stabbyjoe,

I own almost 30 coldsteel products. machetes, corbon steel blades and a couple knives. I have a few stainless models and they are ok but the good stuff is their carbon V and carbon 1055 and 1050. I own a moro barong (made in japan)made of 1050 carbon steel. it is 30 oz, razor sharp and will out chop any knife I have other than my HI. the cheapo 1055 blades made in china are pretty sharp and very tough. I like em. I know others like the folders but I don't so much. I use to edc a voyager but it will not hold an edge well. this is an older voyager though that has been discontinued, the tip is serrated and the rest of the blade is plain edge.

the recon scout is one of my favorite knives vere. it has taken some serious abuse and has no problem with it. I like it alot, it is also alot cheaper than other performance knives. Lynn claims it is the stronges 7 1/2 fighting knife ever. that is a lie. we all own knives that are tougher. I still use it all the time. I used it this week to baton and chop.

i like laminated blades but prefer falkniven. I got a f1 and an a1. the a1 is about 11 to 11 1/2 inches nearly 1/4 thick and has a vg 10 blade laminated with 420.

so my two cents is the carbon stuff is good but the stainless is not only expensive but there is also better stuff available.