Cold Steel Talk

[vivi]

My history with Spyderco can be summed up pretty briefly.

Mid 2000's I got into nice knives. Asked about Spyderco and everyone suggested a Delica. I hated it but liked the opening hole, so asked for a bigger model. Got suggested a Military and fell in love.

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Cold Steel on the other hand, took me nearly 20 years to fully appreciate.

2008 - I traded for a Bushman and True Flight Thrower around this time and thought they were neat, but sold them eventually. Also got to try a buddies heavy machete. Initial impressions were they made good budget beaters but nothing amazing.

2017 - I bought my first cold steel knife, the spike. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=76699&p=1192874 - It was ok, but nothing that special. I was more fond of the machetes I got straight from their home page the same year. 2 Kopis machetes and an 18" slant tip machete. These were nice. Compared to other budget machetes I liked their sturdier overmolded handles and that they came with sheaths. I still use them.

2018 - I picked up a pair of Voyagers. Large and XL PE clip point. Large Voyager actually took over my EDC until I sold it to a co-worker. The XL was a novelty knife to me - I'd carry it sometimes when hiking & camping so.etimes, but never considered EDCing it. Large Voyager review - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=79839

2020 Cold Steel got bought by GSM Outdoors. Fearing the quality would drop, I started taking another look at their portfolio. I got a few SK5 SRK's, SRKC's, and Recon Tantos. The SRK's impressed in both sizes, and they're some of my go to fixed blades to this day. Still didn't pay much attention to their folders.

2023 For the first time since I really got into Spyderco, I took a good, hard look at what every other company was offering in terms of folding knives. I felt like branching out. Different reasons. I went with the company that best met my criteria for large folders under $200 with a self close style lock - Cold Steel.

[vivi]

Over 2023 and 2024 I acquired a fair number of their folders. Here they are, along with mini reviews:



- Spartan - I always thought these looked off, and now I know why. The handle overall size is huge but the grip area is small. I can barely fit my hand. The ergos are nice otherwise, and I like the blade size a lot. I don't like the thumb disc as a manual opener and I'm not really into waved openings. This one will most likely be gifted to a friend.

- Code 4 - Another pass. Got a great deal on it, but it's too small, too thin and too slick. Touted as one of Cold Steels best EDC folders, it's one of my least favorites from them. I felt like giving metal scales another shot but they're not for me. It's also going on the chopping block.

- American Lawman - Linerless G10 folder with S35VN for under $60 was hard to say no to. Should have double checked the stats. Too small. Pretty nice design overall and the most Spyderco feeling Cold Steel to me. Very thin and very light, carries incredibly well. Despite how thin it is, the handles are tall enough it still feels pretty meaty in the handle. Cutting edge is too short. I'd rather have no choil and more edge - which is how I feel about pretty much every knife with an index choil aside from Perrins. Despite almost never carrying it I'll keep it around for the rare day I want something super slim and light - though I'd more likely reach for my Stretch Salt or something first.



- Recon XL's. Oh baby. This. This right here is it. I absolutely love this design, everything about it. It carries surprisingly well for its size and weight. Pretty thin, thinner than Voyagers. Exceptional ergonomics for my hand. Fits me like a glove. Love the blade shape, the lock is great, nice unobtrusive clip at a good ride height. These are wonderful in every way and have been one of my favorite knives to carry in 2024. Only complaints are they're discontinued and were made before Cold Steel transitioned to actual DLC, so the coatings chip easily.

- Recon 1 OD green spear point. This is Cold Steels best EDC folder in my opinion. While it's a little boring compared to the XL, lacking the wow factor of a 5.5" bowie blade, the size and weight are much easier to carry day to day. Exceptional ergonomics. I like how there is a spot to choke up built into the handle, so the full blade length is cutting edge. Something I always wanted on the Manix series. Clip is really nice on this one, one of their only clips that required zero bending or sanding on the scales to ensure sooth operation. This has seen more pocket time than any of the other 4" models.



- Frenzy - Like the Recon XL I fell in love with this one right away. This is like the Spyderco Police of Cold Steel folders. Extremely slim and light for the size, it carries incredibly well for the blade length. I love the blade shape for EDC, and once I reprofiled the edge to 15 degrees it cuts pretty well for such a short, saber ground blade. Ergonomics are fantastic. I enjoy the lack of a thumb ramp. I did some minor mods to mine. Sanded the clip with 400 grit and took a torch to it so it wasn't so shiny. Dyed the handle a darker shade since I'm not wild about light blue. Sanded down the plunge line under the thumb stud because it scrapes my thumb when opening it. And of course, thinned out the edge. I really like this design and would love to track down a green one. I carry it less than my other XL folders though because it looks more menacing to me.

- Voyager XL Tanto - Newest purchase. Was on clearance at midway for something like $40. Less than an FRN Tenacious. Anyways I haven't used it yet, but it will work well for the reason I got it. I originally bought my clip point XL Voyager as a folding machete, and it fills that role well. But this version has more mass and a more forward heavy balance, so it will work better for chopping, batoning etc.

- Voyager XL Clip - This is their folder I've owned the longest. Pre-GSM. One reason I bought this and the L Voyager is at the time they used BD1. I love how BD1 sharpens and still enjoy using it. Originally bought more as a niche use folder, this one has become one of my go to EDC's. I love how thick the handle is. Thin handles are nice in the pocket but suck when you're doing hard work with a folding knife. I love the tall blade with its full flat grind - it's a great cutter. Ergonomics are slightly worse than the L in the main grip but still very good for me. Like the Recon I enjoy the index choil being built into the handle instead of sacrificing edge length - I would love to see more Spydercos designed this way. Compared to the Recon XL I like the thicker handle for hard use and I like the lack of a thumb ramp. The clip on this model is very nice - small and unobtrusive - but I needed to sand the scale contact area and bend the clip opening for optimal peformance. Carrying this knife as a general purpose EDC blade in 2023 & 2024 opened my eyes to how useful a 5.5" folder can be. For the majority of my uses it works better than a 3.5-4" blade like the Manix XL. Better for food prep. Slices cardboard more efficiently. Better at trimming back briars etc. on trails. I've been chopping and batoning with this knife since I got it - it's been a complete beater I've intentionally been rough on to see what the tri-ad lock is capable of. I just checked it - zero play. Absolutely none. I can't say that about any brand new lock back I've bought from other companies - much less one I've abused. Now aside from the pocket clip I did one other mod - Sanded the thumbstud with 80 grit sandpaper. I don't know why companies put out knives with highly polished thumb studs like sebenzas. I think it's dumb. The stud works much better now. Reprofiled it on my belt sander too. Not so worried about messing up a $50 beater VS a $200 Spyderco sprint.




- 4 Max Scouts. When I first held a C95 Manix, it redefined for me what a folding knife could be. Same thing happened with this knife. It is incredibly stout. It's 5mm thick and around 10 ounces and feels like an absolute tank. One thing that really stands out to me about this knife and Cold Steels in general vs Spydercos, is the handle contouring is much rounder on the corners of Cold Steels. The 4 Max scout is a great example of that. This has fantastic action, zero play lock-up and possibly the best ergonomics for me of any folding knife I've tried. And they're also only $50. Crazy good value. The green one is my user and the blacked out one is a back-up. I bought this to intentionally abuse, like the SR1 Lite. Full arm swing chops into hardwood, full arm swing whacks with a baton, that sort of stupid. It has shrugged it off. This thing is an absolute beast. Day to day I'm more likely to reach for a Recon or Voyager, but I enjoy using this one every time I carry it. Some folks are of the mind set that at a certain point you should just grab a fixed blade - but I'm of the mind set that if a folder can be built tough enough to stand up to hard use, why not do it?

- SR1 Lite. This was the first one I picked up in 2023. They were on sale for $30 so I thought why not buy it and try to break it doing dumb things to it. Stuff like this! Or prying hard with the tip. Full arm swing chops into wood. It was fun doing all the things you're not supposed to do with a knife - much less a folding knife, with this one. It's mostly shrugged it off. It developed the tiniest bit of vertical play - less play than my brand new Native Chiefs have shown. Other than that it has handled everything in stride. Aside from being stupid tough this is a pretty nice design overall. It's a lot more narrow in the pocket than something like a 4 Max or Spartan, but still a complete tank. But a tank designed for EDC it seems. Thick, hand filling handle with a decent shape. A little too straight of a handle for my tastes, I like a bit more curve. Clip is pretty bad, much more noticable during use than say, the recon or voyager clips. Like the Frenzy I sanded the clip and torched it, so it wasn't so shiny. Also reprofiled it on my sander, something I've come to appreciate about $30-60 working knives. No second thoughts about taking them to a sander.

I also have a Large Voyager in the mail.

I had some people ask me about why I've been carrying Cold Steel lately, hopefully that answers those questions.

If you want to know anything about a specific model or how they compare to a Spyderco I have, feel free to ask.

[zuludelta]

Neat idea for a thread vivi. I've only owned one Cold Steel folder (a pre-GSM acquisition Grik, in AUS-8, which is a solid folder for the price) but ended up gifting it away because it rarely saw work use. I do have two of their fixed-blades with corresponding trainers (a pre-GSM Recon Tanto in VG-1 & a pre-GSM Tiger karambit in AUS-8), and they're pretty solid (though I have some concern about the long-term durability & fit of the Recon Tanto handle).

Anyway, a question for you: Do you find that there is a difference in build quality/steel performance between pre-GSM and post-GSM Cold Steel knives?

[Naperville]

You missed a good one! I already have the preorder in already.

Cold Steel Recon M1 MagnaCut Tri-Ad Knife Black G-10 (4" Black Stonewash)
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Cold-Stee ... 10--193248

[vivi]

Anyway, a question for you: Do you find that there is a difference in build quality/steel performance between pre-GSM and post-GSM Cold Steel knives?

I've been looking and haven't noticed any downgrades in the models I've mentioned. But some of them I've only experienced post GSM versions.

SK5 Recon Tantos and SRK's seem the same. BD1 vs AUS10 Voyagers appear identical aside from steel changing.

I've heard some complaining about post GSM machete edges but those were hit and miss before them in my experience. Some came very sharp, some came completely dull.

I've heard Recon 1's improved. Older Recon 1's apparently weren't sharpened all the way to the notch. Finding pictures of old ones confirmed this.

[vivi]

You missed a good one! I already have the preorder in already.

Cold Steel Recon M1 MagnaCut Tri-Ad Knife Black G-10 (4" Black Stonewash)
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Cold-Stee ... 10--193248

I'd consider one for a lower price. The S35VN Recons are about $80-105 and so far haven't shown any corrosion or toughness issues for me.

[Ankerson]

Here are some older ones.

[vivi]

Here are some older ones.

I'm a big fan of that era of Voyagers. Linerless, but thick rigid scales. The 5" blade versions were a nice size. I gave the only one I had to a buddy....I need to track down another.

How does the ultra lock compare to benchmades?

[Ankerson]

Here are some older ones.

I'm a big fan of that era of Voyagers. Linerless, but thick rigid scales. The 5" blade versions were a nice size. I gave the only one I had to a buddy....I need to track down another.

How does the ultra lock compare to benchmades?

Pretty much the same really, very, very strong.

And yeah they are feather light too.

[Bill1170]

I bought a Recon 1 XL about 6 years ago and toyed with the idea of adding an opening hole because I dislike thumb studs, but ended up gifting it to a friend who loves knives. It was larger than I really wanted to carry and I realized I’d never use it, but it was a good knife.

Are the current Cold Steel offerings with black blades using DLC?

[mikey177]

I have a handful of Cold Steel knives. My favorite is the FinnWolf because I find its lock the easiest to operate.

I'm an older dude with reduced hand strength, and I need two hands to use the lock on my American Lawman and Ultimate Hunter. Oddly, I find the lock on the Code 4 easier to use as well.

The grittiest action I have is on a Kiridashi, but it too has an easy to use lock, plus a pocket clip that --while horrendous-- goes in and out of thick pockets most easily.

I also have a Master Hunter and an SRK, but since I don't get outdoors much anymore these hardly see any use.

I have refrained from buying more Cold Steel folders mainly because I fear that I cannot operate the backlock easily.

Perhaps someday I will try one of their models with the Atlas lock.

Sorry, don't have a group pic.

[vivi]

I bought a Recon 1 XL about 6 years ago and toyed with the idea of adding an opening hole because I dislike thumb studs, but ended up gifting it to a friend who loves knives. It was larger than I really wanted to carry and I realized I’d never use it, but it was a good knife.

Are the current Cold Steel offerings with black blades using DLC?

Yes. The American Lawman, OD green Recon 1 and 4 Max Scouts are post GSM and true DLC. After a couple months of use and carry they seem on par with Spydercos DLC.

The XL Recons were pre-GSM and have the cheaper painted on finish that you can easily scratch off with a coin.

I believe the switch happened around the same time they introduced CTSXHP. Like Spyderco their products go through a lot of little changes and they're not always well documented.

For example SRK'S have been run in VG1, AUS8, SK5, 3V and Carbon V, in two different grinds, with at least three different style sheaths, and two different ricasso sizes. The American Lawman originally was AUS8 with a cheap coating and full liners - now it's linerless DLC S35VN. 4 Max was made in USA, then Italy, now Taiwan, and went from 20CV to S35VN.

[Ankerson]

The old American Lawman is a tank of a knife, almost indestructible.

[James Y]

My first Cold Steel knives were bought back in the late '90s, probably in 1998 or so. Original Voyagers in medium and large sizes, with the integral Zytel/FRN pocket clips. Most of my CS knives were made in Japan; mostly various iterations of Voyagers. I own only four CS knives made in Taiwan; a Kobun, a Peacekeeper II, a Code 4, and a Broken Skull. And I own one CS machete, a Kukri machete made in South Africa. TBH, other than the grip, I'm not overly impressed with the Kukri machete; my Tramontina machete is a lot better working tool for me.

I've heard stories of blade play developing on some of the newer CS folders that have come out since the company changed ownership.

Jim

[Bill1170]

I bought a Recon 1 XL about 6 years ago and toyed with the idea of adding an opening hole because I dislike thumb studs, but ended up gifting it to a friend who loves knives. It was larger than I really wanted to carry and I realized I’d never use it, but it was a good knife.

Are the current Cold Steel offerings with black blades using DLC?

Yes. The American Lawman, OD green Recon 1 and 4 Max Scouts are post GSM and true DLC. After a couple months of use and carry they seem on par with Spydercos DLC.

The XL Recons were pre-GSM and have the cheaper painted on finish that you can easily scratch off with a coin.

I believe the switch happened around the same time they introduced CTSXHP. Like Spyderco their products go through a lot of little changes and they're not always well documented.

For example SRK'S have been run in VG1, AUS8, SK5, 3V and Carbon V, in two different grinds, with at least three different style sheaths, and two different ricasso sizes. The American Lawman originally was AUS8 with a cheap coating and full liners - now it's linerless DLC S35VN. 4 Max was made in USA, then Italy, now Taiwan, and went from 20CV to S35VN.

Thanks, Vivi!

[cabfrank]

When I was just getting into knives I tried a bunch of different ones. The Cold Steel was an AK-47. I liked it. Spyderco was the last major brand I tried, mostly because of their unusual appearance. I've been all Spyderco and only Spyderco since.

[Larry_Mott]

Sorry to say, but except the Espada Large G10 i haven't been thrilled by anything post- Ventura Cali..

[zuludelta]

I've heard Recon 1's improved. Older Recon 1's apparently weren't sharpened all the way to the notch. Finding pictures of old ones confirmed this.

Ah, that's good hear. I've been thinking about grabbing a Recon 1 Tanto but recalled that the fit & finish on them wasn't the best back in the pre-GSM era.

[vivi]

Sorry to say, but except the Espada Large G10 i haven't been thrilled by anything post- Ventura Cali..

Their newest designs haven't done much for me. I think the SRKC is the newest design I have from them. May pick up a Mayhem someday, and if they do 5 Max Scouts I'm in.

Got my BD1 Voyager to replace the old one.





Feels a little light and dainty compared to my memory of it. Guess I've gotten used to the size & heft of the XL.

Glad to have one back in my collection. I see why I liked it years ago. The handle thickness makes it a lot more comfortable for hard use than thinner knives like the American Lawman or Stretch XL FRN.

[Naperville]

You missed a good one! I already have the preorder in already.

Cold Steel Recon M1 MagnaCut Tri-Ad Knife Black G-10 (4" Black Stonewash)
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Cold-Stee ... 10--193248

I'd consider one for a lower price. The S35VN Recons are about $80-105 and so far haven't shown any corrosion or toughness issues for me.

I just cancelled my preorder. I like the knife just fine, I see no drawbacks other than it is a folder and I want a fixed blade to carry right now. Folders are neat, but a fixed blade never fails to open.

Going to save up and buy a Spartan Harsey Tactical Trout with Nylon Sheath.