Grey G10 Medium Espada

R

RoadDog66

Basic Member
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Jul 12, 2012
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630
I did a search here but can't find any mention of these newer grey G10 Mediums. Anyone know the manufacture year of these grey handled versions with CTS-XHP? I can't find them in any CS catalog or any literature stating who they were made for or when.

Also is there a variation of the CTS-XHP logo? Some photos show the circled "R" symbol between the S and X, but others have a blank spot between them.

Thanks
 
I remember the Grey showing up at around the time the Medium was discontinued. Kind of weird.
Yes I've seen the CTS XHP with and without the R. Both are legit.
 
Cool thanks for the info. I thought maybe the were an exclusive build for a knife retailer, but can't seem to find any literature about it. I downloaded all the CS catalogs since 2015 when XHP hit the market and found nothing.

And the logos...geez! I wish they would just post all the variations when they decide to change them up. Too many clones/fakes/copies out there to know for certain what's legit.
 
I bought one from Knifecenter. There was one even cheaper on Amazon, but I was afraid to take a chance for a $10 difference.
 
I see Knifecenter has them "on sale," but I also see that the blade has that hugely annoying 1/4-inch bit of unsharpened edge sitting between the sharpened edge and the sharpening choil. What a dumb design that is, and I hate it on an otherwise cool knife.
 
Weiss said:
I also see that the blade has that hugely annoying 1/4-inch bit of unsharpened edge sitting between the sharpened edge and the sharpening choil. What a dumb design that is, and I hate it on an otherwise cool knife.
Click to expand...

Yeah this was common with CS before they broadly switched from hollow grinds to flat grinds. You can enlarge that manufactured notch with a grinder/dremel/files. Before doing so be sure to check for the location of the "kick." If you grind down that section of the tang, the blade will fold up more deeply and the edge may hit.
My biggest issue with the Medium Espada is that it has a forward weight bias. When gripped loosely it feels like the knife is going to fall forward out of your hand.
 
I have a Talwar with that goobered-up design/workmanship, and I occasionally want to get after it with a file, at which point I usually just set it aside and grab something else.
 
I like mine. Luckily I paid alot less than what KC is asking...so I bought 2 (I have issues ).

The notch isn't a deal breaker for me. I think if it wasn't there my finger would be sliced up like a country ham from one handed closing . The CTS-XHP is wicked sharp.

It's very lightweight and smooth and I don't find it overly blade heavy. I've heard some complain it's too wide. To me that's a plus and means more belly in the blade. The Triad-Lock is a bit stiff, but they usually loosen up overtime/use. I really dig the grey G10 scales with the black blade & hardware. I think it's a great EDC.
 
Weiss said:
I see Knifecenter has them "on sale," but I also see that the blade has that hugely annoying 1/4-inch bit of unsharpened edge sitting between the sharpened edge and the sharpening choil. What a dumb design that is, and I hate it on an otherwise cool knife.
Click to expand...

Hate it or not, a radiused plunge grind will have more lateral strength.
 
I've done this mod a few times. I use white grease to find the spot on the tang that serves as the "kick." You don't want to remove steel from that spot.
Then I use an angle grinder and a Dremel.
LziO2zbh.jpg
 
hermit dave said:
Hate it or not, a radiused plunge grind will have more lateral strength.
Click to expand...
I had not considered that. Nice to know. Nonetheless, the unsharpened portion of blade back there doesn't cut anything, which I've often noticed, which is as annoying to me as other parts of a blade that don't cut anything, like giant finger choils. Those things said, what I continue to like about Cold Steel knives is that they're probably the strongest foldy-uppy knives out there, they offer a lot of cool designs, and they're generally weight efficient.

P.S. I really like AF's choil modification on that Espada.
 
RoadDog66 said:
Cool thanks for the info. I thought maybe the were an exclusive build for a knife retailer, but can't seem to find any literature about it. I downloaded all the CS catalogs since 2015 when XHP hit the market and found nothing.


And the logos...geez! I wish they would just post all the variations when they decide to change them up. Too many clones/fakes/copies out there to know for certain what's legit.
Click to expand...


You won't find the gray-handled Medium Espada listed in any regular catalogs. It was apparently a special limited run (as they've done with several of the unusually colored folders in recent years). The only place I remember seeing it was the Christmas Sale 2016 flyer.

IMG-4556.jpg



I wanted one at the time and they were sold out only a few days after the flyer arrived!


-Steve
 
Hey cool. Thanks for the info. The Grey ones are pretty easy to find at the moment. I like it a lot. It's breaking in nicely just like the other Triads I own did.
 
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