Break a lance for Cold Steel...

[Weedus]

Hi,
I must say that most People realy bash Cold Steel for no Reason..to call their Swords "sharpened Crowbars" is realy unfair.I now got 2 of their Products and none of them was badly balanced.
The Italian Longsword is 1,39 Kilos and Balances 10 cm from the Cross..the Colichemarde Smallsword weighs 0,7 and balances around 5 cm from the Shells
Arent that good Values ??
The Temper and Heat Treat is nice..you can see them doing the old english proove Test in all their Videos..the Blades are very springy but tough at the same time...and the 0,5-0,6 Carbon Range of the 1055 and 1060 Steel they use for Swords is perfect...I recently watched a Interview with the Master Bladesmith Stefan Roth (his Swords sell for 20-30.000 Dollars...) and he said 0.5-0.6 make the best,toughest Swords.And he knows what he talks off...he also does Hema..
I would say they are a valid low Budget Choice..just stay away from the Man at Arms stuff (MAA)
The MAA Scabbards are sewn together poorly with like 1 cm distance of the sewing Holes while the normal ones are so tight that there is no space between them.Also the normal ones are wood lined,the MAA are not.And you get a horrible dull Grind on the MAA...1 drag over a 30 Degree Belt Grinder (it looked i dont know for sure)...but the normal ones are sharp and mirror Polished.

Perhaps a part of the Bad Reputation comes from this People who buy whole Truck Loads of damaged and badly made Swords in the Bargain Bin on Cold Steels Parking lot Sales...when this People auction off their Shit on Ebay or so...the People will blame Cold Steel for what they got not the Scammer on Ebay...
I wish Cold Steel would have something like a Quality Inspection Mark stamped in the Steel on their "full Quality,Full Price" Articles
The only marking you see on Cold Steel Blades is "Cold Steel" stamped into the Tang otherwise they are "neutral"

I resharpened my Italian Longsword to different Angles on the Blade,scalpell Sharpness at the Ort..rather dull 30 Degree Grind on the whole "Swech"..for that i took the Blade from the Hilt..i was prepared to see bad shit cause i heard People claim that the half grip would be stuffed with old Newspapers and Storys like that...Well i unscrewed the Pommel Screw...then first nothing moved...but that was cause the extreme close fit..i guess the Tang was burned into the Handle..so i took my Feet on the Cross and pulled the Pommel with my Arms and then i nearly "finished me rightly" myself as the Pommel flied off lol..the Pummel had a Square Hole which was fitted perfectly over a resessed Square Area on the lower Handle..was realy good carved in...after that i could pull off the Handle which was burned on the Tang,and after that i had the Blade with the Guard on...i need a wooden Mallet to hammer the Guard on both Sides until i could slide it down the Tang....
Some Italian Longswords seem to have rattling (but not realy loose) Crossguards...i guess that just depends which Guy made it and if he had a good Day or something else in Mind.But it can be shimmed with Ease.

About my Colichemarde i realy cant say much...except that its sturdy...i would feel not doomed when i would have to parry a Baseball Bat or a Rifle Club with it...The Shell Guards are like 4 mm thick and made of Steel,not flimsy Brass like the Originals...it would never brake or bend from just falling to the Ground like Matt mentioned in his Video.
The Guard looks like 2 Hearts when you look straight on them,like you draw a Heart in a Comic or so...
On them Engraved are Wings.
The Forte of the Blade goes over into a thick rectangular Rod of Steel which then goes over into the Handle and the Pommel.I cant see a opening it looks like it was made from 1 big Piece of Steel,but below the Pommel is a piece which i think is a Screw...but its so decorative and so tight to the Pommel i cant tell if its 1 piece or not..i dont want to put a wrench on and test it out cause it looks so nice and polished and i dont have a reason too.

I dont know how the Way the Handle is made is called...but it must have been made with a Machine which can pull a Wire with Tons of Force...The Handle itself is wrapped in silver looking Wire..i guess its some not rusting Alloy or Metal...this Wrapping is done with so much pressure i cant imagine a Human is able to do that...but then over this Silver Wrapping is another Wire which was pulled with so much force over the first Layer of Wire,that the first Layer got dented in and that causes "grooves" on the handle for better Grip.Its all so tight it feels like there is a Ton of Pressure on the Wire.


The Blade itself is wicked...the Point is like a Pencil in wideness,not more,and has a Diamond Cross Section which is then enlarged at the Forte...and the Ridge of the Diamond Cross Section Tip then is the Central Ridge of the 2 fuller grooves left and right from it.Forte is that way on booth sides.
From Peak of Ridge on 1 Side to Peak of Ridge on the other its 7 mm (!!) its a real sturdy Forte,thicker then on the Longsword.
One realy could parry a Baseball Bat with it when you take your Gloved Hand under the Flat to support it.
The strong Forte of the Cold Steel model seems to be larger than historical Ones.Overall the Blade is large as the most large historical ones...a bit less then 34 Inches...its not exactly a "small" Smallsword..but its very agile and quick with its 0,7 weight
Oh and there is a Edge,high polished and with a 30 Degree Angle running over the whole Forte of the Blade which then extends into the long Needle Point into a 30 Degree Full Flat Grind..so the Angles of the Diamond Cross Section go down in 30 Degrees,there is no Bevel or so...
And its all mirror Polished

I realy dont expected it to look so nice and decorative for the Money

[swordflasher]

Glad you enjoyed the swords of theirs that you've got. I have a couple of their machetes I really like.

[Weedus]

The next Item i wanna buy is a fitting Colichemarde Dagger.It has a intresting Blade Profile,with a strong central Ridge.In the Demo Video they stabbed it trough Car Hoods and it went in to the Hilt,also had no Problem penetrating Body Armor.....it seems to be a very good thrusting Dagger...and the Hilt looks as nice as on the Sword
http://www.coldsteel.com/colichemarde-dagger.html


Btw since you mentioned Machetes...there is a little Hatchet which is realy love...the Bear Grylls Survival Hatchet...now dont laugh let me explain..look the Head Profile..it is not a Wedge..its a hatchet which is focused on deep cuts and not splitting wood..it weights around 1 Pound and i can chop trough 1 Inch branches with 1 Cut..i also can cut trough free hanging (flexible) thin branches,they dont whip around.
The grind on the Hatchet Edge is like that of a Filet Knife,its a 20 Degree Grind of the Scandi Type.
Its so sharp i can shave my Arm with it more clean in 1 Stroke than with my real Gillette Fusion Shaver...
Its so small and lightweight and the Handle is perfect Ergonomic...For 20 Dollars this is a amazing Hatchet.
And i used it alot...the 20 Degree Grind of course chips out on Knots...but you can cut normal fresh Wood with no Problems...it gets Dull Quick but when you take your Belt Knife and hone the Hatchet over the Spine of the Belt Knife...its sharp again..So it needs rather often honing and touching up of the Blade but its extremly sharp and cuts as deep into the Wood as double as heavy 2 Pound Axes with large Wedge Heads.
Its realy a high recommendable mini Hatchet for Outdoor Stuff...perfect for Bike Tours and Tent Camping and such things....

[swordflasher]

Well, glad to talk to someone as obsessed as me with weapons, let us know about the hatchet and the dagger when you get them!

[Weedus]

The Hatchet i own since over a Year,like i say,fully recommended,as tool
But..it would be excellent for Dual Wield with large Knife like a Bowie,like for the Bowie/Tomahawk Fight Style

The next Weapon Stuff i wanna buy is the Thompson Sabre,the Sabre designed by Lynn Thompson,the Cold Steel Boss.
Like i said,the Colichemarde Dagger to pair with the Colichemarde Sword

And im thinking about a I33 Sword,not cause i learn it..just to have a example for such a Weapon in my private Armory ...(im scared to open some Lockers cause then,like in a Comic..a ton of Stuff would crash out...and when half of that stuff is pointy or sharp edged...well you can imagine .. )
I think i go with the Windlass Cadzand Sword...the Battle of Cadzand was 1337 so it would be perfect in Time.
I also found a nice Leather covered 2mm Thick and 38 cm Diameter Buckler,covered in Yellow Leather with mirror Polished Central Boss,and rounded,folded,solid Rim...it was like 70 Bucks or so..

[Lidsman]

Does anyone know anything about their English Back Sword? I really like the looks and I can buy it from a Swedish firm.

[Thearos]

Nearly 800 g seems a bit too heavy for a smallsword, even a colichemarde (it's about the weight of a sabre or backsword)

[Herbert]

I can't comment on their swords with the exception of the langes Messer…which is just preposterous and useless.

I have just reviewed their bowie Recon Scout and it is really bad. I was thoroughly disappointed with the performance of the knife.

So, judging from these two, I have my reservations.