- Blade: 4″
- Overall: 8 3/4″
- Weight: 6.8 oz.
- Steel: Japanese AUS 8A Stainless
Product Description
Ti-Lite tactical folders evoke the sleek speed and rebellious lines of the classic 1950’s-styled switchblade. Unlike most switchblades however, they are legal to carry nearly everywhere. They feature Japanese made AUS … More >>
#1 by Jennifer Castro on August 15, 2010 - 4:23 am
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great buy worth every penny….shipping could have been better….made in tawian better then china and has a good warrantry…im happy
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by D. von Matt on August 15, 2010 - 6:45 am
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Great for the price!!!
Cut like a razor (when new) fast on the opening and all with that with a great look!
Rating: 4 / 5
#3 by Jake Flash on August 15, 2010 - 8:33 am
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I knew I wanted this knife as soon as I saw it in the Cold Steel catalog, because it had that awesome switchblade look, while still remaining totally legal to carry. The promotional video on their website was also convincing (although the claims of greatness were somewhat overblown as a lot of Cold Steel’s advertising tends to be.) However, I am still satisfied because this knife does look as cool in person as it does in the pictures.
As for usability, this is not very practical for everyday cutting tasks, due to the design of the blade — I will say that it’s an awesome letter opener though. To be honest, this is more of a tactical (defensive) blade than EDC blade. The quillion works well to deploy the knife, and if you prefer the thumbstud, with proper technique, it comes out switchblade-fast with no wrist motion required. So deployment is not a problem, although the somewhat covered thumbstud makes it a bit more difficult to deploy, especially under stress. The blade has a lot of reach, and I imagine it would do a lot of damage in a lunge technique (and it does a ton of damage to cardboard silhouettes in the Cold Steel promo vid.) The only problem that I foresee in using this as a defensive blade is that there is no functional gimping or thumb ramp, and only the small quillions are there to stop your hand from sliding forward on the untextured zytel handle.
Also, I learned a poignant lesson with this knife: it can be difficult to tell which side is the sharp-side on a symmetrical blade. I cut myself while using my thumb to wipe peanut butter off what I thought was the spine. You wouldn’t have this confusion with an asymmetrical blade, where it’s easy to tell which side is the cutting edge. And don’t think something like this can’t happen to you. Under stress or simply in a slip of careless, it is not difficult to make the same mistake.
Overall, if you’re looking for a knife with that switchblade look, this is a very cool knife that won’t break the bank. However, it is not really a good EDC knife, and has some shortcomings in defensive use as well. If you’re buying one, buy it for the looks, not the practicality.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Enrique Bozzo on August 15, 2010 - 10:35 am
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This knife is OK overall, sturdy enough and sharp. Now, the blade is badly machined, the back of the knife (opposite the edge) has two sharp edges that bite into your flesh. The lower part, by the side of the main edge and getting to the handle, shows the sideways grooves of the production lathe or whatever machine they used.
The serrated side salients which should help you to open the blade are so aggressive and crude that they really hurt and had to be smoothed with a grinding rotating stone.
The handle is good, but this is NOT quality engineering and NOT Made in the USA (but in Taiwan) as it was advertised.
With so little more effort it could have been so much better!!
Not what I expected from Cold Steel.
Rating: 3 / 5
#5 by Rebecca Shanks on August 15, 2010 - 11:25 am
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This is a cool knife. I bought the Zytel-handled version, sight unseen. Normally, I insist on handling a knife before buying it. I made an exception in this case because I just liked the look of the it, was somewhat swayed by the enthusiastic reviews, and the price was reasonable enough.
The good:
* very sharp
* very cool-looking
* strong liner lock
* opens as advertised–fast using a pocket
The bad:
* totally impractical for everyday carry (EDC)
* sharp edges poke you when worn in a pocket
* can’t move the pocket clip (lefties are out of luck on this one)
* if you are even slightly klutzy, you have to practice opening it or you can seriously hurt yourself while deploying it
Well, I was warned about all of the above before I bought it and I still had to have it. I am happy with my knife. It’s not an EDC, but it’s a nice addition to my collection.
Rating: 3 / 5