(
Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Weight, Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard
A tank that handles like an humvee
Short version: pros: sturdy, VERY well balanced, very sharp, well made cons: no shock absorbance in the handle at all, main portion of the grip is a trifle slick, sheath is a bit loose. Overall: quick, sturdy, rock solid fighter for a damn good price. Long version: just a warning, i will nit-pick here. pros: this knife is about as sturdily built as you get. thick spine, solid hilt with no wiggle, and both bolts and a pommel nut keeping it together. the blade is shaving sharp, with a very nice point on it, and a nice saber grind. the finish is fairly standard for cold steel of this price range, so no complaints there.the balance of this is what makes it, though. this thing is heavy. there is no two ways about it. the spine is 1/8 of an inch thick and the guard is solid metal that seems to be pretty thick, but it balances out beautifully. the point of balance is about 1/2 inch in front of the guard, and the knife itself is incredibly lively in the hand, which, to be honest, i did not expect at all. it cuts and slices very well, as you wild expect, but it can do quick snap cuts like a knife half its size. the point is very sturdy and sharp, as one would expect, and the false edge would be simple enough to sharpen, should you feel the need. the hilt/fist guard itself is extremely solid and well made, and would do serious damage to anything that got hit by it, though i did have to de-bur a small area on the back of the fist guard, as it took a bit of hide off my finger. i should also note that the handle itself is much more suitable to people with larger hands, as the finger notches and reinforcing bar in the guard are a bit large. Cons: the only real cons i can find here are more nitpicks than anything, but still are a thing. the hilt has no shock reduction at all. anything you hit, the shock goes one place: your hand. granted, this isn't really intended to be a heavy-duty chopper, but it still is a bit of a con. the other con of the is basically another nitpick, and it is that the hilt, apart from the crossbar and d-guard, has no real traction for your hand. it could be argued that with a guard like that it isn't needed, but its still a problem, at least to me. the sheath, while not bad, isn't anything special.it's set up, at least initially, for tip-down cross draw carry. the sheath's retention isn't great. if you hold it upside down the knife will fall out. it does the job, but that's about all. To sum up: this thing is a monster that is built like a tank, but handles extremely well, especially for less than a hundred bucks.
