The Cold Steel knives just keep on coming! The Black Sable is perhaps the highest end of all the Cold Steel knives that have passed through my hands, and it is quite a decent knife, if you don’t consider it’s retail price of $489.95. Yes, $489.95. Seriously.

How that we’ve got the ridiculous pricing out of the way, we can talk more about the actual qualities of the knife. The VG-10 San Mai III steel blade; the beautifully ground, shaped and polished blade; and carved titanium bolsters. The lockback mechanism is very solid and locks like a bank vault. Micarta handles are smoothly polished, showing a level of finish definately a cut above your usual knife, especially from Cold Steel.

The San Mai III blade uses layers of 440A sandwiching a peice of VG-1 steel, and when they are fully polished like this one, the result is quite stunning. The trailing point blade is unusual, with a Tanto-style tip, giving it a Japanese inspired look. The handle has a pronounced finger choil and a curved butt, giving the knife fantastic retention. Carved bolsters add a level of sophistication to the design and the reversable pocket clip adds versatility.

I would have liked to see a larger pivot screw, maybe with a fancy proprietary spanner pattern of some sort. Additionally, the action, while precise, is somewhat stiff on this knife. This is due to a combination of the shape of the blade tang and the amount of pressure exerted by the lockback mechanism. This knife is a bit hard to open compared to others.

The blade is very thick, and overall the knife has a lot of weight to it, and the curved handle fits my hand nicely. I would recommend this knife if you can pick it up at a bargain price in the under-$250 range, and do not really plan to use it. The stiffness of the action means that it is slow to deploy, and the impractical shape of the knife make it difficult to use as an EDC. Additionally, while the polished blade is beautiful to look at, it will scratch easily making the knife look used very quickly.

Specs:
Blade Length: 4″
Overall Length: 9 7/8″
Blade Steel: San Mai III
Handle Material: Micarta
Bolsters: Titanium
Frame: Titanium

Video:

I’ve reviewed several Cold Steel knives, even though I am not a huge fan of their knives. The Vaquero Grande is one of their old school designs, one of the ones that have made them popular. It is an affordable lightweight folder, with a massive 6″ blade.

The Vaquero Grande has what they call a Nogales Clip point blade, and has a wavy handle that would fit the hand a lot better if it was smaller, but then again this isn’t an EDC, and not a knife that anyone would likey use regularly. To me this is one of many Cold Steel knives designed to shock and surprise – a show knife, albeit a cheap one.

The blade grind on the Vaquero Grande is like a convex grind, but with a final grind and Cold Steel’s Micro-style serrations that are great for cutting cheese. The serrations however are impossible to sharpen without changing the edge geometry because of the size of the smaller teeth – one of the most annoying things about Cold Steel serrations in my opinion. The surface of the blade as you may have noticed from the pics is also somewhat striped, indication that the level of finish on the blade is somewhat mediocre. The serrations are also only one one side.

Given the low cost of this knife most of the issues I mentioned above are not really a big deal, but they are distracting as Spyderco does not have them at the same price point and also provide a much better steel. The blade opens and closes with a stop partway through the action to prevent accidently closure on the fingers due to the difficulty in controlling such a large blade.

Overall, a knife that doesn’t really have the level of finish that I would have hoped for, and the size combined with the odd knife shape and overly large handle makes the knife impractical for EDC or even general use.

Specs:
Blade Steel: AUS-8
Blade Length: 6″
Overall Length: 13 1/4″
Handle Material: FRN

Video Review:

Are you guys ready for more Cold Steel? Well, either way, I’ve got more for you. I was never a huge fan of Lynn Thompson’s creations, but admittedly, some of his stuff does have an odd appeal to it, and certainly does excite the senses when you’re holding it. The Konjo II definately looks stunning in person.

More on the super-thin handle… This knife is probably one of the most uncomfortable knives I’ve ever held. I don’t understand why the handle was made so thin aside from trying to save some money on materials. Gripping onto the handle with your hands it simply feels too thin and small – and I do not have big hands. Additionally, the taper towards the back of the knife makes the knife even more awkward to hold.

Having said all that, the knife does look quite beautiful if you overlook the functional flaws. The crosscut nickel silver habaki is beautifully done, and the San Mai III steel is beautifully mirror polished. The sheath is also quite nice with a genuine ray skin insert sewn in the all-leather base. The sheath, however, like the knife is not very usable and confirms the item as a show knife.

Blade is extremely sharp out of the box and shows beautifully. This knife is now discontinued and sold out, after clearing them out at a very low price off the CS website directly. Retail on this blade is $400US, but they were clearing them out for $150 each, or $200 for two!

Specs:
Blade Length: 5″
Overall Length: 9 1/4″
Blade Thickness: 4mm
Weight: 6.6oz
Blade Steel: San Mai III
Handle Material: Micarta
Bolsters: Nickel Silver

My opinion of Cold Steel’s knives has changed a bit with the recent acquisition of a couple of Cold Steel folders. The Hatamoto is the first of these Cold Steel knives that I have acquired, and comes from their high-end line they call their “Custom Series”, and feature their mysterious and somewhat gimmicky San Mai III Steel.

The liner lock is typicaly Cold Steel, with the pad that they used for easy lock disengagement. The grinds on this knife are very cool, and are the same as the ones used on the Magnum Tanto, featuring the Americanized Tanto blade that Cold Steel popularized in the 80′s.

All bias aside, the Hatamoto is a very nice looking and feeling knife, with very nice grind lines and parts. The steel is either VG-1 or AUS-8 sandwiched by what is likely 420J2 stainless. A very acceptable steel, but for the premium cost, it is priced a bit high, but as with all Cold Steel, the street price is always much lower than the retail.

If it weren’t for the ridiculous marketing tactics and inflated retail pricing, Cold Steel would have a decent product on their hands. Instead of pricing the knife at $400 and selling it at $250, they should have just priced it closer to $250.

Overall a really nice knife that is extremely sharp and shaves hair without thinking twice. Action is very smooth, and washers are extremely thin, an indication of very precision contruction. These Custom Series folders are significantly better than their standard offerings, and if you can get one for a good price, they are not a bad choice. However, if you are a true tactical nut, you might have written off Lynn Thompson of Cold Steel long ago and would be caught dead carrying his stuff. I don’t blame you.

Specs:
Blade Length: 5″
Overall Length: 9″
Blade Steel: San Mai III
Liner Material: Titanium
Bolsters: Titanium
Handle: G-10

Video:

This is the first Cold Steel knife I have reviewed on this site, and is one of not many that I have owned. I have never been a big fan of the company, as I see their high end knives as overpriced, and their lower end knives inferior to FRN Spydercos of a similar pricepoint. Having said that, I was quite pleased with this Night Force knife that I received in a trade.

Inside the FRN handles are liners of stainless steel, inset so they are not easily visible, and a stainless steel liner locking bar. The handles have good feel and purchase, with good retention. There are finger grooves for a more comfortable grip, and for a knife this large, it actually comfortably fits my smaller hands.

The 440A steel clip point blade is also black teflon coated for anti-reflection and rust inhibition, and probably just to look cool and Night Force-like. It opens very smoothly, but does have a bit of blade wiggle. Adjusting the pivot helped stop this, but also made the blade rather difficult to open. It was kind of hard to find the perfect balance.

Overall this knife had some charm to it. It felt really nice in the hand, and the texturing on the handle was grippy, yet comfortable to the touch. The FRN handle is tough and leaves no worries of easily scratching it, while its pricepoint is low enough that it can be used as a beater without fear.

Blade Length: 4″
Overall Length: 9″
Blade Steel: 440A Teflon Coated
Handle Material: FRN Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon