Updates to Cold Steel 4MAX Announced

New information about Cold Steel’s highly anticipated mega-folder, the Andrew Demko-designed 4MAX, was released today in a letter from Founder and President Lynn Thompson. Though there have been long delays since the knife was first announced, a public release of the knife seems very close.

Thompson also announced the 4MAX will see subtle changes from the original prototype that Cold Steel fans may be familiar with: the blade is stonewashed instead of satin finished, the swedge is more pronounced, and the blade shape has been tweaked. The changes are mostly cosmetic and it’s unmistakably the same 4MAX that fans have been waiting for.

Even for a company known for the strength of their knives, Cold Steel’s 4MAX is their “strongest knife to date,” according to Thompson. Its Tri-Ad lock, coupled with full titanium liners and meticulous American manufacturing might make it the strongest production folder ever made. “We have subjected this knife to the most brutal tests we could devise,” Cold Steel told us today.

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It has been over a year since Cold Steel first announced the 4MAX. The company says the delays can be attributed to the process used to arrive at a final 4MAX design. “We’ve been bringing prototypes to shows and events and getting customer and fan feedback – it has slowed production slightly, but we are really happy with the final model, and I think our customers will be too,” they say.

The company’s decision to make the knife in the USA may have also contributed to the delay. “I am happy that I am able to finally begin making knives entirely in the USA again, but it has not been without it’s challenges, expenses or difficulties,” Thompson wrote. In December, ESEE’s Mike Perrin told us that it is hard to find domestic vendors capable of making certain components.

There are no specifics yet about the 4MAX availability, but Thompson concluded his letter with a promise: “We will be updating our website and social media platforms with more information regarding the release date of this impressive knife very soon!”

Lynn Thompson’s 31/3 Letter Regarding the 4-MAX Project

The re-introduction of our “Custom Classics” series is no easy task – and it’s a challenge that I take very seriously!

The 4-MAX represents a new level of quality, fit and finish that surpasses even my exceptionally high standards – and it also heralds the first Tri-Ad equipped mega-folder that is 100% made in the USA.

As the 4-MAX project progressed throughout 2014, 2015 and into 2016 we made several aesthetic adjustments to distinguish this knife from the Demko custom model that inspired it – including subtle changes in blade shape and finish.

Taking feedback from trusted fans and loyal customers, we have made several changes over the last 12 months, and the images below show the very latest (and final) production model without it’s blade etching.

​Over the last few years we have made steps toward using more and more American materials, including a vast increase in the use of USA steel, and I am proud that the 4-MAX project will become Cold Steel’s flagship 100% made-in-the-USA folder. ​

I am happy that I am able to finally begin making knives entirely in the USA again, but it has not been without it’s challenges, expenses or difficulties. It is a labor of love, and though it is a difficult and costly knife to manufacture, the 4MAX has surpassed even my expectations for excellence! 

In our continuing tests, the 4MAX has already proven to set new standards for strength and durability, and we believe it is our strongest knife to date.

We will be updating our website and social media platforms with more information regarding the release date of this impressive knife very soon!

Thank you for your continued patience – and I assure you, it’s worth the wait!

Lynn C Thompson
President
Cold Steel, Inc.

Knife featured in image: Cold Steel 4MAX