Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Sheath/Scabbard
Amazing knife! Sheath... not so much.
Cold Steel makes amazing products, without a doubt. They've pioneered the modern tanto blade and made it a staple in many knife users' go-to toolkits. People trust their blades, and the blades deliver. The Kobun is no exception... inexpensive, yes, but that is because Cold Steel has been refining its manufacturing techniques for so long and enjoying the economies of scale that come with commercial success that they've been able to produce a world-class, basic tanto knife for an extremely low cost. This in no way diminishes the value of the product, which came razor sharp, highly concealable (if that's important to you) due to its thin profile, and solidly built with a full tang. You won't go wrong by owning this knife. Then, there is the sheath. A different story entirely. Imagine a scenario in which you need to draw your Kobun quickly. You grip the handle and pull... and the whole sheath comes along with the knife. The Kydex sheath keeps such a tight grip on the knife that you have to use your other hand to hold the sheath in order to extract the knife. In a knife fight, this sheath would give new meaning to the term "death grip". You wouldn't get a second chance, and it would be game over for you. I've read that Kydex also dulls the blade relatively quickly, but I haven't owned the knife long enough to experience this myself. Cold Steel's Kobun is an amazing knife, but the sheath is surprisingly awful. Hopefully enough Kobun owners bring this to the company's attention that Cold Steel rectifies the situation for current and new Kobun owners. Meanwhile, I'm going to purchase a custom leather sheath so that my Kobun doesn't exist solely as a paperweight.