I have just read that Cold Steel changed the steel from the Japanese AUS 8A to the Carpenter CTSÂ® BD1 Alloy. Is this Spartan the new version already?
2068827
I don't think those have been released just yet. Ask on bladeforums.com, the guys on there know everything about knives
2068828
The one I just bought has the Aus8a. Still a great steel, if you want the new steel type, I'd wait a couple months.
716300
The blade says Taiwan. The box says Cold Steel makes blades in the USA, Japan and Taiwan. It is an original Cold Steel knife. I have had it with me every day since I got it. It is durable and holds and edge. You can sharpen it with a combination of steels and ceramic rods. It deploys quickly and you can use it for anything from hacking down a small tree, opening letters or cutting threads depending on how coordinated you are. The tri-ad lock is rock solid. It seems large but once you carry it with you for a while you don't even notice it. Here is a decent review of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcOz2VS6VF4&list;=UUzYMTUy7uWCfaoBX0tPJE5A Very happy with this purchase. The blade says Taiwan. The box says Cold Steel makes blades in the USA, Japan and Taiwan. It is an original Cold Steel knife. I have had it with me every day since I got it. It is durable and holds and edge. You can sharpen it with a combination of steels and ceramic rods. It deploys quickly and you can use it for anything from hacking down a small tree, opening letters or cutting threads depending on how coordinated you are. The tri-ad lock is rock solid. It seems large but once you carry it with you for a while you don't even notice it. Here is a decent review of it.... » Read More The blade says Taiwan. The box says Cold Steel makes blades in the USA, Japan and Taiwan. It is an original Cold Steel knife. I have had it with me every day since I got it. It is durable and holds and edge. You can sharpen it with a combination of steels and ceramic rods. It deploys quickly and you can use it for anything from hacking down a small tree, opening letters or cutting threads depending on how coordinated you are. The tri-ad lock is rock solid. It seems large but once you carry it with you for a while you don't even notice it. Here is a decent review of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcOz2VS6VF4&list;=UUzYMTUy7uWCfaoBX0tPJE5A Very happy with this purchase. « Show Less
223007
The spartan is made in Taiwan. But it is still an amaIng knife I highly recommend picking one up.
166304
I bought one about a week ago and it was stonewashed. The seller was Amazon. As far as I know, Cold Steel is no longer making the Spartan in the bead-blasted finish. So if you order from Amazon, you'll probably get one that is stonewashed.
391415
The blade on mine is hollow ground and 154CM steel. I'm not sure when they made the switch to S30V steel, but I would guess that it was a couple of years ago since I bought mine during the period in which they were advertising one steel on the website, and listing another on the spec sheet included with the knife.I still love the knife, and carry it about 80% of the time. A SOG Aegis comes out when I don't want the weight of the Manix2 (walking, biking, wearing sweatpants, etc.).
716302
Cold steel is originally out of California, but the cold steel spartan is made in Taiwan, and yes, this a real cold steel knife, hope this helps.
877842
I difer to the previous two response I just went back on GP{ Knives and they too have chnaged the steel type to 5160. So it probably depends on how old the knife is. It looks like if you buy one now you get 5160.
2152600
It looks to be the same, but that would be a question for the seller. I can tell you the Cold Steel Spartan is an excellent knife.
1017210
AUS4 has a compisition of: C - 0.4 to .45 % Mn - 1 % Cr - 13 to 14 % Ni - .49 % V - .10 to .26 % Mo - .10 to .30 % Bottom line is it's a decent, non-high carbon steel. It's marginally better than 440C, which is what most knives in this class are made of. I've been using this knife for a while now, and it's kept a very nice edge. Not perfect, but nice.
935755
two different types of steel for the blades. the one you are looking at has aus 8a. the other one is san mai 3. the san mai 3 is supposedly a better steel. I have owned one of each. I loved the aus 8a, but wanted to try the san mai 3. That being said, I haven't had the san mai 3 long enough to tell you that it truly is better, but for the slight price difference I would recommend you go with the san mai 3. Did quite a bit of reading on it, and it appears to be the better blade. (I'm not sorry I upgraded so far)
459177
I have it right here. It's made with 8Cr13MoV, which I've read is a Chinese steel similar to Aus-8. Hope that helps. If you're looking for a small everyday carry, this one won't disappoint in my opinion.
2149537
The elite is made only in Taiwan with AUS 6 Steel. Non elite AUS 8. Blade slightly thicker on elite.
1689753
Cold Steel has plants in several countries, so there's no pat answer. The country of origin is etched at the base of the blade. I'd tell you to examine the blowup of the photo, but it's etched on only one side - the side amazon did NOT photograph. Mine was made in Taiwan. Hey, Amazon. The guy makes a good point. How much trouble would it be for you to include country of manufacture in your ad copy?
1284721
I've heard of there being a lot of imposter cold steel products out there. If I were you I would just buy directly from their website. That's what I did.
1086393
fellow tnp'r. this is o1 tool steel not the sk5 i just bought this recently. i highly recommend it. i did a cold gun blue for rust protection and havent seen any issues. good edge retention and easy to hone. i am also a avid knife designer/maker/modifier. as far as general abuse goes, this knife is a safe bet for just about anything, just dont mess up the heat treat and be careful in extreme cold weather ( under freezing ).
1786224
yes it says cold steel on it they just dont make some of their products i the us it says chaos on one sside and cold steal tiawan
577178
Check Morakniv's website they have a lot of really cool information about the differences in steel types. I'm no expert myself.