Can Cold Steel Top 2015? Demko’s New Lock Makes Flipper Possible

Cold Steel threw down the gauntlet with a line-up for 2015 that made its intention of stealing market share clear.  And the strike was targeted at the place it could hurt its competitors the most: one handed opening folders. For 2015, Cold Steel introduced eight new folding designs and updated nearly every folding knife in its catalog. “We have never seen a major brand make such sweeping changes to their line-up in such a short-amount of time,” says Morgan Donaldson of BladeHQ. High-performance blade steel upgrades, new coating, and contoured G10 are all part of its new arsenal. Cold Steel remains focused on improving products for consumers who at this time of the year might be wondering: ‘how can Cold Steel possibly top what they’ve already accomplished in 2015?’

Cold Steel Folders: 2015 Year in Review

The Counter Point, Rajah, Spartan, and Voyager series moved from AUS-8A to American CTS-BD1 steel. The Code 4, Hold Out, Espadas, Recon 1, Ti-Lite, American Lawman, AK-47, and Talwar series were upgraded from Japanese AUS-8A to American CTS-XHP steel.

Black blades were upgraded to a DLC coating from the old, more easily scuffed Tuff’Ex paint. Some models, like the Hold Out and American Lawman series, also got handle upgrades to less abrasive, pocket-friendlier G-10.

New Models

The Ultimate Hunter is finally back and now features contoured G-10 handles, a classic drop point blade made from CTS-XHP steel, and the Tri-Ad lock. The Tiger Claw, a new folding karambit designed by Andrew Demko, was designed with his experience as a journeyman electrician in mind for easily cutting wires, ropes, and cables with its CTS-XHP hawkbill blade. The Finn Wolf is an affordable, folding interpretation of a traditional Finnish Pukko knife with a scandi-ground blade of AUS-8A and a Tri-Ad lock. The Black Talon II, an update of Cold Steel’s original Black Talon design, is unapologetically designed for self-defense, with a long, sinuously recurved blade borrowed with permission from the Spyderco Civilian.

Cold Steel also introduced its first ever assisted opening knife, the Swift. This knife has been getting a lot of attention and not just from everyday knife enthusiasts. Actor and former WWE wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin can’t seem to stop tweeting about how much he’s digging the Swift.  And, as if the social media praise wasn’t enough – Stone Cold (with Swift in hand), paid a visit to Cold Steel’s Los Angeles, California headquarters and personally met with Founder and CEO Lynn Thompson this week.

Such an honor to meet @steveaustinBSR! That guy knows his blades! #StoneCold #ColdSteel pic.twitter.com/nDH04D3DEd

— Cold Steel (@Coldsteelknives) October 29, 2015

Still to Come in 2015

With the possible exceptions of the Emerson Flipper 7 and the Spyderco Nirvana, the Cold Steel 4-Max is currently the most widely anticipated knife that is testing the patience of knife people everywhere. Weighing it at 9.2 ounces and featuring an extra thick, extra wide, CPM20cv drop point blade, the 4-Max is billed as one of the beastliest production folders ever contemplated. Cold Steel promises premium materials and finishing standards in this made in the USA knife. Of the knives to receive a steel upgrade, dealers are still waiting on the popular Espada series with the CTS-XHP steel in an uncoated blade.

Demko’s New Lock Makes Flipper Possible

Custom knifemaker and inventor of the Tri-ad lock Andrew Demko unveiled an innovative and unnamed new lock this year in an instagram post (see below). The lock, which appears on his new custom AD-15, works like Cold Steel’s Tri-ad lock but is integrated into the handle scales. The new design has the advantage of being lighter and easier to clean than the Tri-ad lock. Given Demko’s perpetual collaborations with Cold Steel, it’s possible we could see the new lock on a Cold Steel folder in 2016. Demko confirmed on instagram that the lock could also be used in conjunction with a flipper. If shared with Cold Steel, the lock could open up a new world of flipper possibilities for Cold Steel, especially since Demko confirmed that he already has a flipper ‘in the works’.

  Ad-15 in action #demkoknives #ad10 #ad15   A video posted by Demko Knives (@demkoknives) on Jul 25, 2015 at 1:11pm PDT