My question is, Should I stop buying from Amazon and instead purchase from knife specific websites? Or are quality control issues common among the major knife manufacturers. It's hard cause I'm a sucker for a good deal and Amazon offers some good deals.
1) I use a couple of well established dealers and yes I pay retail but I get quality, service & support and often some nice loyalty discounts or early access to new knives. Most importantly I know I'm getting genuine. 2) A knife at this this price point should not have left the factory. Personally I've been concerned at Cold Steel's quality control and use of cheaper materials over the past 1-2 years and have avoided buying them. Luckily there are many other brands out there to take my money. Sharp blades all.
Cold Steel used to stamp their factory seconds with a “2”. I bought some at their parking lot sale back in the day.
I bought factory seconds direct from Cold Steel, were flawless and I still use them, many years later.
It's a very slightly off center grind. I can get wanting the blade you paid for to be perfect, I'm the same, but you were a bit over dramatic on how "bad" it was. The grind scratches at the plunge grind were definitely unsightly.
I can almost guarantee cold steel uses automated grinders and jigs to grind their blades. My guess is the stock template was either not perfectly flat or was slightly misaligned when set up in the jig which resulted in the slight waviness and uneveness in the grinds as well as being a bit off center on the tip.
This video is old. I sent this back and reached out to Deon Nel to have him create an entirely handmade custom and mirror polished variation of this knife simply to scratch the itch of perfection. I got what I wanted.
I don't settle for flawed. I'm more "dramatic" than you could possibly imagine 👍
th-cam.com/users/shortsn0vIE4RkVik?feature=share
@@metal_complex no i know, i noticed it was a bit old. Don't worry dude I'm the same with my blades, I've sent many back when they weren't up to par. And I'm a big fan of daggers and have a decent amount of them and probably 1/3 of them were sent back for a replacement because a similar issue with grinds being off center or inconsistent.
I'll check out that video you linked cause I'd definitely like to see that custom blade you mentioned.
@@SweetTooth8989I linked it 👍
Lynn Thompson's "satisfaction guarantee" is good. He really does stand behind his stuff.
Didn't he sell the company?
Ya Lynn doesn't run Cold Steel anymore
Yeah I just recently got a fake Sig Romeo 5 off Amazon… it was actually fairly convincing too. But it was still my last straw for Amazon though.
I think that I may have purchased one knife from Amazon. Maybe not. I read too much early on that spoke to the perils of purchase on several online sellers. Not caveat emptor, but emptor non emo.
My tai pan was as perfect as I could imagine. Also bought on one of these price drops. Then I proceeded to make it not perfect by dropping it on concrete 🙄
A grind wheel (or mail in knife repair shop if you can't fix it yourself) can fix scuff marks very easily.
I’ve bought probably 60 knives on Amazon and had maybe 2 QC issues. I’ve had far worse QC experiences from Blade HQ.
The irony is I was just on Facebook in Knife Sales Trading And Feedback talking about how it seems like Amazon has a track record of selling botched blades even from reputable brands. It feels like they get factory seconds or all of the knives that somehow miss all quality control checks. I don't recall a SINGLE knife I've ordered on Amazon that didn't have a fault on it aside from a Cold Steel mini Voyager and Recon 1, everything else was just botched from lock rock to all sorts of other major issues.
Measure it. I don't think it's as you think it is. Also, you didn't do a close up at the tip but from what I can see it looks perfect at the tip. But looking at the picture on the box it also looks as if the line comes up biased toward the "p" in the word pan. Same thing with the actual knife you bought.
Bought some CRKT folders from BladeHQ and had to completely reprofile one. The grind and edge were totally off. $50 knife yeah, but when I can buy RAT1&2s with perfect blades for half the price it's still lame. I also bought a TOPS way back that came as dull as a spoon, wouldn't even cut paper. That one was a real let down.
I just baught a cold steel voyager off Amazon. Cuts great. Nothing wrong with it
I'm always weary of when a price looks too good to be true. Sometimes you make out but most of the time you don't. A few years ago I bought a greenlee tool kit off amazon since it was like a third the price of retail. Turns out like what I though someone just fucked up the pricing (within an hour of me ordering them the price was changed to what I would have expected). When I got them I compared them to my old ones and figured they were good. If they were fakes $90 was still a good price since they've survived nearly 3 years of daily use and still going without issue (other than me blowing them up)
By extending the thickest area on opposite sides it increases the thickness width in the center and strengthens the center .. it’s designed that way for strength
That only really works for certain types of fullering, the Taipan was always meant to be perfectly symmetrical.
No. This grind is absolutely not supposed to be this way. It's a good up. I get what you're saying, but they didn't do this crap on purpose.
@@metal_complex So what? It's not going to affect the performance. You can't expect a company to make knives the exact same way every time. As long as it doesn't affect it's functionality you really shouldn't care unless it's going to be a display item.
@@LethalByChoice Daren, knock this off dude. I paid for it. Not you. The thing is displayed as having a centered grind and after talking with Cold Steel themselves, they also said the grind is supposed to be centered. Discounted or not, I wanted the thing to have the right grind. It's as if you think I used YOUR money to buy something YOU invented. What's with this defensive stance? Chill out dude. It's going back. Worry about yourself. It's done.
They used to make these back in middle-earth. Good for gutting fish and stuff.
The problem with a double-edged blade is that YOU WILL eventually end up with uneven sides through use and sharpening.
I bought a brand new Code 4 from a reputable, local dealer. The blade was only ground on 1 side hahahaha. Of course they took it back, but large volume dealers don’t take every knife out to inspect before selling them. They get hundreds of knives in from makers and distributors. They don’t inspect them. Just make sure there’s a good return policy.
i bought a Spike (drop point) neck knife in 4116 approximately the same time frame that also has an asymmetric grind.
The two Espada xl (Aus10 and S35vn), Warcraft xl, and Marauder bowie I've bought since then have all been perfect.
PS-
While I don't consider myself to be a Cold Steel " fanboy"...I think they make some excellent knives of interesting design at a relatively reasonable price.
I have just received my Tai Pan in CPM 3V yesterday and it was perfect. After watching your video I checked my piece carefully and I was glad that everything was perfect. The grind was even on both sides, the four edges were hair shaving sharp without the need for me to touch them up. I bought mine on Amazon. On these big fixed blade Cold Steel knives the factory packed the greased blade in a cardboard sleeve then in a bubble wrap bag, the sheath is in another sealed plastic bag. In the past month I ordered four Cold Steel knives on Amazon, Magnum tanto XII in CPM 3V, Magnum tanto II in San Mai, Magnum tanto II in CPM 3V, and Tai Pan in CPM 3V. Three of them were packed as I described except the Magnum tanto II in San Mai, there was no grease on the blade when I pulled it out from the cardboard sleeve and the edges wouldn't cut phone book paper while all other did. So I suspect it was a returned item and needless to say I returned to Amazon for refund. Be smart when buying knife on Amazon.
Yeah, I usually use Amazon as a last resort when it comes to knife shopping. You can get good deals but I don't really like to risk it and I like to support my favorite knife retailers. ^w^
I bought one of these in the mid 1990s. Mine came with leather sheath and appears flawless.
I still love that shape! Too bad the grinds are off. I wish we saw more of this style in the modern market
My two favorite parts in this video:
1. You’ve wanted this knife for a long time, probably since seeing the ad in KungFu magazine as a kid and…
2. You admitted you’ve always wanted this knife AND bought it!
Awesome. I’ve had a Recon Tanto for 15yrs and I take it out of the sheath to admire every year or two. Have no idea why I still have it - but I can’t sell it either. Stupid psychology of “things”
When Cold Steel was based in Ventura, California, they held a parking lot sale once each year. I attended the parking lot sales six times over the years. They openly sold factory first and factory seconds during the sale. I have purchased some factory seconds and they have worked perfectly for me. But, the Cold Steel employees were always open about the factory seconds and would point out the errors if you asked. Since the ownership of Cold Steel has changed and they moved their warehouse to Texas, I have wondered what they do with their factory seconds. Maybe my question has been answered. Note: I miss the parking lot sale and the BBQ lunch they provided when you purchased a certain dollar value or above. I am sad that they joined the never ending flow of companies leaving California.
If the knife was cheaper and noted that it has defects, that's not a problem.
I myself recently bought a Cold Steel Tactical Katana Machete for 1/3 of the store price, only because there was no factory-led cutting edge. I did it myself, it took a while, but I have a weed cutter, sharpened the way I like it. A much greater cause for worry and frustration is a knife that is poorly heat-treated, and someone wants to use it like a tool - a tool that cannot even be properly sharpened, dulls instantly or breaks.
I would use that especially if it was a good discount , however the seller should have said it was a factory second or a blemished item
I bought a Master Tanto off Amazon and it's perfect EXCEPT....the pommel is turned slightly off-center. It's a little annoying to look at, but the thing is solid so I decided to keep it and am not particularly butthurt.
Iv had simular happen in person with swamp rat knives. Went to a gun show that had busse booth set up got a exclusive knife that was made for the show after getting it home and looking over the knife really well noticed the very prominent bend in the blade this was a 7in blade and when put on a flat surface there was a solid 3.5mm gap at the center of the blade and the flat surface!
Little story - I wanted a Cold Steel Outdoorsman knife. I didn't care as much about the metal, I liked the design. I looked for one but price was way out of range. I found a knock-off on Wish an inch longer than the CS version made from all VG-1 steel. I knew it was a knock-off. Problem is, this knife has gone through some very rough times but continues to be the best knife I own for use. Sharper than a razor too with good edge retention. Maybe I got lucky. China makes them all now anyway.
Simply a fact CS can't grind anymore, bad workers and bad quality control at CS. Probably going to get worse now since it has been sold off.
Okay I definitely get what you're saying however Cold steel customer service is something I've never had a problem with, every knife that I ever bought from Cold steel If there's been anything wrong with it they immediately fix it or replace it. Obviously this retailer didn't want to send it back to Cold steel for replacement they knew it was defective so please don't blame the company for trying to sell it they also send out factory seconds that people sell as non seconds usually they are permanently marked in some way I know with the old recontantos and SRKs they would literally brand the bottom of the handle with the number two into the rubber..... So I'm just wondering if you've contacted Cold steel what have they said about this?
There was a time , about 5 years ago , I could buy the most beautifully made name brand knives from china direct for very little money. I collected a few.😊
I've been buying Cold Steel for a LONG time. I've gotten not just knives, but swords out of the box, just like that. Unbelievably frustrating. I spent just about $900 on an Emerald Dragonfly imperial katana. I expected a $900 sword. I've got a few $20k+ swords. I didn't have that level of expectation out of it, but, when you advertise a mirror polish, and charge for one, you'd best deliver. Cold Steel just sometimes doesn't deliver that. I feel your frustration bud. This video has made me 2nd and 3rd guess buying the VG-10 San Mai I was considering. Guess I'll look for a different fighting knife to carry with my firearms.
Watching the vid it looks pretty good to me! If the grinds are off, you should have put a ruler on both sides of the grind so we can verify that it's somewhat off! 🤔👍
Id honestly take that if it was significantly discounted. As long as the heat treat is okay.
I learned a lot here man, thank you.
I've been lucky...six CS fixed blades from Amazon and one return. Got a Recon Scout with retention in the sheath so tight it took two hands to draw the knife. The knife itself was fine, though. Otherwise they all have been perfect.
Yes. I’ve bought a lot of knives from Amazon, which have been fine, but I always suspected that stuff like this probably happened there. Now I only buy from blade hq and sometimes blade center.
I had four mis ground code 4s in a row. This adds up. I also got an ad10 and 15 that were sick though. All authored dealers
In the early 2ks I carried coldseel folders ridiculously sharp out of the box affordable and tough. Last 10 years I go with Kershaw or something else because the steel quality is important.
Usually things like this are marked as blems or 2nds. But they should definitely tell you up front it's not perfect.
I got duped on a Cold Steel Master Tanto on Amazon too. A San Mai version. I got it "new" for $159, and now I see why. Today they are selling on Amazon for $119, but that might be because of the new ownership. It has several bad flaws, including a scratch on the blade, scuff marks on the guard, being a bit dull, and other blade imperfections. It's been bugging me ever since I bought it in 2020. I'll probably get the higher-grade CPM steel version from Knife Center or Blade HQ when I can afford it. Hopefully those come out better.
I usually offer sellers two options in this situation. They can refund me an agreed upon percentage of the purchase price for me to accept the lower quality (I’ve gotten some really cool slightly imperfect stuff for stupid cheap) or I can return it as defective and we can part ways.
I wanted one for 12-13 years before I got one. Still love it!
I want all the knives I purchase to be perfect as well. It's not too much to ask. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues with the 2 knives I've purchased from Amazon. They weren't discounted though.
Ok guys I have a lot of knives but I am still learning. What am I looking at here? What is the flaw in the grind? Thanks
It's not even. The grind is asymmetrical.
@@metal_complex Thank you
Old Marine here, need a dagger for self defense. $75 Sheffield SHE006 Fairbairn Sykes British Commando Dagger 6-7/8" from knifecenter. No it's not original, but it would get the job done in a deadly hasty manner.
I got my Briton, Sassy Pants, up to 100 Smithing pretty quickly and she made, with all the perks, 1000s of legendary iron daggers. Once her Enchanting was 100, it was game over. I wonder if she could have worked for Cold Steel.
A well known maker once talked about "Perceived worth'. The illustrative act of picking up an item (knife?) and either going AHHH! or EEEWWWW!
Cold Steel?
Maybe I'm wrong, but this knife looks like it has great throwing characteristics. Sorry you got effed, it really sucks when that happens. So far the only time I ever bought a knife that arrived defective was when I ordered a Reate Mini Crossroads from White Mountain Knives. I was so excited to get that knife! I spent full boat for overnight delivery. And when I opened it...gasp. Some kind of black compound had badly freckled the wood micarta scales. It was clearly a factory defect and I was so bummed. That said, White Mountain Knives responded to my email quickly, apologized for the inconvenience and refunded my money the next day. Their customer service is outstanding and they're always a pleasure to do business with.
No you're right, any well-balanced fighting knife in that size range also makes a decent throwing knife.
It's not even a defective knife. The bevel is just a messed up.
@@LethalByChoice "It's not defective, it's just messed up." Priceless.
This is so weird.. I just watched The Knife Junkie “My Cold Steel Fixed Blade Collection - The Knife Junkie Podcast (Episode 349) video yesterday and at the 1:01:30 mark he talks about pretty much the Exact Same thing! How he’s wanted the Tai Pan for a really long time, how and why the prices went up, and so he finally pulled the trigger, got it from Amazon, the grinds were bad, took it to Kohl’s to send it back, and very soon afterwards had received another one that was much better! I can’t help but to question and wonder what ever happened with that knife he returned and if it was sold to someone else. Only thing that makes me think you didn’t receive the same one he returned is that I believe he mentioned wanting the VG10 version because it was cheaper(and maybe more readily available) then the 3V versions that are going for a premium nowadays. Hope you have better luck with the second one like The Knife Junkie seemed to have!
I got the famous $95 SRK San Mai from Amazon and I love it. Can’t find anything wrong with it and I’ve handled the real deal previously. It was a bit dull (still sharp, I’m an edge snob), but that was an easy fix in exchange for $50 cheaper than elsewhere.
What steel?
almost every cold steel i bought on amazon has clearly been a returned item with some sort of small defect
I look at it this way.
1. If it work's as advertised but has a flaw that is cosmetic but doesn't effect it in anyway, I'll expect a %25 discount.
2. If the flaw can be fix and I have to do it I'll deduct the price of fixing the flaw plus a %10 annoyance fee plus the %25 discount.
3. If it cannot be fix without costing more than it is worth but still looks good for displaying I'll pay %10 - %25 of what it is worth. I stopped caring about impressing other's or keeping up with the neighbors. I care about quality, value, usefulness so I will be flexible sometimes but never bend to the point it hurts or breaks me.
I got one from Amazon and its much better than the one you got...the grind is nearly perfectly symmetrical...the only thing I noticed is that you can see fine grind lines in blade but its barely noticeable...so could it have been polished/buffed a little better? Yes...am I happy for the 80 dollars I saved? Yep. But I understand why you weren't happy with the one you received.
I've got some blades with imperfect grinds... I see it as evidence that a human hand did the work. But I totally get you.
Did the work wrong
I was getting this. I thought I was ending up with restocks. That I was buying late and they only had restocks left. This was concentrating the flaws. But makes more sense the manufacturer is contributing to the problem by offloading flawed merchandise.
I know I'm getting restocks though. Got a Swiss army knife over lubed and someone tried to give the bevel a mirror finish. They succeeded but also rolled the edge. So they returned it not realizing what they did. It could maybe cut butter. 10s with a small stone and it was a ton better. It'll be easier for more to fix it than truth it. Plus the cost and purpose, it's not with the effort but far from being the first return, if I did.
Every time I have had a similar issue, it might have been a trusted retailer, but the item was located at the warehouse. Lot of knockoffs and other issues happen when that is the case. It gets sent back, warehouse returns person glances at it and if it looks close enough to what is on the box, they put it back in stock.
So between the folks that will get the real deal and replace it with a counterfeit and send it back or just a bad build, it is as you stated just buy from the dealer direct.
I order a lot of things from Amazon. But I have to grin about your problem with the knife. Recently I ordered a box of red Twizzlers off of Amazon (from a 3rd party retailer, I'm sure). What I received was a badly damaged bottle of coffee creamer. Yeah, that's not gonna work.
PS: Amazon was quick to offer me a complete refund.