Cold SteelEDC Tactical Folding Pocket Knife, Recon

This is going to be a kind of long review so let me give you a quick summary. If you are looking for a hard work knife or a knife for self defense, the cold steel recon 1 with the spear point blade is a fantastic choice. I haven't had any issue with it and if you watch any videos on the recon 1's strength, you won't be disappointed.The Blade itself: I chose the spear point version of the Recon 1. It has a strong tip which can be used for semi delicate tasks. If you need a delicate tip, get the clip point. If you need a heavy heavy use tip, the tanto is a surprisingly good choice. That being said the spear point gives you a good balance of both worlds. My particular Recon 1 was not as sharp as some of my other knives. It was also ground more on one side than the other, which made my cutting edge slightly offset to the right. I re profiled the edge and sharpened it a bit more and now it is almost razor sharp. It is hollow ground which, so far, works great for slicing, not push cutting, but slicing.Materials: The blade steel is CTS XHP steel. From my experience with it, it is fine grained which lets you put a super sharp edge on it. It will easily shave hair off of my arm. It was slightly harder to sharp than s30v(another really good steel) but the edge is very durable. It polishes really well, which again leads to a super fine and precise edge. The blade is coated with DLC(diamond like coating) which is a huge improvement. I haven't really been able to scratch or scrap it, so I don't know what it takes to damage the coating. I have cut wood, cardboard, plastic and not a single blemish on the coating. The handles are super aggressive textured g10, no steel liners. It's a super strong and rigid handle, while still being light weight.Ergonomics: I wear large sized gloves and the Recon 1 fits in my hand perfectly. Its a secure grip and I can even choke up on the knife (putting my index finger on the area between the blade and the finger choil) for a more precise cut. The pocket clip doesn't feel uncomfortable while holding the knife. In pocket the Recon 1 is somewhat on the large side, but its not too bad. It does stick out of your pocket about half an inch. For cold steel, half an inch is really good. The thumb studs are reversible, using only a flat head screw driver, and are very functional. No issue what so ever with the thumb studs. The lock, which has no noticeable play in it, is slightly hard to disengage, but it gets better to open as the knife ages. That being said, the triad lock also becomes stronger as it ages, which is good design.BE CAREFUL: when closing the knife, it has a spring in it which pulls the knife back into the handle when the blade is about a third of the way open. Make sure your fingers are not in the way. It is sharp, and it will cut you if you don't pay attention to it. It sounds stupid but there's a couple videos out there of people getting cut because they didn't move their fingers out of the way fast enough.Conclusion: I use the recon 1 as a hard use work knife. It feels and is strong. Its a comfortable knife that feels like it'll last a long time. I have yet to have any issue with it after fixing up the edge geometry. If you want to use it for self defense, it has tons of traction, but in an emergency situation, the thumb studs are some what small. With a bit of training, that shouldn't be an issue. I would absolutely recommend it as a work knife. Maybe not as an edc, but if you can get past the bulk, its a relatively light weight knife and it has so much capabilities.

Cold Steel Recon 1's are my favorite folding knives. I own 5 in every style. For those that are thinking about buying one, pull the trigger and do it. You will not regret it.As with all my CS knives, it was razor sharp out of the box. Watch all the YouTube videos to see what you're actually getting. One of the main reasons for me is the Tri-Ad lock. Knowing I can hard use this knife without worrying about my fingers gives me peace of mind.The Recon knives are super strong, super durable, super sharp, very balanced, very comfortable and a great value. It's a knife you actually look for reasons to abuse.People complain about the stiff clip and aggressive G10. My first Recon tore my pants pockets to shreds. I took a butter knife, slid it under the clip and gently pried it up slightly to get a very small gap. Did the trick. The knife has never fallen out of the pocket. But then again I don't go running up and down mountain trails. I EDC a different Recon 1 depending on where I'm going.My Recon 1's are like American Express..... Never leave home without it.

I own several Cold Steel knives, including 3 other versions of the Recon (I have 2 mini recons in the tanto & spear point, as well as the Recon 1 with the clip point blade and the Recon XL). I love the Recon 1 because the 4" blade is perfect for a folder imo. It's big enough to do serious work, but still small enough to do fine carving. The 4" size also means that the handle fits perfectly in my large hands. The handle itself is fantastic, with a nice aggressive texture that feels good in the hand without causing any pain. The handle is contoured to fit in the hand perfect for me, with a large primary finger groove for the pointer finger and a second groove for the middle finger.The pocket clip is 4 way, so the Recon can be carried tip up/down, left or right side. The lockup is on the Recon is rock solid. There's no left/right wiggle when open. Cold Steel's axis locking mechanism is one of the best imo, and I don't worry about the lock failing on me. The ambi thumb stub is adjustable, so you can add or take away length to ensure your thumb makes positive contact. There's also a spot where you can add some paracord to the handle.The spear point blade itself is a monster piece of metal. The hollow grind works well for the spear point shape. The belly on the blade is a good size, giving you plenty of cutting surface. The blade was razor sharp out of the box, as it should be. The blade itself is thick, so no worries about it breaking. This is my EDC knife for the foreseeable future.So why only 4 stars and not 5? The Recon 1 is a BIG knife- it's not something that is easily concealed. It's also heavy, do you definitely know it's in your pocket. Also for $90 they could have easily added a glass breaker or base that could be used for hammering. Lastly the pocket clip has a beaver tail that swoops up, and that swoop can get in the way during extended use causing a hot spot/contact point that can be uncomfortable.