Cold steel

[GD74]

Thinking of picking up the cold steel recon one it's off the Internet so I can't hold it obviously any one have one or any of their other products would like to hear opinions and please don't mention benchmades I know they're great and what not but I'd like to stick to info about this company and if any one has some spyderco recommendations Thad be great to I really like tanto tips

 

[Rip Gut Tactical]

Recon 1 is a solid knife, I have one and a Voyager and they have the worlds strongest lock on a folding knife.

buy one and you won't regret it, but personally I would get the clip point or spear point blade instead of tanto.

 

[Rip Gut Tactical]

to be honest, if I was going to war and I had to choose one folding knife to bring, it would probably be the Recon 1 because of the strong tri ad lock and the AUS-8 is easy to get razor sharp and Cold Steel's AUS-8 stays sharp longer than other AUS-8 knives I own.

 

[GD74]

Yea personally tho having both of those style points I prefer tantos the most

 

[GD74]

Sweet good info man I appreciate it I found a website selling it for aroun $74 would you say that's a decent price or should I check out some other retailers

 

[Rip Gut Tactical]

Sweet good info man I appreciate it I found a website selling it for aroun $74 would you say that's a decent price or should I check out some other retailers

$74 is about the average price for a Recon 1, I've seen them go for around 60 or 70 dollars.

 

[Knivesandoutdoors]

I've had my Recon 1 for 3 years now. A couple of weeks ago I deassembled it for cleaning, as usual. Then reassembled it and it now has blade play, what's even weirder is that even if I tighten the pivot screw tight, still has blade play. I've cleaned this knife plenty of times, don't understand. Before that, loved the knife, kept it in the jeep.

 

[Ulf Krogstad]

Recon 1 is a solid knife, I have one and a Voyager and they have the worlds strongest lock on a folding knife.

buy one and you won't regret it, but personally I would get the clip point or spear point blade instead of tanto.

What he said. I would go with clip or spear point will get more usefullness out of it if you use it in outdoors or otherwise skinning,food prep. Won't buy anymore tanto unless using strictly for self defense. Another one to get if your for a indestructible folder look at Benchmade Adamas or Spyderco Tuff. Only folders I really buy or like anymore is ones that can take alot of abuse and recon 1 is that.

 

[jjoanty01]

It's a good, solid, no frills, get the job done knife. No exotic steels or materials. But it is very user friendly once you get used to the Triad lock. It will be stiff and hard to use at first. It gets easier with use. I don't know if it eased up or I just got used to it . Very easy to sharpen, stays sharp for a reasonable amount of time, depending on what you are cutting of course. As for Tanto, Clip or Spear point, that is totally up to you. Buy what you like. It does seem that the Clip point knife is a little bit wider than the Spear point or Tanto when in the closed position. Just FYI.

I am pretty sure that you will be very satisfied with your purchase.

Good Luck!

 

[jazub]

It's a tanto party, y'all !!

Cold Steel Recon 1 tanto second in line down from the top.

 

[d0nut]

If I were in the market for a tanto blade specifically, Cold Steel would be the absolute last company I would check out.

I am just so turned off by their over-the-top ridiculous marketing, it has the opposite effect on me personally.

I would probably go Emerson, Benchmade (sorry), Kershaw Blur, etc.

 

[Inazone]

I bought a Recon 1 tanto about a year ago. It's a solid knife for sure, but I honestly bought it because I've always been a tanto fan and really liked the look of it compared to the other Recon versions. My only complaint - as is typical in Recon 1 reviews - is that the pocket clip combined with the aggressive grip texture is a pocket-killer, so I'm hoping to find some sort of a sheath. It's one of a very few knives I own that I would trust as a backup to a fixed blade. At some point I might pick up the spear point version, although I may just as likely go with an American Lawman or Code 4.

A lot of people don't like Cold Steel's marketing angle, but when all is said and done, catchy advertising sells products, and Cold Steel exists to make money.

 

[jjoanty01]

I bought a Recon 1 tanto about a year ago. It's a solid knife for sure, but I honestly bought it because I've always been a tanto fan and really liked the look of it compared to the other Recon versions. My only complaint - as is typical in Recon 1 reviews - is that the pocket clip combined with the aggressive grip texture is a pocket-killer, so I'm hoping to find some sort of a sheath. It's one of a very few knives I own that I would trust as a backup to a fixed blade. At some point I might pick up the spear point version, although I may just as likely go with an American Lawman or Code 4.

A lot of people don't like Cold Steel's marketing angle, but when all is said and done, catchy advertising sells products, and Cold Steel exists to make money.

I've had the Lawman and although it is a very solid knife, you are going to run into the same problem with the G-10. Many people just do a light sanding of the G-10 under the clip. The Code 4 is probably the better buy if the G-10 is a problem.

 

[steve itm]

I have the XL Voyager tanto and its a solid knife...I also have the medium and large espada ,the spartan , the XL Talwar (full serrated version) ,the peace maker lll . I know alot of people HATE the cold steel marketing but I watched all the reviews normal everyday knife people put up on youtube to get all the info i needed and i have absolutely no regrets with the cold steel knives i own..

 

[Rip Gut Tactical]

If I were in the market for a tanto blade specifically, Cold Steel would be the absolute last company I would check out.

I am just so turned off by their over-the-top ridiculous marketing, it has the opposite effect on me personally.

LOL at people still singing this same song.....it's getting old.

Cold Steel must be doing something right if they have so many people hating on them.

 

[Freman Bloodglaive]

Cold Steel make big strong knives at a very good price point.

They also make videos that show off their knives because they believe in the strength of their knives, and they enjoy playing with them. Sure they're a bit silly, but that's part of their charm.

 

[NetshadeX]

Cold Steel's AUS-8 stays sharp longer than other AUS-8 knives I own.

I have several Cold Steel knives since I like their designs and the obvious advantages of the Tri-Ad lock, that said I find myself increasingly annoyed by their steel with it's typically fragile deep hollow grind edges.
It really takes no effort at all to damage the edge on a Recon 1, some light garden work is all it takes.

I honestly would pay 300 in a heartbeat for a DLC coated, convex grind D2 blade on a Recon 1. I know it would be overpaying but let's face it, you'd basically have the perfect folder. Utility, fighting, tactical, you name it, that thing would rule all. Closest thing right now is the BM Adamas, I own it and while it's a beast, it's blocky handle isn't remotely as comfortable to hold OR carry as the grippy G10 on the Recon. And I'd gladly trade the axis lock for the Tri-Ad lock. While it's certainly strong, it's omega spring can eventually rust and break on you. It's the Adamas' Achilles'heel if you ask me.

Seriously, if the Adamas and the Recon 1 had a baby, that would be the perfect folder.

 

[d0nut]

LOL at people still singing this same song.....it's getting old.

Cold Steel must be doing something right if they have so many people hating on them.

Crazy marketing = me turned off to the brand = will never buy a CS product = "doing something right" ??

You'll have to explain this new marketing to me. It must be over my head.

 

[Shorttime]

The pocket clip will shred your pockets, yes. But I like to know that my knife will still be there when I need it.

A Mini-Recon is my work knife right now, because rules prohibit fixed blades.

The pocket clip, as I mentioned, will hold tight through things that will leave you with broken bones. If you're going to be running, climbing, river rafting, or some such thing, your knife will stay where you put it.

The Triad-lock is every bit as stout as other people have said. I let others borrow my Recon with no worries. Cold Steel's marketing is over the top, but it also gives me confidence, knowing the blade will fail before the lock does.

I have noticed that the front edges of the handles give me a hot spot during heavy cutting, but I have to push very hard before this happens, and it is about that time that I also feel the slabs starting to flex. That's how I know it's time to stop using my muscles, and go use my sharpening stone.

One final consideration is that the lockback is harder to move when you don't mean to. Before this, I used a framelock, and I put enough pressure on it one day to start moving the lock. It worried me, and I started looking for a different knife.

I have never had that happen with my Recon.

So, say what you want about Cold Steel's marketing, or their steel choice. I would like to see some things done differently, too, but that would raise the price. As it is, their knives offer a number of features that work together to make a reliable product, and the prices are low enough that you won't cry if it gets dirty.

For work, that's good enough for me.

 

[Kyledf]

I got a Recon 1 for my brother. It is a good solid knife but isn't refined at all. He has more experience with it than I do, but I have used it occasionally and watched him use it multiple times while camping. He used it for work where he was required to prune and thin out fruit trees and it did fine. The pocket clip is very tight and was unusable out of the box. If you did manage to get it into your pocket, the tension combined with the coarse G10 made it even more difficult to extract the knife. As others mentioned, the lock back can be very strong. I was just barely able to depress it with one hand when new, almost everyone else I've seen try had to use both thumbs to depress the lock until it wore down a bit. The AUS 8 performs fine. The edge was super sharp out of the box, the secondary bevel was slightly asymmetrical. It wears faster than other steels I have used, but I find it very easy to sharpen again. The blade coating has not worn down significantly and looks mostly new to this day

Conclusion: If you want a no frills work knife that will give you no qualms about using get the recon.