Initial Thoughts on the Cold Steel Rajah I

chasden

chasden

Joined
Oct 5, 2004
Messages
513
A folding kukri?! Madness, surely.

IMG_0640.jpg


Unboxing it I was pleasantly surprised at just how big the Rajah was. Hopefully the pictures can give you a sense of the size. The pictures I've seen do not do the Rajah justice. Certainly it is the biggest, baddest, heaviest folder I've ever laid my hands or eyes on. Weighing in at nearly 13 ozs, it has the substantial heft you'd associate with a fixed blade, as well as the reach. At 14"--with a 6", aggressive kukri-style blade--this is not your Daddy's pocket knife. To get a sense of how big the Rajah really is, see it pictured next to the Himalayan Import 17" Chiruwa Ang Khola. The Rajah makes my large Voyager look tiny.

IMG_0652.jpg


The blade is curvy, ferocious and sexy; a true kukri blade with a thin, hollow ground edge, with a satisfyingly thick spine. The Rajah could no doubt deliver punishing wounds, or perform light fieldwork. The factory edge is, as most of the higher-end Cold Steel knives, very sharp. The grind is a wee bit uneven at the tip and base of the edge, but that's nothing that sharpening couldn't fix over time. AUS-8 is the steel used in the blade, and it shows well in the brushed satin finish.

IMG_0647.jpg


The Tri-AD lock clicks loudly and firmly into place with a forceful flick of the wrist. Without having tested this thing with chopping and cutting tasks yet it remains to be seen just what sort of abuse this thing can stand up to, but I can tell you the lock seems to be rock solid. Disengaging the lock requires a good bit of pressure to get the blade to snap shut. The thumb stud can used to assist the opening if you catch it on a pocket edge.

The handle frame and integral bolsters are CNC machined from a 7075 Aluminum billet. The attractively patterned G-10 handle scales have a subtly textured feel to them. As pleasing in the hand as well done linen micarta, I think. The handle facilitates three grips: near the blade (more control), centered and or near the butt (maximum forward weight and leverage). All three work with my medium-sized hand very well.

IMG_0641.jpg


Generally the fit and finish is quite nice. No cosmetic flaws to report, except for a few stray tooling marks around the locking mechanism. The large steel clip can be mounted on either side (for you lefties out there), and a spare clip with extra screws are included with the Rajah I. There is also a nice lanyard hole at the base of the handle.

IMG_0650.jpg


There's already been a nice review and comment thread on the Rajah II model, which is essentially the same knife as the Rajah I, but with a grivory handle. The the Rajah I is 2 oz heavier, and the blade .2 mm thicker. And of course it's a bit more than twice the price of the Rajah II. Whether it's worth the extra money is a tough call, but the Rajah I definitely has a deluxe, high quality feel to it, that I have no problem recommending. Is it an EDC? Well, I guess that depends what you're comfortable carrying. Of course this sort of item is not for everyone, but it would unfair to write this one off as merely a novelty. As crazy as it sounds, Cold Steel has a real winner with their new Rajah folders.

See other my reviews on the Large Espada, Hatamoto, Black Sable, Voyager and the Natchez Bowie.
 
Last edited:
I'm interested to hear how the lock holds up to chopping if you use it for such in the future. I like how they gave it multiple grips for the type of work being done.
 
I'm one of the guys who has played with the Rajah II and I gotta agree with you, it's got all the elements of a winner. Not too much of a fan of the AUS-8 steel, especially on such an expensive knife, but I'm sure it works just fine.

I'm curious as to what practical application this knife has. It would certainly seem like a nice SD knife, mainly because it's large and the lock seems to be, as you've pointed out, rock solid. Was it meant for field type work like the fixed kukhri? The designer has already explained that it (of course) can't take as much abuse as a fixed blade. All in all, it a nice knife. I personally would go for the Rajah II mainly because the price is so relatively low, it's really a bargain for the quality.
 
One has to wonder what the purpose would be in such a knife. The Voyager X2 and the Vaquero Grande are strong, light knives that lend themselves to carrying. This thing, though, is heavy. I mean, the Romans didn't carry swords this big! If it's designed as a weapon and for clearing small areas or patches of vegetation, I'd think a fixed blade would be better. Still, I'd like to actually see and handle one.

What would have been a good steel for this blade, incidentally?
 
chasden said:
Gee, thanks for the insight. :jerkit: You think maybe he was kidding?
Click to expand...

Geeeez chasden, thanks for the :jerkit:. You think maybe I was just asking a simple question?



Wow, sometimes I think this forum could desperately use an amoeba smilie...sad.
 
Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but get over it--it's just an animated GIF. If you want to post some relevant to this thread, you're more than welcome to.
 
thanks for the review! so far i can only get the Rajah 2 here, with the plastic handles......I really want the rajah 1 with the different scales and the metal bits...
 
What actually worries me is the size of the pivot pin. Doesn't it a bit too small for such huge blade ? That a nice review you've done. I really appreciate it.
 
Hmmmm. Didn't notice, but yes, the pivot screw does look small. Perhaps it's because the knife is so big. The one thing I wonder is, is it really a substantially stronger knife than the Voyager X2? Or, put differently, does the handle really have to be steel-reinforced? If you're in a situation where an X2 might get broken, perhaps you should have a fixed blade.

The thing sure does look like a banana knife. I wonder how much it would go for with a VG-10 blade, or an S30V? :)
 
Hmm... one would think the pivot would be larger, certainly, though I'm not sure just how much stress a normal pivot can take?
 
Recently over in the HI forum there was some discussion about carrying a large, hard use knife like a khuk in national parks and similar places where such a large blade might attract unwanted attention from other hikers or rangers.

The fact that this knife folds, and yet is still quite large and seemingly heavy duty, could make it a reasonable replacement for a large fixed blade that would be otherwise difficult to pack out of sight.

If the Raja could be had with a reasonable belt pouch or similar that could be attached to a pack so that it could be carried in a handy but low-key manner, I think (assuming it can stand up to hard use) it could at least theoretically fill the niche normally taken by the large fixed blade.

Just a thought.....

Andy
 
Great review chasden, I recently did a similar review over on the WSS. Many of the same findings. It's not a very "practical" folder for many, it's quite unique and CS did a good job at pushing the envelope and the fit and finish is actually quite good. I doubt there's much of a niche for this type of folder, but if it's appealing to you, it's definately a quality folder. I did some light chopping and battoning with no issues and the lock remained secure and tight.

DSC02314.jpg


DSC02294.jpg


DSC02308.jpg


DSC02318.jpg


DSC02319.jpg


Even though it has a pocket clip, it's not much of a pocket folder...unless you have really bagging cargo pants, it's quite wide; also the clip is placed low and about and inch and a half stick out. Whether you like it or not, you have to respect the fortitude to make one this big and regardless of what you think about Cold Steel's reputation and practices, they did a great job on the fit and finish of the Rajah I.

ROCK6
 
Although some may say that folders should not be used as fixed blades, it's fairly inescapable that this knife is intended to be used in rough situations. In short, this knife is more at home with fixed blades. The fact that Cold Steel reinforced the frame and strengthened the lock is evidence that it isn't exactly intended as a gentleman's knife. The photos above lend even more evidence that it can be a roughneck knife when required. I can hardly wait to see the NEW CS video where they pound the blade into a fire hydrant, then cut open a cut-resistant glove filled with a 6-pound ham.

Great photos, Rock6!
 
Thanks for the update, Rock. I suspected that the Rajah I could handle abuse--nice to see someone putting it to work. Great pics.
 
This is big and bulky, no doubt about it. Here's a couple of carries that work for me with a pair of cargos:

attachment.php


attachment.php
 
Are there any differences in strength between the Rajah and the Rajah II? I like the cosmetic appeal of the Rajah I, plus its polished blade (I don't like the bead blast.) But other than cosmetic differences, is there an advantage to the I?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top