stilettos...

I have heard the cuda maxx is nice but it is quite large. The Ti-Lite is a nice knife in my opinion, though a little sharp around the hilt. I would personally go for the Ti version. Another thought may be the Hen and Rooster Stiletto(I think thats what it is?) 4inch blade with a low profile.
 
The CUDA Maxx stiletto is cheaper here http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2909 but Kyui Su Kim is right, it is huge.

I wouldn't call it a stiletto, though. I'd call it a dagger. The original stiletto was a small stilo, or stylus, like a pen for writing on a wax tablet. So the name got attached to a very thin stabbing blade, often one with little true edge -- sometimes a three- or four-sided blade.

The Ti-Lite isn't bad. The handle works pretty well, good grip. You can flick the blade open without using the thumbstud, by raking the flipper across a surface, like your leg, or the edge of a table, or hitting it with your thumb itself. For a (single-edged) dagger, it was sharp.

As you can see here http://www.ltspecpro.com/tilites.html there has got to be a better price available somewhere. (I got mine for much less at http://www.newgraham.com/coldstee.htm ) The Zytel handle 440A version is way cheaper than the Ti handled/AUS 8A.
 
Esav raises an interesting point about when does a dagger become a stiletto, or vice versa?

It seems to be a common view that any "european" style blade that is long and slender in design is a 'stiletto', particularly the switchblade type of this blade design.

To be more historically accurate, the stiletto is essentially a thrusting type of weapon, with no cutting edge, and was commonly carried by 17th century gentlemen for self defence and as a dress item to denote rank.

It was a very good assassination weapon as it would penetrate many layers of clothes, was of sufficient length to penetrate vital organs, and the wound left few blood stains to mark the assassin.

There is a nice example of a true stiletto here:
17th Century Stiletto

Bit off topic, but an interesting debating point.
 
thanks for the help guys.

is the zytel ti-lite worth it? I've read that 420 subzero quenched is absolute crap compared to AUS8, so i was thinking i should probably get the titanium version... anyone wanna throw in their 2 cents?
 
If it were 420 of any kind I'd have said, don't touch it. But they're using 440A sub zero quench, and 440A has a fairly honorable history, even though it's been superseded by more expensive steels.

I wouldn't expect the Ti-Lite in any form to be a heavy-duty working knife, so the 440A should hold up well enough for light, occasional cutting and reasonably easy resharpening.
 
I have a Darrel Ralph custom dagger/stiletto, in a much darker color, but my CUDA Maxx bowies came with that light slate blue. It's a matter of taste. I like it a lot myself.
 
I have both the cuda max and the T-lite. the T-lite is a heavy user and well worth the money but only in titanium with aus-8 blade. The max is worth the money and a verry good knife only larger so the choice is for size in my opinion. :D
 
ayzianboy said:
thanks for the help guys.

is the zytel ti-lite worth it? I've read that 420 subzero quenched is absolute crap compared to AUS8,
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Yup. It's Junk. I have an Oyabun around here somewhere, and it's so bad I wouldn't even give it away.
 
The color on the Camillus CUDA MAXX is really a blue-gray that only shhows up clearly in pictures or when recently scrubbed down with Windex. Mine loses some of that blue-gray sheen as soon as you use it, for the oils from your hand accumulate on the titanium and it becomes a more or less gray color. But that knfe is Hell for strong and it is a large carry knife with an excellent blade of VG-1 steel. You won't go wrong with it if you choose to go that way.
 
Has anyone handled one of Frank Beltrame's new B-Naked stilettos? I have seen photos of them but no reviews yet.
 
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