Cold Steel is one of the most famous modern American knife brands. In its 40 years of history, it has brought to market a great deal of iconic designs. Founded in 1980 in California by Lynn C. Thompson, the company has always been owned by the founder, who over the years proved himself both as a talented designer as well as as an innovative and outspoken marketer. Now, for the first time, Cold Steel is changing hands.

Here below is the full press release from the new ownership:

Irving, TX – GSM Outdoors, a multi-brand manufacturer and technology innovator of specialized hunting, shooting and gear, announces the company’s acquisition of renowned knife maker, Cold Steel. A company dedicated to making the strongest, sharpest knives in the world, Cold Steel is at the forefront of many innovations that have helped to define modern knife technology.

Cold Steel, founded in 1980, is a knife and tool company dedicated to creating the world’s strongest and sharpest knives, cutlery, and tools for everyday carry. Cold Steel products have been adopted by military, law enforcement units, emergency services personnel, self-defense practitioners, and others, in response to their quality, strength, and dependability in real life scenarios.

Cold Steel leads the industry with innovations that include checked Kraton® handles, the use of San Mai III®steel, and the advanced Tri-Ad™ locking mechanism for folding knives. The brand continues to bring new levels of strength, safety, and performance to the knife market, ensuring products that can be relied on anytime, anywhere.

Eddie Castro, CEO of GSM Outdoors said, “Cold Steel is an iconic, best in class brand that Lynn Thompson has built over the last 40 years by pushing the needle on innovation and new testing standards. His users are some of the most loyal followers I’ve ever seen, and a testament to what he has built. The team and I are highly enthusiastic about bringing this legendary brand into the GSM Family and broadening our current line of cutlery offerings.”

To learn more about the Cold Steel line of products, click here.

The announcement above has understandably created some concerns among the fans of the brand, concerns that Lynn Thompson quickly addressed in the following video (no carcass dismemberment involved):

For those who know and love the products of the brand, knowing that both Mr. Thompson and knifemaker Andrew Demko will keep designing products should be quite reassuring. It will be interesting to see if the new ownership will indeed be capable to further grow the brand.

---

All images from www.coldsteel.com

---

---

We are committed to finding, researching, and recommending the best products. We earn commissions from purchases you make using the retail links in our product reviews. Learn more about how this works.