Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
Surprisingly good
I was initially attracted to this folder because I don't have any blades ground in the Scandinavian fashion. It looked interesting. I figured for the price it might be something that would be a good occasional EDC, but probably not on the level of the favorites that I usually carry. It would kind of put something into my collection that I didn't have. Well I do have some inexpensive folders, and I do carry them, but I also have a number of midline and higher-end production knives that are my usual EDC defaults (Kershaw, ZT, Brous, Spyderco, etc.). Boy, did this knife surprise me. First of all, the ergonomics on it are fantastic. It just melts into your hand, and I have large hands-XL or XXL gloves. For reasons of legality, I lean toward blades that are 3" to 3.5" long (that's the sweet spot for lots of folks). A lot of the handles of folding knives in that size category leave my pinky hanging off partially or completely. Not this one. Wow, what a grab! The material the handles are made of are not the highest end stuff, but they have enough texture to give you a decent grip. They are also not so rough that they rip your pants to pieces between the handle material and the pocket clip. Nice. The only thing that is missing is a little bit of jimping for the thumb, but that's not critical on this knife, because the back of the blade is so incredibly thick. The knife weighs next to nothing ; it is surprisingly light for its size and the thickness of the blade (being linerless certainly helps). When you open the blade, there is no lateral play or vertical play at all. Rock solid. This particular blade maintains a very thick spine all the way to the tip. Very strong blade geometry. The sticking point for some Cold Steel knives is that their famously strong TriAxis back lock can be difficult to disengage. Some people can't do it all, and a lot of people complain about how difficult it can be. You generally have to bear down pretty hard on them before the blade will be release so the knife can close. I have a few Cold Steel folders, and they all have this lock. This one is by far the easiest to disengage and operate of any of them. I don't think it will give anybody a problem. The ease with which I disengaged it the first time really surprised me. When I first checked the blade with the little "barely touch it and carefully brush your thumb sideways across perpendicularly" initial test, it seemed kind of dull to me. I figured I would take the sharpness up a bit later in the day. Then I grabbed the kind of paper I usually use when I'm just checking out a knife really quickly, and the thing just fell right through it. There is something about this blade geometry; it doesn't feel tremendously sharp, but it slices like crazy. Much sharper than it seems. Another surprise! The clip is not gigantic and outsized; it does not tell everyone "hey, I have a knife!" It holds quite firmly, and just enough of the knife protrudes from your pocket to give you a great grip to pull it out. The reasonably small pocket clip also doesn't create a hot spot when you hold the knife in your hand. Good ergonomic design, again. Yes, it's AUS 8A steel, not exotic or premium, but perfectly good for an EDC, and it won't be a bear to sharpen like some of the more exotic steels. I wouldn't use this as a primary shop knife, but it is perfect for an EDC. And did I mention that it is an unbelievable slicer? This thing slices every bit as well as my Benchmade Griptilian (at about 1/4 the cost). Those Nordic fishermen of yore certainly knew something about designing a knife. This one is going into my regular EDC rotation, along with some other knives that cost many times more. Really impressive for the price. If you're thinking about it, stop thinking. Buy it. You won't be sorry.
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