Cold Steel Hold Out III (3)

S

stampede

Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
156
I got one of the 2011 Cold Steel Hold Out 3's and thought I'd share my thoughts for anyone looking to pick one of these up. It's an extremely lightweight, strong folder and a full flat ground slicer that just burns through material :

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Great little folder, perfect size for dress pants, khakis or even jeans because it's SUPER thin :

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It's got the super deep, effective Tri-Ad lock :

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Compared to the mini AK47 and American Lawman :

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Thickness compared to the American Lawman. Note the thumb screw is the same as the American Lawman and the new Recon 1 so it gives awesome purchase on this size blade :

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Compared to some other common "smaller" knives :

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Cold Steel included a really great pocket clip with an interesting "short screw" so it doesn't interfere with the blade tip ever...maybe some other companies could take note...

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For my needs this is a great 2nd knife for carry. It slices great, is unobtrusive and has a very reliable lock. The street price is just about right in my mind ; the build quality is great and worth it for a small backup slicer or primary matter separator.
 
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Awesome, I've been looking forward to these. I read on the cold steel forum that the clip is tight almost to the point of being useless, what's your take on that? Also, how's the g10 texture? Thanks for the first look, I may have to grab one soon.
 
The clip is quite tight but can be bent out with a vice grips and a table edge. It bites on the area between two the last two circles so once you overcome that spot it slides in.

The G10 is identical to the G10 they've been using lately on everything. It's very grippy but "matures" as you carry it and turns into a grippy dream.

Obviously, smoothing out the G10 under the clip will alleviate the issue but for my use I'm carrying it loose in my wallet pocket because it's so thin.
 
Cool stuff, been waiting for those. Too bad they still use AUS-8 though, IMO for the money could use a better steel.
So why the smaller (3 inches) III vs the larger (4 inches) II? Just preference or intended mode of carry?
 
senoBDEC said:
Cool stuff, been waiting for those. Too bad they still use AUS-8 though, IMO for the money could use a better steel.
So why the smaller (3 inches) III vs the larger (4 inches) II? Just preference or intended mode of carry?
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I do enjoy Cold Steel's AUS8, really no issue for me. I went with the 3 because I have been spending entirely too much time in an office in dress pants and needed something that I could carry in-pocket and out of sight. I will say that for typical office chores the Hold Out has been great. Cutting those yellow plastic bands around paper boxes is a breeze. Sigh. Oh well, back in the field this weekend with my Beckers and RATs...
 
Dude why would you get the small one!? :D I want to see a review of the larger holdout and the counterpoint 1.
 
I must have been living under a rock, because this is the first time I've seen the Hold Out. As a Cold Steel junky, I think this one will go on the wish list. Probably the 4" flavor first.

There is much talk about skeletonized liners, but this one has skeletonized scales.
 
I really wish this knife and the voyager would have come available in blade lengths of 3.25 or 3.50. Im really anal about my blade lengths and 3" is a smidge too short with 4" being too long for an edc folder. For me anyways...:(
 
Nternal said:
Dude why would you get the small one!? :D I want to see a review of the larger holdout and the counterpoint 1.
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I'll be waving and adding a safe to carry double edge to the 4" model for elvis.alive sometime downrange.
 
Thanks posting your thoughts and pics. I've been eagerly anticipating this knife.

The simplicity of design and construction is very appealing to me.

I think I'm going to have to get one.
 
As an update the stop pin is now rattling around. I'm going to try to set it with some putty since it needs to rotate as part of the TriAd mechanism. It's not a game ender but it's annoying.
 
stampede said:
As an update the stop pin is now rattling around. I'm going to try to set it with some putty since it needs to rotate as part of the TriAd mechanism. It's not a game ender but it's annoying.
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Uh oh. Could be a game-ender for me. I'll be watching this closely...

Any idea what caused it? I recall watching a YouTube video where Demko explained that the holes for the stop pin and lock-bar pin are slightly oversized to they can shift when absorbing shock.
 
From what I can tell the pin shoulders are slightly smaller than the inside of the scales (1mm or less). This is causing the rattle. There is 0 blade play and the blade still opens smoothly and tightening the pivot doesn't resolve the tiny gap. It's definitely not an issue and does not rattle when the blade is deployed. There is also no chance of the pin coming out.

As a fix I tried silicone grease which appears to have worked to silence the rattle. Still a great knife in my mind.
 
Now that you mention it, I recall a video of Demko explaining that tolerances for the pins on knives with the TriAd lock are engineered to allow the lock work to better absorb impacts/flexing and therefore "wear in" rather than wear out from hard use.

The tapered pin shoulders you noticed must be what he is talking about.
 
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Hey, great pictures of the knife, it only makes it want it more; just one question for me. I'm in RI where our law is that not only can the blade be no longer then 3 inches, but that is measure from the end of the handle. I see the Hold Out has a fairly sizable unsharpened area where the thumb stud is, would you mind checking to see if they factored that into the 3" measurement from the factory or if it in fact extends the length beyond 3"? Thanks a million in advance.

edit: Many thanks for using the ruled background, I'm pretty sure it's safe for me to carry. Can't be too sure though, I would still love to hear from an owner.
 
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I'm totally down to wave and/or double edge one... any takers?
 
Misanthropia said:
Hey, great pictures of the knife, it only makes it want it more; just one question for me. I'm in RI where our law is that not only can the blade be no longer then 3 inches, but that is measure from the end of the handle. I see the Hold Out has a fairly sizable unsharpened area where the thumb stud is, would you mind checking to see if they factored that into the 3" measurement from the factory or if it in fact extends the length beyond 3"? Thanks a million in advance.

edit: Many thanks for using the ruled background, I'm pretty sure it's safe for me to carry. Can't be too sure though, I would still love to hear from an owner.
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You're good unless you're acting out with it or you have a cop who wants to push it for some reason...

To my eye it looks "so small" that it's not worth quibbling over.

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Well guys I lost my Hold Out II, the bigger brother. I am PO'ed but in a way it might be a blessing because the 4" is/was a little too long for me. As someone else wrote, I wish they made a 3.5" version. BTW, the stop pin is supposed to float/move. It's intended to promote even wear on it.

I just ordered the HO III. This design is simple, yet soooo much more EDC friendly and I feel it's because of the neutral handle shape. Cold Steel and Andrew Demko have a lot to be happy and proud about lately. I will not buy another folding knife without the Triad lock. MOF, if it wasn't for the Triad I'd be all fixed blades now. But we all know how much satisfying it is to flick a folder open. :)
 
I really like the size of the Hold Out III. It sounds like a light and strong utility knife. I own a Hold Out II and to me the Hold Out II is just too big for me to reasonably justify as an EDC - it's not only got a big blade but the handle is large as well.
 
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