I do not find Lynn Thompson to be weird or eccentric. He is into martial arts. There is nothing eccentric about that. He's into firearms. This is America and there is nothing eccentric about that either. Runs a company that makes knives. His company makes tactical/combat knives which are often times carried by military and law enforcement. I find nothing eccentric or weird about this either. I can go on and on but I just don't see why Lynn Thompson is so "Controversial". Cold Steel makes great products and the Recon 1 is just one of many. The Recon 1 was also the knife that kicked off my knife collecting hobby. I love it. It's a tank and is better in terms of reliability and toughness than all the more expensive knives being sold.
One of the best for sure. I own a Syderco Manix 2 XL and it’s got a slight edge (no pun intended) over the Recon 1 in the tactical department, but it’s 💩if you’re talking about utility. The Recon 1 is good as both a tool and a weapon.
Just got my first Recon 1 for my birthday and love it!!! (Been a Cold Steel fan for years and no other company gives you the quality and materials at such great prices!).
Just ordered the Recon 1 in a plain satin spear point from Blades Canada. Can't wait to get it and put it through it's paces. Thanks again for the vid!
Great video. I’ve been carrying my recon 1 tanto with s35vn steel for one year now. With just a little sanding under the pocket clip and around the finger choils it is in my opinion as well one of the best do all knives for the money. I think I will get a spear point as well to go with the tanto and rotate out. Thanks for the video!
I LOVE MY COLD STEEL KNIVES. When it comes to hard use ,strong , out doors , work knives , you can't beat CS knives . They are also some of the Best Bang for Buck Knives around... Today on Amazon , Broken Skull - $63 , Code4 - $68, XHP or s35vn for that price is frickin great..
this knife should be called Number 1 instead of Recon... i have 3, and honestly im buying some more recons because nothing compares to it. 100% agree with you...
This is my favorite knife as well. I have 14 of them, including one with the crossbar lock. The teflon washers are there so the knife would work even if it is totally dry and dusty, never oiled. I had one second hand, was never serviced, lots of gunk, and dust and still opened fine. I had another where the teflon washers were damaged and I removed them. It is not as smooth without them if it is dry (no oil)
I just had an amazing experience with Cold Steel/GSM Outdoors Customer Service. I had a Spartan 4.5" knife sitting in my desk drawer for years, & never did a thing with it. The Tri-Ad lock was so bound up on itself the knife was VERY difficult to close, & I'm a pretty big guy, so there must be Spartan owners out there who can't actuate their locks AT ALL. Anyway, their customer service phone rep just created a case for me, had me send them the knife at my cost, & they sent me a brand new knife. What more could you ask from a company? After seeing what you have to say about this knife, I will definitely be picking one up. Thanks for the awesome vid!!
I agree with your comment about the Chris Reeve knives. First of all, a frame lock would fail long before a RECON-1 would. Second, am grateful for his part I getting S35VN Steel. But to pay the ridiculous price for his knives is for the rich. Not the everyday EDC carrier. I carry a Recon-1 EVERYDAY. It's the best work knife for me. In a SHTF world, a Cold Steel will save yer ass when your pocket candy (Reeves knife) won't. I do Not trust liner locks or frame locks when my precious fingers are on the line. Thanks Lynn for the Baaad ass knife. Hoping you do Recon-1 in MagnaCut in the near future.
I wish they'd make it in AUS-10, it would be tougher than the CPM type steels, and less expensive. Sure the edge wouldn't retain as long, but it's tough steel which is easy to maintain. Their AUS-10 is underappreciated.
@@MB-jg4tr never had a Aus 10 knife. Don't know much about them. The S35VN is pretty good. I would still like to see Cold Steel come out with even better steels.
@@gregorygolden1296 S35VN is awesome, I have a current Recon1 and it's my favorite so far. I paid $85 for it 3 years ago and it has seen a lot of use as it's my EDC. And CS does a good heat treatment on most of their blades. Though since GSM Outdoors took over QC is on the decline, so I made sure to buy a few extra Recon1's so I'll always have one as it's the best large folder I've ever found. AUS-10 is similar to but better than the AUS-8, it's the latest development in the AUS steel line. It's Cold Steel's current mid-range steel. It has a little higher toughness than AUS-8, holds an edge longer, and can be brought to a finer edge. It has similar carbon content to 440c, but also has vanadium in it which allows a sharper edge compared to 440-series steels. AUS-8 is closer to 440a. S35VN is truly a great well rounded steel, it has better edge retention and corrosion resistance, but it's 3x the cost to produce compared to AUS-10. And powdered steels are generally more brittle than simpler steels, which means they are more likely to chip/break with hard use. Simpler steels will roll edges and bend, which is easier to fix, and more advantageous if you are depending on a blade to help you survive. S35VN is superior to AUS-10 in terms of edge retention & wear resistance, and is more corrosion resistant. But AUS-10 is easier to sharpen, has higher toughness, and provides decent balanced performance at a much lower cost. Which is my reasoning, and you could probably get 2 of them for the same price. S35VN is a better EDC steel. MagnaCut would be much better. I'm not an expert, but am a very experienced knife user and aficionado. And I don't want to spend more than $200 on a pocket knife because I don't keep Safe Queens. If I can eventually find a MagnaCut Recon1 for a reasonable price I'll probably purchase one.
@@gregorygolden1296 My main reasoning for wanting an AUS-10 version is toughness & price, and I would give up a little edge retention for a blade I can use harder without breaking. I've had an S35VN Recon1 for 3+ years and I love it, it's the best large folder I've ever found and my EDC. A Recon1 in MagnaCut would be amazing, but I don't want to pay more than $200 on a pocket knife because I don't keep safe queens, and I'd be hesitant to use it like I do my sub-100-dollar blades. That said, if I see the performance on the steel is good after people have used them for a while, and I can get one for a reasonable price I will
Its mainly all the mall ninjas out there that have an issue with cold steel. I know the SRK is standard issue at BUDS and many other SF units and police carry the recon Tanto and the Kobun. My only wish is that they made a recon 1 with a glass breaker for search and rescue.
I love my Recon 1 clip point. I did have a problem retracting the blade. But I massaged the lock button against a door frame, so now it closes easily. I carry this knife when I have to foot it and catch the bus.
It's great for push cuts, it's great for penetration, and it's great for slashing. So, probably best for someone in the military or army. Or for people who just want a good soldier's knife.
I also wanted to comment that until recently, I had EDC'd a PM2 for about 2 years in that same camo & black blade configuration. I started jonesing for a bigger EDC, so I bought myself a new Benchmade Presidio 2. I am struck by how the Presidio & the PM2 have nearly the exact same handle size, yet the Presidio has a much larger blade. You should check it out sometime.
I have an older Recon 1 I bought in early 2000's. It had the axis type locking mechanism and the G10 was so rough you could use it to sand wood but my new one now today has an awesome texture. Not sure why you say it's horrible or will rip up pants it's nothing compared to the older model and on the same level as my Spydercos...
You can remove the Teflon washers I do it to almost all my cold steel knives just leave the phosphor bronze washer in place. it will improve your action greatly
The best Recons are the very early 90s version from Seki City. I've got two still in the box! That's really surprising with the size difference in the PM2s. Perhaps one is a second?
For the money you can't beat Cold steel knives I've owned over 500 different high end folding knives and Cold steel are some of the toughest knives you can buy. Especially now that they use s35vn
Copy that, I'll prolly buy them all but figured I'd take your recommendation on my first purchase. I got a few cs knives but after I broke 3 benchmades I'm going a different route for EDC. Thanks again
Do any Cold Steel knives have an instant blade-deployment feature equivalent to the Emerson Wave? You know, they open immediately upon removing from your pocket?
You can buy the snaggletooth I bought the 3 pack for about 25ish bucks for my Broken Skull and future knives. Just bought a Recon 1 tanto cant wait to get it in the mail 😁😁😁
Let me tell you about Cold Steel. Their triad lock system is unbeatable. Their knives are over the top. Too bad they're not made in America; and the trouser clip needs a bit of work. If their knives were made in USA with a reworked trouser clip, then Cold Steel would be tops in my view.
Yours is saber ground? Odd, mine is not, I just double checked with a ruler to be positive. There's a curved hollow grind there. I have the CTS-XHP and the S34VN versions.
The first CTS-XHP clip point and spear point versions had a hollow grind. The second CTS-XHP clip point and spear point version had a flat grind. All the S35VN clip point and spear point versions have a flat grind, and ALL the AUS 8, CTS-XHP, S35VN tanto versions are hollow grind.
My CRK is my going out knife, if I want a nice luxury cutting tool for edc it’s perfection and has great performance, much smoother and a nicer experience than the recon 1. That being said I love my tanto OD green recon 1 and if I’m going out camping or hiking I will most likely grab the recon 1 or my Freeman in D2.
I hope things haven't changed with CS. I recently bought a Recon 1 and it had bad action and horrible lock binding/sticking (I have other CS Tri-ad lock knives and they were all way smoother out of the box). Sent it back thinking I got a lemon, but the replacement was the same if not worse. Perhaps a bad batch, but disappointing nonetheless. Anyone else noticing this?
It’s the spear point. And you can only get the uncoated blade in one place. It’s an exclusive for a place in Canada. Go here www.warriorsandwonders.com/
Limited Edition Canadian version all problems solved. I bought two last week, tanto and the clip point. Also bought a Benchmade 940, Spyderco PM2 and a Kabar jarosz folder. Now i'm broke for life but new Canadian laws bans importation of all assisted opening knives.
olmmedic Thanks for the info. Spyderco got back to me and the guy said he hasn’t heard of this issue. That he was going to talk to people and get back to me. Strange.
If you hate tantos, you just dont use is the correct way... in my job, I always preffere the tanto.. I have to dig out wood, gipsum and stuff from walls around cables and pipes.. the tanto is the only tip that can do this all day..
English is not my main language.. what I meant was, carving bigger holes around cables to be able to get the hole bigger so that I can do my job... i know it's not meant for digging 😂
For the price I’d avoid, I have two, I prefer my Crkt foresight, the recon one (which nobody mentions) feels ridiculously cheap in hand. It’s too light. Feels unenthusiastic, the foresight with the aluminium scales is a far superior knife, a better everyday edc (I’m in the uk) I’m a roofer and I do carry a blade with excellent reason to do so. I carried the recon one drop point for two years and I couldn’t get to grips with it, the ex got me the foresight and I never looked back. All this coming from a huge cold steel fan. I suppose at the end of the day it’s personal preference.
Try a Cold Steel Code 4 its almost the same except the scales are aluminum and the blade is smaller, Im in Germany and the strong lock and thumb-stud removal made it §42a conform. Great knife, the S35VN blade is perfect for almost ANYTHING, I managed to baton through a 4×20cm piece of oak wood, no chips or any damage.
You and I have completely opposite views on tips. I prefer tanto (the biggest reason I’m not a big Spyderco fan) and despise clip points. If I can’t get it with a tanto point I’ll settle for drop or spear. If it’s only available in clip point I’m not buying it.
IMO, the mini seems to have lost its way. Its just not an evolution. Philosophy of use has become a detraction in form. Most EDC's have a 4" handle, but when you add that guard one barely gets a 4 finger grip. And as a hard use folder in a down cut its just not long enough. They should have made the handle 3/4" longer and named it the "Recon 1 Compact". The steel is better than S35VN ...and before you all jump on me, again, I am talkning 'philosophy of use', here are my supporting sources (8min in) you may consider: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y_cbps5lBbA.html
I don’t own the SR1, but a friend of mine does, so I have held it. The Sr1 is thicker in the blade stock and the recon 1 is much more ergonomic. I feel the recon1 is more usable. To me the sr1 just felt like a sharp pry-bar. As far as durability it’s 6 of one half a dozen of the other. The sr1 has a thicker tip. My preference is the recon1 hands down. I have no intention of owning the sr1.
@@dctruthblade6391 recon and sr1 are good knives....people (my friends) who don't own the SR1 cant afford it......and that goes for the 4 max also....they know who they are...lol
Philoe Olivarria I’m not quite sure what you are saying. I’m assuming you are saying I don’t have the sr1 because I can’t afford it. If that is what you are truly saying, I’m going to have to tell you that is a completely ridiculous and illogical statement, backed by exactly zero brain cells. If I misunderstood your comment please accept my apology and feel free to explain. You do realize you were looking at 5 recon 1 Knives right? All owned and operated by yours truly? I’m confused 🤷♂️
@@dctruthblade6391 lol. No..just mainly talking about my friends who talk alot if shit about my knives. if they had the money they would surely buy one......my next knife will be the recon...spear point......I'm into the spear point knives....but I do own the cold steel SRK...which is attached to the roll bar of my jeep....I'm actually a big ESEE fan boy......
Philoe Olivarria Ok. Sorry about that. I kind of figured I was misreading. You get some stupid comments online, so you never know. I’m a big ESEE fan as well. The 6 being my favorite fixed blade. I stripped it and blued it too. I did just get two Winkler knives though. I tried the belt knife. That thing is amazing. I haven’t used the field knife yet but really nice balanced knife. My BK9 is my if I could only have one knife, knife. Well, again sorry for misunderstanding.
@@Skyfall-sv8df the one made in Italy is better than the one made in usa.......I got the one from Italy and it is soooooo nice...and the scales are darker than the one from the usa....love this knife....
@@Skyfall-sv8df such a great knife...I got mine on Amazon for 289 dollars.....and just found out that the MSRP is around 500......lol crazy.......I just got my cold steel swift 2....trying to break it in...
@@philoeolivarria448how do you like the swift 2 ? I've been checking that knife out but never pulled the trigger. Is it a good slicer ?. your thoughts ?
Lynn Thompson claims to have killed several people in self defense with his knives… yet there are a total of 0 cases where he was involved with any sort of violent encounter filed with the police….
No, it's not a bummer. Because the knife would be twice the price and the quality would be identical. I'd rather buy 2 for $200 than 1 for $200 just so it could say made in USA on it. Who gives a fuck? We live on planet Earth. Maybe it should just say, "Made by humans on Earth."
