Small-ish utility knife?

B

bryan123

Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
264
Hi,

I've long been intrigued by the Cold Steel Tuff Lite because of the good reviews on You Tube from Nick Shabazz and Apostle P among others, and the Wharncliffe /Sheepfoot blade shape. And because most of the other Cold Steels seem too mall-ninja-ish for a 58 year old.

I have 2 knives in the same size range, the Spyderco Dragonfly FRN VG-10 and the Three Rivers LTC Nomad, CPM-154 steel. These knives have different steels and blade shapes.

So is there anything the Tuff Lite could do that my current similar-sized knives couldn't do that would make it a worthwhile purchase?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
It's a great, inexpensive knife. It may not do anything your other knives couldn't do, but you won't go wrong.

I do recommend that you take it apart and sand down all the sharp spots (excluding of course the blade edge). I like to break the edges of the blade spine at the same time. It only takes a few minutes and it makes the knife feel quite a bit better in hand.

FWIW, I own multiple expensive customs, and dozens of high-end production knives, and the Tuff Lite is one of my favorite, and most used knives (in part because I whittle and the Tuff Lite is my favorite whittler).
 
It would be good for hard abusive work to spare your normal EDC blades. It your content with the others this is the only role I can think of really. Though it's a good knife in it's own right from what I hear, I almost got one on several occasions.
 
bryan123 said:
Hi,

I've long been intrigued by the Cold Steel Tuff Lite because of the good reviews on You Tube from Nick Shabazz and Apostle P among others, and the Wharncliffe /Sheepfoot blade shape. And because most of the other Cold Steels seem too mall-ninja-ish for a 58 year old.

I have 2 knives in the same size range, the Spyderco Dragonfly FRN VG-10 and the Three Rivers LTC Nomad, CPM-154 steel. These knives have different steels and blade shapes.

So is there anything the Tuff Lite could do that my current similar-sized knives couldn't do that would make it a worthwhile purchase?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Its not a folder but check out the Silent Soldier neck knife. You can wear it on your belt actually, it doesn’t have to be worn as a neck knife. Blade shape is similar to the tufflite.

Personally I wear it tucked into my belt using the chain bead necklace as a static cord. Then when I want to wear it and have no belt I can just throw that necklace around my neck.

They come in several blade shapes.
brous_blades_silent_soldier_v1_neck_knife_straight_edge_fixed_1495028967_bcaf72d6.jpg
 
This is too funny! I'm admiring my CS Tuff Lite as I'm reading the forums ( just sharpened and was sitting there) . I saw the title and my first thought was to recommend the Tuff Lite! That was before I even clicked on it. For the price of a Large pizza you can score a great knife with a great lock! Great utilitarian knife with decent steel.

My only gripe with this knife is that it's one of the few current CS that is tip down only. Other than that I love it! Dude, get it! You'll be impressed I'm sure!
As for the mini TL.... I work at a place that doesn't allow unapproved cutting tools. Yet I'm a BF member so I refuse to leave my place without 3 EDC items. So I run a micro EDC system. Streamlight micro, LM Squirt Ps4, and a mini Tuff Lite. The MTand main blade are small as to be discreet. The sharpening choil on the mini TL catches on material easily due to the very short blade.

In the end I thoroughly enjoy the regular TL and I strongly recommend it!
Just use Christmas as an excuse to snag it!
 
Last edited:
The Tuff and Mini Tuff are beastly carvers, in that they easily take a shaving sharp edge and keep it a nice long time. I prefer a wharncliffe profile whenever I can get it, so these fit that criterion nicely; I feel like the long, straight edge gives me a lot of control on the cuts I am making, and the wharncliffe tip is really useful for bearing down and detail work. The Tuff just feels more beefy than the Dragonfly (never had a Nomad) and allows more fingers for grip, and that choil means a full 4 fingers even on the mini. The triad lock is nice when it gets caught in something, I don't feel like I am going to collapse the lock working it out or if I accidentally tap the spine into something. It's a lot of value for the price.
 
OP here and thanks for the replies so far. It looks like the mini Tuff Lite has been discontinued, is that correct? No one seems to have it.

Thanks
 
bryan123 said:
OP here and thanks for the replies so far. It looks like the mini Tuff Lite has been discontinued, is that correct? No one seems to have it.

Thanks
Click to expand...
I scored one mini (discontinued) within this last year on eBay but I'm not happy with it. The regular version is common place in many colors and is great!
 
I thought of the Tuff Lite when I read the thread title, hah.

It’s a got excellent ergonomics, a blade that can be stropped back to razor sharp in no time, and one of the most overall utilitarian designs I have seen in a folding knife. The wharncliffe profile and design make it almost like a folding razor utility knife, but with a blade that is thick enough that you don’t worry about it snapping.

I really wish they would make a Tuff Lite Pro with solid G10 handles (like the Recon 1), tip up carry, and S35VN steel. I’d happily spend $45-70 on that.
 
Minnesota Man said:
I scored one mini (discontinued) within this last year on eBay but I'm not happy with it. The regular version is common place in many colors and is great!
Click to expand...
The mini could work for you and it did for me for about a year. Then the sharpening choil got frustrating! You may love it!
 
I'm among the guys that thought of the Tuff Lite just reading the title. Go for it,but get a Dremel or something and sand down some edges.
 
The knifecenter had the mini in stock recently, but it seems they are all gone again. I thought maybe they only disco'ed the colored handles, but they could all be gone for good. There were counterfeits on the market, so be wary when snagging one off the secondary market. If you want a fixed version, the Lil Bugger by TOPS is pretty darn close to the full-sized version of the Tuff.
 
I don't own either, but the Mini Tuff Lite seems a tad too small (and I carry an Opinel N°6 sometimes). So no big deal they're not around any more. The bigger one is compact enough on it's own, I think.

And I'm going to have to pick one up sometime.

Zieg
bryan123 said:
Hi,

I've long been intrigued by the Cold Steel Tuff Lite because of the good reviews on You Tube from Nick Shabazz and Apostle P among others, and the Wharncliffe /Sheepfoot blade shape. And because most of the other Cold Steels seem too mall-ninja-ish for a 58 year old.

I have 2 knives in the same size range, the Spyderco Dragonfly FRN VG-10 and the Three Rivers LTC Nomad, CPM-154 steel. These knives have different steels and blade shapes.

So is there anything the Tuff Lite could do that my current similar-sized knives couldn't do that would make it a worthwhile purchase?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
bryan123 said:
Hi,

I've long been intrigued by the Cold Steel Tuff Lite because of the good reviews on You Tube from Nick Shabazz and Apostle P among others, and the Wharncliffe /Sheepfoot blade shape. And because most of the other Cold Steels seem too mall-ninja-ish for a 58 year old.

I have 2 knives in the same size range, the Spyderco Dragonfly FRN VG-10 and the Three Rivers LTC Nomad, CPM-154 steel. These knives have different steels and blade shapes.

So is there anything the Tuff Lite could do that my current similar-sized knives couldn't do that would make it a worthwhile purchase?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I find Wharncliffe and Sheepsfoot blades great for making scoring cuts, including packaging.

I find the pointier Wharncliffe more useful for carving, as the finer point can reach into smaller places. I would consider the Tuff Lite more sheepsfoot than a traditional Wharncliffe but that's a judgement call.

I prefer hollow grinds for meat cutting and full flat grinds for potatoes.

I generally dislike choils as I find they tend to hang up on fibrous materials like rope and cloth. But with the Tuff Lite and the Dragonfly, I would consider those big choils as extensions of the handle to allow for stronger full hand holds. Essentially, you have a more handle length to blade, which is a good thing, provided you can deal with being locked into a single hold with the finger grooves.
 
The Zieg said:
I don't own either, but the Mini Tuff Lite seems a tad too small (and I carry an Opinel N°6 sometimes). So no big deal they're not around any more. The bigger one is compact enough on it's own, I think.

And I'm going to have to pick one up sometime.

Zieg
Click to expand...
I liked the mini... just didn't like the steel. If they released that thing in XHP when it was still around, however...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top