- Joined
- Aug 18, 2013
- Messages
- 25
I held off purchasing a Cold Steel knife for a very long time, and how wrong I was! The Recon 1/AK-47/American Lawman series are all awesome knives, but what put me off was the amount of post-purchase modifications that seemed necessary to make them user-friendly knives. I have seen so many videos about fixing the pocket clip and the blade finish, that I said to myself: Why spend money on a blade youre going to have to fix after buying? That argument still stands I suppose, but the amount of work that went into modifying the knives was marginal at best, and they are extremely tough and enjoyable to use.
The Recon 1 & Voyager are extremely similar knives, and have comparable functionality at significantly different price points. The Recon 1 costs about $90 in Canada, whereas the Voyager costs $60. The difference being the handle material and blade coating which adds $30!
[video=youtube;w2qSzhanNGc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2qSzhanNGc[/video]
Each has accompanied me on at least one backpacking trips in addition to regular EDC, and both have exceeded my expectations. If you want a cool knife, the choice is obvious. Go for the Recon 1! If youre on a budget, or generally speaking tend towards high-value, get the Voyager. You will not regret adding either to the collection.
Blade
My versions are both are 4 inch AUS8 clip point blades with good belly, and precision tips which I like very much for EDC. As long as the knife is sufficiently light, which these are, having a long blade gives you more options. Aus8 is becoming a favorite steel of mine. It is very easy to sharpen, affordable, and tough. On the Voyager, there is a stone washed finish with an FFG grind. The Recon 1 has a high hollow grind, with a black coating, which will wear poorly with time. After about a month of ownership, there has been some light chipping. If you attempt to replicate some of the hard use tests done by Nutnfancy and others, the finish will be destroyed within minutes. Through normal use, it should last a few months at least. But overall, the black finish is a miss on this knife. I would prefer for them to do it right, or go home. Just scrap it, or add a few dollars to the knife and put something durable on there. Either way, the cost of the knife would be affected. In this way, I prefer the Voyager. I feel like I can hard-use that knife without it visibly telling the story of the use.
Pocket Clip
The clips on both knives are fairly similar, although the Recon 1 allows for slightly deeper carry. Cold Steel designs their clips to only work on one side of the knife, so they will include a second clip to install if you are left handed (which I am, but I carry and use right handed). Its true that these clips are very strong, and with the handle material being so aggressive, you are likely to incur damage to your pants over time. An easy and quick solution is to tape around the clip, remove, and sand underneath. Problem solved in minutes. After that, the knife carries very well.
Lock
The Tri-ad lock by Andrew Demko wa wa we wa! I like this lock very much! In terms of use, it is indistinguishable from a back lock. It looks the same, but in principle it is much stronger. The force from cutting and abuse is transferred to the stop pin instead of the lock bar. This is what allows the lock to withstand all of the abuse we see on youtube. Truly remarkable to have a folding knife that can handle many of the same tasks as a fixed blade and not fail. I dont plan to abuse these knives in order to test the durability of the lock. But I will say that its comforting psychologically to know that if you bring them backpacking, and have no other options, it could be used confidently in bushcraft. They would be very suitable as a backup survival blade, or perhaps a good candidate for a bug-out bag.
Handle
This really the only major fork in the road for these two knives asides of the blade finish. Both handles are substantial, hand filling, and offer excellent traction. The Recon 1 comes with the best G10 I have ever felt and no steel liners. The Voyager comes with a grivory (aka plastic/FRN/GRN) handle and has aluminum liners. Both are very good, but this is the primary source of the cost difference between the knives. The Recon 1 has a thinner profile, a double finger choil, and slightly better jimping on top. The Voyager has a noticeably broader profile, and some people may not care for the bulkiness. Both knives offer great traction and fill the hand nicely. Overall handle length is quite similar as well. I think most people will prefer the Recon 1 overall because of the thinness & the feel of the G10. As mentioned, it will be necessary to sand underneath the clips in order to prevent wear and tear on your pockets. This is very easy, and can be done in 5-10 minutes. Problem solved.
Deployment
This was another reason I held off buying a Cold Steel. Not the fastest deploying knife I have ever used to say the least. I prefer a Spyder hole generally speaking. Every Spyderco Ive ever owned deploys fast, but not always the case with other manufacturers & mechanisms. When handling the Recon 1 in the store, I found it challenging to flick open. You will require some wrist action, but with time it gets much easier. At this point I can open both very quickly, but it will never be as easy as a Spyderco Sage 1 with a liner lock and Spyder hole (one of the smoothest knives ever). Both thumb studs are removable/adjustable using a flat-head screw driver. The way they come, the Voyager is perfectly ambidextrous whereas the Recon 1 is favoring right hand deployment. Both of these knives will work well for right or left handed knife people.
Final Thoughts
I am quickly becoming a huge Cold Steel fan. They offer alot of interesting and affordable hard-use folding knives. I think Cold Steel knives, due to the strength of the Tri-ad lock are really in a league of their own. I was foolish to hold off trying them for as long as I did. I have been hesitant to try certain manufacturers for many reasons cost/design etc. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This is a major win! I look forward to continuing my Cold Steel journey in the future, and have my eyes on picking up an American Lawman one day soon.
The Recon 1 & Voyager are extremely similar knives, and have comparable functionality at significantly different price points. The Recon 1 costs about $90 in Canada, whereas the Voyager costs $60. The difference being the handle material and blade coating which adds $30!
[video=youtube;w2qSzhanNGc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2qSzhanNGc[/video]
Each has accompanied me on at least one backpacking trips in addition to regular EDC, and both have exceeded my expectations. If you want a cool knife, the choice is obvious. Go for the Recon 1! If youre on a budget, or generally speaking tend towards high-value, get the Voyager. You will not regret adding either to the collection.
Blade
My versions are both are 4 inch AUS8 clip point blades with good belly, and precision tips which I like very much for EDC. As long as the knife is sufficiently light, which these are, having a long blade gives you more options. Aus8 is becoming a favorite steel of mine. It is very easy to sharpen, affordable, and tough. On the Voyager, there is a stone washed finish with an FFG grind. The Recon 1 has a high hollow grind, with a black coating, which will wear poorly with time. After about a month of ownership, there has been some light chipping. If you attempt to replicate some of the hard use tests done by Nutnfancy and others, the finish will be destroyed within minutes. Through normal use, it should last a few months at least. But overall, the black finish is a miss on this knife. I would prefer for them to do it right, or go home. Just scrap it, or add a few dollars to the knife and put something durable on there. Either way, the cost of the knife would be affected. In this way, I prefer the Voyager. I feel like I can hard-use that knife without it visibly telling the story of the use.
Pocket Clip
The clips on both knives are fairly similar, although the Recon 1 allows for slightly deeper carry. Cold Steel designs their clips to only work on one side of the knife, so they will include a second clip to install if you are left handed (which I am, but I carry and use right handed). Its true that these clips are very strong, and with the handle material being so aggressive, you are likely to incur damage to your pants over time. An easy and quick solution is to tape around the clip, remove, and sand underneath. Problem solved in minutes. After that, the knife carries very well.
Lock
The Tri-ad lock by Andrew Demko wa wa we wa! I like this lock very much! In terms of use, it is indistinguishable from a back lock. It looks the same, but in principle it is much stronger. The force from cutting and abuse is transferred to the stop pin instead of the lock bar. This is what allows the lock to withstand all of the abuse we see on youtube. Truly remarkable to have a folding knife that can handle many of the same tasks as a fixed blade and not fail. I dont plan to abuse these knives in order to test the durability of the lock. But I will say that its comforting psychologically to know that if you bring them backpacking, and have no other options, it could be used confidently in bushcraft. They would be very suitable as a backup survival blade, or perhaps a good candidate for a bug-out bag.
Handle
This really the only major fork in the road for these two knives asides of the blade finish. Both handles are substantial, hand filling, and offer excellent traction. The Recon 1 comes with the best G10 I have ever felt and no steel liners. The Voyager comes with a grivory (aka plastic/FRN/GRN) handle and has aluminum liners. Both are very good, but this is the primary source of the cost difference between the knives. The Recon 1 has a thinner profile, a double finger choil, and slightly better jimping on top. The Voyager has a noticeably broader profile, and some people may not care for the bulkiness. Both knives offer great traction and fill the hand nicely. Overall handle length is quite similar as well. I think most people will prefer the Recon 1 overall because of the thinness & the feel of the G10. As mentioned, it will be necessary to sand underneath the clips in order to prevent wear and tear on your pockets. This is very easy, and can be done in 5-10 minutes. Problem solved.
Deployment
This was another reason I held off buying a Cold Steel. Not the fastest deploying knife I have ever used to say the least. I prefer a Spyder hole generally speaking. Every Spyderco Ive ever owned deploys fast, but not always the case with other manufacturers & mechanisms. When handling the Recon 1 in the store, I found it challenging to flick open. You will require some wrist action, but with time it gets much easier. At this point I can open both very quickly, but it will never be as easy as a Spyderco Sage 1 with a liner lock and Spyder hole (one of the smoothest knives ever). Both thumb studs are removable/adjustable using a flat-head screw driver. The way they come, the Voyager is perfectly ambidextrous whereas the Recon 1 is favoring right hand deployment. Both of these knives will work well for right or left handed knife people.
Final Thoughts
I am quickly becoming a huge Cold Steel fan. They offer alot of interesting and affordable hard-use folding knives. I think Cold Steel knives, due to the strength of the Tri-ad lock are really in a league of their own. I was foolish to hold off trying them for as long as I did. I have been hesitant to try certain manufacturers for many reasons cost/design etc. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This is a major win! I look forward to continuing my Cold Steel journey in the future, and have my eyes on picking up an American Lawman one day soon.
