Cold SteelRecon 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.

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."

What can you say. It’s Cold Steel, it’s the Recon 1, Tri-Ad lock, enough said, but I’ll say more. 4” of bad to the bone sharpness. The handle just melts in your hand. One of the greatest EDC carry tools out there, and for the price Amazon has for it. No brainer. Grab it or grab two.

Great pocket knife. Can be used for any job or task you need it for.

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.

Good well balanced folder, good blade steel, for what you get it's a good value, handle material is grippy, if you have large hands this one is for you.