Frequently Asked Questions

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I received an email saying that my payment is deferred, what does this mean?

We don't take any money until your order has been processed, so the payment is deferred until just before your order is dispatched

Where are Cold Steel products manufactured?

Cold Steel products are manufactured world wide. Most items are made in Japan, Taiwan or China. On each product you can check the Country of Origin in the Specifications Table.

What is Rockwell Hardness?

The hardness of steel or other metals is usually measured on a scale called the "Rockwell Scale", this scale gives a number value to the hardness. This number is preceded by the letters HRC/RC (for example RC58). High numbers indicate harder material. If a knife is too "soft" meaning it has too low a Rockwell hardness, it will probably not hold an edge and will bend quite easily. If a knife is too "hard" meaning it has too high a Rockwell hardness, it will probably be very brittle and difficult to re-sharpen. When a knife is designed, it is important to determine from the beginning what kind of hardness will be required for its ultimate purpose. This will affect the choice of steel. Once the steel is chosen, a heat treatment sequence must be devised to result in the exact hardness needed in the final knife.

Do you resharpen knives?

BearArm Ltd do not currently provide a sharpening service, it's something we are considering for the future. For now, we recommend Lansky Sharpeners

How can I resharpen my plain edge knife?

For quick, in-the-field sharpening, a Lansky Quick Fix Pocket Sharpener is a simple but effective solution. If you can spend some time sharpening and want a hair popping edge, you can try a Lansky Sharpening System.

How can I resharpen my serrated edge knife?

We recommend the Lansky Cold Steel Knife Sharpener for serrated blades as it matches the proprietary serrations used on our blades.

What Angle are Cold Steel knives sharpened at

Cold Steel knives run a wide range of materials, grinds, types of edge and dimensions, depending on the size, shape and ultimate purpose of the knife. So there is no single edge bevel angle we can recommend. For example actual measured flat ground angles for various model Tantos are 25.79°, 30.99° and 28.15°. We suggest that you use whatever angle most closely matches the one already established on the original factory edge. Generally, we recommend 23° to 25° as a guiding standard.

Can a false edge be sharpened?

Yes, all Cold Steel Knives which have a false edge can have that edge sharpened. This is because the heat treatment is consistent throughout the blade.

Are Cold Steel knives guaranteed?

Cold Steel behind their knives 100%. They are subject to the highest standards in the industry and Cold Steel strive to make each one as perfect as possible. Right now the return rate for defects is 0.05%! This is remarkably lower than the industry standard. While Cold Steel are growing in popularity, and producing ever larger quantities of knives, they are determined to never forget that we live or die by a single word, QUALITY.

Cold Steel fixed blade sheath knives have a 5 year warranty to the original owner against defects IN materials or workmanship.

Cold Steel folding knives are likewise warranted for 1 year.

If you ever have a warranty problem with a Cold Steel knife purchased from Cold Steel UK / BearArm Ltd, please return it with your original receipt and a short note and we will be happy to evaluate the problem and resolve it.

What is your return policy?

Your rights to return goods are protected under the EU Distance Selling Directive.

You are entitled to cancel your order and return the goods within 7 working days for a full refund, including the cost of delivery. Do this by contacting us by email or telephone and quoting the order number supplied to you. Your refund will be paid within 30 days. You are responsible for the cost and risk of loss or damage when returning the goods, so you should take out enough postal insurance to cover their value. This cancellation policy does not affect your rights when we are at fault - for example, if goods are faulty or misdescribed.

Any goods returned should be in saleable condition.

Do all Cold Steel knives have a full tang?

Full tang construction is an important consideration when evaluating the strength of a knife. Originally, "full tang" meant a handle in which the edges of the tang are visible all around the outside of the hilt, so that the tang is fully as wide as the knife handle. However, with the advent of "driven-on" Kraton handles, full tang has come to mean that a very substantial tang extends completely through the center of the handle right to the back of the pommel. This describes the tangs on all premium Cold Steel knives. Cold Steel Kitchen Knives have a half tang.

How is Kraton attached to the handles of Cold Steel knives?

To the best of our knowledge, Cold Steel was the first knife company in the U.S. to use Kraton for the handle of a knife. Obviously we were correct in our choice of this material, because over the last 18 years almost every major manufacturer has adopted it for knife handles.

There are two main ways to build a Kraton handle:

The first is to make a "driven-on" handle. This is where the Kraton handle is heated up to expand it slightly, then driven on top the tang of the blade. Once in place it can be held there by a ferrule or a bolt.

The second method is to make a "shot-on" handle. In this type of construction, the liquid Kraton® material is injected under heat and pressure around the tang of the blade where it hardens. Once it has hardened it is permanently attached to the tang and needs no bolts or a ferrule.

How are Cold Steel Tomahawks made?

Cold Steel tomahawks are precision drop forged from 1055 carbon steel. During the forging process a metal ingot is heated almost white hot and then formed into shape in a series of progressive dies. The large steel dies are fixed to enormous compressed air hammers with hundreds of tons of power behind every strike. Each die, hammers the hot metal into a gradually more finished shape. During this forming process the steel is kneaded and compressed into a completely homogenous mass. And this, in turn, makes it extremely tough and strong. Like all good tomahawks, Cold Steel's are differentially heat treated. This means that the cutting edge and hammer face is fully hardened, while the balance of the head is left relatively soft to absorb the shock of striking blows. Drop forging not only creates a superior product, but it is also an extremely efficient method of manufacture. The quality of our drop forged tomahawks is superior to custom, hand forged hawks costing three and even four times more!

Did the Tanto really go through the car door?

Yes, this has been done in repeated tests without damage to the point. It has also been done in "real life" situations where the Tanto was used to cut the lock out of a car door to free a person trapped inside the vehicle. It is important to note that the point of the Tanto is undamaged after this ordeal. Some people discount this test because they say that some cheaper knives can also be hammered through a car door. But what they fail to realize is that none of these cheaper knives will have a usable point afterwards!

What is "Blueing"?

Blueing is a process applied to the blade to offer a protective, less-reflective coat. There are many commercially available packages for both hot and cold blueing. The process results in a blue-black surface on the blade of the knife. It can be quite difficult to get an even bluing over the whole blade. Cold steel does not endorse or recommend this process yourself, instead you should have it done professionally to achieve the best results.

Can I leave my kitchen knives in the sink or in the dishwasher?

The short answer to this is no! Most stainless kitchen cutlery is made from high chromium, low carbon steel. This makes it very "stainless", in that there is no carbon to discolor, even if the knife is left soaking in water for weeks. But it also means that it is practically impossible to sharpen to a good edge and that whatever edge it has will be lost very quickly.

At Cold Steel we use very high carbon stainless steel for our kitchen knives. The same steel, in fact, as in the Tanto. This allows us to create a blade that is very thin and incredibly sharp, while still remaining very strong. Unfortunately the trade-off means that the blade requires a little more care than some of your other stainless cutlery. For example, it is not recommended that you use your Cold Steel Kitchen Knives to saw through frozen food or to cut bones, as these actions will surely damage your blade. These small shortcomings, however, are more than offset by the phenomenal performance of the knives.

Although they will survive being in the dishwasher this is not recommended (apart from potential staining, the fine edge can be easily damaged in contact with other steel cutlery). They should never be left standing in water or left in damp conditions for any length of time. To keep our kitchen knives in the best possible condition, we recommend that the knives are rinsed in water, dried and put away immediately after use, as with any fine cutlery. Any discoloration that may occur over time, will not effect the performance of the knives.

What do you recommend to remove stains from their knives?

Any mildly abrasive polishing liquids/pastes should be find. We currently recommend Brasso. These are available at most hardware stores.

Do all Cold Steel knives come with a sheath?

Most of our fixed blade models come with sheaths; they are either made of Concealex, Cordura, or Leather.

Does Cold Steel sell replacement sheaths?

Yes, we do. If you can't find the sheath on our website, please contact us.

My pocket clip is broken. What do I do?

Replacement pocket clips are available here: Replacement Pocket Clips. Type the product code into the box and then order as many clips as you require.

How do I become a Cold Steel Retailer?

You can set up a trade account with us here: Cold Steel UK Trade Account. Please follow the instructions and once submitted, we will process your trade account application ASAP.

Is the Absolute Proof DVD "Region Free?" Will it play on DVD players in other countries?

The Absolute Proof DVD is region free and will play on virtually all DVD players world wide.

What is the difference between the Imperial and Warrior Series swords?

There are some people who want a battle ready sword but hope to find one at a more reasonable price than our Imperial Series swords. Our Warrior Series address this problem directly. In our efforts to reduce the costliness of the blades, we have omitted the expensive mirror polishing that we used on the Imperial swords and used a more practical finish. The Warrior Series shares the same steel, heat treatment, and sharpness of their more expensive counterparts.

Does BearArm Ltd have a company store?

We do not have a showroom, however if you wish to arrange a viewing of a product or collection of an order, please contact us.