Quickie Reviews: Cold Steel Black Sable, Hatamoto and Voyager, Large with Tanto Point

[chasden]

Two recent acquisitions of mine are the Cold Steel Black Sable and Hatamoto, and I've had my large Voyager for some time now. All three are Japanese made tanto-styled folders, with only the Hatamoto and Black Sable belonging to Cold Steel's "Custom Series". All are similar in some repects, so it's appropriate to review these three together.

The Black Sable
Weighing in at 8.4 oz., with the handle length at 5 7/8, and 9 7/8" overall, nearly an inch thick at the handle, this is not a petite folder. The Black Sable has a beautifully ground and mirror polished 4", San Mai III laminated blade, 4 mm thick. Very pointy, very sharp out of the box. The blade shape is distinctively upswept, with long, shallow jimping on either side along the top of the spine.

The handle is polished micarta, re-enforced with titanium liners and bolsters. The contoured handle is smooth, but not slippery in the hand, and very attractive. Flicking the Black Sable open with one-handed requires some effort. The rocker lock appears to be very stiff and sturdy when engaged; no blade play when deployed. Additionally, this a fully ambidextrous knife: clip mounts are milled into both sides of the handle, and an extra clip is provided, and thumb studs are accessible on both sides of the blade. It should go without saying that this knife is not for everyone, in terms size, shape, and price.

The Hatamoto
The Hatamoto -- solidly put together, and with a nice heft -- weighs 6.2 oz., and is 9" overall. The G-10 scales are extremely well textured, along with a small ridge at the base of the spine of the handle ensure a firm grip. Like the Black Sable bolsters and liners are titanium. The blade shape is the same as that of the Recon-1, with jimping on either side of the spine blade near the point. The satin finished blade is also laminated San Mai III, 4 mm thick. Also very sharp right from the factory.

A leaf lock is employed in the Hatamoto, and provide solid lockup with no play. The Hatamoto opens gracefully, with much nicer one-handed action than the Black Sable. While not exactly a small folder, this knife has a lean profile and fits easily in a pocket. Attractive and elegant. I would have no problem recommending this to anyone looking for a new, quality EDC.

Voyager, Large with Tanto Point and Plain Blade
An old favorite from Cold Steel, the large Voyager comes with a 4" blade, so it is right in keeping with the Black Sable and Hatamoto, however is about half the weight of the Hatamoto, and almost a third that of the Black Sable at only 3.7 oz. Overall length is 9 1/6". Slim and light. Flicks open fast and easily.

The Voyager line of folders are inexpensive workhorses, well made with durable materials: VG-1 blade, 3 mm thick, razor keen; tough, ergonomically molded and highly textured kydex handle. The lock appears to be quite strong. Features a steel clip on the right side of the handle, along with a handy lanyard hole. Mine has been my trusty EDC for long while, and I have absolutely no complaints so far. The Voyager provides a lot of value for money, and comes in a variety of sizes and blade configurations. Highly recommended.

See other my reviews on the Large Espada, Rajah I and the Natchez Bowie.

 

[tigretony]

Very nice knives! Thanks for sharing your experience.

"El Tigre"

 

[TexasNativeDRJH]

Nice review. I have three CS tantos; Recon-1, Kobun, and a 5" Voyager and all have been good to me. If the G10 on the Hatamoto is the same as the newer Recon-1's it should be very grippy to say the least.

 

[shangchi108]

Of the three, the Voyager beats out the other two, hands down.

The Black Sable just doesn't feel right in my hand, and the blade shape looks cool, but simply isn't practical. Long on appearance and cool-factor, short on utility.

The Hatamoto simply doesn't have a guard, and unless you're planning on using it for simple utility and not try to stab with it, the lack of guard puts it out of the running for me.

Can't say anything bad about the Voyager. Of course, the materials, fit and finish of the other two make the Voyager look like a bargain bin special, but for the money, it's three times the knife than the other two way-over-priced bits of edged bling.

 

[longbow]

I own all but the Sable plus the Espada Lg. and without adoubt very fine folders indeed. These aren't just bling folders, no way. The Voyager series is nice for a cheap tac/edc type of knife, as good as any of that ilk. The Custom Series though is way way beyond the build quality of the Voyager series no matter what anyone is saying. The hatamoto will perform edc chores as well as any other knife I own plust the grippiness of the G10 makes it stick to your hand like glue even more so than the zytel Voyager line, so don't worry about using the hatamoto in any manner at all. I own 2 recon folders too that my son uses every single day and he likes them alot. Nice review, and keepem sharp

 

[Lorien]

"with gimps on either side of the spine blade near the point."

Must be a heavy knife with all those gimps hanging off it!
Sorry, I could not help myself! I'm pretty sure you meant 'jimping'?

 

[chasden]

Thanks, Lorien.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Great review. My Voyager Tanto is my jogging partner.

 

[Lorien]

like I said, I'm sorry- it was pretty random
Thanks for the photos. I've been drawn to that sable knife, gimps and all, since I first saw it. Hopefully I'll score one myself some day!