Cold Steel Recon 1 (BM 910 Stryker)

T

Tweakmeister

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Jan 17, 2005
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The new revision Cold Steel Recon 1 just came in the mail. I'm still waiting to receive the Buck 880 folders to add to my mini-review (see BM 910 earlier this week).

Wow, what a folder.

First...it's huge. If I recall correctly, it's bigger than the Spyderco Manix I used to own. This is a substantial knife.

The good...
The new G10 scales are superb - good rough texture to them, a solid handle with full liners, and a beefy (SHARP) blade out of the box.

Contrary to the BM 910 I reviewed earlier this week, the Recon 1 tanto feels like you can pry a door open with it. Minimal blade play, and beefy handles give it a proper heft in the hand. It may fall flat on its face in reality, but it looks and feels the part (thicker blade, thicker liners, etc.).

Coming down to earth...
Okay, so what I wrote above sounds all :jerkit: Let's face it, this is a cheap knife. For $55 out the door, you can see where my enthusiasm is coming from when the nearest Stryker is $90 shipped (eBay comparison prices). The lockup the Recon 1's quasi-Axis lock isn't anywhere near as smooth as a BM (or even the Stryker's Liner Lock). The heat treat on the blade is also anyone's guess.

Bottom line, the 910 is easily the folder I'd pick for every carry and use. The D2 blade uses superior steel, and the knife just has a better fit and finish. The upshot for the CS Recon 1 comes from its uber-cheap price, and pretty good specs (G10, sharp, Aus-8 blade). It makes a great toolbox/glovebox/utility knife for the money. The BM710HS pictured...well, that's just in a league of its own :D

910recon1.jpg
 
How did you get over the looks of the tanto point of the Recon 1? To me the snub nose is very crude and unknifely. What is the point of dropping the point so low (also on the Stryker)? I had a 3in Voyager tanto and I thought that looked much better.

PS: I suspect it's a ploy to sell you knives with the least amount of sharpened edge!
 
At first, it does look a bit unweildy. Forgetting about the steels for the moment, the blunt tip is going to be stronger for penetrating things, which is the primary purpose of this style of blade.

In my other thread, a person mentioned the tip on their 910 breaking off just a little, and I wouldn't expect this tendency as much on the Recon.

I know the 910 is issued to troops in Iraq and abroad. Personally, I think the Recon 1 is a better use of tax dollars for the intended purpose.
 
It has the sort of a Roman gladius look, but the thing with the gladius is that both edges of the tip were sharpened.

I mean, when you penetrate some material you have to force the material apart. I cannot image the top portion of the tip doing this very well without an actual edge.

As for the military issue, I also cannot image the intended purpose of issuing a folding knife is for foot soldiers to go around punching their Strykers through the enemy's magazine bandolier, kevlar vest, and sternum bone. I think it's more a matter of percieved utility and coolness, over a more utiliarian design.

What do you think of the Tanto designs in the line of the Voyager/Gunsite series in terms of usefulness and durability?
 
I haven't handled the Voyager/Gunsite yet. They use Zytel handles, but maybe CS will upgrade them to G10 in the future as well.

I know many purists on here will probably disagree with my positive comments about the Recon 1, but for $50 out the door (all the time...not on sale), it's a pretty sweet setup for utility knife.
 
I have a 5" Voyager tanto, and I must say I like the blade profile better. I still like the Recon 1's profile too, but its the most different Americanized tanto point I have seen. I still plan on getting one though, they come very sharp out of the box.
 
I, too, am a Voyager fan, but this Recon is the butt ugly sister that's best left in the drawer. Okay, I know a knife is about utility, but let's face it, we pretty much all like knives that look good. I didn't like the old Recon folders and I don't much care for this folder. It may work very well, but who needs the weight? (I also have a Night Force and found that to be a bit bulky and heavy. I know liners have their charm, but I don't need them. I can't snap my Voyagers in half -- they're nearly industructable.)

I am interested in hearing more, though.
 
My EDC is a 5" Gunsite tanto.
It's a good knife for only 50 bucks.
Great lock, good serations
I love the look of the 4" Gunsite II as well
 
Both the Gunsite and Voyager are a little better sized for EDC. They use varying levels of steel and the handles are Zytel. I'm curious to see if they upgrade to G10.

I haven't handled either, so I don't know how the locks hold up...the lockback is a pretty solid design usually.

For the price of these things, it feels good not having to keep them wrapped up in a diaper in my pocket.
 
One thing that pleasantly surprised me on the new recon folders was that mine became super smooth after only a couple days of opening. It is now smoother then any knife I own, including, Dominator, SNG, various spydies. I also find that the centered point of the tanto blade offers some nice utility advantages, similliar to a spear point and I assume one of the reasons for the shape is to put the point in line with the hand/wrist. IMO the only possible negative to this knife is the weight which is considerable but not unmanageable.
 
I just picked up the spear point model for less than $60, shipped. I wanted to see what CS could do with G-10. Well, the grips are superb. Not that G-10 has much of a plastic feel to start with, but the texture on these gives it a very metallic/ceramic feel. Much preferred to the kraton they've been so fond of using. Yes, the lock is a less-than-perfect axis clone, but it's not terrible. I haven't had time for a good break-in yet, but I think it'll be pretty smooth. Where it fails vs. BM is the lock-up, which doesn't feel as positive, and it also has a rather weak spring that does not feel particularly secure. And, of course, it's not as sharp as CS would have you believe straight out of the box, but I hope the AUS8A will take a good edge. I do wonder if the process of baking teflon on the blade may have led to some annealing. I guess I'll find out.
 
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