Just wanting to give this a bump with some impressions since my G-10 Espada XL arrived today. The first time I opened it I laughed for about 30 seconds straight. This thing is utterly, completely ridiculous -- which is exactly why I bought it.
The build quality/F&F is excellent: zero blade play, rock solid lockup, dead-center blade, etc. Opening the knife, as well as disengaging the lock, is a bit tough out of the box, which I pretty much expected since that's been the case with all of the Tri-Ad Lock Cold Steels I've owned. Here, of course, it's magnified because of the sheer size of the blade and the size/strength of the lock, but I'm sure it'll smooth out with time. Obviously, practicality/usability isn't exactly the driving motive for most people buying one of these, but I do have to give CS props for the extremely well-designed handle, which feels very comfortable and allows good control in a variety of hand positions.
I never bought any of the original Espadas due to the high price tag for what would (at least for me) ultimately be little more than a novelty. That puts me squarely in the demographic that this new, less expensive version is designed to appeal to. And I have to say, it delivers exactly what I was hoping it would in terms of size, build quality, and sheer ridiculousness. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to spice up their collection with a bit of megafolder insanity.
