Honest thoughts on Cold Steel products?

>>34603112
are you a fedora-wearing fat bag of puss? then they're for YOU!

>>34603120
Oh boy, another internet elistist .

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Here's the rundown on Cold Steel. Most people on /k/ only know the new improved Cold Steel and aren't familiar with how they were before, thinking all the crap people talk about them is memes.

Swords:
>tough and durable
>otherwise bad
>terribly balanced
>not put together very well
>some of the new ones are actually good (the ones they bothered to consult an expert for)

Knives
>strongest locking systems
>have upped their game in steels and grinds in the past 2-3 years
>cheap knives are good value or acceptable only because they're cheap
>mid-tier knives are great
>high-tier knives are overpriced for what you're getting

Machetes
>a bit expensive for a machete, but otherwise serviceable
>main appeal is vaguely resembling swords and selling like hotcakes to mall ninjas

Self Defense products
>relatively sturdy but otherwise super gimmicky and mall ninja

Other
>has a history of shady business practices
>known for biting off other manufacturers
>also known for frivolous lawsuits
>marketing team is the equivalent of the internet tough guy or the guy with a tapout shirt at the bar who wants to fight everybody

>>34603112
I bought one because I wanted a retardedly large knife to have fun with, didn't need to be amazing quality but needed to be durable and cheap. Got the "Bowie Machete" off Amazon for like $15. 12" blade, 17" OAL.

It's just what I wanted it to be, and I don't think I could have done any better for $15. It can keep a good, working edge for a while, and take a beating. I use it to chop up watermelons, coconuts, pieces of wood, etc. and it holds up well. So this is a good review for that one product at least--I don't know about any of their others.

>>34603112
I have had a ti-lite for almost 2 years. Still good as new, I edc it and have yet to find something I like better. Their cheap stuff is shit, their mid tier shit is great, and their high end shit is not worth it. Only get their knives, anything else is mall ninja quality, the only other brand that has better bang for your buck is buck knives. Only get the US made shit though, and buck knives typically don't come with a good edge but they hold whatever edge you put on it

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On the aspect of historicity, their swords are terrible : heavy, unbalanced, and not true to the originals. Their cavalry swords, for example, lack distal taper entirely.

But if there's one word that stands for this brand, it's 'Tough'.

>>34603171
It's so fucking summer.

>>34603305
It's July moron

>>34603112

It's the AR-15 of the knife world.

Sure you could buy this FALL-KNEE-VAN knife, but all you have to do is repeat that competing designs don't do enough to justify the price.

>>34603112
I honestly believe Cols Steel is promoting their products on /k/ and it is annoying as fuck considering they have not offered us a discount yet.

Otherwise they make some cool stuff, IMO.

In terms of knives, they pretty much have a monopoly on the mega-folder/ folding pocket-sword/ XL folding knife category. Their knives are generally nicely engineered and practical, despite the meme tier marketing.

They make "interesting" stuff; but at least it's not boring.

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Cold Steel products tend to be near unbreakable. Their knives are usually pretty good. Swords, on the other hand, tend to have improper balances (in my experience not enough to make it useless but enough to notice), slightly heavier than they should be, and furniture can become loose after repeated use.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with my own CS sword and dagger. They're swords are a bit expensive for what you're getting though. Especially considering that other companies can offer better swords for the same price. BUT you probably won't be able to find a sword in this price range that's as indestructible as a CS one.

Pros
>near indestructible
>holds a decent edge
>acceptable entry level swords
>good knives and daggers

Cons
>swords are heavier than they should be
>balances are slightly off
>furniture can become loose after heavy use
>pommel nuts instead of peened pommels

>>34603642
Fuck off, CSF. You've been banished to the shadow realm.

>>34603301
Got an 'italian longsword' from them that is only 3 feet long, has parts from across typologies, has a welded tang and threaded fishtail pommel. The whole thing is balanced to the tip and was too heavy overall. The grip wood is poplar so it collapsed. The pommel mates to the grip, not the tang, so their designs are designed to fail. The pommel is actually hollow, and it encloses the wood grip, making the grip far too short and the balance far off. They suck for cutting, collecting, training. They are no good for HEMA at all, guranteed to get someone hurt. For $250 you are better off saving money for an albion squire line ($500).

>>34603112
Pocket Bushman is great.

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>>34603112
AHHHHHHH

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>>34603737
For a big sturdy knife it's surprisingly ergonomic and slim for pocket carry.

>>34603658
Have you ever used a CS sword? Or do you just follow memes on the internet? They're by no means great, but they ain't shit either.

>>34603348
>Australian kids

>>34603642
>near unbreakable
>steel

>>34603112
If Cold Steel products was a woman, she would be a biker chick, and I don't mean a pretty female motorcyclist. I mean a thicc heavyset tough girl with a loud mouth and bad attitude. That will attract certain people.
I owned a couple of their products but haven't bought anything for a long time. Some knives, one sword. They are uncomfortable to use and not so good looking but they did all the chopping and cutting I needed. I even used my ti lite as a work knife out of desperation. I get the impression Thompson makes these things for himself, and he's all about robustness and functionality with a streak of what I thought was cool when I was in high school. They should think about getting into products where their durability-first design philosophy would be basically the only priority. Steel target plates, ballistic goggles, shower curtain rods, things like that.
I EDC a cute 3 inch fixed blade Gerber now, so you can imagine how far I fall out of the target audience.

Any thoughts on Eland?