First impressions of Cold Steel (Recon1)

Muaddib1116 · Oct 8, 2011

I just received my first Cold Steel Knife, a Recon 1. Wow... to several things. First of all, the size. I'm a terrible judge of knife size based on dimensions. This thing is big, but surprisingly light and thin. The lack of liners explains that, but it's still super solid. This thing is sharp, at least as sharp as any Spyderco I've gotten. The lock up is also at least as solid as my Sage 1 or ZT 0350. Holy grippy G-10 batman! Even after all the reports about how grippy these scales are, I was still caught by surprise. I'll be doing some sanding soon. I love the fact that the blade is contoured where it meets the stop pin in order to increase contact area and mitigate flat spots, I think all folders with stop pins should be made that way. The f&f is great. Overall I'm really impressed with Cold Steel, especially for the price.

Bigfattyt · Oct 8, 2011

I love mine. I do feel as if the G10 has become a bit less aggressive just from use and handling, especially where the pocket clip meets pants.

Light and strong! Its a real keeper.

jhyde7585 · Oct 8, 2011

Great knife, I was blown away by the quality and toughness of mine. Outstanding G-10 and handle size, especially for large hands. Nothing to complain about from mine, except a sticky lock bar, but its gotten better with use and Tuf-Glide in the pivot and lock bar areas.

Good idea to do the sanding, that pocket clip can be hell on pockets. Outstanding for the price, very impressed by Cold Steel, it was my first from them.

Mossyhorn · Oct 8, 2011

One of the most popular knives in the sand box. Excellent value.

s.c. · Oct 8, 2011

I'm impressed with the recon 1 as well. I did my fair share of research before purchasing. So I was aware of the super grippy g10 and the cheap teflon finish, yet both of these attributes were far more extreme than expected. A 5 minute job takes care of the g10/pocket clip issue, so that wasn't so bad. I had planned on letting the teflon coating come off naturally with use. However, I didn't like how flakes were falling off near the tang and lock bar such that bits of it were going into the pivot. So I went ahead and stripped it. I like it so much better this way. My biggest criticism of the knife ist the poor blade to handle ratio. Here it is pictured with another knife with the exact same blade length.

Overall, I agree that it's impressive for the price.

Muaddib1116 · Oct 8, 2011

Well, to be fair, they have the same usable edge length, the blade on the Recon 1 is longer if you take into account the exposed tang portion. I wonder if that geometry is necessary for the triad lock. And if you close the blade, you can see that there's not wasted handle, the tip of the blade is right at the end of the handle.

I am definitely planning on stripping the black coating off, but I was thinking of seeing how it would wear first. I think I'll try a chemical stripper and attempt to strip the lockbar, back spacer, stop pin, and pivot pin as well. I'm only worried that it will introduce slop into the lock mechanism or pivot... but the triad lock should compensate for it right?

Bigfattyt · Oct 8, 2011

The handle length is perfect for my hand. (XXL gloves).

philwar · Oct 8, 2011

Bigfattyt said:
The handle length is perfect for my hand. (XXL gloves).

That IS why they did it. The Military became popular by setting this trend (among other reasons

).

Thrill · Oct 8, 2011

What knife is to the left of the Recon 1?

s.c. said:
I'm impressed with the recon 1 as well. I did my fair share of research before purchasing. So I was aware of the super grippy g10 and the cheap teflon finish, yet both of these attributes were far more extreme than expected. A 5 minute job takes care of the g10/pocket clip issue, so that wasn't so bad. I had planned on letting the teflon coating come off naturally with use. However, I didn't like how flakes were falling off near the tang and lock bar such that bits of it were going into the pivot. So I went ahead and stripped it. I like it so much better this way. My biggest criticism of the knife ist the poor blade to handle ratio. Here it is pictured with another knife with the exact same blade length.

Overall, I agree that it's impressive for the price.

GCG199 · Oct 8, 2011

I have found that the blade-to-handle ratio works well for my needs.

I have to agree with how annoying it is for the black teflon coating to flake off.

The handle is one of the most comfortable and ergonomic handles I have ever used.

The newer 2011 Voyagers have even better handle ergonomics than the Recon 1 series.

mumu720 · Oct 8, 2011

GCG199 said:
The newer 2011 Voyagers have even better handle ergonomics than the Recon 1 series.

Really? I heard that the voyagers are better for carrying and the recon has better ergos and is better for actual use, but i've never handled the voyager.

Ya, i love my recon 1. I have actually heard a story about a first responder to an accident was ablle to pry open a car door with one, but who knows if it was true.

Heiheit · Oct 8, 2011

mumu720 said:
Really? I heard that the voyagers are better for carrying and the recon has better ergos and is better for actual use, but i've never handled the voyager.

Ya, i love my recon 1. I have actually heard a story about a first responder to an accident was ablle to pry open a car door with one, but who knows if it was true.

I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

I love my recon as well. I stripped the coating and gave it a satin finish with a fine scotch brite belt. LOVE the g10; why can't all g10 be like this?

I think I'll pick up another one or maybe an AK-47.. decisions, decisions.

s.c. · Oct 8, 2011

Thrill said:
What knife is to the left of the Recon 1?

It's an Enlan EL-01.

The Recon 1 is the only knife that I'm thinking about also getting in a tanto. Normally I don't buy various configurations of the same knife and I typically dislike tantos, but there's something about the Recon tanto that keeps tempting me.

mumu720 · Oct 8, 2011

Heiheit said:
I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I love my recon as well. I stripped the coating and gave it a satin finish with a fine scotch brite belt. LOVE the g10; why can't all g10 be like this?

I think I'll pick up another one or maybe an AK-47.. decisions, decisions.

Ya, i like the ak too, but mainly just cause it has the wave thumb plate.

Honestly with a few minor changes and one pretty big change i would easily pay double for the knofe, I only payed about $50 though. I think that if they swappe the thumb stud for the wave thumb plate, did a more durable coating it and offered it in a higher quality steel it would be worth a lot more. It is still my fav knife as is though.

NightMare Silverado · Oct 8, 2011

I have a Recon 1 in tanto/combo edge and love it. I have snapped about half the serrations off tho beating on it(snapping the seals off trailers at work). Looking to get an AK47

Muaddib1116 · Oct 12, 2011

Muaddib1116 said:
I just received my first Cold Steel Knife, a Recon 1. Wow... to several things. First of all, the size. I'm a terrible judge of knife size based on dimensions. This thing is big, but surprisingly light and thin. The lack of liners explains that, but it's still super solid. This thing is sharp, at least as sharp as any Spyderco I've gotten. The lock up is also at least as solid as my Sage 1 or ZT 0350. Holy grippy G-10 batman! Even after all the reports about how grippy these scales are, I was still caught by surprise. I'll be doing some sanding soon. I love the fact that the blade is contoured where it meets the stop pin in order to increase contact area and mitigate flat spots, I think all folders with stop pins should be made that way. The f&f is great. Overall I'm really impressed with Cold Steel, especially for the price.

After 5 days of messing around with this knife I have some more informed 2nd impressions. To be clear, I still think this knife is a capable beast and very well made, but with use comes more detailed observation. It seems that I slightly overestimated how sharp the knife arrived. That's not to say that it was by any means dull, it just wasn't as sharp as my Spyderco knives. Where my Sage could cleanly slice through thin notebook paper, the Recon 1 would snag here and there. The Tr-Ad lock has really impressed me. I know that on any practical usage the various other lock types that I own are just as safe, the Tri-Ad really gives me confidence. Perhaps it's because of how difficult the lock is to disengage. I have to depress the lock lever much further than any other back-lock type that I've used. I think this is due to the Tri-Ad design having an inherent need for such a long throw.

The lack of steel liners is zero problem whatsoever. The G10 scales are Solid. The Grippiness continues (I haven't sanded them at all), but I'm thinking of keeping it as is, since I've removed the clip. The grip provides a lot of confidence, although it did rip up my hands a bit when I was chopping some branches with it. My biggest problem with this knife is the size, I can't really EDC this (which I guess I should have known), and I've decided to forgo the clip and use a leather lanyard to get it out of my pocket (I might change my mind). I really wish that Cold Steel offered a Mini Recon 1 with a 3" blade. Their Voyager, Lawman, and AK series all have mini versions, I think a 3" Recon with a similar handle shape would be fantastic.

Maybe CS has changed their blade coating, but I'm actually having difficulty getting it to come off (with normal use). The reviews I read and watched made it seem much more fragile. The blade has some scuff marks, but the coating is all still there. I guess I'll just have to try harder

Overall, I'm still impressed.

philwar · Oct 12, 2011

I already own an American Lawman and its frame feels like it's made of reinforced concrete - except for the weight, that is.

So I've finally pulled the trigger on a Recon 1 as well, a Tanto no less. And even though I have zero experience modding knives, I am going to attempt to turn it into this:

It's the one they should have made in the first place.

Oh yeah, I'm gonna strip it as well. Of course.

Muaddib1116 · Oct 12, 2011

I'd love to see how that turns out.

I'm thinking of getting a Med. Voyager Clip Point. It has a very similar profile to the Recon 1. I'm just not so sure about the Grivory handles.

Orion's Belt · Oct 12, 2011

philwar said:
I already own an American Lawman and its frame feels like it's made of reinforced concrete - except for the weight, that is. So I've finally pulled the trigger on a Recon 1 as well, a Tanto no less. And even though I have zero experience modding knives, I am going to attempt to turn it into this:

It's the one they should have made in the first place.
Oh yeah, I'm gonna strip it as well. Of course.

I thought about trying that as well. Like a spanto grind from Hinderer.

Trout Tamer · Oct 14, 2011

Muaddib1116, what bothers you about the Grivory handles on the Voyagers? I was afraid they'd feel flimsy and have lots of lateral flex. However, the local Sportsman's Warehouse got some in stock, and the Voyagers are solid knives. The Iron Cross-shaped cross-hatching gives serious traction and the handle shape is darn comfy. However, the Voyager's handle is a lot thicker than the Recon I. For me, the Recon I wins simply because of the slimmer handle. The Voyagers leave nothing to be desired, though (except for G-10... and VG-10 steel :-D )

First impressions of Cold Steel (Recon1)

Enlightened Rogue