American Lawman, First Impressions

M

Muaddib1116

Joined
Dec 26, 2010
Messages
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I didn't want to hijack the recent Lawman thread, so I'm going to post my pictures and impressions here. I just got it today, and will proceed to strip the blade, lockbar, and backspacer tonight, pictures will follow.

This knife came at least as sharp as my Recon 1. It slices paper and cardboard very nicely. The blade length is much more practical for me, it's the upper range of what I would comfortably EDC.

The blade stock and scale G-10 are the same thickness as the Recon 1. I think the G-10 might be even grippier, either that or I've managed to wear in the Recon 1 grip. The lockbar does not engage as deeply as the Recon 1 , and it has a shorter lever arm making it easier to disengage than the Recon 1. I don't have any less faith in it's lock though.

Lawman4.jpg

Lawman5.jpg


I like that there's the second finger choil up in the blade, but it's a little shallow at the front and I feel that your finger could easily slip up onto the blade. I'll only use it to choke up for more delicate tasks, where that risk is mitigated. The handle is not as comfortable as the Recon 1, which I don't blame on it's shorter length. I don't have large hands, and my middle, ring, and pinky fingers feel crowded. I think that the G-10 finger choil (A) is too large, and if it were made smaller, then the finger section (B) would be a little longer, and not quite as squished. I suppose that this makes the choil more usable with gloves however. Also, the handle width near the pinky (C) is about a 1/4 inch too wide for my hands. These are minor issues that are possibly unique to me. Overall, I really like the knife, and I would rate it as highly as the Recon 1, because the blade is a more practical length. I think a mini Recon 1 would definitely bump it in my book though.

Lawman3.jpg
 
Nice breakdown, and thanks very much for the pics. I've been thinking about picking up another Cold Steel folder soon, and the AL seems like a nice choice. I wish CS would vary their lineup more significantly in the future though, and see what they can do in the arena of more utilitarian folders, with less of a slant toward SD. More adventurous blade designs, maybe some colored handles. I'm surprised they haven't tested the waters already, although veering any appreciable amount from what they already do (and for the most part, do well) will likely cost them money in terms of risk and production. Still, I wish they'd gimme some blue G10 handles at least, or ditch the black blades.

Thanks again, good stuff. I need to check one of these out for myself.
 
IMO Cold Steel folders are a solid value for the money. I especialy love the new Voyagers.
 
Muaddib1116 said:
...The lockbar does not engage as deeply as the Recon 1 , and it has a shorter lever arm making it easier to disengage than the Recon 1. I don't have any less faith in it's lock though...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the review and pictures. I am thinking about picking one of these up, or maybe the CS Voyager in 3". I have small/medium hands and I worry that the finger choil/cutouts are too big for use without gloves.

Regarding your quote above, do you think that, after some time/use, the lock will seat deeper and more securely?
 
Great mini review, I have both knives and your thoughts are solid and well reasoned. I also thought the handle of the AL was small but the more I use it the more comfortable it becomes to me,what I thought at first was crowding only helps with control in my case. I don`t carry the Recon1 much because it seems huge to me and I like large folders. Thank you for your post.
 
I'm glad you guys like my review. I try to make my posts add value.

ShooterMcgavin said:
Regarding your quote above, do you think that, after some time/use, the lock will seat deeper and more securely?
Click to expand...

It's not a matter of wear, this is the level of engagement that is designed into the lockbar/tang. Don't be concerned about engagement strength, it's plenty robust. As this thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...e-in-the-Tri-ad-lock-vs-traditional-lockbacks shows, the Tri-Ad lock has a lot of engagement compared to other trusted lockback designs. The picture on the first page shows a Cold Steel Hold-Out which is, if I had to guess, at least as engaged as the Lawman.
 
Here are some pics of the stripped Lawman. These knives are really ugly teflon coated gems. They're tough, strong, cheap enough to not feel guilty about abusing, and after some work quite nice looking.

Lawman6.jpg

Lawman7.jpg

Lawman8.jpg

Lawman9.jpg

Lawman10.jpg
 
Did you take it apart completely to strip the metal or while it was assembled? Thanks.
Muaddib1116 said:
Here are some pics of the stripped Lawman. These knives are really ugly teflon coated gems. They're tough, strong, cheap enough to not feel guilty about abusing, and after some work quite nice looking.

Lawman6.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I disassembled it entirely. Then I soaked the blade and lock bar in Klean-Strip for a few hours, while I sanded the spine of the back spacer. Then I took a brass welding brush to the blade and lockbar. Make sure to get chemical resistant gloves.
 
Looks about a hundred times better now, to me. Should be a factory-offered version, really. Nice job!
 
My Recon 1 appears to have pins for the Triad bar that are smaller in diameter than those used in my G10 build American Lawman. Not by much but enough that you can pick up the diff with the naked eye. Your photo appears they are the same so it seems some earlier G10 models had larger pins if what I'm seeing is correct. It does look like the diameter of the shoulder stop and the pin center are different diameters on my Recon 1 which just came today, and my well used all G10 Lawman. I got this Lawman just as the change over from the original stainless lined models were phasing out.

Anyway, good review. These are real world user knives and I agree on the black coatings. Drop $5 off the price and stop coating the dang things! We want stone washed! Hint hint Cold Steel!

STR
 
Muaddib1116 said:
I disassembled it entirely. Then I soaked the blade and lock bar in Klean-Strip for a few hours, while I sanded the spine of the back spacer. Then I took a brass welding brush to the blade and lockbar. Make sure to get chemical resistant gloves.
Click to expand...

It looks great , that's a real improvement. I wish Cold Steel would get the message and offer a version like that.
 
All the pins look to be about the same size, but I didn't try to fit them, so I'm not positive. Another reason that the Lawman lockbar is so much easier to disengage (aside from it's smaller engagement, and shorter lever arm) is that the cantilevered spring inside the handle is longer. I suppose it could have a higher spring constant than the Recon1 spring, but I doubt it.
 
Very nicely done review. Those choils always looked uncomfortable to me, so it was interesting to hear your experience with them.
 
Nice review. :thumbup:

Is there a reason you sanded the back spacer instead of stripping it along with the blade and lock bar?
 
-Ranger- said:
Nice review. :thumbup:

Is there a reason you sanded the back spacer instead of stripping it along with the blade and lock bar?
Click to expand...

My assumption is that he didn't care about preserving the stonewash finish underneath, and sanding it appears to be much more time efficient than using strippers.
 
Actually, the coating on the aluminum backspacer must be different, the chemical stripper had zero effect on it, so I had to resort to sanding. I did try to minimize how much material I removed.
 
That's interesting. Is it aluminum like on the AK? I wonder if that makes a difference.
I have a stripped and polished AK-47, but I didn't strip it.
 
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