Cold Steel Knives FAQ's from Cold Steel

Q: Where are Cold Steel knives made?
Japan: Our folding knives and AUS 8A stainless steel fixed blade knives are made in Japan.
U.S.: All knives featuring Carbon V® steel are manufactured in the United States.
Taiwan: Specialty items like our Spears, Tomahawks, Bushman knives, and Special Forces Shovel, are made in Taiwan. Some of our fixed blade knives are also manufactured in Taiwan. Most of our products are marked with their place of original manufacture.

Q: Why is Carbon V® steel better than others?
Some Cold Steel knives are made from Carbon V®, a high carbon, low alloy cutlery grade steel. This steel is superior in performance to most other steels due to its chemistry and also because of the close controls that we maintain at every stage of the manufacturing process. These controls begin at the steel mill where Cold Steel specifies the desired microstructure of the steel. Once smelted, each steel shipment is microscopically checked for structural quality, cleanliness and chemical content by an independent metallurgist not in the mill?s employ. The blades are then blanked parallel to the rolling direction of the steel plate to optimize grain flow along the length of the blade. The final step is a precise heat treatment sequence that was developed by Cold Steel specifically for this custom steel. This heat treatment process is one of our most highly guarded trade secrets. It was arrived at over several years by using an exhaustive series of practical and metallurgical tests and observations. Overall, we believe that attention to detail in every phase of the manufacturing process is the primary reason for the superiority of our blades.

Q: What is San Mai III®?
San Mai means “three layers”. It is the term given to the traditional laminated blades used by the Japanese for swords and daggers. Laminated construction is important because it allows different grades of stainless steel to be combined in a single blade. This allows the bladesmith to make a blade that more exactly matches the performance characteristics he needs. A simple way to think of this type of construction is to imagine a sandwich: The meat center is hard, high carbon steel and the pieces of bread on either side are the lower-carbon, tough side panels. Generally the edge of the blade should be hard to maximize edge holding ability, but if the entire blade was hard it could be damaged during the rigors of battle. For ultimate toughness the body of the blade must be able to withstand impact and lateral stresses. Toughness is generally associated with “softness” and “flexibility” in steel, so that surprisingly, if an entire blade was made “tough” the edge would not be hard enough to offer superior edge holding. San Mai III® provides a superior blade with hard (higher carbon) steel in the middle for a keen, long lasting edge and tougher (lower-carbon) steel along the sides for flexibility.

Q: Which knives are made with San Mai III?
Cold Steel knives made with San Mai III® are the Master Tanto, Magnum Tanto II, Magnum Tanto XII, and the San Mai Trail Master.

Q: What is Rockwell Hardness?
The hardness of steel or other metals is usually measured on a scale called the “Rockwell Scale”, this scale gives a number value to the hardness. This number is preceded by the letters Rc (for example Rc58). High numbers indicate harder material. If a knife is too “soft” meaning it has too low a Rockwell hardness, it will probably not hold an edge and will bend quite easily. If a knife is too “hard” meaning it has too high a Rockwell hardness, it will probably be very brittle and difficult to re-sharpen. When a knife is designed, it is important to determine from the beginning what kind of hardness will be required for its ultimate purpose. This will affect the choice of steel. Once the steel is chosen, a heat treatment sequence must be devised to result in the exact hardness needed in the final knife.

Q: What is the Rockwell hardness of Cold Steel?
The selection of Rockwell hardness depends on the steel and the intended uses of the finished knife.
Stainless knives: Are rockwell hardened to Rc 57.
Carbon V® knives: Are rockwell hardened to Rc 59.

Q: What is the difference between a Saber Grind and a Flat Grind?
These two grinds are quite similar. They are both actually “flat”, as opposed to concave (hollow ground) or convex. However, a “Flat ground” blade is typically ground uniformly from the blade back right to the edge. Where as in a “Saber ground” blade, typically only half the width of the blade is ground. The rest remains full thickness, like a traditional saber, hence the name.

Q: What is the difference between a Rolled Edge and a Cantled Edge?
A Cantled Edge is the most widely used edge configuration. It consists of a final grind along the very edge of the primary grind. This final grind forms the sharp edge of the knife. One of the main reasons for its popularity is that the cantled edge is fairly simple to apply by hand or machine. It is also relatively easy to control the angle of the cantle to achieve a desired degree of sturdiness or fineness to the finished edge.
The Rolled Edge has been in existence for over 1,000 years and has been used by bladesmiths all around the world. But today it is quite rare in the knife industry. Some of the finest examples of this edge can be found on early Japanese Katanas. It consists of a continuous curve from the primary grind right to the edge of the knife. There is no “cantle” at the edge visible to the naked eye. The only knife that Cold Steel currently makes with a rolled edge is the Stainless Trail Master. A rolled edge is quite difficult to produce in custom quantities and practically impossible in full scale production. The reason for this is that it must be applied by hand, using a “slack belt”. The honer must constantly monitor his progress very carefully to develop a perfect rolled edge.
However, the result is a cutting edge that will easily outperform a standard cantled edge, because it offers almost no friction during a cutting stroke. It slips effortlessly through the cutting medium. Apart from the difficulty of manufacture, the drawbacks to this type of edge are that it is typically very fine. This means that it is subject to chipping if it comes in contact with very hard materials such as bone. It is also difficult to re-sharpen by someone inexperienced with rolled edges. The only recourse for this individual would be to send the knife back to Cold Steel for factory resharpening or to develop a cantled edge in place of the original rolled edge.

Q: Does Cold Steel re-sharpen knives?
Yes. We charge $10 for a fixed blade and $7 for a folding knife. Just send the knife with payment to Cold Steel (3036-A Seaborg Ventura, CA 93003) and we will take care of it. Please note that we re-sharpen knives in batches, so it may take up to 30 days before your knife is returned to you.

Q: Will Cold Steel re-sharpen my serrated knife?
Unfortunately no. Because of the time consuming nature of resharpening serrated blades, Cold Steel does not offer a resharpening service for them. We recommend you ask your local knife dealer.

Q: How can I re-sharpen my serrated knife?
With care, your new knives will remain sharp for a very long time and may never need to be resharpened. If they do start to need resharpening it can be done in one of two ways: First, the back of the serrations can be lightly honed with a standard sharpening system to bring back the edge on the points and flats of the serrations. This method is fairly quick, but if done too aggressively or too often, it will damage the serrations.
Alternately, a sharpening system with very fine angles can be used to sharpen between the serrations on the front of the knife. This technique is quite time consuming but it is the only way to restore the edge properly. At the moment, we recommend the Sharpmaker system by Spyderco.

Q: Does Cold Steel sharpen knives made by other manufacturers?
No. To avoid potential warranty problems with other companies we are not able to offer this service.

Q: What Angle are Cold Steel knives sharpened?
This question assumes that you are interested in resharpening a Cold Steel knife. Our knives run a wide range of materials, grinds, types of edge and dimensions, depending on the size, shape and ultimate purpose of the knife. So there is no single edge bevel angle we can recommend. For example actual measured cantle angles for various model Tantos are 25.79?, 30.99? and 28.15?. We suggest that you use whatever angle most closely matches the one already established on the original factory edge. Generally, we recommend 23? to 25? as a guiding standard.

Q: How do you sharpen a Cold Steel knife?
The theory of sharpening is quite simple, although in practice it requires patience and experience to become proficient. The basics are as follows: Start establishing a cantle with an abrasive (stone, sanding belt, etc.). Then further define the cantle by refining the scratch pattern with a series of progressively finer abrasives. A good way to see whether your edge is almost done is to look for the burr that forms along the edge and see if it is consistent all along the length of the edge. Once you have a consistent burr, remove it with a finer abrasive or a strop and your edge is finished.
For stainless steels: If the edge requires repair (to remove chips or dinks) or if the cantle has to be reestablished one should begin with a coarse silicon carbide stone (Norton?s Crystolon Bench Stone). Initial sharpening should be done with a medium silicon carbide (Norton?s Crystolon) or medium aluminum oxide stone (Norton?s India Stone). To further refine the edge a fine aluminum oxide stone (Norton?s India Stone) would be the next step, followed by a Soft Arkansas for final sharpening. If an extremely refined edge is desired, follow the Soft Arkansas with a Hard Arkansas or 6000-8000 grit Japanese Water Stone. Any ceramic system will work if there is not going to be a lot of material to be removed along the edge (the Sharpmaker by Spyderco is especially good for serrated models).
For carbon steels: The same procedure as listed above will work for carbon steels but we have had better results using only the Japanese water stones (Japanese water stones can be found at most woodworking supply stores and catalogs). We suggest beginning with an 800 or 1000 grit water stone and progressing through a 1200-1400 grit and finishing with a 6000-8000 grit stone.
Rolled edges: A rolled edge can be sharpened to its original configuration by using a slack belt on a belt sander (320-400 grit belt) to get a consistent burr and then polishing the burr off with a buffer or leather strop. One can also simply redefine the edge by establishing a cantle on it as outlined above.

Q: Can a false edge be sharpened?
Yes, all our blades which have a false edge can have that edge sharpened. This is because the heat treatment is consistent throughout the blade. However, Cold Steel will not sharpen the false edge on a Cold Steel knife, because of time and safety reasons.

Q: Are Cold Steel knives guaranteed?
We stand behind our knives 100%. We subject them to the highest standards in the industry and strive to make each one as perfect as possible. Right now our return rate for defects is one half of one percent! This is remarkably lower than the industry standard. While we are growing in popularity, and producing ever larger quantities of knives, we are determined to never forget that we live or die by a single word, QUALITY.
Our fixed blade sheath knives have a 5 year warranty to the original owner against defects IN materials or workmanship. Our folding knives are likewise warranted for 1 year. If you ever have a warranty problem with one of our knives, please return it with your original receipt and a short note and we will be happy to evaluate the problem and resolve it.
(NOTE: Do not send your knife back by way of the U.S. Post Office. We recommend you send it U.P.S. insured.) Please remember ANY knife can be broken or damaged if subjected to sufficient abuse and that ALL knives eventually wear out (just like your boots) and must be replaced.

Q: Are Cold Steel knives still guaranteed after they?ve been sharpened by someone other than Cold Steel?
It depends. We have received knives back that have been almost totally destroyed by resharpening on power grinders etc. In fact, some bear almost no resemblance to their original shape! If the knife is damaged in this manner, by inexperienced or overzealous resharpening, it will not be replaced, since this is not a defect in materials or workmanship. However, if the knife fails structurally while in normal use after it has been correctly resharpened, it is still covered by our warranty.

Q: What is Cold Steel?s return policy?
When you buy a knife from a dealer please ask about his return policy. Each store has its own policy. Some will offer a full credit, others will allow you to exchange for an item of equal value. If you are ever dissatisfied with a Cold Steel product because it breaks in normal use or is in some other way defective, please return it to us with a short explanation of what happened. We will be happy to evaluate the situation and resolve the problem.

Q: Do all Cold Steel knives have a full tang?
Full tang construction is an important consideration when evaluating the strength of a knife. Originally, “full tang” meant a handle in which the edges of the tang are visible all around the outside of the hilt, so that the tang is fully as wide as the knife handle. However, with the advent of “driven-on” Kraton® handles, full tang has come to mean that a very substantial tang extends completely through the center of the handle right to the back of the pommel. This describes the tangs on all premium Cold Steel knives.

Q: How is Kraton® attached to the handles of Cold Steel knives?
To the best of our knowledge, Cold Steel was the first knife company in the U.S. to use Kraton® for the handle of a knife. Obviously we were correct in our choice of this material, because over the last 18 years almost every major manufacturer has adopted it for knife handles. There are two main ways to build a Kraton® handle.
The first is to make a “driven-on” handle. This is like an SRK, where the handle is heated up to expand it slightly, then driven on top the tang of the blade. Once in place it can be held there by a ferrule or a bolt.
The second method is to make a “shot-on” handle. In this type of construction, the liquid Kraton® material is injected under heat and pressure around the tang of the blade where it hardens. Once it has hardened it is permanently attached to the tang and needs no bolts or a ferrule.

Q: How are Cold Steel Tomahawks made?
Cold Steel tomahawks are precision drop forged from medium carbon 5150 steel. During the forging process a metal ingot is heated almost white hot and then formed into shape in a series of progressive dies. The large steel dies are fixed to enormous compressed air hammers with hundreds of tons of power behind every strike. Each die, hammers the hot metal into a gradually more finished shape. During this forming process the steel is kneaded and compressed into a completely homogenous mass. And this, in turn, makes it extremely tough and strong. Like all good tomahawks, Cold Steel?s are differentially heat treated. This means that the cutting edge and hammer face is fully hardened, while the balance of the head is left relatively soft to absorb the shock of striking blows. Drop forging not only creates a superior product, but it is also an extremely efficient method of manufacture. The quality of our drop forged tomahawks is superior to custom, hand forged hawks costing three and even four times more!

Q: What is the difference between the Tanto and the Master Tanto?
The Tanto is made of a single piece of 8A steel, a Japanese grade of cutlery stainless steel which is superior to American 440C steel. The Master Tanto has a laminated blade, the Japanese term is San Mai (three layers), with a core of 8A steel and sides of 420J2. The high carbon core gives the blade its edge holding qualities and the lower carbon sides give the blade greater toughness. We estimate the Master Tanto offers a 25% increase in performance over the Tanto.

Q: Did the Tanto really go through the car door?
Yes, this has been done in repeated tests without damage to the point. It has also been done in “real life” situations where the Tanto was used to cut the lock out of a car door to free a person trapped inside the vehicle. It is important to note that the point of the Tanto is undamaged after this ordeal. Some people discount this test because they say that some cheaper knives can also be hammered through a car door. But what they fail to realize is that none of these cheaper knives will have a usable point afterwards!

Q: Why does the Safe Keeper III have a hole in its blade?
This is simply a design feature to add interest and to lighten the blade.

Q: What is the maximum legal blade length that can be carried?
That depends on the blade configuration (single or double edged) and your local laws. We cannot give a legal opinion. It is your responsibility to determine the legal position in your own area.

Q: What is the black finish on knives like the SRK and the Recon Tanto?
These knives have a baked-on, black epoxy powder coat. This coat is applied to the entire blade and tang of the knife prior to the handle being attached. It is very tough and serves to protect the carbon steel from the elements. Over time and with use, the coat will scratch. This is normal wear. When it occurs it is necessary to take a little more care to ensure that the blade does not rust. To do this, just make sure that the blade is cleaned and lightly oiled after use. Unfortunately, since the finish is baked-on in an oven at high temperature, it cannot be repaired once it is scratched.

Q: What is “Blueing”?
Blueing is a process applied to the blade to offer a protective, less-reflective coat. There are many commercially available packages for both hot and cold blueing. The process results in a blue-black surface on the blade of the knife. It can be quite difficult to get an even bluing over the whole blade. Cold steel does not endorse or recommend this process. Also please see the next item.

Q: Can Cold Steel knives be blued?
Yes, but this is extremely difficult with the stainless steel models. However, all the carbon steel models can be either hot or cold blued. Please note that this blueing may affect your warranty.

Q: Can I leave my kitchen knives in the sink or in the dishwasher?
The short answer to this is no! Most stainless kitchen cutlery is made from high chromium, low carbon steel. This makes it very “stainless”, in that there is no carbon to discolor, even if the knife is left soaking in water for weeks. But it also means that it is practically impossible to sharpen to a good edge and that whatever edge it has will be lost very quickly.
At Cold Steel we use very high carbon stainless steel for our kitchen knives. The same steel, in fact, as in the Tanto. This allows us to create a blade that is very thin and incredibly sharp, while still remaining very strong. Unfortunately the trade-off means that the blade requires a little more care than some of your other stainless cutlery. For example, it is not recommended that you use your Cold Steel Kitchen Knives to saw through frozen food or to cut bones, as these actions will surely damage your blade. These small shortcomings, however, are more than offset by the phenomenal performance of the knives.
Although they will survive being in the dishwasher this is not recommended (apart from potential staining, the fine edge can be easily damaged in contact with other steel cutlery). They should never be left standing in water or left in damp conditions for any length of time. To keep our kitchen knives in the best possible condition, we recommend that the knives are rinsed in water, dried and put away immediately after use, as with any fine cutlery. Any discoloration that may occur over time, will not effect the performance of the knives.

Q: What does Cold Steel recommend to remove stains from their knives?
Any of the mildly abrasive polishing pastes like Flitz™ or Simichrome™. These are available at most hardware stores and gun stores.

Q: Does Cold Steel ever make custom knives?
No, but there are hundreds of custom knifemakers in this country that would be glad to make a knife to your exact specifications. Listings can be found in any of the knife publications (Blade Magazine, Knife World, Knives Illustrated) or the knife annuals such as Knives ?81-?98.

Q: Do all Cold Steel knives come with a sheath?
Most of our fixed blade models come with sheaths; they are either made of Concealex™, Cordura, or Leather.

Q: Does Cold Steel sell replacement sheaths?
Yes, we do. Please call for price, style and availbility.

Q: My pocket clip is broken. What do I do?
Cold Steel sells replacement clips. Metal clips are $5.00 plus $2.25 shipping. For plastic clips please send the knife back to us for inspection.

Q:What is the difference between the Imperial and Warrior Series swords?
We are aware that there are some people who want a battle ready sword but hope to find one at a more reasonable price than our Imperial Series swords. Our Warrior Series address this problem directly. In our efforts to reduce the costliness of the blades, we have omitted the expensive mirror polishing that we used on the Imperial swords and used a more practical finish. The Warrior Series shares the same steel, heat treatment, and sharpness of their more expensive counterparts.