Cold Steel Recon 1

pbcg

pbcg

Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
1,955
I would truly appreciate any feedback from anyone who owns a Cold Steel Recon 1. The good, bad and the ugly.

For some reason I've always wanted to have at least one Cold steel knife. I've reasoned that my collection of BenchMade's were enough to last me a lifetime and another knife wasn't really necessary, Particularly considering the hard economic times. However I came across a deal that seemed to good to be true. Last years model (Ultra Lock) being sold for $30 each.

Had to get one and should receive it Friday. Very excited and wanted to know what people here think about the Recon 1.

Thanks!
 
i have one of those,
i can say that is big, for example the bm 710 seems much smaller compared to it, its solid, but never used it /carried much.
here are some pics
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Great knife little heavy for edc carry but ive had mine over a year now and got to say its built like a tank and its held up to everything ive thrown at it which blade are you getting tanto or spear ?
 
Thanks for the feed back guys. I have the BM 710 too and love it. I got the Cold steel Spear pt. Half serrated. All they had left,
 
pbcg said:
Thanks for the feed back guys. I have the BM 710 too and love it. I got the Cold steel Spear pt. Half serrated. All they had left,
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I have the tanto no serrations wish they made the spearpoint with no serrations not a big fan of em sounds like you got a good deal though enjoy .
 
The old Recon 1 folders are damn-near indestructable, and pretty well built. I carried and abused one for about four years straight, and it shrugged off pretty much anything I threw at it.

The only notable exception being the black coating on the blade. I kind of wish that Cold Steel would have gone with a DLC coating (like on the Spyderco Military) or put a satin finish on the blade. But I say kind of because I ended up scraping off all of the black paint from the blade and the end result actually looks pretty cool. It takes on a cool, hard-use, shrug-off-what-you-throw-at-it look. I actually really like the end result.

Then there's the ergonomic aspect. The handle is reaaally comfortable. It's pretty simple and straightforward, therefore really good in my book.

I think you'll like it.
 
It pretty large but it is built like a tank. It opens very smooth and the lock is solid. I am going to get another soon as I can find a good used one.
 
Pretty much abused the hell out of the clip point I have, not too heavy for the clip carry in pocket. Also have a tanto that I never could figure out a use for as I just can't get used to that style blade.
 
robot37 said:
The old Recon 1 folders are damn-near indestructable, and pretty well built. I carried and abused one for about four years straight, and it shrugged off pretty much anything I threw at it.

The only notable exception being the black coating on the blade. I kind of wish that Cold Steel would have gone with a DLC coating (like on the Spyderco Military) or put a satin finish on the blade. But I say kind of because I ended up scraping off all of the black paint from the blade and the end result actually looks pretty cool. It takes on a cool, hard-use, shrug-off-what-you-throw-at-it look. I actually really like the end result.

Then there's the ergonomic aspect. The handle is reaaally comfortable. It's pretty simple and straightforward, therefore really good in my book.

I think you'll like it.
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Yeap , I carried and used the hell outta mine for a long time , it has long been replaced by one of my many Kershaws but I still take it out every so often to look at.
Very solid knife.
My old version says Cold Steel on the pocket clip , think I got it back in the late 90's but not sure.

Tostig


edit - The BAD ?? the only negative on that knife IMO is the Tanto , I dislike tanto's because they are a pin to sharpen , otherwise it's a keen knife.
 
GOOD: It is a very solid well built knife. As far as locking goes, i dont think you could make this lock fail if you tried. theres not much that i would do that this knife couldnt take. i also really love the convenience of the axis/ultra lock over that of a liner lock. the blade is sturdy and the grips are excellent. the handle is kinda plain, so there isnt much to complain about or praise. but its very grippy.

BAD: the only outstanding bad thing about this knife is EDGE RETENTION. IMO, it is not good and very inconsistent. after just a weekend of cutting paracord and nothing else, i already noticed it was less sharp. Another day i cut a few thicker plants and things out when building a shelter and shaved some wood off a stick and again it was dull. however, one day after beating through a very thick stick, it was still quite sharp. So inconsistency is what youll get

All in all its a great sturdy knife for quite a good price. it lacks in edge rentention and i dont think the actual blade would stand a ridiculous amount of abuse, but the locking mechanism and overall construction could withstand a sledge hammer. when talking about the weight, it all comes down to personal preference. i prefer heavier, bigger, sturdier knives but some like to keep it light. this is by no means a light folder. but its a solid good knife for quite a cheap price and id be just as content or more with this as i would with a BM710
 
Yep. I wish the American Lawman came in a better steel, too, but I'm content with the AUS8 it has. The Recon 1 with the Triad Lock should be wild. I wish CS would start shipping. I have to admit I'm curious about the Voyagers.
 
if you plan on carrying it much, expect to have torn pants! that g-10 texturing is some of the most abrasive i've seen. though it provides excellent grip, it'll destroy your pants in no time. also, it's heavy, making this blade a bit of a nuisance for edc imo. if you can get around these points, it's prett well built knife.
 
Quote :(BAD: the only outstanding bad thing about this knife is EDGE RETENTION.) I found the same thing. when new it had an incredible edge, seemed sharp for a while & then got dull, when re sharpening, it never seemed to have the same edge as when new.also,it sticks out a bit from the pocket,too.Its definitely very strong for a folder,& had a good grip.
 
I had one for a long time but never used it. Just sat in my collection while other folders got all the glory. Finally gave it away.
The main reason it didn't get carry time was the G10 handle texture. I'd already lost too many pockets to other folders and didn't want a repeat. The circular thumb opener didn't appeal either. Thumb slipped couple times when I first tried it. As for weight it felt real solid. Not a negative for me. Overall I'm sure it would have been a good beater.
 
Re: the G10, I simply took some 120grit sandpaper and took down the G10 a little right under and around the pocket clip. No problems now.
 
Thanks for all the feedback! I don't plan on using it as an EDC but rather a beater around the house. I live in New York City and the blade size ( 4") puts me in that gray area of what's considered legal to carry around. For EDC I use my BM 950 Rift. Blade is just under 4". Have to say I love the G10 handles and so far my pants pockets have held up for now. Because the price I got for the Recon 1 was so good ($30.00) each I bought two. One for the house and I thought the other would be a nice gift.

Thanks again for all the feedback!
 
I simply took some 120grit sandpaper and took down the G10 a little right under and around the pocket clip. No problems now.
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Same here (I used 400 grit ymmv) :)

I never could figure out why, if they had an agreement with Benchmade to use the Axis/Ultralock, why they made it with a square bar instead of round??

I've always had trouble closing mine one handed, due to the very rounded butt sliding out of my palm while using my thumb & forefinger to disengage the (clunky) ultralock.
 
I have a recon 1 in clip point and I think it's a really solid knife that will shrug off a lot of abuse. Mine is pretty well useless for my everyday uses because I just have about 2 inches of plain edge. The serrations would do well cutting fibrous and tough materials. If I had a plain edge I would be very confident about carrying it.
 
I've had a half serrated tanto for about 5 years
I managed to make the lock malfunction by having the lock bar roll :mad:
Other than that, it's quite nice.
 
I have the similarly built AK47 with the ultra (axis) lock. The g10 can be sanded lightly if one is worried about damaging one's trousers. Also, it wears with use and will settle down a bit anyhow. I think CS has some of the nicest contoured g10 of any production knife i've seen. The older bolt lock AK's and Recon's seem to be very popular now that they have been disco'd. These knives are the proverbial tank folders and although AUS8 isn't going to stay sharp as long as newer high end steels, it sharpens very easily to an incredibly sharp edge. CS seems to get a lot out of their AUS8, I have no real complaints as I use it and sharpen it when needed.
 
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