Cold Steel Knives

[HenryCo.K-9]

Does anyone else have trouble keeping an edge on cold steel blades. I bought a recon and carry it on duty and cannot keep an edge on it. I though it may be the way i was sharpening it, however I even spent the money and had a knife sharpener do it at the gun show and it still wont keep edge.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Not all steels are created equal...

And don't ever let the grind-it-while-you-wait folks at the gun show touch your knives.

-J-

 

[tradertator]

Welcome to INGO . Your not going to find a whole lot of love for Cold Steel around here though .

I believe that model uses AUS8 steel. It can be decent steel, but it may have not been properly heat treated. Not much you can do about that either. A friend of mine insist on using their stuff, but the edge is often chipped up pretty bad. Next time you buy, I would look for something in 154CM, S30V, or VG10.

 

[Bradsknives]

Tradertator is correct, it is AUS 8 that has been vacuum heat treated with a sub-zero quench. AUS 8 is considered a middle of the road steel these days. Edge retention is mediocre at best if your using it a lot. You will need to do a little extra maintenance on it, like stropping it on a regular bases. The edge angle may be your problem, with a softer steel like AUS 8 the angle needs to be at least 25 degrees per side. With harder and tougher steels you can bring out the performance by bringing down your angle to 20 degrees or less. The advantage is the harder/tougher steel will still have good edge retention even with a small edge angle. If you do this with softer steels like AUS 8, you will lose your edge very quickly with just a few uses. So make sure your using the correct edge angle (at least 25 degrees) for AUS 8.

 

[cesna250]

I only have the SRK and i've put that thing through Hell. Still as sharp as when i got it.

 

[kboom524]

Not all steels are created equal...

And don't ever let the grind-it-while-you-wait folks at the gun show touch your knives.

-J-

Wouldn't let one of those guys within 20 yards of any of my blades.

I have a Cold Steel Tanto and a SRK. Both hold an edge very well, but bothare around 20 years old. Do not know what the new ones are like.

 

[Lammchop93]

I have a Tanto Recon and it can't keep it's edge at all. It's razor sharp after I sharpen it, but it loses it's sharpness fast.

 

[tradertator]

I only have the SRK and i've put that thing through Hell. Still as sharp as when i got it.

It's possible yours could be in what Cold Steel calls carbon V (think 1095 with more nickel chromium and some vanadium), being much tougher steel.

 

[GONZO!!!]

I have had a Cold Steel Vaquero Grande for several years...used to be my IWB carry for a long time. Althugh still very sharp, not near as sharp as it used to be and I cant seem to get that hair-splitting edge on it...the edge currently on it is adequate and will more than do the job, but I remember the edge that came on it when I pulled it out of it's box on day 1.

Before that I carried a full size fixed blade Tanto. Still have that knife too. Wife carries it as a self defense knife when we go hikling.

GONZO!!!

 

[jsharmon7]

I have had a Cold Steel Vaquero Grande for several years...used to be my IWB carry for a long time. Althugh still very sharp, not near as sharp as it used to be and I cant seem to get that hair-splitting edge on it...the edge currently on it is adequate and will more than do the job, but I remember the edge that came on it when I pulled it out of it's box on day 1.

Before that I carried a full size fixed blade Tanto. Still have that knife too. Wife carries it as a self defense knife when we go hikling.

GONZO!!!

From my understanding, the more you sharpen a knife the less ability it has to become sharp. Basically, you're slightly changing the edge geometry as you sharpen it over the years and must reprofile the edge in order to get it as sharp.

 

[Gabriel]

Does anyone else have trouble keeping an edge on cold steel blades. I bought a recon and carry it on duty and cannot keep an edge on it. I though it may be the way i was sharpening it, however I even spent the money and had a knife sharpener do it at the gun show and it still wont keep edge.

Do yourself a favor and get rid of it.