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Pros: Pocket Clip, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Weight
Sturdy, great value
Don’t let the lack of Tri-Ad lock put you off. This lacks the pin behind the blade tang that helps prevent failure due to chopping (in other words a failure that is both rare, and relatively safe since the blade would fold unsharpened side towards your hand), but in terms of the much riskier accidental closing, the connection between lock bar and tang notch is MUCH deeper than on competitors’ lock backs - it seats in deep, and requires full depression of the release notch to unlock - just like on a Tri-Ad.This is by no means a reinvention of the Voyager, no matter what Cold Steel’s ad copy suggests. At least not a reinvention of the classic, long lost, slim and light first and second gen Voyagers, especially not of the legendary minimalist 3” 2nd gen under 2 ounces. It’s much more like the Pro Lite, except a quarter inch longer, better blade shape, better clip and better stippling (anti slip) on the non-clip handle side.Finally, a clip that isn’t too tight, and smooth handle under the clip. This is the 2nd gen Hunter with metal clip instead of plastic replaceable clip. I am guessing the original design included a longer, full-width plastic clip similar to the Grik’s, but first gen ended up with a narrower and shorter plastic clip when the Grik’s “clip is also handle” design failed to take off. Then the still-unconventional use of plastic on the first gen got ditched in favor of metal on this 2nd gen. You can see all this in the asymmetrical handle thicknesses - the clip side is much thinner, presumably based on the assumption of a handle-sized clip as on the Grik (that’s why the pivot portion of the clip side handle is full thickness). The handles don’t have metal liners and are partially skeletonized on the inside. Most of the weight is from the stocky blade. Handles are not as rigid as G10, but much less susceptible to pinching than the Benchmade Bugout.Finally, the sliding safety lock is a great innovation. If you worry about accidental opening due to shock or thumbstuds catching in a pocket, you can optionally use the lock to keep closed under the roughest conditions, and if you are doing bushcraft you can lock open to prevent hand pressure from depressing the unlock notch of the lock back. Honestly, the risk of accidental disengagement is probably slight but with Cold Steels innovation it is zero.In summary, a solid, well-made utility knife good for BOBs, with significant improvements over other folding hunters and a fine, easy to sharpen steel, but ugly and boring, to be honest. That having been said, it’s still a keeper. This is a user, not a showpiece.
