COLD STEEL Recon 1 4" S35VN Razor-Sharp Blade 5.375" G-10 Handle Tactical Folding Knife w/Tri-Ad Lock, Ambidextrous Pocket/Belt Clip

I just received this knife today, so I can’t speak to its longevity or how well it holds an edge. But I can say this: this is the first knife that has wowed me right out of the box. I literally said the word “WOW!” when testing its sharpness just now. For the last 15 years, I’ve been using an Emerson Commander and a number of Spyderco knives. This is my first time trying something new outside of that realm. Compared to these other knives, it’s definitely a lot bulkier in the pocket — so if your pocket space is limited, be aware that the fit may not be optimal. The G-10 handle is very solid, and the grip is designed more ergonomically than any of my previous knives. My fingers feel well-protected and there’s not a chance this thing is coming out of my hands in a fight. It locks open *very* firmly — much more so than any knife I’ve used to date. It’s a bit hard to close, but I’ve been opening and closing it repeatedly and it does seem to be easing up, so I think it just needs a couple hundred closes to break it in. The same is probably true or the pocket clip, which feels a bit excessively tight. Not sure if I’ll be leaving it on or not. Aesthetically, this thing is both gorgeous and intimidating. Maybe not the best thing to pull out on a work site for utility use, but will definitely intimidate someone in a defense situation. Overall, this thing feels like a workhorse and I get the impression it’s worth double what I paid for it. I can see why it has a reputation as one of the best defensive folding knives for EDC.

Great knife. Robust. Not pricey. Easy to operate. Good quality. Good medium size. Not bulky. Very lightweight as for such robust knife. Good materials. No blade play in any direction. Blade is centered. My personal comments: I prefer handle with better griping(even Spyderco's G-10 have better grip); it's not suitable for easy and quick finger flipping; be very careful when closing it - the last inch of blade movement is fast and powerful. It's main purpose for me - need a good knife during war.

Incredible durability with the Triad lock this is one of the best hard use folders that's on the market period Regardless of cost. The Recon one is just a beast of a hard use folder the grip has excellent thickness so you're going to really be able to put in a lot of force on it without without it being uncomfortable the knife looks incredible it's a very Sleek design yet very comfortable in hand. The blade shape is beautiful for EDC type task as well as harder use type task say during camping or whatever the geometry of this blade is excellent it is a super slicy blade yet very stout. The grind does a really good job of leaving a lot of material for a nice tough blade allowing the knife to have reasonable cutting performance due to a nice geometry i'm not a fan of S35VN Steel in most cases there's only two companies out there that do it really good one is Cold Steel the next is Spyderco those are the only two companies that I will buy that specific steel from because they do a pretty good job on it and you actually get a pretty decent performing Steel. The Recon one is one of those knives that is a classic for a reason because it's built like a tank it's comfortable in hand it'll take whatever you throw at it and it just makes for an all-around good cutting tool. I still wished they made these in CTS XHP steel as it was significantly better but sadly that's not the case anymore.

I have used a great deal of Cold Steel products over the years and am quite familiar with what they offer. I have found their kit to be well made but a little high on the price spectrum. Don't misunderstand, their stuff is as tough as it comes and you do get what you pay for. But here is a very high quality Cold Steel knife for a bargain price. I needed a tough, heavy duty folder for my EDC (every day carry) bag. Something that I could use for just about anything including battoning wood for kindling. This knife does it and then some. First, it has a blade made from S35VN. This is a Crucible Industries (CPM) particle metal steel that is tough and holds a fine edge for a long time. It also has one of the strongest folder locks on the market and the handle feels good and the pocket clip works well. That is what makes this a great knife at a good price.

I got this knife 13 months ago and it's pretty good. Comes with a extra pocket clip for left handers. Mine came with a uneven grind and not very sharp. But after Sharpening it up well its a razor. I got the spear point because it's stronger than a clip point. Cons: Slow to open for most folders even after a year. Somewhat hard to close too. Came dull with even edge Pros: Durable, very rust resistant I've never gotten rust on this and I've used it for fishing alot but I also oil the blade once a week. One of the sharpest knives I have. It gets sharper than my carbon steel mora robust. The grip is nice and is kind of like a guard so you don't have to worry have cutting your hand doing stab work. Very tight blade. The lock tite on the blade screw finally loosened a month ago so I used clear nail polish on the screw threads to prevent the screw from getting loose after tightening. The only concern I'd had have for this knife is s35 is a a very strong and hard steel. But because of how hard it is its more likely to break than softer steel. But if you use it like a knife this will probably last you the rest of your life. I recommend.

A great knife with a great blade steel. This is the 3rd one I have bought. The S35vn is a great blade steel. The Tri Ad lock on these Cold Steel knives as the strongest in the industry. I have a bunch of different Cold Steel knives with the Tri Ad lock.

First off, please know that I am not a metallurgist and am only semi experienced with knife combat and techniques. However, The up dated version of the Cold Steel Recon 1 which is made from S35VN is an exact copy other the original Recon 1 that was made from AUS 8 steel. Anyone with questions about the difference can look up the details on line. Knowing that it is identical in design to the original AUS8 in G10 grip texture, locking mechanism, and so on, I must say that for me, this is a fantastic knife. In my opinion, it was a brilliant move for Cold Steel to change the blade material to S35VN alloy. Like I stated, I am not a metallurgist and I have no way to verify the upgrade only to say while sharpening the blade, there is a definite difference in feel and edge retention. The knife is well balanced and very tight. The locking mechanism may need to be "sweetened" a little for one handed opening but short of that, in my opinion, this blade is worth every penny. Other blades made from S30V and S35VN can cost up to 200 + dollars. I only have two little quips to remark on about the Recon 1 upgrade. 1. The pocket clip is very tight and somewhat tough to utilize. 2. because of the tightness of the clip, it might be rough on the pants you are wearing because the G10 grips do exactly that, Grip! With all that said, so far this knife is fantastic in my opinion. It is large enough to be effective in combat and small enough to carry where ever you go, i.e. work, home, the streets, wilderness, or war, be assured that the Recon 1 upgrade is the answer to any cutting or utility needs that may arise.

Wonderful knife. High quality, great design and top notch components.

Immortal

Sehr gutes Messer, bin total zufrieden. Liegt super in der Hand, ist richtig scharf und macht einen robusten Eindruck. Genau das, was ich gesucht habe.

wie die anderen Cold Steel auch ein tolles und sehr scharfes Messer

Excelente

Das Messer kommt sehr scharf und wahrhaftig stabil. Es erfüllt Outdoor Aufgaben muehelos