Anyone dislike ColdSteel Ti-Lites?

FortyTwoBlades said:
Actually, I've sold quite a number of them to people who open large bags on a frequent basis, such as farmers (feed bags) and construction workers (cement bags). Since the motion is essentially a "jab and slash" affair it does a fantastic job.
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That's the type of work I was doing when I had my Ti-Lites.

I also note that the cement dust didn't corrode the knives.
 
Good info.
I guess its back to the drawing board for my search for a self-defense knife that wont get me in trouble with the cops...:confused::mad::(
 
symphonyincminor said:
. Sharp quilluion guards.
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That what I hate most about this knife,the sharp edges of the quillions don't makes a very comfortable guard.IMO Cold steel should of made the quillions larger and less sharp,then it would be the prefect EDC.
 
I like the Ti-Lites just fine. I'm only so-so on the wave feature and can open my Pro-Lite much, much faster.

Check out Cold Steel's online Christmas special. You can get the titanium Ti-Lites for a nice discount. Four-inch blade.
 
I have a 4 inch Ti-lite with aluminum handle and AUS8 steel.

I like it and carry it often. It is NOT a utility knife. It's a self defense tool. More explicitly, it's a spike for stabbing. The pros and cons of AUS8 are known well enough, i won't discuss them here.

There are widgets at the base of the blade that can catch your pocket as you draw the knife. With a little practice, you can have your Ti-lite out as fast as a switchblade. And the lock is very, very strong.

Great carry for when you go out on the town alone.
 
To reiterate, the Ti-Lite does have a practical purpose for opening bags. It is NOT only a self-defensive item, though many choose to use it as such, in part due to the CS marketing tactics. Much like a hawkbill it is of comparatively limited utility, but it still has some. ;)
 
why anyone would buy a ti-lite for bag opening is beyond me. there are plenty of other knives MUCH more suited to the task.
 
It's Just a Good Cheap Fun Knife. It looks like an Old school stilletto and waves. It's Not the nices't knife, but I don't hate them. a Poster said his was dull as a Butter knife. Mine was out the Box, One of the sharpest I have ever seen. Don't use it so can't comment on retention, But it should be medium and sharpen easy. To Me it's an interesting novelty type knife, or a Budged great secondary stabbing weapon.
 
mongomondo said:
Pro: it looks cool. Probably good at stabbing people.
Cons: Quillion sucks. Blade shape sucks for EDC. Blade steel sucks. Handle is not ergonomic and sucks. Pocket clip is too stiff, sucks. I also find it difficult to use the thumb stud.
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Agreed on everything. The pocket clip sucks and makes its "wave" feature hard to execute. The thumbstud is useless; open the knife 3 times with it, and your thumb will be all raw.

orthogonal1 said:
Use the qwillion to open it as the thumbstud is superflous.
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Yep, I found that this is a much better method.

emperorwang said:
There are widgets at the base of the blade that can catch your pocket as you draw the knife. With a little practice, you can have your Ti-lite out as fast as a switchblade. And the lock is very, very strong.
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The pocket-catching thing sucks imo. The clip is too tough, making it hard to draw that way. And the way it works, it relies on friction between the pocket and quillion rather than say the Spyderco or Emerson versions, which use a non-aggressive hook to catch the seam. It fails a lot, and you have to get do it all at the right angle and at the right speed.

But I agree that the lock is strong. Mine traveled all the way, but there is no vertical play, and it holds up to the spine taps I've tested on it. I like the way it's L-shaped rather than just a straight stick-style liner.
 
your're right, the pocket clip comes ridiculously tight. i loosened mine with a bottle opener to just the right tension.
 
got two of them in borth sizes. okay to sharpen . the small one dont want to open fast . and I did place oil . the large one has had the lock fail more than once and if you do a wrist flip it might not lock . the large one is kinda painfull to carry inside of your paint leg. Did a little work with borth . That they did okay . but nothing speical They look good but I dont really carry them anymore . I think cold steel is just an okay company . it seems like they got great knives that fall short . I have maybe 8 of there blades. like the push knives GREAT knive but the surcure x sheath is junk when you pull the blade the sheath comes with it same with the spikes that I got. and the recond 1 folder took new washers and alot of work to get it right :):cool:
 
I don't have any problems at all opening one now, maybe at first. You will get a callous of sorts on the thumb but that sucker opens faster than any knife I own, AO'S and autos included.
 
I personally don't like cold steel (Everyone has there own opinions though) Titanium is lighter and stronger than steel and it is more expensive.
 
orthogonal1 said:
That's the type of work I was doing when I had my Ti-Lites.

I also note that the cement dust didn't corrode the knives.
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I would not expect cement dust to corrode any steel. Cement dust is alkaline, and the iron oxide layer that forms on even carbon steel is stable under alkaline conditions, so no rusting should occur.


lerner said:
Good info.
I guess its back to the drawing board for my search for a self-defense knife that wont get me in trouble with the cops...:confused::mad::(
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Any knife that appears to be primarily for self defense will likely be frowned upon by any local constabulary forces. Try one that looks all-purpose and can be used for SD. (But for Pete's sake get training in the use of a knife for SD before trying to use it for SD.)
 
I have the small one with Zytel handle. It has a solid lock up. I think that is a great SD knife.

"El Tigre"
 
knarfeng said:
I would not expect cement dust to corrode any steel. Cement dust is alkaline, and the iron oxide layer that forms on even carbon steel is stable under alkaline conditions, so no rusting should occur.
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The cement is highly erosive and pretty well scours any rust away.

Afterword, putting the knife away in a sweaty pocket, one can see corrosion forming.

It reminded my of a cheap wooden handled hawkbill we left in the boiler (1200 p.s.i. Naval steam generator). When we found it, the handle was there, no blade though. The regulated pH kept the boiler metal from corroding, but hadn't helped the knife much. I gues no magnitite layer formed.
 
antonio_luiz said:
Ti does cost more in terms of labour and materials - it also has more snob appeal than zytel - if you think the price is exhorbitant don't get it.
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I'd rather they took the money and gave me a better blade steel instead of a titanium frame. There's nothing wrong with Zytel grips. I have a 4-inch model with 440A blade steel and it sharpens up very well (CS's 440A always has taken a mean edge and kept it for a respectable time). But then, I think going to AUS8 was a great idea.

As much as I like the Ti-Lites, I'm not a big fan of the stiletto blades. If I need a stabbing blade, I'd take a tanto, and the stiletto blade doesn't slash very well or pry, either. As far as the locking mechanism, there's nothing wrong with it that I can tell. It isn't my first choice for a knife, but it's far better than what some people are saying.
 
The only prob I have had with my Ti-Lite-VI is pulling it out in public,like does anybody have a knife? So I am standing there,nobody has a knife. Then I wait. Ok,out comes this rather huge knife.Then I flick it open. You should see the looks I get. Some sheeple just dont get it. Funny,nobody says anything about it. They just take 3 steps back.
 
I have got the smaller Zytel version.
Looks good and fulfills its intended purpose.
Very well put together and the blade was very sharp out of the box.
Only gripe is the build up of dust and muck in the handle hole cutouts. you need to pull it to bits every month or so to clean it out, otherwise the liner underneath stains and corrodes.
I use mine mainly to slice up my daily 2 apples and a pear.
 
Just a note, there is (or was...) a slight difference in the point of the titanium and zytel handled models, The zytel was a little more... pointy. It also seemed like it put less steel behind the tip. The zytel actually looks a bit more like a dagger, and the titanium looks a bit more like a spear point.
 
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