cold steel swords - worth the money? - sword forum international

cold steel swords - worth the money? - sword forum international         sword forum international > communities > modern-era swords and collecting community > general discussion forum cold steel swords - worth the money? user name remember me? password general discussion forum general discussion of swords of all cultures and time periods, makes and methods. page 1 of 2 1 2 >   thread tools rate thread (#1) hugh long (offline) forum family   posts: 278 join date: sep 2003 location: haymarket, virginia cold steel swords - worth the money? - 12-01-2003, 02:58 pm hey forumites, does anyone have experience with cold steel swords? i finally bought a couple off e-bay for less than $200 a piece which i thought was reasonable. i assumed the quality must be good given their high price and they seemed to have a well known name. first mistake: price does not equal quality. i won't get slanderous, but i was extremely dissapointed with the quality of these 2 swords. i bought the chinese gim sword and their viking sword. the blades looked ok for a $100 sword, but certainly not for one sthat retails for over $400!! also, the handle on the viking sword seemed really poorly done. looked like a thin leather wrap right over the tang. the handle on the chinese gim sword was loose - ok, i can tighten a nut... did i just get a couple of bad samples? or is this typical? are there other products better? opinions? arma d.c. (northern virginia) http://www.armadc.com http://www.thearma.org hugh long view public profile visit hugh long's homepage! find all posts by hugh long (#2) nathan robinson (offline) forum family   posts: 1,075 join date: jan 2002 location: san francisco 12-01-2003, 03:05 pm check out my review of the grosse messer . nathan robinson view public profile visit nathan robinson's homepage! find all posts by nathan robinson (#3) robert marotz (offline) forum family   posts: 275 join date: mar 2002 location: taipei, taiwan 12-01-2003, 03:12 pm i did a first impressions review of the cs gim in the chinese swords/swordsmanship forum, but the basic is that overall i was impressed by it. perhaps you sucked up a couple of lemons, or perhaps the previous owner was less than stellar. hard to say. robert marotz view public profile find all posts by robert marotz (#4) kai_lou (offline) forum family   posts: 177 join date: oct 2002 location: socal 12-01-2003, 03:23 pm ummm, need to change user name to real name as per forum rules... kai_lou view public profile find all posts by kai_lou (#5) kmark (offline) forum family   posts: 560 join date: mar 2002 12-01-2003, 03:35 pm keep in mind that cold steel does not make these blades...they get the katana from a manufacturer in china, and i believe the other blades come from india or elsewhere. kmark view public profile find all posts by kmark (#6) christopher e. (offline) forum family   posts: 375 join date: mar 2002 location: portland, or area 12-01-2003, 03:57 pm i own the cold steel basket hilted broadsword. i've found it to be reasonably well balanced, attractive to look at and sharp as the dickens. since i'm not an expert on original basket hilts, i can't speak to their historical accuracy, but mine isn't particularly heavy and it feels good in the hand. i think that an expert would tell you that the basket is a bit too large and it's a tish overweight, but overall, i don't think it's a bad sword for the money... christopher e. view public profile find all posts by christopher e. (#7) david r. glier (offline) forum family   posts: 183 join date: jul 2002 12-01-2003, 05:46 pm i own the cold steel tulwar. first day of real cutting, the blade bent -a warp, actualy. this occured cutting a heavy carpet tube. it's rather slight, and hasn't effecting the cutting of lighter stuff -pumpkins and melons, etc. but i've been leary of trying it against anything else. as a matter of fact, i'm rather turned against cold steel entirely. don't get me wrong, it's sharp as all hell, and it's still cut through anything i put in front of it, but i was disapointed that the blade warped cutting the materiel that came with it, to say the least. david r. glier view public profile find all posts by david r. glier (#8) dholland (offline) forum family   posts: 136 join date: nov 2003 location: texas - way down south by the border 12-01-2003, 06:44 pm i have not had any problems with my cs 1796 lc saber - it came sharp, sturdy and solid. the finish and appearance are good - for a replica it matches the historical weapon in looks (as far as i can tell - i do not own any historical pieces - but photos and looking at a musem piece show it a very close match, i think many consider this an unattractive weapon regardless) i have used it for a fair amount of cutting (including from horseback) and it performs excellent (any problems were due to the user not the blade particularly the metal scabbard getting scratched and marred). it blade does 'rattle' some in the scabbard, but i think that the originals did as well. the blade has some 'very' small scratches on the flat that i know would buff out easily, but the edge is true and shows no wear or damage. i don't know if others have had the same experience or not. it has held up much better than my 1860 lc sword (it is made in india - but i am not sure if it is a windlass product or not but definitely not a cold steel sword). dholland view public profile find all posts by dholland (#9) jamison l. morin (offline) forum family   posts: 948 join date: oct 2003 location: in the us on the east coast of sc 12-01-2003, 07:24 pm from what i hear cold steel sells some pretty good production swords that can hold their own in use as long as you don't ask too much out of them and you know what you're doing. there are many things that could have happened to cause the swords to be the way they were when they came to you. chances are you did get a couple of lemons or they were handled, i guess you could say improperly, by their previous owner. we have to remember that you can only expect so much from production swords, but i have to argue that in the world of swords, the more you pay usually means the higher the quality you're going to get. then again the price you paid could have reflected factory seconds. oh well, i'm probably just acting ignorant. still trying to remember where i was when god was handing out brains. jamison l. morin view public profile visit jamison l. morin's homepage! find all posts by jamison l. morin (#10) david k. wilson (online) sfi staff   posts: 3,015 join date: feb 2002 location: in a van down by the river 12-01-2003, 09:15 pm originally posted by christopher e. i own the cold steel basket hilted broadsword. i've found it to be reasonably well balanced, attractive to look at and sharp as the dickens. since i'm not an expert on original basket hilts, i can't speak to their historical accuracy, but mine isn't particularly heavy and it feels good in the hand. i think that an expert would tell you that the basket is a bit too large and it's a tish overweight, but overall, i don't think it's a bad sword for the money... the cs baskethilt is a pretty decent piece for the money. weight is fine (most historical bh's were a bit lighter, but some were heavier), balance is so-so (sort of blade heavy, but not bad for slashing, hacking action). the basket seems to be based on the 1828 regimental pattern (iirc), but the forward gaurds are unusually wide (they should match the rest of the bars in width). basket size is actually not bad -- it's neither too large nor too restrictive (besides, the later regimental patterns tend to be roomier than the earlier styles). the bluing is a nice touch. i've also handled a 1796 saber (which i was fairly impressed by) and a viking sword (which was not bad, considering the price paid for it). it sounds to me like there have been some cs swords getting by with some sloppy qc, which surprises me as cold steel prides itself on a high level of control over the manufacture of it's imported items... it kind of made me think... of humans sitting around a plump, juicy christmas gorilla.... -- aaron justice the best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley... -- robert burns see, it is i who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. -- isaiah 54:16 david k. wilson view public profile find all posts by david k. wilson (#11) kenneth e. (offline) forum family   posts: 1,754 join date: nov 2003 location: finland 12-02-2003, 12:01 am i have the grosse messer. it is a very tough and powerful medieval style cleaver. if you actually were to use it in martial arts it would be a bit heavy and slow to recover but in the back yard you can have plenty fun with it as it is quite tough and powerful. i have often tought this is something an orc would use as it's kind of crude and brutal. if this appeals to you then i think it is a good buy. if fit and finish is important to you it might not be so good as in this department the hilt and scabbard resembles typical chinese cheapo junk, except the blade that is sharp with a flawless mirror finish. kenneth e. view public profile find all posts by kenneth e. (#12) hugh long (offline) forum family   posts: 278 join date: sep 2003 location: haymarket, virginia 12-02-2003, 03:30 am thanks for all the replies...i guess what turned me off was my perception of what i got for the money. i own 5 hanwei / paul chen blades and they seem to be better quality to me and way less expensive. perhaps my expectations are getting too high... arma d.c. (northern virginia) http://www.armadc.com http://www.thearma.org hugh long view public profile visit hugh long's homepage! find all posts by hugh long (#13) douglas s (offline) forum family   posts: 3,234 join date: apr 2002 location: northern california 12-02-2003, 07:17 am originally posted by dholland i have not had any problems with my cs 1796 lc saber - it came sharp, sturdy and solid. judging from the video it's probably the best of the lot. anyone have experience with the hand and a half? california viking age <><><> <><><> <><><> do what thy manhood bids thee do, from none but self expect applause; he noblest lives and noblest dies who makes and keeps his self-made laws. -sir richard francis burton douglas s view public profile visit douglas s's homepage! find all posts by douglas s (#14) michael stora (offline) forum family   posts: 6,309 join date: aug 2002 location: maricopa "maritukee", az 12-02-2003, 10:54 am originally posted by nathan robinson check out my review of the grosse messer . nathan, did you just copy cold steel's "4 lb" number or did you weigh your grosse messer? mine was a full quater pound lighter than that weight, and balenced about 4.5" from the hilt with lots of distal taper. i was also very impressed with the temper and cutting power, while i have had serious issues with the temper of other c.s. swords. we usually see eye-to-eye on the "weildabiltiy" of models, and your review seems to describe a "differnent sword". i wonder if there is just this much variability in the blades? mike if your opponent is quick to anger, seek to irritate him. — sun tzu above all else, the devil cannot stand to be mocked. — c. s. lewis michael stora view public profile find all posts by michael stora (#15) nathan robinson (offline) forum family   posts: 1,075 join date: jan 2002 location: san francisco 12-02-2003, 11:11 am originally posted by michael stora nathan, did you just copy cold steel's "4 lb" number or did you weigh your grosse messer? mine was a full quater pound lighter than that weight, and balenced about 4.5" from the hilt with lots of distal taper. i was also very impressed with the temper and cutting power, while i have had serious issues with the temper of other c.s. swords. we usually see eye-to-eye on the "weildabiltiy" of models, and your review seems to describe a "differnent sword". i wonder if there is just this much variability in the blades? mike no, i didn't copy anybody's number. of course, upon reviewing any and all swords, i measure everything myself. in my opinion, the disparity between samples can be seen as yet another indication of the quality of products being produced by a company. then again, you're only talking about 4 ounces. other than weight and handling, that model has serious other issues, mostly related to authenticity. even at a quarter pound lighter (3.75 pounds), it's far too heavy, imho. nathan robinson view public profile visit nathan robinson's homepage! find all posts by nathan robinson (#16) michael stora (offline) forum family   posts: 6,309 join date: aug 2002 location: maricopa "maritukee", az 12-02-2003, 12:58 pm originally posted by nathan robinson no, i didn't copy anybody's number. of course, upon reviewing any and all swords, i measure everything myself. in my opinion, the disparity between samples can be seen as yet another indication of the quality of products being produced by a company. then again, you're only talking about 4 ounces. other than weight and handling, that model has serious other issues, mostly related to authenticity. even at a quarter pound lighter (3.75 pounds), it's far too heavy, imho. i assumed you would weight them. as far as authenticity, the stamped side-ring with square edges is probably the worst part. just curious what weight you look for in a two-hander. i generally look for 3 lbs or more, and about 6 oz. lighter for a single hander. mike if your opponent is quick to anger, seek to irritate him. — sun tzu above all else, the devil cannot stand to be mocked. — c. s. lewis michael stora view public profile find all posts by michael stora (#17) mark weldon (offline) forum family   posts: 105 join date: feb 2002 location: massillon, oh 12-02-2003, 01:31 pm my only experience was with the shasqua saber. it was not a good piece, even at the discounted price i got it for. fortunately i was able to return it to cold steel. i would not buy another one of their swords unless i could actually inspect the piece i was going to buy first. mark mark weldon view public profile find all posts by mark weldon (#18) nathan robinson (offline) forum family   posts: 1,075 join date: jan 2002 location: san francisco 12-02-2003, 03:37 pm just curious what weight you look for in a two-hander. i generally look for 3 lbs or more, and about 6 oz. lighter for a single hander. uhm. i don't look for a particular weight. i look for a sword to resemble the historical piece on which it is based. my preference isn't relevant in the equation, so long as it's within the parameters of an authentic sword of it's type. for the record, grosse messers are not two-handed swords, but rather a hand and a half design. the cold steel one, by nature of its handling characteristics and weight, is certainly a two-hander--one of my main issues with it. it's all in my review. if you want to discuss the review more, let's move this over to the myarmoury.com features talk forum. nathan robinson view public profile visit nathan robinson's homepage! find all posts by nathan robinson (#19) hugh long (offline) forum family   posts: 278 join date: sep 2003 location: haymarket, virginia culloden knife - a+ - 12-02-2003, 04:06 pm ok, well i'll give cold steel credit for their culloden knife, mine arrived tonight and i really like it! it's a tiny little knife styled after a scottish sgian dubh (pronounced skeen doo). the blade looks very sturdy, is razor sharp and is made in japan. the handle is some plastic composite and it comes with a plastic sabbard and a lanyard to wear it around your neck. 2 thumbs up for the cold steel culloden knife. arma d.c. (northern virginia) http://www.armadc.com http://www.thearma.org hugh long view public profile visit hugh long's homepage! find all posts by hugh long (#20) adrian ko (online) head chef at bladesmith bistro   posts: 2,403 join date: dec 2001 location: san jose, california re: culloden knife - a+ - 12-02-2003, 04:12 pm originally posted by hugh long ok, well i'll give cold steel credit for their culloden knife, mine arrived tonight and i really like it! it's a tiny little knife styled after a scottish sgian dubh (pronounced skeen doo). the blade looks very sturdy, is razor sharp and is made in japan. the handle is some plastic composite and it comes with a plastic sabbard and a lanyard to wear it around your neck. 2 thumbs up for the cold steel culloden knife. cold steel uses third party manufactuers. for the most part, their knives are imho reasonable buys. i like their new folders; it's about time they had something newer looking. their gim and katanas are the production work of fred chen of china. cold steel doesn't manufacture them. their european swords, scottish swords, talwar, etc. appear to be made in india. of the two or three i've handled, i found them to be on the heavy side. i admit i like their knives more than i like their swords. years before they used fred chen as a manufacturer, i was hoping they would beef up their san-mai tanto offering to a katana-length blade.... either cold steel or their nemesis, bussee combat knives. adrian click here for the sfi comic strip "bloodgroove"! adrian ko view public profile visit adrian ko's homepage! find all posts by adrian ko (#21) jamison l. morin (offline) forum family   posts: 948 join date: oct 2003 location: in the us on the east coast of sc 12-02-2003, 04:21 pm that would be sweet. the little devils aren't cheap and one can only think of how much a wakizashi or katana length blade would cost. how many thousands? still trying to remember where i was when god was handing out brains. jamison l. morin view public profile visit jamison l. morin's homepage! find all posts by jamison l. morin (#22) phild (offline) forum family   posts: 1,479 join date: feb 2003 location: texas cold steel hand and a half - 12-03-2003, 05:51 pm i own a cold steel hand and a half.i bought it about 6 months ago and have had no problems w/it.it cut through cardboard,water jugs,soda bottles and 1/4" plywood without any major problems.the hilt loosened a bit but i just retightened the pommel.my atrim needs to be retightened everytime i cut with it as well....so i don't see anything really wrong. "a bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world." -- louis pasteur phild view public profile find all posts by phild (#23) tboyer (offline) settled in comfortably   posts: 26 join date: mar 2002 location: san francisco what i feel about cold steel swords - 12-03-2003, 08:12 pm well, i have an authentic 1917 cutlass and a cold steel version that i purchase on sale for a $100. i had ordered a cold steel cutlass previous and found it took a set after a slight bend thus it was sent back, at a gun show i purchased an authentic one for a cheaper price (this before the sale) my thoughts on comparing the two are thus the the more recent cold steel one has an o. k. temper (it did not take a set after a slight bend) but it is heavier, no doubt to it having a thicker blade and a more narrow fuller, with a slightly lose hand guard to boot. (some day i may put in a second fuller and extend the false edge) you may all ask why i bought a cold steel 1917 when i have an authentic one? the answer is that i cut and resharpen my cold steel one (and perhaps abuse it abit) the authentic one is much to nice and is one of my favorite cutlasses, though perhaps it could use some distal taper. the blade is short enough so that the lack of it does not seem to matter much tboyer view public profile find all posts by tboyer (#24) aaron justice (offline) forum family   posts: 6,268 join date: mar 2003 location: orange county, ca. (please don't call it the "o.c." no one here calls it that) 12-03-2003, 09:10 pm some people like them, but like windlass, sometimes they have some pretty shoddy quality control. lots of problems with their hand and a half models. i haven't handled their swords, so i'm not the best judge in the world. i should have figured something was up when the mortgage loan i applied for was from a company with a little dancing alien advertising on ebay. then again my school pushed social studies ahead of basic math... my page aaron justice view public profile visit aaron justice's homepage! find all posts by aaron justice (#25) aaron justice (offline) forum family   posts: 6,268 join date: mar 2003 location: orange county, ca. (please don't call it the "o.c." no one here calls it that) 12-03-2003, 09:11 pm originally posted by aaron justice some people like them, but like windlass, sometimes they have some pretty shoddy quality control. lots of problems with their hand and a half models. i haven't handled their swords, so i'm not the best judge in the world. weird, two posts, same topic. must be a double post or something. i should have figured something was up when the mortgage loan i applied for was from a company with a little dancing alien advertising on ebay. then again my school pushed social studies ahead of basic math... my page aaron justice view public profile visit aaron justice's homepage! find all posts by aaron justice page 1 of 2 1 2 > « previous thread | next thread » thread tools show printable version email this page rate this thread rate this thread: 5 : excellent 4 : good 3 : average 2 : bad 1 : terrible posting rules you may not post new threads you may not post replies you may not post attachments you may not edit your posts vb code is on smilies are on [img] code is on html code is off forum jump user control panel private messages subscriptions who's online search forums forums home welcome     announcements     rules and forum usage communities     antique arms & armour community         antique & military sword forum         nihon-to forum             nihontô articles & faq's         ancient weapons forum         middle-east, india & africa (meia)         chinese, south-east asia (csea)         the antique kukri forum         antique armour studies forum         archived forums             edged weapons from the middle east, asia and africa     modern-era swords and collecting community         general discussion forum             general forum spotlight threads             general forum announcements         beginner's sword forum             faq / ref section         modern production katanas         makers making a difference         sword ownership and use – legal issues         knives, axes, polearms and bows         reference library             non-fiction books and articles             sword fiction: the authors of; and historical based works.     bladesmiths, blacksmiths, artisans and professionals         metallurgical studies question and answer forum         performance swords question and answer forum         bladesmith cafe         japanese-style sword makers cafe     swordsmanship community         historical european swordsmanship             hes events             hes reference library         japanese swordsmanship arts             jsa events         chinese, south-east asian & pacific sword arts (cseapsa)         olympic sport fencing         classical fencing forum         theatrical fight forum             events             reference library         archived forums             chinese swords & swordsmanship                 cs&s reference library                 cs&s events     international languages sword fora         german language sword forum         classical latin language forum         spanish language sword forum         french language sword forum         italian language sword forum         scandinavian language sword forum     spatha         spatha articles         spatha discussion forum     arts, culture, recreation & entertainment         the nelson arms family pub             a toast to dandy don         scottish and borders history, culture and life.         fellowship for tolkien mythological studies         historical reenactment & living history             hr&lh events         fantasy sword forum         sword movies & movie swords         "home improvements" projects         decorative sword collectibles         "bloodgroove" - sfi's comic strip!         the acanthus swordworks team     services         classifieds (non-business users)         industry craftsmen classifieds         practice partner finder         sword reviews & test results         stolen swords alert         test, technical support and off-topic             technical support             test forum all times are gmt -10. the time now is 05:58 am. powered by vbulletin® version 3.6.8copyright ©2000 - 2007, jelsoft enterprises ltd. style crée par allan - vbulletin-ressources.com forum content & posts copyright © 2002 by sword forum international sword forum international - top

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