The Rajah

L

longbow

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Jan 9, 1999
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Ok I bit on one and bought it when CS was having the discontinued sale. Anyways bought the Rajah and the Black Rhino. Have been carrying the BR for 2 wks and sometimes substitute it with my Boker Exscalibur. But mostly the BR.

Well rec. the Rajah today, this is the g10, bolstered iteration. I gotta say this outside of it being friggin huge is that the build quality is impeccable. As sharp as any CS I have ever owned and did I say freakin huge! Now I'll probably never ever carry this knife but have wanted to try one etc.etc. just cause of what most folks have said about it and at the price point it was offered how could you pass it up right. Well they weren't kiddin when they said BIG. It is pretty heavy but actually flicks open very easily and the lock up is beyond reproach. No sharp edges and the g10 is nicely done and sanded for a very good grip. I am sure some folks will edc this knife but the BR will do everything I ask of it in a big knife at least big enough for me. Anyways maybe I'll post a pic of both side by side but my photog skills suck and I don't know just seems burdensome at the moment to break out the camera.

All that being said I can't believe for 99 bucks the build quality. Made in Taiwan I know but man they must have this down to a science on these as these are good as any folder I have owned and I kid you not. keepem sharp and thanks for listening
 
Unfortunately I bought the Rajah 1 for $225.00 about a year ago, which was a good Canadian price, so I couldn,t take advantage of the close-out sale. However I did buy the Black Sable from the same sale and like the Rajah it's a very well made knife as well.
I'm still surprised how well the thumbstud works on the Rajah. It's such a big knife but it opens more quickly and smoothly than my considerably smaller waved Emersons.
I still may buy the Rajah 11 for rougher usage as the Rajah 1 is , as Cold Steel claims, is virtuallly a custom knife,which I kind of hate to scratch up. And ,as it's now discontined ,perhaps even a collectors item.
 
I bought one out of of pure curiosity. Sold it immediately. It's just absurd. At least I know now that I'm not a fan of mega-folders.
I really like the American Lawman.
 
I seen that knife in a special projects catalog i just recieved and it does look huge. But you can't beat that price that's for sure. Congrats, :thumbup:
 
Larry Turko said:
I did buy the Black Sable from the same sale
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How do you like the Black Sable? I saw some comments that the ergos were not too good, making it almost impossible to open one handed.

I picked up the BR also...I mean for $65 why not?

Also got the Spectre and the Talwar.
The Spectre is kinda odd, but its growing on me. It has kind of a odd liner lock that is initially really stiff and hard to disengage....better too hard that too easy I guess.
The Talwar is gorgeous, even has some semi-decent file work.

I was (still am really) tempted by the Rajah I. I had seen some comments that the II was much more comfortable to use, primarily due to the I's handle edges not be rounded. Plus, I'm not sure what the heck I would do with a knife that big :D. The price sure is attractive.
 
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The g10 on my Rajah is very nicely beveled. No sharp edges anywhere. But it is HUGE! keepem sharp
 
I bought two of the Rajah I models and one Black Rhino. Can't say I bought any of them with intent to use them but the thought occurred to me that if I did use one of the Rajah models in the yard that I'd still at least have one minty one in the safe. I just wanted them for the build quality and because they are discontinued. As some of you already pointed out you can't argue with the price really for what you get. I think the blade on the Rajah is 5.5 mm thick if I'm not mistaken which in my mind anyway probably makes it among the strongest locking models Cold Steel has ever made. The Espada that held 600 plus pounds on the lock in a vice has a 4 mm blade as I recall. So in my mind it would be very interesting indeed to hear from Andrew for how that Rajah I stood up to the same test. I've been unable to find any videos on the I model. All of them are on the cheaper built II model.

STR
 
Alann45 said:
How do you like the Black Sable? I saw some comments that the ergos were not too good, making it almost impossible to open one handed.

I picked up the BR also...I mean for $65 why not?

Also got the Spectre and the Talwar.
The Spectre is kinda odd, but its growing on me. It has kind of a odd liner lock that is initially really stiff and hard to disengage....better too hard that too easy I guess.
The Talwar is gorgeous, even has some semi-decent file work.

I was (still am really) tempted by the Rajah I. I had seen some comments that the II was much more comfortable to use, primarily due to the I's handle edges not be rounded. Plus, I'm not sure what the heck I would do with a knife that big :D. The price sure is attractive.
Click to expand...

Actually my black sable IS hard to open but I don't think it's because of the ergonomics. The pivot point is just very stiff. I'm thinking of loosening the pivot bolt but haven't done so yet, because I'm wondering if I might screw it up.
In any case the black sable is a nice looking knife and a great design to my eyes. It also grips the hand very well.
I really like my Rajah 1 as well, but I can't speak to the comfort of the handle because I haven't done any hard cutting with it.
 
THe fit and finish on my Rajah 1 is just incredible. Very loud *CLACK* when you open the blade and there is no wiggle or flex whatsoever. It really is a great bargain at $99 on the close out sale. Shame that they are discontinuing it, but I'm looking forward to the smaller Rajah 3. Maybe I can actually carry that one without looking like a serial killer.
 
mongomondo said:
THe fit and finish on my Rajah 1 is just incredible. Very loud *CLACK* when you open the blade and there is no wiggle or flex whatsoever. It really is a great bargain at $99 on the close out sale. Shame that they are discontinuing it, but I'm looking forward to the smaller Rajah 3. Maybe I can actually carry that one without looking like a serial killer.
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I agree, as I said in my first post on this thread ; Cold Steel wasn't engaging in hyperbole when they claimed the Rajah 1 was virtually a cutom knife.
 
In addition to the American Lawman I have the Spartan. That is also a winner. I sharpened it today because the factory edge is rather obtuse. I thinned it out but had trouble removing the burr. This AUS8A seems to produce a crusty, stubborn burr. Finally smoothed out the edge and I've been using it around the house and carrying it around.
 
I bought a Rajah I a while back and paid about 120 for it,and yes I have carried and used it and its a cutter .I am thinking about getting a R-II as its cheap and lighter too.I wear 5:11 pants often and the knife wears in a back pocket easily even in public.
 
I received all my knives in the mail yesterday. I must admit I'm smitten by the Rajah I. What a knife! I've put one in the safe to keep and the other has seen lots of yard limb trimming today. Its the best folding landscape maintenance tool ever! Flawless through out for both of them and for that matter the Black Rhino also. The pictures and descriptions don't do the RI justice or prepare you for the massive size of this thing. Its frickin' huge! You could literally hammer this thing locked open into a mortar joint in a brick wall and use it for a leg up for a platoon and probably still use it after the last guy got up using it for a step!

Some things need noted. Several of the descriptions say this blade is 5.5 mm thick. It is not. At least thats the case on both of my blades. I checked using my caliper and one is 4.8 mm and the other 4.78 so they are sub 5 mm but close at the widest point, which on both of mine is a little past the midway point of the blade on the way to the tip. My blades measure 6 and 1/4" not 6" and I'm getting 14" overall length open and both of my knives weigh 12.6 ounces each on my digital postal scale. No complaints though as they are both keepers and knives that I rank up there as a couple of the best made knives I've ever bought custom or otherwise. :thumbup:

STR
 
As far as I know, only the Rahja II is available in Europe. But it is a bloody monster still! I haven't bought one (yet), 'cause I am wondering what purpose it should serve. Too cheapish for colllective purpose, way too big to carry around. But then again, I saw one bloke carrying a Rahja with him in one of Nutnfancy's videos and I thought it was pretty cool.
 
I already place my order for the rahja I and the black rhino and waiting to get them this next week, I have the spartan and as far i know this knives are awesome, big and nasty lol, plus the price now, so its a must for all, ill take some pics later and btw thanks to all you ppl cuzz i know this knives through this forum
 
Black Sable and Talwar for me, I love persian style blades even if not completely traditional on the part of the Black Sable. :D

My wife may not agree however. :(
 
I loosened the pivot bolt [there's probably a better term than "pivot bolt" but can't think of what it is] on my Black Sable to the point where the blade drops down when I disengage the lock. However it's still not that easy to open every time, which makes me think that the suggestion made above ,that the knife has poor ergonomics for one hand opening, may be true. Part of the problem may also be that the thumbstud is quite smooth.
I still think it's a great looking knife but not one you would carry when you think you might have to open it in a flash.
I still prefer to go to a brick and mortar store because then you become aware of any problems before you buy.
 
AF said:
In addition to the American Lawman I have the Spartan. That is also a winner. I sharpened it today because the factory edge is rather obtuse. I thinned it out but had trouble removing the burr. This AUS8A seems to produce a crusty, stubborn burr. Finally smoothed out the edge and I've been using it around the house and carrying it around.
Click to expand...

I've found that my use of a leather strop impregnated with white diamond cutting compound sidesteps any issues with steels that tend to form a burr when sharpened. In particular, I have several knives in AUS 8 and AUS 6, and the strop works like a charm on them all. I use the strop for most all of my maintenance sharpening.

The only times I don't use a strop are when I need to change the sharpening angle, or use a hone on a turned edge.
 
Larry Turko said:
Part of the problem may also be that the thumbstud is quite smooth.
Click to expand...

Yes, she valcano shape doesn't help either combined with that smoothness...very hard to get traction on it.
The location of the stud and distance to the pivot don't seem to provide the right leverage either, based on what I read and you seem to be confirming that.

Still a very attractive item at an attractive price.
 
I had the Rajah II, but traded it. It is indeed a monster. I would like to get the Rajah I because of the fancier build. What I am really looking forward to receiving is the custom American Lawman that Andrew Demko has built for me.

STR, now that you have the Triad-Ad lock, how do you think it compares to other lockbacks?
 
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