I have a Recon Tanto from around 98 somewhere. Used it in Alaska to chop saplings down to make a smoke fire to keep the mosquitos off. It has the leather sheath.

OK, last pictures of the night.

The Bushman knives were all steel, one piece knives with a handle made from the steel blank and rolled up.  They had a pin hole in the back, so you could buy a pole from CS and make a spear from it.

Very cheap knives to buy, I guess from low manufacturing costs, but great steel.  The big one wasn't very sharp when I bought it new, but it took and excellent edge.  The later version, the mini, had an epoxy finish, and had been sharpened to a good edge.

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Yup, bead-blasted brass and steel with the Kraton handle material.  Personally, I like the looks of the first version better, but it's a YMMV thing.

edit - typo

I was going to get one of those, and didn't for some reason.  Always thought it was a nice concept for an inexpensive stout knife.

OP - very nice collection of CS.

Enjoy seeing the contributions from other posters as well.

This has been a fun thread so far, always enjoy the trip down memory lane with vintage CS.  

Here's my collection of not so retro Cold Steel products.

The one bottom right of top pic is not CS, it was an unknown custom job

I think the Bushman was 15 bucks or something like that when I bought it, with a decent sheath.  A steal, as it's a good knife, and sharpened up to a nice edge. It has a curve to the edge that slices through stuff like a hot knife through butter.

OK, one more.

CS made a few models in some sort of plastic, that's pretty strong.  I have the Delta Dart, which I guess is the poor man's version of the steel one, and the Executive Ice Scraper!  It was billed as a weapon you could have around if you weren't supposed to, and the ads talked about the nasty 3 inch long gash someone would get if hit in the face with it.  Or you'd have an ice free window, depending on what you used it for.

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Nice, got one of the Safe Keeper push daggers, and is that the Gladius or such Roman short sword?

Quite the tanto collection.  Is the big one the 12" version?

Got the first version of the Recon Scout too I see.  I now need to pick one of those up, after seeing you guys version.  They are not cheap, at 3-400 bucks, due to how few were made.

I've got one of those out the front rescue knives I carried for a while.  My first SRK was the unpainted blade style and some wanker stole it- that knife had been all over with me and I still hope whoever stole it met an befitting someone who would steal another man's obviously well loved knife.  I've still got the Carbon V epoxy coated version that replaced it along with a Carbon V Recon Tanto that I've never figured out a use for.  There's also a Safe Keeper I carried in my boot for a while, a trail hawk and probably some others I'm forgetting off the top of my head.  I've still got one of their whitewood (?) bo staffs that I've beat the heck out of too.  

One of my college roommates had one of the fancy expensive (especially for back then) tantos, one of the upper tier katanas and one of the Trailmasters with the stag handles.

Nice.

Ooo, the Trailmaster with the stag handle, and brown leather sheath is a treat.  Those are 400-600 dollar knives now, depending on condition.  The first generation Trailmasters had this little notch at the end of the edge, and go for more.  I'll show that when I post my Trailmaster pics.

Hattori, like most of CS's good shit.  You can still buy Hattori stuff that is patterned after SOG knives, starting at around $500 and going up from there.

So is Fällkniven - like CS, they chose Hattori to make most of their stuff.

I bought an SRK as a PFC. Over 15 years later I still have it on my chest rig. That’s some badass Japanese steel.

I can very lightly see USA on the blade under the cold steel logo. Very faint but it’s there.

It’s oiled now. Very hefty piece. It’s gotten me interested in finding other Bowies to get. I Have the Spyderco Respect bowie as well. Just sort of researching. A Puma bowie is on the list to get.

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Great thread   !  

I always had an obsession with the Peace Keeper series..

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2XCjFf-iVLs/maxresdefault.jpg[/qute]



Came to post this.
Mines in the kydex sheath.
Non black blade.
Wanted the Tai pan ...but was to cheap

Got the trainer version of it as well.( Peace keeper)
Handle  always seemed short.

Got this the same time as the CS Peace maker..35$ ..prolly circa 06' or 7.
Also bought a knar TDI back then.


Becker knife and tool combat bowie 7 .
Tge sheath was meh...knife is great. Dunno bout the newer ones after the company got bought out.
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These aren’t from way back.  But are Cold Steel. Attached File
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This one goes back to early 90’s.  I carry it to this very day . Made in Japan. Attached File

You forgot about the thick bundles of ropes.

I missed out getting a Sai-Mai Trailmaster.

The Pentagon is made by SOG.

I have the ones on the top and bottom. I have had them for over 30 years. I still carry them occasionally.

My bad. They are SOG

Bad ass knife though.

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Fun trip down memory lane.  Thank you!

I worked in a knife store at one point as a kid, and always liked these knives.  Super durable and not crazy expensive.  What’s not to love?

I have a "sterile" Recon Scout from the 1991-1992 Gulf War era - still new.  I should dig it out for photos.

I've had a few, the only one left is a Carbon V Trailmaster I got at a pawn shop back in the day. First pic is as received, second is after my first re-handle attempt (which I think came out pretty good, I do love Desert Ironwood):

Me too, ended up buying one from Ebay.

I have a tanto just like yours I bought at Ranger Joe's outside of Ft. Campbell.  Took it to the GW1.  It has some pitting from the leather scabbard getting wet (who knew it rains in the desert?) but is otherwise in good shape.

Both are awesome knives:

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Very nice.  Even the Taiwan era CS knives were very good.  My understanding is that after it became too expensive to have them made in Japan, CS tried China, and the quality wasn't enough for them, so off to the ROC.  

Those are very nice.  They have the parkarized finish compared to the epoxy coating on the later ones.  I need to pick one up.

Post photos of it if you get around to it.

That's one of the first generations models - see the little notch at the end of the edge, by the hilt?  Later models don't have that, I believe to reduce manufacturing costs.

16-year-old me stabbed myself in the top of the leg right above the knee with a Recon tanto like yours.  I learned not to play with knives while sitting down.

Let's talk Trailmasters!

If the tanto line established Cold Steel, then their Trailmaster cemented their place as delivering awesome knives.  The Trailmaster came out late 80's I believe, as I remember longing for one, that was 200 bucks or such on display in a gun store during that time.  Big Bowie knives were popular then, probably from Michael J. Crocodile Dundee's big version in the movie.  Gerber also had a nice one, that I also own and will post a picture about later.

The first generation of Trailmaster had a notch forward of the hilt - not sure why, probably just for looks.  Later version eliminated this, probably for cost of manufacturing.  The steel was Carbon V, with a nice finish polish, and a brass hilt.  Sheaths were either leather or nylon - CS would mix between the two seemingly year to year or even in the same year, I guess using what they could get or what was cheaper at the time.  I like their nylon sheaths for everything except the tantos, which just need a true leather sheath to look like the high class knives they are.

This one is actually a factor second, which I didn't know when I bought it, and neither did the seller, which I believe as he gave me 100 bucks back from the 300 dollar price when I showed him the 2.  On this early model, it's hand etched into the back of the hilt, and actually looks sort of neat, compared to the later ugly 2 stamped into the very back on the handle.  I've gone over it with a magnifying glass trying to see what made it a 2, and didn't see anything.  Sometimes it was just the finish didn't turn out like they wanted - the vintage CS were very high quality and with high standards.  

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Next up is a black coated Trailmaster, made in the USA.  These models came out later, for a lower cost version than the highly polished ones.  Later on, CS offered a Japanese made version in stainless steel, which I don't currently have, though I'm bidding on one in EBay.

Occasionally you see a version that was made for the movie, Flight of the Intruder.  Production was I belive 1000, and the knife has a serial number on it.  They had the 9" blade, but in a subdued finish, much like the first Recon Tantos, and a solid rubber (I think) handle, not the textured one.  I've bid on a few before, and they get bid up to 800-1000 bucks, based on condition.

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While not called a Trailmaster Jr. or such, the Recon Scout was a 7-1/2" version of the Trailmaster, instead of the 9".  It's probably more useful and certainly more handy than the huge Trailmaster.

There were 3 versions of the Recon Scout - the first version had a parkarized blade, and no markings on it.  It's called a sterile version, and was from 91-92 time frame.  I'm not really sure why CS made this version - the idea I guess is that without markings, if it's lost in enemy territory, no one will know who was there, or some super secret squirrel concept.  

After those, the next versions were similar to the above black Trailmaster - an epoxy coating.  Then later on CS came out with a Recon Scout in Japanese stainless, which is the version I have.  Cost me close to 400 bucks, and that was a decent price as I've seen them up to 450.  Beautiful knife.  While the black epoxy ones cut and handle the same, they just don't have the look of the highly polished steel color ones.

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Family picture:

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Twistmaster!  Cold Steel always came up with some good names for their knives.

These were cheap at the time, pocket folding knives.  Carbon V steel, so would rust if you didn't oil it once and awhile, but would take and keep a good edge.  The locking feature was, as the name implies, a twist aspect of the knobed ring.  Simple, solid, and probably cheap to make.  Sort of slow to get out of your pocket and open and lock, so more utility knives than whip and slash defensive knives.

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Now I've learned something, thanks!

My best friend and I killed A LOT of carp with their bushman spear/knives in the late 1990s. Those were the days.....

I have that exact Tanto (the top one with the stainless steel hardware). I carried it in my Army days briefly but realized it was too nice for that 11B shit. I also lost a mini Tanto that I had attached to my LBE attached upside down

Folding tantos!

The first versions had a belt clip, made of plastic, and was molded as part of the handle.  This wasn't a good design, and lots of clips were broken off.  A year or two later, CS changed the design to have a separate metal clip, held in place by 3 bolts, and it worked a lot better.

I have a bunch - 2 x 5" versions, 4 x 5" versions, and a 3" version.  CS made them in three patterns - smooth edge, serrated, and half and half.  

A couple are the fancy Gunsite ones, with the crow (err, raven!) emblem, and some sort of false edge on the top, which looks nice but does nothing.

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They were great knives for 15 bucks or whatever they cost.  The early ones were pretty dull from the factory, I guess to cut costs, but would take a very sharp edge, and due to the curve of the blade, it slices as it sticks, so a big cut in whatever you're running it into.

CS started making lots of similar spear points - one was called the Board Sticker or some such, and good ole Lynn was in a video stabbing some wild hog with it or such.  Sort of comical, yet more up close and personal with a wild boar than I'd like to be.

Ahh man, the Mini Tantos were pretty rare, and the early ones with brass go for top dollar now.  I don't have a mini so need to find one.  Even on Ebay they don't come up very often.

I hear ya about the too nice for MOS 11 series.  I didn't use my Magnum Tanto for Army stuff - the SRK was tailor made for that.  Had that upside down on my right side LBE harness for Desert Storm, and it opened up many an MRE for me.  Managed not to lose it and it's still sitting in a place of honor in my safe.

I was at one of the Soldier of Fortune Conventions in Vegas when a guy (not me) sliced off a finger during one of the Cold Steel demonstrations.

Yes! Those were so good. I had a few of them back in the late 90's. I remember blowing an entire weeks pay on cold steel shit when I was in high school....actually probably more than a week. I used a broom handle for the spear part and cut a little notch in the top with an angle grinder to help hold the unlucky carp on. The next time I see my folks I'm going to dig through their shed and see if it's still there. That would be awesome.

Yuck!  You mean with bone too, or just a nasty cut with lots of meat?  Do you remember how it happened?  Was he chopping down on something and got his finger in the way?

It would be.  Hope you find it, polish any rust off, and put a razor edge back on it.

Somewhere along the way, Cold Steel wanted to make a throwing star, and did they!  It's the biggest and heaviest one I've seen, and would pack far more of a wallop than the cheap ass 8 sided ones I loved as a kid.  But then again, it doesn't have all the fancy Oriental characters on it, like the cheap ones do, so what good is it?

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And I thought I had a large ridiculous Cold Steel collection.

Dibs on these two !

Forgot all about the star..

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