Cold Steel Recon 1 - Full Stripped

razorburn

razorburn

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Mar 26, 2007
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I was wondering if anyone has completely disassembled their Cold Steel Recon 1 folder as I have.As I have found a nasty surprise but first.

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Things I liked about this Knife

1)G-10 is very grippy and all edges are rounded
2)Thumb disk is easy to use with gloved hands
3)Teflon coated blade with bronze phosphorous washers make opens very smooth and lighting fast.
4)Heavy thick blade flips open with a loud thunk when flicked hard
5)Blade has not play what so ever vertically or horizontally and opens very smoothly.
6)Plenty of Bolts - 5 running along the spine (wish Benchmade done them like this)making it a very study and extremely strongly constructed knife
7)Teflon blade cuts almost easily through cardboard like a laser.
8) nested steel liner
9)Clip material is made of strong spring steel

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Things I did not like

1)G-10 handle is very abrasive texture(had the knife laying on it's side on my table decided to push it aside and caused 5 identical scratches in that direction)
2)Teflon coated blade finish is easily scratched as I discovered while cutting up a cardboard box
3)Teflon finish chipping near the edge

4) Pitted Ultra Lock Slot
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5)A pitted spot under the Teflon of the blade's tang cut out
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I only had this knife only a month when I discovered this problem but it's still my favorite knife despite it's defects.But,the thing that bothers about this knife is that Cold Steel doesn't have better quality controls.

More closeups of the pitted slots
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that kind of pitting happens from the punching machine they sould have punched a smaller hole and ground it to size. I have not found anything like that with other brands I have but they are not as strong or smooth either.great pics thanks for the breakdown I wish everyone would do that with all types of folders so I can be sure what I am buying ..
 
It looks ugly, but I'm not sure you would have noticed a functional difference in lock performance. I've tried to bend and break one of these locks on an AK47 and didn't succeed. I'm not convinced pitting would have helped my cause because other things like the Aus 8 blade chipping out and tip breakage occured before the lock failed.
 
The knife does not have to be taken apart to see that the slot are pitted.All that is needed is some good light and keen eye.

I have also noticed that the D shaped locking bar of the Ultra lock has a tendency to lockup on the corners of the bar when in contact with the pits, preventing blade openings.

On some areas where the teflon coated parts are worn,the bare metal reveals some of the most highly finished or polished parts.Which is contradictory of other parts which are pitted.
 
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Like you, I have noticed the blade coating seems to chip easily. I have also noticed after it chips, I can usually scratch off some of the coating with my fingernail. No biggie, this knife is a user.

I'm no expert on this stuff, but I think punching a smaller hole and grinding it out would probably increase the price unnecessarily?

So...I was wondering, were you noticing a functional problem with the pitting? Or is this just a cosmetic concern?

Another thing, if your G10 is too grippy just lightly sand it down. Make sure to use a dust mask in a well ventilated area. Don't go too crazy though.
 
Just recieved my knive tonight. I like this sucker, big, easy to use, sharp as hell Out of the Box. Way better than the CRKT Emergency Rescue I got as well. Thumbs up CS!
 
That is disturbing to me. It looks like it is probably still a hell of a knife. I am thinking if we took apart more knives we would have more nasty surprises.
 
Dang, now I want to take mine apart to see if its the same way:p

Thanks for the heads up, and the great info/pics.
 
Yeah like the other guy said. That's made while making the hole, it will not have a effect on the knife. forget about it and enjoy your knife.
If you are not able to do this, ask what is the worst thing that can occur as a result of it.
 
Shaolin said:
Just recieved my knive tonight. I like this sucker, big, easy to use, sharp as hell Out of the Box. Way better than the CRKT Emergency Rescue I got as well. Thumbs up CS!
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I'm sure you're going to love your recon 1 as much as I do,it's one hell of knife.By the way,it's my favorite EDC but the pitting is a great concern to me since, I've now have noticed some premature wearing of the slots, contributing to significant vertical play in the blade.Also the D-shaped bolt for the Ultra lock has a tendency to lock in the pits when twisted in the right manner,perventing the blade from opening only.

Shaolin,the pitted slots on my knife are easily seen without dissembly.It would be nice if everyone could take a closer look at their CS Ultra Lock knives but it would be even better if everyone could dissemble their knife.I have to warn those who attempt to do so that it can be quite as task to reassemble.I think it's fair to say that Cold Steel's Ultra lock is not equal to Benchmade's Axis Lock in having quality made parts.

Honestly,I don't see this knife serving me years down the road like the stories I've hear of Benchmade's knives which have gone about 10 years strong.

Teague said:
Have you talked to CS? If so, what were you told? Just Curious...
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I have not contacted CS yet but I know I should.I too am interested as to their response but when I do I'll be sure to send photos.
 
I did not mention before, but mine is partially serrated. I took a closer look with a flashlight and did not notice any pitting at all. I did cut open some boxes this weekend, and it slid through like butter, lol When closing I try to pull back the levers and keep them down/back to get a nice smooth close, if I do not do this, I get some friction in the close. I carry with the pocket clip, so when putting my hand in my pocket, I definitely can feel the grip against my hand. Overall I'm still very happy with this knife.
 
This type of "pitting" is nothing to be concerned about. It in no way inhibits how the knife works or how strong the knife is. These are manufacturing blemishes and, when on a visible part of a good knife, is usually polished out. But it forms on almost all blades where holes are punched out. Some of the inexpensive Bryd folders will have the same blemishes in their trademarked thumb holes.

Pitting is usually caused by corrosion. In the manufacturing process, corroded parts of steel combine with a steel part, then that part becomes corroded. But in this case, it does not appear that this is traditional pitting at all. It appears, rather, to be fissures caused by the smelting process. Doesn't make the knife any weaker, nor does it affect the functioning of the knife, but if it's found on a visible part of the knife, it should be polished out or it would be a sign of inferior workmanship.

I wouldn't worry about it.
 
To further illustrate my point, below are two photos. The one on the left is one of those uploaded by razorburn. The second is a closeup of the hammer safety on my Smith & Wesson 645. At first it appears as if there's a crack in the steel and pitting; however, these imperfections are quite normal in mass produced parts that are not expected to undergo tremendous stress. In short, the steel inserts on Cold Steel Recon 1s are there to fortify and strengthen the knife. They are standard imperfections and do not detract from the strength of the insert itself.

It's not a sign of sloppiness, nor is it any reason to return the knife.

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I have to agree with Confederate. No one complaining about these hidden imperfections is complaining about a functional problem because of them. (Except razorburn, but I don't think his problem is caused by the so-called "pitting".)

This knife runs about $80. The price would be unnecessarily increased if the internal parts had to be somehow hand-fitted and polished out. If you bought a knife for $180 or $280 maybe you should expect the internal surfaces to be more polished.
 
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