Confusion!

[flakpackcombojack]

So,
voyager tanto large => aluminum liners, 4 inch blade
Cold steel recon 1 tanto => no liners, 4 inch blade
(According to nutnfancy)

Yet, the recon 1 weighs more then the voyager, according to the cold steel website! Did they put liners back in the recon/change the design? I thought they only changed it once!

Also, anyone wanna weigh in on which one you could prefer for a tactical folder?

I know that knives aren't ideal, and that guns are obviously a better choice, and I do own a colt .45 for said purpose, but I mostly keep it at home. To me, it doesn't really matter what I have to use to defend myself and those I'm with; whatever works or whatever I have on hand. I choose tactical folders because theyre light, easy to carry, concealable, and more effective and intimidating then my thumbs/hands. That's just my personal belief. I'm sure they're are those who are gonna disagree, to which I say, "hey, all the power to you! You do what you gotta do and what go with you are comfortable with!"

 

[Goosey]

G10 must be heavier than the Grivory and aluminum liners in the Voyager. I know I pulled out the aluminum liners in my Voyagers and they weighed next to nothing. They do add a lot of stiffness though so I think the liners are totally worth it in the Voyagers. Recon 1 or Voyager? Recon 1 has cooler/higher-end handle material but they're both very similar, I guess it depends which ergos and blade shapes you like better. I don't think there would be any appreciable difference in toughness.

 

[G. Scott H.]

Yep. Each side of the Voyager consists of a thin plastic shell (about 1.5mm) covering an aluminum liner of about the same thickness. I've had my XL Voyager apart too, and the liners and scales both weigh virtually nothing (particularly the liners). The Recons have (guesstimate) roughly 1/8" thick or so solid slabs of G10 on each side. I don't know if that would account for a full .7oz difference in weight on its own, but factory weight numbers are often a wee bit off anyway, so there might not even be that much difference.

edit: Forgot, Voyagers have Grivory backspacers, while Recons have aluminum. Again, I don't think there'd be a significant diff. in weight between the two, but who knows?

 

[flakpackcombojack]

Thanks for the responses! I guess the weight isn't too bad and they both seem sturdy. What I might do is trace out the handle shape, and figure out the thickness and sculpt them out usin styrofoam or foam poster boards that I have lying around to see which fits my hands better (unfortunately my local gun/knife store doesn't carry cold steel yet so I can't handle either of the actual knives)!

 

[Goosey]

Thanks for the responses! I guess the weight isn't too bad and they both seem sturdy. What I might do is trace out the handle shape, and figure out the thickness and sculpt them out usin styrofoam or foam poster boards that I have lying around to see which fits my hands better (unfortunately my local gun/knife store doesn't carry cold steel yet so I can't handle either of the actual knives)!

The Voyager is 0.64 inches wide at the palm swell (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/888785-Cold-Steel-2011-Voyager)

Not sure about the Recon 1, but it's thinner

 

[flakpackcombojack]

Alright, thanks! I have big hands, so a thicker handle might not be such a problem. I still have to test the ergonomics, but at this point I think I'm leaning towards the voyager because it apparently has a smoother opening.

 

[Goosey]

Alright, thanks! I have big hands, so a thicker handle might not be such a problem. I still have to test the ergonomics, but at this point I think I'm leaning towards the voyager because it apparently has a smoother opening.

They can be extremely smooth if you adjust the pivot to the sweet spot!

 

[flakpackcombojack]

Hmmmm... Interesting! Truth be told, I was kind of hoping that the voyager would come out on top: I guiltily admit that I was seduced by the stone-washed blade! :3