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 was blown away by feel of the knife in my hand: there's a nice tactile feel to the G10 material and the deep relief cuts in the handle invite fingers to wrap naturally and tightly in exactly the right place. I have only a tiny collection of knives, but I'm skeptical I will find a handle that feels more inviting and secure to hold.Its sculpted handle and angular blade and overall darkness make it look menacing.I found it easy to open, but not with one hand. The act of releasing the locking mechanism to refold the knife requires a significant and surprising amount of force. This makes the lock mechanism very safe against accidental re-folding - a significant positive quality that deserves to be considered in choosing this knife. I really like it; but I was a little surprised by it. There may be certain young or old individuals who are challenged by its stiffness and will need help re-folding it.The steel alloy of this knife is S35VN, a vanadium alloy powder metallurgy steel with high hardness and great edge retention. This alloy not quite as corrosion resistant as magnacut, a close relative popular in high-end knives. The black coating on the blade, though, obviates the corrosion issue. The alloy is also more brittle (less tough) than some other high end knife alloy steels such as magnacut. The quality of toughness is somewhat more important for a survival knife that will be struck hard with other objects in normal course of work. Toughness will likely not be very important until the knife is dropped and lands tip-first on a rock or until it is used to hack away at something else that is pretty hard. I've not tested it in these scenarios, just giving my understanding as an engineer and a viewer of many YouTube videos on the subject.I tried shaving hair off my arm with this knife right out of the box. In this very informal test I found it to be of comparable sharpness to other good knives; but not literally "razor sharp."

I am not new to cold steel or knives, this is actually my 4th recon 1. I got two with XHP and now two with seven. Both are good steels but prefer the older xhp models. One thing that was immediately noticeable was the G10. This newer one came with a smoother finish not like the older grippy ones, it will save your pant pockets but it won't be as grippy on your hand. I don't know why they made it so smooth. These better steel ones run from $80-$120 depending on the blade shape, edge style and where you get it. It is great large knife very well built and strong lock up. It is heavier construction built to last. It is one of my favorite cold steel knives for edc. It is designed for larger hands or while wearing gloves it has good ergonomics and really needed for its weight. I alternate between this style and spyde4co endura both great knives. This one is well suited for heavy use, it is not my preferred serrations but needed some. I know lots of people don't like serrations and don't care for sharpening them when in reality a plain edge needs way more maintenance. I wish they made a fully serrated model. Overall it is a great knife for the money I got 4 recons and would not hesitate to purchase another one.

After around a year, this knife is still my EDC. My only complaint about it is the pocket clip, but you can easily bend the clip and then it fits great. Can’t tell it’s there when I carry it, very light for the size. The grip is also perfect for wet conditions.

Spyderco, Zero Tolerance, Benchmade, Fox, Microtech. I've got far too many knives from all of them, and appreciate the unique designs and features of every brand and every knife. But I keep coming back to the Cold Steel Recon 1. For the money, if you want a big, no-nonsense, tough-as-nails, working or fighting man's knife, Cold Steel blows away the competition. For around $100 you get great S35V steel; the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 and many Benchmade knives still use S30V and charge half to double the price of a CS recon. Tri-Ad lock - anyone who knows knives understands the power of this design for those situations when a lock MUST not fail. And lately the old "too hard to close" issue of the sticking lock bar seems to have been addressed by Cold Steel. Ergonomics - outstanding finger cut outs, all smooth, rounded edges - no hot spots, (unlike many Benchmades.) And now Cold Steel has fixed my one gripe about Recons - the G10 texture that used to be like a rasp. I always had to take off the pocket clip and file the surface of the G10 to prevent it from destroying my pocket in a few days. Now Cold Steel makes their G10 texture smoother - more like a Spyderco Tenacious or Para. Perfect. For this money, I defy anyone to come up with a tactical knife that is sharper, tougher, more user-friendly, or reliable. If you don't have a Recon 1, buy one.

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 edgePros: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.