Cold Steel

Cold Steel Hold Out II Review

Last Updated: August 23, 2019
Cold Steel has really been making a statement in 2011 with their new and improved lines of lightweight and ultra strong folders. Their updated series of Cold Steel Voyagers has really built up some buzz, and rightfully so. But keep in mind that the Cold Steel 2011 roster runs much deeper than that. Today I’d like to share another one of their light weight high value folders: the Holdout II.

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General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Hold Out II sports a 4″ blade, has an overall length of 9″ and weighs 4.2 ounces. This folder could work as a large EDC or tactical folder. Cold Steel also makes a smaller version, the Hold Out III. This knife has a 3 inch blade and weighs a mere 2.5 ounces. This would make a really sturdy EDC option/emergency tactical.

The blade on the Hold Out II is 3.5mm thick and tapers into a nice fine tip. It’s a simple drop point design and has been given a full flat grind. Thanks to the offset tip there is a good amount of belly on this knife and the Hold Out works well for a variety of tasks. The edge is beautifully ground and out of the box sharpness on my knife was excellent.

Cold Steel selected AUS 8A for the blade material, a mid range stainless steel that they use on a lot of their folders. I like AUS 8 alright as it is easy to sharpen and it helps keep the cost down. That said, I often wonder if Cold Steel would consider upgrading to something like 154CM. It would add some cost but I’d love to see the option of slightly better steel for improved edge retention.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Modeled after Skean Dhu knives carried by ancient Scottish warriors, the Hold Out has a long and slender handle. The handle is a linerless design made of two thick pieces of G10 bolted into steel and aluminum backspacers. The G10 feels very solid and I can just barely flex the handles when pressing down hard on them. This is a strong and lightweight handle design that I can really appreciate – especially after lugging around some heavy folders.

Ergonomics on the Hold Out II are good. It’s a big handle so you have plenty of room to position your fingers in a variety of grips. The G10 is very rough and provides a lot of traction. There is a small choil and the knife has neither a hilt nor a thumb ramp. Fairly sharp jimping has been applied to the bottom of the handle and less aggressive jimping has been applied to the top. There is no lack of traction with this knife.

At first, the lack of a thumb ramp or really aggressive choils was seen as something of a negative. But I noticed that when you consider Cold Steel’s entire lineup of knives there are a ton of blades in Cold Steel’s catalog that have much more aggressive ergonomics. So instead of knocking the knife for this, I’m going to note that it’s simply different. I will say I love the look of this handle, and the overall look of the knife. It’s a sleek design. Crazy ergonomic features would definitely spoil the clean lines of this knife.

The pocket clip on the Hold Out II is excellent. This is a simple polished clip but it allows for ambidextrous tip up carry. It rides deep and provides a good amount of retention. I like the clip a lot.

Deployment and Lockup

Deployment of the Hold Out is accomplished through a large thumb stud. This thumb stud is not 100% ambidextrous, but it is reversible with a flat head driver. I need to first mention here that the Tri-ad lock requires a good amount of force to overcome the spring tension and get the knife open. With that in mind, at first I found the thumb stud to be kind of slick and it took quite a bit of effort to flick the knife open quickly.

As the lock broke in (and I got some practice) it became easier to open the knife. Today I can flick the blade open pretty much every time. I still think some improvements could be made to the thumb stud to catch your thumb a little better, but I was happy with the way the lock broke in and the knife ended up deploying.

The Hold Out II uses Cold Steel’s Tri-Ad lock, which is just a beast of a lock (and I discussed it in many of my previous Cold Steel reviews). In a nutshell, this is an improved back lock that is able to withstand a ton of force. I regard this as the strongest locking mechanism on the market. So naturally lock-up on this knife was rock solid with no blade play at all.

I noticed some reviews on Amazon where people were saying it was very hard to disengage the lock. It will take a little force, but as the lock breaks in it becomes much easier. Compared to my Cold Steel Spartan, this lock was a piece of cake.

Cold Steel Hold Out II Review – Final Thoughts

There is a lot to like about the Hold Out II. The gently sloping shape of the blade and handle has timeless appeal. I like the overall size and proportions and have no complaints with the strength of construction or the materials themselves. That said, I did find flicking the blade open to be difficult given the shape of the thumb studs and the powerful spring on the Tri-Ad lock. A version with upgraded blade steel would be really cool too (and I think it would sell well).

All in all, this is a solid offering from Cold Steel. For folks wanting something a little smaller I think the Hold Out III will be a very attractive option too. If you like rock solid folders, the Hold Out II is very deserving of your consideration.

Cold Steel 11HL Hold Out II Plain

Plain Edge
Blade Length: 4"
Handle 5" Long, G-10
Japanese AUS 8A Stainless
Overall length: 9"

I recommend purchasing the Cold Steel Hold Out at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.

Cold Steel Bushman Review

by Dan Jackson 16 Comments

When I ordered a Cold Steel Bushman I wasn’t sure what to expect. My previous experiences with Cold Steel knives have all been good, but for under $20 I had no idea what I was in for.

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All I knew for sure was that the knife was popular and cheap, which, as a reviewer, made it an easy purchase to justify. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality, and having now owned and used the knife for a while I’m a little closer to understanding what this blade is all about.

Purpose

The Bushman is billed as a survival blade, and I think it’s capable of all the major tasks. First of all, it can chop and baton – no surprises there. It’s also lightweight and easy to carry, a big plus for me. It could also easily be fashioned into a makeshift spear, very valuable in a survival situation. Finally, the knife is tough as hell and is pretty much indestructible. So yeah, it could certainly work as a survival knife.

I also think this could be a decent choice for a bug out bag – especially one done on a budget. This could also be a handy tool for the yard, clearing brush and general messing around type jobs. Finally, this could be great for the cabin, truck or anywhere else you would want to stash an inexpensive but highly functional fixed blade knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Bushman comes in two flavors, the bowie blade shown here and a more traditional shape. Both are 12-1/4″ long, have 7″ blades and weigh around 10 ounces. These are slender and light knives, not designed to be serious choppers, but capable of chopping, batoning and being fashioned into spears. If I could go back and buy the knife again, I would have gone with the non-bowie version. I think it would be easier to baton with it and I might be able to choke up and control it a little better for detail work.

The blade has a hollow saber grind that starts about 3/4 of an inch up the blade. Cold Steel supplies you with a good out of box edge and the knife has a nice tip for piercing, that held up really well to some of my prying tests. I took this knife to the wood pile in my back yard and went to town chopping, batoning and carving. I processed wood for a couple fires and generally tested the knife the best I could. The blade is 2.5mm thick and has a large flat portion due to the saber grind. I found it batoned “ok” – it would jam easily in dense pieces of oak but could tackle dry pieces of 4-5″ diameter pine without a problem. For batoning in my back yard I would prefer a wider blade with a higher bevel, but the Bushman got the job done.

The entire knife is made from a single piece of SK-5 high carbon steel. My research indicates that SK-5 is close to 1080, a durable tool steel. Being a high carbon steel, the blade will rust (and my knife shipped with prodigious amounts of grease on the blade and handle) so Cold Steel elected to provide a black powder coating. The black powder coating is attractive and durable but began to show signs of wear – totally expected. Cold Steel tempered the knife to 54 HRC. The result is that you have an edge which is pretty soft but incredibly tough – excellent for hard chopping without chipping or breaking. I found that the edge held up quite and came back very easily with a couple swipes on my strop.

One thing I noticed is that I actually managed to bend the edge a little in testing. Again, we appear to be flirting with the limitations of a thin survival knife made from a softer steel. I don’t think this really hurts anything but is worth noting – I’d much rather see the steel bend a little than chip out or break.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Bushman’s handle is about as simple as they come; it’s a single piece of steel that has been folded into a tube and welded together. What I like about this handle is that you can really beat on it. I would often strike directly on the handle and pommel as I tried to drive the knife through larger logs. Cold Steel claims that the handle / blade transition is capable of withstanding 2000 pounds of force. You could hit this handle all day and it’s not going to break.

Another great benefit to this design is that it is very lightweight. Depending on what you like to carry this could potentially serve as a backup knife and is a good option for camping trips and day hikes. I also like how you can easily convert the knife into a spear. This is something I didn’t try out myself, but it seems easy enough to do.

As far as ergonomics go the handle is surprisingly comfortable. After working with the knife for an hour I didn’t notice any hot spots. However, the handle doesn’t provide much in the way of traction. If it’s a hot day and your hand is sweaty I highly advise using a lanyard as there is no texturing to speak of. Perhaps you could wrap the handle with some sort of athletic tape or paracord and add some texture. That said, I personally had no issues with slipping and I found the handle to fill the hand well and offer a decent grip considering.

Sheath

The sheath is almost as simple as the knife. It’s made of Cordura and reinforced with plastic sheeting, stitching and rivets. My biggest problem with the sheath is the absence of any means of retention. If you turn the sheathed knife upside down, the blade will fall out. In my mind really this is more of a “pocket” than a sheath. Speaking of pockets, there is a large pocket on the front of the sheath with a velcro flap – could be handy. I’d throw a small strop or stone in there and maybe a fire steel. The only mounting option is a belt loop. Honestly I think given the price the sheath works, but a retention strap would make it work so much better. It might jack the price up a little but I think it would be worth it.

Cold Steel Bushman Review – Final Thoughts

This is a sturdy offering from Cold Steel. This is a no frills knife, but for around $25 shipped, I doubt anyone would be disappointed with this simple and hearty blade.

In fact, there is a lot to like about the Cold Steel Bushman. It uses a good high carbon steel, is pretty much indestructible, doesn’t weigh much and takes a keen edge. The ability to easily convert the knife into a spear is also really cool. Add a retention strap to the sheath and you have a very capable survival knife that could be pressed into a variety of roles.

Cold Steel 201052 Bowie Bushman 95Bbuskz

Made of highest quality material
Manufacturer: Cold Steel
Cold Steel bowie bushman 95Bbuskz

I recommend purchasing the Cold Steel Bushman at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for reading.

Cold Steel Spartan Review

by Dan Jackson 14 Comments

Last Updated: August 4, 2019
Tired of reading reviews on wussy EDC knives? Need something capable of holding off an army of blood thirsty Persians? Consider the Cold Steel Spartan. Yeah, I enjoy reviewing EDC blades just as much as the next guy, but sometimes I need a little more. Thankfully, Cold Steel is around to supply me with all kinds of testosterone laden products. Lets take a look at this ridiculously awesome hard use folding knife.

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Purpose

Let me start off by saying this is a heavy knife. Cold Steel claims it weighs 7.5 ounces. For the amount of knife you are getting I think it’s reasonable, but lets not mince around here; it’s still heavy. Naturally I made a point to carry the Spartan to get an idea as to how it handles. If you are wearing a decent belt it actually carried pretty well for me in a roomy pair of shorts. That said, for most this certainly isn’t an EDC knife.

Ultimately I want to call this a “hard use” knife and leave you to decide the specific application. You could carry it as a tactical knife, and you could also carry it as an outdoors knife. Honestly I think the Spartan would also make a great folding camp knife as it is more than capable of light chopping, batoning, and other tasks normally associated with a fixed blade. The shape of the blade is also really good for food prep (tons of belly, wicked slicer). And of course this could be a cool collectable as well. For some this will be a serious tool and for others this is just a cool knife to have in the collection.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Spartan has a 4.5″ blade, an overall length of 10.5″ and a weight of 7.5 ounces.

The blade on this thing is impressive. The unique shape is designed after the ancient Greek “Kopis” sword, but in more modern terms it’s a drop point with a large recurve. This recurve offers incredible slicing power and as a defensive tool, well, lets just say I wouldn’t want to be cut with a Cold Steel Spartan. As you draw the blade over your cutting surface, the recurve grabs material and shears it with amazing precision.

The only downside to a knife with such a substantial recurve is that it’s difficult to sharpen. I ended up giving sharpening a try with my Spyderco Sharpmaker, and I managed to restore the factory hair shaving edge with some work. So sharpening the Spartan certainly isn’t impossible; especially if you have sharpening rods. Note that if you are going to carry the knife on extended outings, say, in some sort of military capacity, it could be tough to sharpen in the field.

And as a warning, seriously, be very careful with this blade. I inadvertently cut through my shirt and a cleaning cloth on multiple occasions when I tried to clean this blade up a bit – this is a first. The big recurve makes it behave a little differently from a more ‘normal’ knife.

The blade on this knife has a reinforced tip and a high hollow grind that begins about 3/4 of the way up the blade. The tip is great for penetration and the hollow grind is excellent for slicing. The Spartan has very versatile blade geometry and it’s a great performer. The knife has been given a beautiful blasted finish and the Cold Steel and “Spartan” logos have been nicely etched into the knife.

The blade on the Spartan is made of AUS 8A stainless steel. This is good mid range steel, and when you consider the price of the knife (around $50) this was very satisfactory. I like AUS 8A on my hard use knives because it’s a very tough steel that resists chipping. It does tend to lose it’s edge a little faster than harder premium steels, but it’s an easy steel to sharpen – a must with the challenging recurve.

Hande, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The handle scales on the Spartan are made of grivory, a kind of high impact plastic. The grivory handle scales are over full stainless steel liners. No doubt, this is where the chunky Spartan gets some of its weight from. I would have loved to have seen these liners milled out, but I’m happy to see how flush they are in the scales and how strong this knife is. Even if you milled the liners out I think you would still have a very heavy knife – it’s just built tough. Everything has been bolted together so you can take this knife apart as needed. The pommel is big and would serve as a very effective impact tool.

The ergonomics on the Spartan are really unique. One glance at the handle and you can tell something different is going on. First of all, the handle wraps around your hand. The textured scales have been given a tiger striped pattern that is both attractive and comfortable. When you grip the Spartan your hand feels secure. This is not a knife that will slip away easily. Potential negatives are that there is nothing in the way of jimping, and the thumb plate feels a little awkward when choking up. That said, I really like the ergonomics as a whole. This is a knife designed to cut through anything you put in front of it and the handle keeps the knife in your hand – it’s simple but effective.

All in all, the pocket clip on the Spartan is excellent. First of all you get two pocket clips; one for left hand carry and one for right hand carry. Cold Steel does this on a lot of their knives and I love it. The clip is black and has been given a very durable semi-gloss coating. The clip is also designed to ride low in the pocket – this is good for carry but can be awkward when trying to use the wave feature of the knife. In some ways I would prefer a clip placement that didn’t put the knife so deep in the pocket.

Deployment and Lockup

The Spartan uses a large thumb plate to deploy the knife. You can use this plate like a thumb stud, or you can use this plate to wave the knife open off your pocket like an Emerson folder. The spring on the Spartan is pretty strong so flipping the knife open with your thumb is not that easy, especially because the knife is big and the thumb plate needs to travel a good distance to fully engage. For that reason I really like the wave. It pops the Spartan open with amazing speed.

The Cold Steel Spartan makes use of the now legendary Tri-Ad lock. Designed by Andrew Demko, this lock is probably the strongest locking mechanism in existence. There are videos of people absolutely wailing on this knife and the lock holds up. Once you get the Spartan in your hand it all makes sense. Lock up feels like a bear trap engaging – the “snap” the knife makes is incredible. It’s no wonder people have used this like a fixed blade.

Disengaging the lock took some effort. For reference, I’m 6’2″ 240 lbs. Over the years I have spent a fair amount of time in the gym and have developed pretty decent hand and grip strength. I’ll tell you, I have trouble unlocking this knife if I don’t have a good grip on it. It’s a very very strong spring on a very sturdy design. For many people I think the lock will take some practice. I might even suggest Cold Steel puts a weaker spring on there, but I wouldn’t want to look like a total wuss.

Cold Steel Spartan Review – Final Thoughts

I can’t help but feel like I’m having difficulty adequately describing the knife. Perhaps I wasn’t prepared for the tank that arrived in the Cold Steel box, but this big blade totally took me by surprise. I think Cold Steel once again raised the bar with affordable toughness. It is very well built and the Tri-ad lock is the toughest lock out there. For the money I do not think you will be able to find a bigger and stronger folding knife.

I was also very impressed by the Spartan’s build quality. This knife was made in Taiwan and they really paid a lot of attention to detail. The blade is centered, the grinds are even, and finishing is very nice. Everything is smooth and lines up. It’s a well thought out knife that has been expertly executed.

When it comes to negative aspects of the knife, the only thing I can really say is that the blade is somewhat difficult to sharpen and I might prefer a carry that isn’t so deep. These are minor issues and I generally think the Spartan is an awesome blade.

If you want something big and bomb proof, and don’t particularly care about things like weight and local carry laws (I’m joking but definitely check your local laws before carrying in public), check out the Cold Steel Spartan. I don’t think you will be disappointed with the knife but you have been warned – it’s big.

Sale

Cold Steel Tactical Pocket Folding Knife, Spartan

Super Sharp Knife - The stonewashed blade was designed to echo the aesthetics and cutting performance of the world famous Kukri, a Nepalese knife similar to a machete, cut through meats, rope, bamboo, and aluminum with ease
Kopis-Inspired Handle - Super thick spine with finger cutouts makes holding the Cold Steel Spartan comfortable and safe, handle is molded out of Griv-Ex with heat treated steel liners for extra security
Tri-Ad Lock - The safest folding knife locking system on the market, holding 800 lbs of hanging weight. The blade is shouldered around the stop pin for increased resistance to wear and tear. The full surface of the lock and blade tang sit flush, making the lock system more secure
Additional Features - Folding knife with ambidextrous pocket and belt clip for both right- and left-handed draws. Does not imprint in the pocket for a stealthy carry. Perfect for battle gear
Tactical Knife - A great everyday carry knife for self-defense. The Demko thumb plate can be used to open the knife at lightning speed by snagging on the edge of a pocket during the draw stroke

If you are interested in purchasing a Cold Steel Spartan, then I recommend purchasing it at Amazon or BladeHQ. Thanks for checking out the review.

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review

by Dan Jackson 25 Comments

Last Updated: July 15, 2019
I love it when knife companies refine their existing designs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for new and exciting models, but I’m almost more excited when a “good” knife turns into a “great” one. Cold Steel did just that with their latest version of the Cold Steel Recon 1. The new version (released in 2010) of the Recon 1 is lighter, has a stronger lock and a smarter design. What that leaves us with is a refined hard-use folding knife at a price almost anyone can afford.

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Purpose

The Recon 1 is a large folding tactical knife or utility knife. Many people will not want to EDC the Recon 1, but I’ll say for a larger knife it is an extremely strong and relatively light EDC option. This could also be a decent trail knife/backup knife – I’ve seen people actually baton wood with this thing. Obviously these weren’t huge logs, but it’s still pretty incredible for a folder.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Recon 1 has an overall length of 9.75″, a 4″ blade, weighs 5.3 ounces, and is made in Taiwan. This is a large folding knife geared towards hard use and self defense applications. Certainly this could be used for every day carry (EDC) if you can swing carrying a knife of this size.

As far as the blade is concerned you have the option of either a clip point (bowie) blade shape, American tanto, or spear point blade shape (not shown here). All blade configurations come hollow ground and have the option of plain or partially serrated edges.

My personal preference is for the clip point or spear point blade shape, as I find the belly is useful for EDC. Regardless, the blades are all ground thin and cut nicely. If you need the additional tip strength of a tanto, or just like the look, then this is a great model to pick up with a tanto blade.

Cold Steel originally chose Aus 8A for the blade steel here. The Aus 8 version of the knives are shown here, and these are what I used for my review. Cold Steel upgraded the blade steel to CTS-XHP around 2016. Although I haven’t reviewed the CTS-XHP version of the Recon 1, I have tested the Ultimate Hunter and Code 4 and the Broken Skull in CTS-XHP. It’s a great upgrade. CTS-XHP is still easy to sharpen like AUS-8, but the edge holding is much better. It’s a great stainless steel and an excellent upgrade for these knives.

Also, the Recon 1 used to come with a teflon coated blade. These coatings chipped off easily and were long considered a downside to the Recon 1. When Cold Steel upgraded the blade steel to CTS-XHP they also started DLC coating their blades. This is a much tougher blade coating, and resists wear far better than teflon. This new coating holds up far better and I’ve had a chance to test it out on my Broken Skull.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

Cold Steel did an excellent job updating the Recon 1’s handle. They went with a linerless design and used two thick slabs of G10 for the handle. Some might find the lack of steel liners troubling on a hard use folding knife, but let me tell you – there is nothing to worry about. This is a very strong handle design (more on that below) and it has a 6061 aluminum backspacer. Everything is bolted together and there is a good size lanyard hole for added security.

The Recon 1 has great ergonomics. A major feature is the deep double choil. This fits my hand like a glove. The handle is thick enough so that it fills the hand adequately and the edges have been rounded for comfort. The roughly textured handle helps to ensure a firm grip under a variety of conditions. Note that there is no jimping on the thumb ramp. In this case, I don’t think the Recon 1 needs jimping, your hand is not going anywhere with this handle design. That said, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Due to the curvature of this handle design Cold Steel sells this knife with 2 pocket clips. This is so both left and right handed users can carry this knife comfortably. As a leftie, this sort of thing brings a tear to my eye (almost). I suspect some manufacturers don’t make clips reversible to keep costs down, but to see CS go so far as to make a second clip – well, that is really a statement and doesn’t go unnoticed here. Note that the clips allow for tip up carry only (fine by me) and that the clips has been given the same teflon coating as the blade so expect it to show wear.

Deployment and Lockup

The Recon 1 is deployed with a single thumb stud. The thumb stud is easily reversed with a screw driver, but in a perfect world I’d rather see ambidextrous thumb studs right out of the box. The Recon 1 has a powerful backspring, so it isn’t the easiest knife to deploy, but with a little wrist action I have no problems at all snapping this blade out. And it does snap out, with a loud and authoritative crack. This is a knife that deploys with confidence thanks to a smart design and phosphor bronze washers.

The Recon 1 has the Andrew Demko designed Tri-ad Lock. This lock is phenomenal and is the strongest lock currently on the market. It’s a beefed up backlock with the inclusion of a stop pin. The stop pin takes all the force of heavy duty tasks rather than the locking mechanism. What this means is that this lock will take more stress and punishment than anything else on the market. I’ve tested these locks extensively myself and my results match everyone else’s conclusions – that the Tri-ad lock is nearly bullet-proof.

Recon1 vs. the AK-47 or the American Lawman?

Chances are, if you are interested in the Recon 1, you may also be interested in the AK-47 or the American Lawman. If that is the case, I recorded a video where I do a detailed comparison of these 3 models that you may find useful.

If you still have any questions or are interested in another comparison feel free to leave a comment or contact me.

Cold Steel Recon 1: Final Thoughts

The Recon 1 is an absolute beast of a knife. If you are looking for an inexpensive hard use folder, you really can’t do better than this Recon 1 folder with the Triad lock. The Recon 1 is very similar to the Cold Steel Ak-47 and American Lawman, 2 knives I have previously reviewed. If you are having trouble deciding between the three it really comes down to which knife you like the look of the most. They have minor functional differences but they are all tough as nails and ready for any task.

Also, well after the initial publication date of this review Cold Steel made major upgrades. They upgraded the blade to a DLC coated CTS-XHP blade from a teflon coated AUS-8 blde. The upgrades Cold Steel made to the blade steel and blade coating addressed the 2 biggest complaints I previously had with the knife: soft Aus-8 steel that was serviceable, but didn’t hold an amazing edge, and a teflon blade coating that quickly chipped and looked bad. Granted, these upgrades have raised the Recon 1 from a $50 knife, to more like a $75 knife, but I think you are getting more knife for your money. The Recon 1 has been elevated from a good bargain knife, to an impressive cutting tool.

At the end of the day, if you can carry a larger knife like the Recon 1 you are going to have a hard time finding a tougher pound for pound folding knife. It remains an excellent choice to this day. Personally, I prefer the slightly smaller and more utilitarian looking American Lawman, but if you like the dimensions of the Recon 1 then you won’t be disappointed with this knife.

Cold Steel EDC Tactical Folding Pocket Knife, Recon

The Cold Steel Recon is a strong, durable, and effective mainstay in the world of tactical pocket knives.
The steel blade features DLC coating for long-wearing use. The coating is black, rough to the touch, and super strong against scratches and wear.
Cold Steel's innovation is the safest folding knife locking system on the market, holding 800 lbs of hanging weight.
Folding knife with ambidextrous pocket and belt clip for both right- and left-handed draws. Thin construction does not imprint in the pocket for a stealthy carry. Perfect for battle gear.
A great everyday carry option for self-defense, battooning, stabbing, etc. The scales on the handle around the finger grooves provide excellent grip and ergonomic comfort.

If you are interested in purchasing a Cold Steel Recon 1, then I recommend purchasing it at Amazon or BladeHQ. Purchasing things through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com and will help to keep the reviews coming. Any support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Cold Steel AK-47 Review

by Dan Jackson 6 Comments

Last Updated: February 22, 2018
The AK-47 rifle was designed by Russian Gunsmith Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1946. These guns were designed to be simple and rugged, and for these reasons the AK-47 design has enjoyed much popularity for over 60 years. The Cold Steel AK-47 was designed with similar intentions. The original Cold Steel AKs were solid knives, but they received some severe criticism about their weight and durability.

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A second generation of the knife has appeared on the scene and both AKs has received a complete overhaul with a new beefier Triad lock, a slimmed down handle and a solid aluminum glass breaker / striker to replace the old pommel made of Grivory, a type of engineered plastic from Switzerland, that was the subject of many complaints. It seems that Cold Steel has given us an entirely new knife so I am interested to see how the second generation of measures up with a Cold Steel AK-47 review.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The full size Cold Steel AK-47 has an overall length of 9″, features a 3.5″ blade, and weighs 5.5 ounces. This is a large folder, suitable for work as a tough EDC knife and perhaps suitable in more tactical / self defense roles.

The AK-47 has a large clip point blade. What I find especially attractive about this knife is that it is pretty much all belly. From the choil to the tip, the blade arcs out providing tons of practical space to get work done. Speaking of tips, the tip is reinforced with a swedge, and allows for excellent penetration while still being fairly durable. Furthermore, the inclusion of a high hollow grind makes for a great slicer. This is a well thought out and functional blade design, that works well in a wide variety of situations.

Originally, this knife was offered in AUS-8 steel with a teflon blade coating. That’s the version shown in the pictures. In 2016 Cold Steel upgraded their entire line, and now their premium blades all come in CTS-XHP. The previously teflon coated blades now come with a black DLC coating. While this increased the price of the knives, the upgrades are well worth it. CTS-XHP is a superior steel, and DLC coatings are the best in the business. That, combined with this knife’s excellent deep hollow grind, make it a capable slicer.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The handle on the AK-47 is completely linerless, and features thick slabs of G10 that bolt into an aluminum backspacer. Some people (myself included) would immediately question the strength and durability of a linerless folding knife handle. I can assure you that the handle design is extremely solid. These knives were made to take a ton of abuse, and I can’t make the G10 budge a millimeter, even when pushing on the handle with all my strength. Everything is very well finished, with all the corners rounded off and the parts lining up perfectly.

The AK-47 feels great in hand. The knife was designed to provide an extremely secure grip, and to maximize reach. Unlike say, the American Lawman, you are not going to be able to easily choke up on this handle, but if you need to use the knife for a lot of slashing, it’s going to be almost impossible to take it out of your hand. The G10 is exceptionally grippy, but I will say that the thumb ramp is pretty smooth. The design couple probably benefit from some better jimping. However, because of the way the handle is shaped, I really don’t see the absence of jimping as a huge deal. It is going to be nearly impossible to slide forward on this knife.

The it is also worth mentioning that the AK-47 features an exaggerated pommel. This time the pommel is made of 6061 aluminum and is a big step up from the old plastic version. Not only is it light and strong, but it serves as a solid anchor point for the handle screws. This is what allows the knife to be linerless and so lightweight. Naturally, this pommel could be used as a glass breaker, a hammer, or some sort of non-lethal defensive option.

Rounding out our handle is the pocket clip. Cold Steel actually gives you two pocket clips; one for either side. The position of clip doesn’t allow for deep carry, and is instead optimized for easy of deployment. Also, this knife only allows for tip up carry. I have found retention to be very good with these clips, with the only downside being that the strong clip and rough G10 can tear up your pockets a little. Despite these perceived negatives I have found this to be a very sturdy and reliable clip. The AK actually carries really well for its size and the strong clip keeps the knife in place.

Deployment and Lock

To open the knife, the AK-47 utilizes a thumb plate and phosphor bronze washers. The thumb plate allows for ambidextrous opening of the knife. It is possible to flick this knife open, but it takes some skill and wrist action, because the backspring for the lock requires a good amount of force to overcome. If you really want to open this knife fast your best bet is to use the thumb ramp as a wave feature. By far this is the easiest way to quickly and consistently open the knife.

Now arguably the biggest change between this AK-47 and the old version is the brand new Triad lock. The Triad lock is a type of modified lock back designed by Andrew Demko. It includes beefier hardware and a stop pin, so force gets placed on the pin instead of the locking mechanism. In practice the lock on this knife is extremely strong and is capable of withstanding repeated spine whacks, batoning, and other common torture tests. The only issue with the Triad lock is that sometimes the spring can be too strong to use the knife comfortably. I will say that once you get the hang of it, disengaging the Triad lock isn’t bad (it also gets easier as the knife breaks in).

AK-47 vs. the Recon1 or the American Lawman?

Chances are, if you are interested in the AK-47, you may also be interested in the Cold Steel Recon 1 or the American Lawman. If that is the case, I recorded a video where I do a detailed comparison of these 3 models that you may find useful.

If you still have any questions or are interested in another comparison feel free to leave a comment or contact me.

Cold Steel AK-47 Review – Final Thoughts

I was very by these new versions of the Cold Steel AK-47. It’s great to see how CS listened to feedback and responded with a highly improved knife. In fact, since I originally published this review in 2011, Cold Steel continued the upgrade path and bumped up the blade steel from AUS-8 to CTS-XHP. A solid knife has kept getting better and better.

The relatively lightweight design, the improved handle and lock, the better pomel and pocket clip – it’s all been fixed up, and still at a good price. In the past, people would gripe about the the cheap AUS-8 steel, but now that the steel has been upgraded there is little to complain about. Some wont care for the aggressive styling of the AK-47 design, and for those folks I might recommend the American Lawman or the Recon 1.

Cold Steel AK47 Folding Knife, Black 58TLCAK

Blade thickness: 3.5 mm
Blade length: 3 1/2 inch
Steel: carpenter CTS xhp alloy with DLC coating

I recommend purchasing the Cold Steel AK-47 at Amazon and BladeHQ. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.