If you think that your only choice of authentic medieval weaponry is a decision between a cheap reproduction and an expensive antique, you haven’t seen any of Cold Steel’s work. Cold Steel takes the old ideas and translates them into rugged examples of modern technology. Cold Steel does not claim to reproduce old techniques — instead the company applies today’s methods and materials to these useful old patterns. Many of Cold Steel’s ideas are unusual, and their pieces have value as collector’s items as well as applications in modern martial arts.
Since 1980 Cold Steel has pursued the goal of making the world’s strongest and sharpest knives. Along the way the company has introduced some surprising old ideas to the modern world, as well as engineering some respectable new technology. Their San Mai III steel brings samurai concepts of laminated shock-resistant blades to new versions of sporting and survival knives. Not too many years ago, seeing a tanto point on an American knife was unusual — thanks to Cold Steel, we now see that option in many blades designed for extreme conditions. Cold Steel thought that a blade made to penetrate armor might also be handy in a car wreck, and many people now agree. Products now range from carbon fiber walking sticks with the action of a good fencing foil, to totally functional hunting spears.
You can tell that the people who work at Cold Steel enjoy what they do, because there’s a library of company videos showing company executives trying out nearly everything they make. From pork to plastic tubing, if it’s at Cold Steel it’s probably destined to become part of a product test. Their modern medieval weapons surpass the quality of old weapons in many ways, and in appearance vary only slightly from the traditional patterns. Cold Steel also makes a variety of self defense tools, and folding knives for sporting use and everyday carry. Not everything made by Cold Steel would be appropriate for civilian use, but among the swords and spears and self-defense items you’ll find plenty of sturdy and completely useful everyday blades. If an interest in martial arts brought you to Cold Steel, consider taking part in their Cold Steel Challenge — a combat competition using non-lethal weaponry and plenty of protective gear.
Possibly many of today's backwoodsmen are a little embarrassed to carry a tomahawk, but I wouldn't think of leaving mine at home. In camp, I'm always looking for an excuse to use it. This very affordable Trail Hawk from Cold Steel weighs a little more than my ...
Open the Cold Steel Spartan and you'll probably say, "Wow! That's a big knife!" All the details of this pocket clip folder inspired by the Kopis sword of ancient Greece actually work well. Like it's ancestor, the Spartan is made for cutting meat.
In today's world, the Spartan is well ...
The Cold Steel Point Guard neck knife looks like it could even be practical for more than a last ditch threat. With serviceable G-10 handle scales and a minimal grip that works well, this is more than the knife you hope you'll never use.
Weighing just 2.8 ounces, counting ...
The True Flight Thrower from Cold Steel combines common sense materials and good design. This balanced throwing knife also cuts and could be a good survival knife choice.
The True Flight's wide spear point holds up well to the extreme stresses of poorly executed throws. The knife's 5mm thick ...
Years ago, any hunter looking for a good field knife expected something this good. Today, the Cold Steel Search and Rescue Knife passes all the old tests and a couple more. Standard issue for Navy Seals undergoing underwater demolitions training, the Cold Steel SRK fits in just as well ...
Combining quality with lost cost, Cold Steel's Pendleton Lite Hunter counters the idea that to get the best, you pay more. Cold Steel's budget fixed blade hunting knife won the 2010 "Best of the Best" Hunting Knife award from Field & Stream magazine.
Designed by custom knife maker Lloyd ...
Here's a throwing knife that doesn't skimp on quality. Cold Steel's Perfect Balance Thrower has enough weight for a satisfying hit and construction tough enough to withstand the battering any throwing knife takes.
One thing you don't want to do with most knives, whether they're fixed blades or folders, is use ...
Even though it looks too simple, the round eye of this very basic frontier axe makes it one of the best choices in camp axes. Unless you insist on driving tent stakes with the hammer poll of a tomahawk there's seldom need for more than a good chopping edge.
In many ...
The Cold Steel Spike Tomahawk brings back an old frontier style that was more fighting tomahawk than camp axe. The spiked poll of the axe is obviously dangerous, so if you're going to use this one in the woods, be careful. The backswing gets a little hazardous.
In fact, even ...
The six-inch blade of the Rajah II serves either as a camp knife or a brush chopping bush knife with enough weight and size for effective work. Built in the style of the famous Gurkha kukri, this design by Andrew Demko adds modern materials and Cold Steel's high-tech ...
The favorite field and military knife of Nepal's Gurkha regiments inspired the Rajah III from Cold Steel. Recreating the broad and heavy blade of a kukri knife in a folding clip knife style is right in line with Cold Steel's philosophy.
The Rajah III is the smallest of the gurkha ...
Cold Steel's Trench Hawk brings convenient technical improvements to an already popular tactical tomahawk design. Changes make this an excellent axe for throwing, as well as for ordinary camp work.
The drop-forged 5150 high carbon steel of the axe head fits a slot in the strong polypropylene handle. Strong ...
Ancient Celtic blades inspired the design of the Cold Steel Boar Hunter, but modern tactical materials make this new hunting knife better than the old battlefield blades. Lynn Thompson of Cold Steel Special Projects built the Boar Hunter for real hunters and field-tested the design on real Australian wild ...
The Cold Steel Special Projects Indian War Club uses solid polypropylene to reproduce one of the most effective weapons on the American frontier. Similar war clubs caused mayhem on the battlefields of North and South America long before iron and steel trade axes took over the local market. ...
In the European fighting traditions, the term "sword breaker" referred to a strong parrying dagger with special steel teeth along the blade that caught and twisted the enemy's blade. Disarming the opponent or simply blocking the strike happening more often than actually breaking an attacking blade. In China, ...
The Cold Steel Trail Master isn't just a knife with a Bowie-style blade. The Trail Master is a genuine Bowie knife in the old sense, but built with modern materials and to modern standards.
This SK-2 version of the Trail Master offers 9-1/2 inches of high carbon steel with an overall ...
Cold Steel -- well known for its functional replica weapons and self defense knives -- also produces a series of Kitchen Classics knives. This set of six steak knives shows the functional concepts we expect from Cold Steel, but the look is better suited to prep.
These ice-hardened knives ...
Inspired by authentic museum pieces and by dress swords still carried by the British Army's Royal Regiment of Scotland, Cold Steel's Scottish Broad Sword demonstrates there's more to this company's self defense swords than good looks.
Some details of the 37-3/4-inch broadsword vary from the classic pattern. The redesigned sword ...
Built for actual cutting practice, the Cold Steel Shamshir matches the old Ottoman shamsir pattern so well that it's a fine addition to any weapons collection. A few modifications fit the Cold Steel Shamshir to modern uses, but the essence of the sword is unchanged.
The 3/16-inch thick blade of ...
The terms hand-and-a-half sword, bastard sword, and longsword all refer to the same general class of weapon: a sword with a blade light enough to wield with one hand and a grip long enough to provide extra power from a two-handed stance. Learning to use one of these ...
Built to exceed Russian Spetsnaz specifications, this tactical combat shovel from Cold Steel makes a great camp tool for the hunter, fisherman, and canoeist. With about a pound and a half of medium carbon tool steel and a durable hardwood handle, the Cold Steel tactical shovel is a ...
Inspired by the assault rifle adopted by the Russian Army in 1949, the Cold Steel AK-47 Knife's most obvious resemblance to "the People's Rifle" is the bayonet groove in the four-inch AUS-8 blade. Add to that the kind of rugged construction that you can drop in a muddy ...
Cold Steel makes some interesting claims regarding this knife, stating that the Ultimate Hunter is a big game hunting knife with the best blade lock in the industry plus the strength and power of a fixed blade. That may be a bit of a stretch, but the Ultimate ...
You may have to go back a few centuries to find a dirk as practical as this knife from Cold Steel -- the Scottish Dirk with Rosewood Handle and Leather Scabbard. In other times, the dirk was built for mayhem and was a common sidearm on naval ships. ...
Many of Cold Steel's better swords, like this Hand-and-a-Half Sword in black leather and steel, have the look and feel of good tools. Remaking old designs with new processes and materials, Cold Steel creates traditional weapons which aren't traditional. They just work.
A little of the art may have been ...
Although you might think this light cavalry saber was stripped down by Cold Steel to simplify an older design, the streamlining of the 1796 Light Cavalry Sword took place during the Napoleonic Wars. Cold Steel created a modern version using 1055 high carbon spring steel but stayed with the ...
Cold Steel's Nightshade Karambit is just one of ten models of both classic knives and strictly Cold Steel inventions now available with absolutely no steel. Instead of high carbon steel blades, the Karambit and its counterparts are constructed of a new fiberglass reinforced plastic called Grivory, with grips of reliable ...
Swing Cold Steel's Gim Sword with confidence. Patterned after a popular style of martial sword from China, the Gim Sword uses high quality materials and solid construction techniques. Cold Steel's testing methods prove it holds up in rough use.
The 30-inch blade of the 37-1/4-inch long single-handed sword is forged ...
Cold Steel's Double Agent knives, designed by Zach Whitson, are available in two blade styles. Either the karambit or the clip point version may be safely worn as a last resort neck knife.
Built light and intended for suspension from a dog tag chain, the Double Agent ...
Cold Steel jumped into the artistic pool with knives like the Talwar Folder, built in cooperation with designer Lynn Thompson. Called a pocket sword rather than a pocket knife, the Talwar combines the style of old Spanish weaponry with the usual invulnerable mechanics of Cold Steel products.
You'd expect ...
Cold Steel's Naval Dirk duplicates the character of one of the most common naval sidearms of the sailing era without exactly copying any particular authentic blade. During their heyday, no exact form of the dirk became standard. This modern Naval Dirk follows that trend of individuality but is unmistakeably ...
Although this modern version of the war hammer -- a weapon which brought down many armored knights on the battlefields of medieval Europe -- isn't pretty, this is still an impressive and combat-ready instrument of destruction. Cold Steel's practical defense weapons often look like farm tools, but they were ...
The smallest knife in Cold Steel's tanto series, the Master Tanto with a six-inch blade of VG-1 San Mai III high carbon stainless steel, varies only a little from the classic tanto in visual terms. In materials, there's a considerable difference between Cold Steel's model and the classic backup ...
I most appreciate the knives that take thought to comprehend, and the Cold Steel Espada V is a great example of a knife you won't completely get the first time you see it. Cold Steel continues to take chances and express some good ideas. This one is ...
The Cold Steel Paradox operates smoothly but differently from the traditional balisong or butterfly knife. The modified design was created to put this knife in the same category as folding pocket knives. Any truly one-handed opening knife is subject to legal restrictions, and the Paradox is not a one-handed ...
Cold Steel intended the Voyager series to be both lighter and better than any of the competition. The Voyager does succeed in many ways -- getting used to a large knife this light may take a while. Even with a five-inch-long tanto blade of VG-1 high carbon stainless steel, the ...
The Cold Steel Voyager Medium Tanto covers a wide range of everyday needs -- good for camping, fishing, hunting, and handyman work, although the tanto point traditionally was the mark of a combat blade. If one-handed opening is an essential feature you need, consider the strength of your hand. ...
Finally, a serious boot/neck knife from Cold Steel -- previous offerings from that renowned self-defense company were not always up to Cold Steel's no-nonsense standards. This tanto-style knife, designed by Barry Dawson, is one of seven blade styles available and probably also the most sensible. The tanto blade was ...
This pair of twenty-inch-long swords with single leather scabbard gives today's kung fu adepts the modern combat version of an ancient Chinese weapon. Cold Steel's versions of these wide blades weigh more than a pound each with fifteen inches of cutting edge and blade stock 1/5-inch thick. The 1055 ...
The 37-5/8" Cold Steel Pistol Grip Sword Cane looks just like the Pistol Grip City Stick but holds a 25-3/4 inch carbon steel spike in the hollow carbon fiber shaft. A thumb push on the release button and a firm pull on the cast stainless steel pistol grip separates ...
Cold Steel's Skull Head City Stick is both dangerous and elegant. Designed for urban self defense rather than to be a walking aid, the stainless steel and fiberglass walking stick will serve for either purpose. Cold Steel makes several different models of City Sticks and the Skull Head is ...
Cold Steel's San Mai III Gurkha Kukri may be the heaviest kukri produced today -- with full tang VG-1 high carbon stainless steel construction and a thickness of 5/16 inches, that's certainly possible. Designed by Lynn Thompson, the president of Cold Steel, the San Mai III Kukri varies only slightly in ...
Cold Steel is better known for functionality than for building self-defense weapons which look good. The Cold Steel philosophy of matching pure function with modern materials sometimes creates weapons which look at best like tools and at worst like souvenirs. Using some of the sensible features of that approach, the ...
The 6' Assegai Spear from Cold Steel takes its basic design from the traditional weapons of South Africa's Zulu warriors. Cold Steel uses unique modern tempering processes to create a lightweight medium carbon steel spearhead with the ability to flex rather than break or bend. This blackened steel weapon will ...
Cold Steel's Boar Spear, based on a medieval European hunting design, combines a lightweight medium carbon steel spearhead with a stout American ash shaft to create what Cold Steel intends to be a throwing weapon.
Several companies market modern versions of spears as survival tools, which is where they are most useful ...
A top quality and reliable folding clip knife, the Recon 1 with 4" tanto blade forged from high carbon stainless steel and coated with non-reflection and nearly frictionless black Teflon is more than enough knife for serious work. Light weight (5.6 ounces) and a folded length of only 5 ...
Cold Steel's Ti-Lite series of tactical folders will only lead to more important choices, like which 1950's gang you are going to join -- the Jets or the Sharks? These folders, with a little tweaking, oil, and practice will open just as fast as spring assisted or automatic fighting knives ...
In honor of America's "thin blue line," Cold Steel has made the American Lawman, a serious knife with a 3.5-inch stainless steel drop point blade. Made from AUS-8A stainless steel and hollow ground, the Lawman's blade is super sharp and capable of handling all varieties of tough cutting tasks. A ...
Competing in the military markets with a folding design is a tough challenge but Cold Steel intends to make its mark there with knives like the Recon 1. This spear point blade is just one of five options of blade shapes and cutting edge choices, all built to exacting ...
Cold Steel's Stainless Steel Head Sword Cane, with its state of the art carbon fiber cane sheath and nearly 26 inch long carbon steel blade, combines modern technology with the atmosphere of a high rolling Old West saloon. It's definitely a classy weapon, and the choice of materials shows ...
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