COMPARISON: Cold Steel Recon 1 vs Cold Steel Voyager

J

JDX

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Mar 2, 2014
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Is there any huge differences between the two? Does one make a better edc? I'm looking at a clip point style blade. So if you know of a better edc blade with clip point, that's under $75, then I'm all ears. On a side note, is the Cold Steel American Lawman any good?
 
Dont' have a Recon 1 so can't speak to that. Have a medium Voyager Tanto and an American Lawman. Really like both. The AUS8 blade will take a very sharp edge and hold it a decent amount of time. The Triad lock is simply great. Biggest difference that I see between the Recon 1 and the Voyager lines is the Recon has G10 grips and the Voyager has grivory. Both offer great grip and don't slip in the hand. I think mostly it comes down to personal preference. Someday I'd love to get a Recon 1 and try it out. I don't think you could go wrong with either one.
Bob
 
I like the handle material on the Recon1 more.

It makes a nice strong, thin light package.
 
^ I agree. I have the ak47 and love it, I think the voyager has the pocket opener which Is a plus. The recon has thumbstuds only. Both good and worth the money.
 
Both are thumb stud knives. The XL Recon and Voyager are pretty similar. In the smaller sizes the clip point Recon is hollow ground while the Voyager is full flat ground. Next year the Recon will be coming out in XHP while the Voyager will apparently be BD1.

The Recon is thinner in the pocket. The Voyager fills the hand better. The G10 is grippy, almost sticky in hand.

At the moment in AUS8 they're pretty much interchangeable. Next year it'll be a harder choice.
 
I stand corrected, in that case I vote recon 1. Ak47 also highly recommended.
 
The recon is a bit thinner, making it feel better in the pocket, at least to me & I like the way it feels in hand a little better.

I'd go with the Recon 1 if I had to choose. Just sand down the scale a bit under the clip to spare your pockets.
 
Agreed--recon 1 (I have a clip point, full size and mini)--great knives for the money. I prefer the G-10 as well; very comfortable ergos and very grippy.
 
Clip Point is a good choice IMO.....and the Voyager is the better bang for your buck, you could find one in the 40 dollar range with free shipping.
 
I own recon1 and american lawman, and while i like the lawman more, the recon 1 is a very nice package that everyone have said in previous posts. My recon, however came with obvious vertical bladeplay, and my lawman is very secured.
 
Having both, I find the Voyager to a little less intimidating (so it get carried on the weekdays) and the Recon 1 to be a beast of tactical folder (weekends). the Voyager has steel liners, which is one thing that the Recon 1 bests, being a knife with a handle completely G10. I purchased the Voyager in the 3" plain vanquero, with the stone washed flat grind specifically for the smaller size and uniqueness of the blade. I have the Recon 1 in 4" plain clip point. I like 'em both a lot and the AUS8 is great for me. Thumb studs work well. The Lawman, although I don't have it, is also good, as is the AK-47. Personally, for an edc knife, I would look at Cold Steel's Code 4, which is a much less tactical, yet still a very high quality knife built to be something more appropriate to the purpose of edc. Check them out, try one out, and enjoy!
 
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Don't know about the Voyager. The Recon 1 is a pretty solid knife. It is quite big though. The American Lawman is by far my favorite of Cold Steel's designs. The Code 4 looks pretty interesting too, but I've never handled one.
 
Had both and kept the voyager. Way more comfortable in the hand during USE. I say that because although the recon has all those cool grooves, it was not a comfortable handle in my experience. Plus the voyager has the flat ground stone wash blade. Still light for a big knife at 5.3oz IIRC.
 
The voyager actually has hardened aluminum nestled liners, not steel. Arguably tougher than the recon 1.
 
I belive that G10 handle it's stronger than Grivory_+ Al ... and the Recon' blade it's vacuum heat treated and sub-zero quenched ( this statement it's on the CS site only for Recon series, not for Voyager )
 
I'll bet the Voyager and Recon blade is heat treated the same at the same Taiwan plant. All things considering, the FFG blade on the Voyager will handle more torque, the deep hollow grinds CS puts on some of their knives, although making it cut like crazy, is a potential source of weakness in an otherwise stout knife. I wish I still had the Recon so I could compare pivot bolts because the Voyager's is big. I have the 4" hold out and the pin on the Voyager is larger. The Voyager IMO is at least if not better knife in every aspect but at $30 or whatever less. Either one will be fine for a knife that should handle some serious use. Good luck.
 
Yesterday said:
Check them out, try one out, and enjoy!
Click to expand...

Hey bud, we'd appreciate that link being taken down. Amazon doesn't help BFC in any way, so we try our best not to help them.

There is a list of sponsored vendors that we can and do mention quite often. Take a look around, read the stickies. Appreciate it.
 
grownstar said:
Hey bud, we'd appreciate that link being taken down. Amazon doesn't help BFC in any way, so we try our best not to help them.

There is a list of sponsored vendors that we can and do mention quite often. Take a look around, read the stickies. Appreciate it.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I was just trying to be helpful. I'll avoid the mistake of posting sale links in the future. Thank you for catching that.
 
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