My dad told me about his that he had in service. Told me he absolutely loved the knife and that it was his favorite. I’ve recently gotten into knives and finally saved up enough to get us both one. So happy to finally get him this
It is very comfortable in the hand! And easy to sharpen again. I dug the ground with it, chopped ice, and used it for cooking. This is the best knife I have ever owned! Thank you!
It amazes me how people can hate on a company like Cold Steel. I buy cold steel knives because they perform, and then some. I will keep buying cold steel knives until they stop being safe cutting tools at a reasonable price; I don't see that stoping anytime soon. keep up the good work CS!
I cary this knife everyday. At first I just kept it with me for a "just in case scenario", but one time I needed to pry a hub cap off to fix a flat and I scratched the black coating... I was kinda upset at first like any guy would be when you hurt a "toy". This is no toy! This blade is a throat slitting, body armor pricing, car door prying, combat knife that likes to play hard and dirty. As I said before this is my EDC knife I forget my wallet more than my Recon Tanto.
Awesome. I have several of their products, about 40. I want to add this one to the list. I EDC the Vaquero Grande everywhere. It's a 6" blade folder and it's 25 years old. It hides amazing well in plain sight. I love how Cold Steel tests their products.
cause he probably lives in the woods with the big foot family. carry one in the city & the cops will smack your head on the hood as soon as they see your with it ....
countryboy91br Texas just did away with our blade length laws so now we can carry a katana if we want. Ever since Sept 1st I've been carrying a bowie. Gonna switch to this recon tanto soon though
I've been carrying a Buck Nighthawk which is 11 1/4 inches overall with a 6 1/4 inch blade for about 25 years everywhere I go, including the city, with no problem from the police. Never had my head smacked on a hood or anywhere else.
I have the AUS8 steel version.....hands down the best pound for pound, dollar for dollar fixed blade knife you can get period.I put mine through a ton of abuse and it feels like its still new.
If I'm correct, both the AUS8A and San Mai III versions of the Recon Tanto are made in Japan. That's no reason to not get them though; quality comes from how a knife is crafted, not where.
I own said knife, have for 20 years and its always preformed well. From gutting fish to cutting through the rib cage of a deer. Now I've never cut big limbs from trees, or used it to punch a hole in wood, cause thats not what a knife is for. But if you want a good heavy bladed knife that will stand up to years of "normal" use this is a good knife
Was just watching 'Chronicles of Riddick' and saw a Recon Tanto. It's in the scene where a guard tries to stab Riddick, but he blocks the thrust and kills the guard with a coffee mug.
I plan on maintaining the ones I bought, my AK47 Folder made it thru Iraq only needing a sharpening, but after I got home the lip that assists with opening broke off. It still works fine, but I bought another for the next mission. I plan on doing some training with the training weapons, and deploying with their big brother sharp tools. I look forward to seeing how they hold up. I have had no complaints yet, and don't foresee any.. Side note: They beat the pants off the similar KaBar's I tested
That's true, and as a civilian I tend to avoid coated knives for just that reason. However, if you're in a military or other combat situation, and not doing stupid crap like stabbing car doors (see video), that coating can be very beneficial. Not only will it slow down corrosion (good when you don't have the time/resources to maintain your knives), but it will shine far less than a regular blade, which is helpful if you don't want the other guy to see you from 100 feet off :P
I see that there are ones made in Japan and AUS8 or something...? I have 2 versions of the Carbon V... One has its stamped letters in that are simple lined with the coating smooth, and the other has a rough coating and the stamped letters look more updated. My question I guess is when did the Carbon V's start in production and end in production? Thank for your time and patience... ☺
I just got this and Its like a Wakizashi that I still own and bought from Japan.. but this is More Modern and Totally looks awesome :D and it does a lot of things even out doors when you need to.. not only as a self defence kit but also a small tool
Hey Cold Steel! As I saw you pierce through a German camo pattern bulletproof vest with your Recon Tanto, i once more noticed how badly it sucks that one-hand operated knives and fixed blades above 4.5 iches are prohibited here in Germany. If you guys would think about two-hand operated versions of the Voyager series or below-4.5 inch versions of the SRK, this would be pretty awesome. It would surely increase your market share here, which does not seem to be that great... Keep making awesome knives!
Well these are indeed hard tests but I haven't seen any of these knives, for example, cut some nylon or natural fibre ropes AFTER such abuse. Maybe I've really missed something. When I see that I'll be in the shop to get one.
Hi Mr Smith, thanks for the info but knives in movies are nothing more than props and like most product placement are paid. I know the movies you list. I certainly know what a Dan grade is having trained myself in JUDO. Not sure what you need to do to classify yourself as a "master hunter" although I've been a bow hunter for over 35 years. I guess I was being a bit facetious as I'm sure these are good knives but that's not because of anything American but because of the "master" knife smiths in Japan making the the main components of their (CSK) more expensive non made in China knives- with exception of the USA made models.
@WaznGuy Of, well then in that case you want a fixed blade knife with a very strong tip. Tantos have too fine of a tip, it will get broken, I can't look at cold steels website to give you a choice but I hope I helped.
I can't decide between this and an SRK (also by Cold Steel.) What I'm looking for is just a tough fixed blade knife for camping and stuff like that chopping branches.
All cold steel tantos are made either in the US or Japan which is a big deal because some of the best knives com from Japan and you need a license is Japan just to make a knife
Basically, the San Mai III steel is stronger and holds an edge better, and is also more resistant to rust. So, it can take some more punishment and is preferable for wet locations. If you can afford the extra $40-$50 it takes to upgrade to San Mai III, then it is quite nice.
@MrMaximusi It's not an axe it's a knife they were showing its strength and if you did need to cut something like a tree it's not hard to find a small log. But regardless knife not axe, stupid comment.
i wanna see you guys baton after the top of the blade is in the wood and you have to hot towards the end I've broken many knives including cold steel with that test
Out of curiosity and from someone who dislikes tanto blades, what are the advantages of tanto design over say spear point, clip, mod-drop. I could imagine that piercing would be one of them, but most utility cuts seem to take place on the squared off edge, which is something that doesn't appeal to me. You can't really roll the knife.
I wonder if some guy ever tried to protect himself with his gun from a soldier attacking with a recon tanto and the knife just when through the magazine and killed the enemy, Sounds like a cool story,
Recon Tanto will bend till 63 degress and break it hardly cause AUS-8 is tough steel,not too hard and brittle . They should have update it with AUS-10 which is a same alloy as AUS-8,just more Carbon in it .
Agreed. Sometimes, I look at my $130 SOG Force, which is meant for long-duration military missions where the sh*t has really hit the fan, and I think "I've got no good reason to own a thing like this" ... but then I just look at it some more, and go back to thinking "pretty knives... want more" haha
Hey Cold Steel I was wondering what the better knife was, the Recon Tanto or the Leatherneck Tanto. Both look similar but the handle on the Leatherneck looks alot sturdier and more comfortable than the Recon.
I actually just got my hands on an older Carbon V Recon Tanto. It's definitely seen some action in it's time; the powder coating is somewhat scratched and worn, and the knife's edge (especially the tip) is more than a little on the rough side. How should I go about revitalizing and sharpening my new (to me) knife, and what ongoing care should I be putting into it?
Hey CsKnives guys ! Can you swear on your life that you're using the factory edge on your demo knives ? (I doubt it, because mine were sharp but never as sharp as they could/should out of the box) Also, can you recommend a good sharpening rig in your opinion ? Thx
+Cold Steel you guys should do giveaways for this knife because me and my dad go through a couple pocket knives each year and can't find a good knife that will last long bug I also tried buying one offline but it wouldn't send it to me for some reason
Love CS knives, but I will never understand why they doesn't hit the "reinforced" areas of the hood.. the knifes are absolutely capables of going throught it... PS: I know my english suck :D
My mistake. 2:07 was much funnier. If anything in the video was true to the actual blade, you can expect a purchase from me real soon. If it is sub $100. Or if it is even slightly above.
@KoolzzRyan15 Is that a joke? the ammo clip came from the most produce gun ever manufactured in the history of all guns.. around 70 millions all around the world.
did you guys switch blades in the vid? Cuz after the bone test the knife's coating was scratched, but the tests done after bone test I can see the coating was still intact
MasterofPlay7 Look at the San Mia version, I know it is $115, but well worth it, it is a very pretty knife, and a very good steel. The coating serves a pretty important propose for some of their client, but since it is a stainless steel, you could just sand off the coating and polish the blade yourself. It is not that bad of a project.
Dan Martin yea but I'd heard the vg1 is really hard to sharpen and in Canada is selling at $135. I mean even if I decided to buy the knife I'll most likely put it in display rather than use it for its price.
MasterofPlay7 Nahhh don't do that man!! When I was younger I used to be afraid to use more expensive blades... but now I would use the spine of my $250 Spyderco Tuff to scrap rust off a nail if I needed to. Because I know that with some soap, and maybe a bit of polish in extreme cases, I can have it back to new. Do not doubt how tough these knives really are. The sharpening really comes down to what you have. If you have the ability to sharpen confidently the AUS8 one, than you should be able to do the VG-1. I actually find it easier to sharpen CPM s30v (supposedly a very hard steel to sharpen) than I do most AUS8 blades, which are supposed to be easy, it really is all in the mind.... however if you plan to not use it that often, than the VG-1 will stay sharp much longer, and really you should never have to sharpen it if you do not use it much. Finally I suggest you look at their Kubon. It is like a small Recon Tanto. It Is only $40 or so, and it is a REALLY cool knife. I bought one for a friend a few years ago, and I almost did not let it go.
+zoeblo paistinpannu No you can't! I would NEVER EVER do that to one of my knives. Not even once. That was so hard on the point any other knife would loose the tip. And they even hammered it in and then pryed it. Unbeliavable! If you think I'm wrong take YOUR knife, do this, film it, and we'll see who was right.
