CS Ultimate Hunter or American Lawman?

Of the Two the Lawman.. But I was not impressed by either.. the handles were not comfortable for me.. I would say for the price for for a full size BM Grip..
Matt
 
I have an ultimate hunter. Very comfortable knife. The lock really inspires confidence. My only beef with it is the grippy handles make it hard to draw from the pocket. It bothers me so much that I don't carry the knife. I would prefer a different material or at least a different material under the clip.
 
I owned the Lawman and liked it well enough. Very very sharp as I found out while trimming burrs out of my dogs ears. It is a very nice knife but I didn't pay retail but bought it off ebay for a good deal. Rock solid lock up I'll say that much too. It is a nice knife and think you will be happy with it. keepem sharp
 
I've been carrying my UH every day for about a year or so now. It is a very thick knife and the Thermorun grips can make it kind of a pain to draw and stow from/in a tight pocket.

I knew that would be an issue, but I really wanted a strong knife with a larger rubberized grip so it was an acceptable inconvenience for me. However, I would suggest anyone considering this knife take that carefully into consideration because it can be somewhat uncomfortable to carry from day to day depending on what you wear. I generally wear loose cargo pants with generous pockets so it's no big deal. But when I wear snug jeans I don't really like carrying this knife.

I love the blade shape and thickness, the edge profile and the VG-1 material. It's hair-popping sharp and easy to maintain. Good size, short enough to be legal just about everywhere but ample enough for anything I'd want to use a pocket knife for.

Other than the blade and grip I was dead-set on a back lock knife and the UH has one of the best I've ever owned. The locking bar is thick and strong and I'm very confident about it overall.

The clip is really tight, but that's fine with me. I lost a Spyderco Endura a long time ago because of the crappy plastic clip so I prefer a tight clip now anyway. But I can see where some would complain about it and want to spread it out slightly to make it easier to draw and stow.

All in all, I really like my UH. I wanted the full grips and they feel great when I'm using the knife but they do detract quite a bit from the appeal of carrying this knife sometimes.
 
The American Lawman is far easier to carry and more convenient. The Ultimate Hunter is a big thick knife with a big foot print in the pocket and it tends to stick and drag being put back in the pocket and stick and drag being retrieved for use out of the pocket. Its really a knife that should have a sheath or pouch for carry because it really does not carry all that well IMO. Its a fine knife though and the lock is a very strong well done lock.

The Triad lock as a whole speaks for itself and while you could do better for blade steel for the money for what you get with Cold Steel you can't do better for the lock at this writing if you ask me and what little you may actually lose in the way of edge keeping if you went with the AUS8 blade is nil for what you gain with a better, stronger more reliable locking system. Is it flawless with absolutely no chance of ever defeating or failing? Of course not. I think its the closest we've come to date in anything being offered to the public though. In my opinion, the Triad lock is worth the asking price by itself on the American Lawman folder. Your fingers deserve it.

STR
 
I've handled the American Lawman and my vote isfor it. I've got nothing against the UH but the Lawman was a solid little knife and the G-10 handle gave a nice grip. Andrew Demko does some tests on the newest model of it and does quite a bit with it. I believe the video is on youtube.
 
American Lawman.

What it has over the Rift is that finger choil. Extremely handy even though I normally am not into the choils. Not to mention the lock up.
 
American Lawman.

I handled an AH and didn't like the handle ergos. However, the American Lawman is one of the most comfortable knives I've ever handled. FWIW, I was just eyeballing my Lawman because I beat it up good yesterday cutting thick bags of stones. It still locks up like a vault. It's holding up better, yet has been thru more, than all of my other top-shelf knives. My only complaint..... or wish, actually, is that CS would release a D2 version of the American Lawman. I think that would be their best seller ever. Go with the Lawman. It's a helluva knife.
 
Well said STR. I would go with the AL as well. For the skeptics of CS, I have to say, in my experience and opinion, there is not a better locking system today on a folder. Show me any other locking mechanism, and I will bet money that the Triad lock is stronger. You owe it to yourself to take a look at the Triad lock if you have not, it is the real deal. :thumbup:

Bapple
 
I have both knives and they both inspire great confidence. Personally, I prefer the Ultimate Hunter for it's blade thickness and material, it's blade design with jimping on three areas and it's overbuilt lock. I bent the clip out so it has a 1mm gap, allowing easy removal from the pocket.

I believe that either choice would make a fine service knife. It really comes down to how they feel in hand. I don't think you can go wrong regardless of which one you pick.
 
Let me start by saying I'm not a big Cold Steel fan, for subjective personal reasons I tend to buy knives from other companies. If I get something from CS it's got to be good enough to make me get past my personal prejudice.

After selling a few to very happy customers I decided to keep an American Lawman for myself, just to check out the Tri-Ad lock and see what everybody was raving about. I didn't think I'd use it much.

It turned out to be a really well thought out knife that fits my EDC needs very well. It's rugged, comfortable both to use and carry and the blade geometry is quite good (under all that tacticool black coating there's a goold old drop point).

Sure, AUS 8 is not the best steel in the market but it's good enough. It's easy to sharpen (I like the polish it takes) and so far edge retention has proved adequate.

I'm happy to have given CS a second chance. I really love this knife. My only complaint is the black paint on the blade, but I can take that off.
 
That's what happened with me. I read all the raving reviews, in particular STR's, and thought I'd give the Lawman a shot. Well, it turned out to be my best knife purchase. I now love this knife. It lends itself superbly to EDC.
 
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