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Pros: Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Blade Material
Decent Abbreviated Katana
Cold Steel has done a very good job in making this stubby Katana, despite worries that their product line would decline after being recently sold to a mega-corporation. Fit and finish are excellent, and as expected it is razor sharp out of the box. On the positive side, the blade comes out of the sheath with authority with a mere push of the thumb past the tsuba. On the cons side, the blade steel is 8Cr13MoV, which is pretty much the equivalent of 440A. Nonetheless, for the price point and primary use as a boot knife, it is more than adequate. Just a pet-pev that I consider as another con, no neck chain or Cold Steel's C-Clips are included. Also, the eyelets on the sheath are too small for use with the Chicago screws that come the Tek-Lok clips. Otherwise, this is a decent knife for EDC (where legal) that one would not care too much about if subjected to abuse/neglect or loss.