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Pros: Ease of Opening, Lock Type, Weight
Cons: None
Excellent value for the price
I have been carrying this knife as an EDC for a few months now, mainly opening packages I guess (but you never know when it’ll come in handy…). When I received it I was immediately impressed by the quality and the level of pride that went into making this budget knife. The materials and finish are very nice and it arrived razor sharp. The knife feels solid in your hand with good ergonomics and inspires confidence that it will stand up to a beating, especially with the axis lock.The knife has some features that are not exactly my preference, like tip-down only clip mounting, but these features are plain to read from the description. For instance the overall form of the knife is somewhat similar to the Wharncliffe Spyderco Dragonfly, which has four position clip mounting, but costs far more. Then again, the Dragonfly would be better with an axis lock! The grind of the blade on the Tuff Lite is somewhat reminiscent of the Spyderco Yojimbo, with heavy blade stock and a deep hollow grind for slicing power and strength, though the Tuff Lite is less toothpick-like at the tip. I usually don’t prefer back locks, but the axis lock feels premium and strong compared to a normal back lock on a plastic handled knife, and I’m a big fan now. Yes, the spring is pretty stiff on the lock and you need to squeeze the lever further than you might be used to for a normal back lock, but it doesn’t bother me, personally.My only real gripe would be that the edges on the blade along the spine and opening hole came somewhat sharp, and the tips of the finger “choil” divider (the pointy part that sits between your index and middle fingers when holding it) are sharp. The latter is a bit of an unforced error on Cold Steel’s part since they could have noticed how pointy those are during testing. Still, on the whole I’m very impressed with the overall package and would recommend to anyone looking for a knife with these features.
