Although it's a bit thick in the blade, and it's not for everybody, the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter is ultimately a pretty damned good knife, and although it's not my style, strictly speaking, it's a gem.
I think what you forgot to mention is that this knife is primarily for dressing wild game, and processing meat. It’s more of a utilitarian knife for camp cooking or field dressing. I got the impression that this folder is a companion to a full fixed blade knife. Granted with the blade length and how sharp it is, you could use it for a variety of purposes. Buts it’s essentially a field type folding knife. Either way if I have one knife I can take, I’m choosing this one.
My mom said, 'how a beautiful knife this is!' while watching your review. It looks like our traditional general using knives(skinning knife looking blades) in Turkey, Gaziantep.
This knife is vastly better than a Rat 1 or Para 2 at cutting up meat bicycles, meat boots, and 2 liter bottles of brightly colored liquids. I'm not sure about non-meat and non-2 liter items. I'll need more PROOF.
@@lyman135 Uh...yeah. Knives are used as tools A LOT more than their other use. SMH...ever heard of whittling, carving, batoning, cutting rope, shaving wood, skinning a deer carcase, etc.
@@lyman135 stupid? How is it stupid? It's 100% fact! Nothing stupid about it. There are hundreds of thousands that use knives as TOOLS, not weapons! You ever been on a long camping trip in the wilderness or worked on a ranch?
@@cueball981 Can you please point out where I have mentioned weapons in any way? I don't use my knives as weapons. They are horrible weapons. I said tool related tasks is a stupid phrase. I think you heard the word tool and associated that with yourself so you felt the need to comment. Again, thank you for taking the time to explain to me what knives are used for. 🙄
$90 for XHP is great . if you put XHP on a Spyderco Tenacious it would be about $150. Also , it's a hunting/skinning knife , so you need the blade to be stout , in case you hit bone or you put it in the dirt by accident while skinnig .
I never believed you about people freaking out over knife shape. My girlfriend works in a nursing home and anything not shaped like a spyderco tenacious makes the residents think she's a serial killer.
I agree I'm a big cold steel fan and the blade writing must go! You review so many different knives it's hard to be a snob. You really opened me up to what's out there.
@Nick Shabazz, I know this is an OLD review, but just received the orange-handled version of this one, and after disassembly, cleaning, lubing, and putting it back together, this knife is super smooth now, just like by AD-10 and Recon 1 Tanto. There's something to be said about the combination of the phosphor-bronze washers paired with the Teflon. So I noticed you made a comment regarding the groove in the back of the handle. After holding this in my hand in several different ways, I believe that divot is meant to allow your thumb to set in if you're needing to use the knife to puncture into a hard material. Try it out if you still have one of these around! It actually makes a lot of sense. Anyways, great review, and keep doing what you do. I've learned a lot over the past 6 months since starting my collection.
I have 8 cold steel folders which all look imitating when we just want to go camping...this will be a good blade to bring along. Thanks for the review. The next folder I will purchase.
Price? If is was a Spyderco, it would be 150 bucks? I am stumped! I was stoked about the price!! 90? I think it is a great value! The PM 2 is well over a hundred bucks.
Right but with the Ultinate Hunter you are getting much better steel in xhp compared to s30v and a much strongher lock than he compression lock. Maybe thinner but not lighter.
zero 4U I wish we could get these for $90 over here in Ireland. It's $225 on Heinnie Haynes website, which is a UK website where I could get it from. You couldn't even get one in Ireland
I agree it is an utility knife, I mean non " tacticool". Anyways, maybe the recess in the end of the handle, might be for the thumb in a reverse grip, just guessing. Nice video. Thanks!!!
Say Heah Nick, I think your missing the boat. I like doing Afternoon Delight's. Sometimes I just go with a Basic Trio. A Belt Knife, a Hatchet and Saw. I even have some Lite Trio's like my Mora 2000, the Mora Hatchet and my Bacho Laplander. Then I just go with my Cold Steel Kukuri Plus in O1 and my San Mai 3 Master Hunter, plus a Saw. That's where my C. S. Ultimate Hunter comes on. This way all I need is my Gerber Multi Tool to take hot pots off the fire, open a can of Beans or what ever. Actually I like to carry my Ultimate Hunter with a Basic Trio for instance my Modified Rodent 6 with my 17" Hultafors Bruks Agdor Hatchet and my Wicked Tough Saw. I also sometimes carry my Mora 510 as my Neck Knife instead of the folder. But I also have a Cold Steel Black Rhino that I like alot. One more thing. the blade profile on my Ultimate Hunter reminds me of my Benchmade Bushcrafter #162. So yeah, I definitely use it in the bush.,,.p
I have hunted and harvested many big game animals from a young age, and have been a knife enthusiast and collector my entire life. This knife is called tne ultimate hunter for a reason. A drop point blade is the best for skinning and separating joints, the handle is designed for bloody slippery hands, blaze orange for when you lay it down while processing game to pack out of the woods, you dont loose it. Get real, it's primarily a hunting knife! Excellent i might add!
I'm always conflicted with the 'hunter' or 'hunting' style pocket knives. I always find that they just ooze class with the nice curves and (usually) the wood or micartha handles. I live in the Netherlands, and carrying a pocket knive is fairly uncommon, so looking like a man child/mall ninja happens al little quicker than in countries where carrying a knife is much more common. Not with SAK's or classic hunter styled knives though. Unfortunatly compared do Spyderco's and the other dedicated EDC brands, they're just not as effective as everyday carry. Usually a little heavier, the handles are a little thicker, hollow grinds and thick blade stock.
I was pretty surprised when I saw the disassembly video, as I couldn't envision you buying this knife, and I wondered how you would assess it. I agree with your good and great points, but have a somewhat different view of one of your main dings against it - the handle thickness. I definitely agree that for EDC carry, it's bulky, but I don't see that as a negative, because this knife is purpose built for hunting and related outdoors tasks, not EDC. It says so, in large, gaudy, and utterly unnecessary lettering on the blade. In fact, the thick handle is a boon if you're skinning and dressing a wild boar, or carving a spoon on a bushcrafting campout, because it reduces the risk of hand fatigue. It brings to mind another excellent, purpose-built outdoorsman's folder, the Steel Will Druid 290, the handle of which is so thick that the makers include a sheath to carry it, because they quite reasonably surmised that nobody would want to clip it into their pocket. Taking that perspective then, this is one of Cold Steel's gems, marred only by its association to Cold Steel.
Nick, man I adore your reviews. BTW, I think they provided a solid compromise with the thick blade but such a high grind. Great hard use knife, camping, etc. Great stuff for the price, I love this along with a Delica for slicing all day long. That Olamic is excellent though... :)
If you think $90 is expensive, try the uk price. Currently works out to $205!
7 лет назад
I like how the G10 resembles wood grain to a certain extent, that makes it look a lot nicer up close. Some of the ugliest contouring of G10 comes from Cold Steel. I absolutely hate the cross pattern on my Voyager scales, it's not going anywhere, but man is it ugly, and combined with the clip it can eat any pocket!
Thank you Nick. It's very interesting what you have to tell about how Cold Steel "comports" itself. I'm the kind of person also where things like that do matter. Though this video is now two years old and since then you seem to have mostly forgiven their CEO for his behaviors.
What would make this knife worth the 90 bucks in your eyes? I enjoy the lines on this knife, and one of the things that make it good also hurt it. That handle is epic, and really does make this an outdoor folder over an edc. I think for what it is, it's pretty great. I dont want to seem like I'm making excuses for Lynn Thompson, but he really did offer amazing products that didn't have disgusting profit margins like some brands, and I felt like he was paranoid about patient infringement. In the public eye he claimed he was ok with clones overseas, but when no one was looking, it was making him looney, and he wasn't gonna let himself be taken, or bullied himself. So he tended to have a very proactive mindset when it came to protecting his stuff. It wasn't always pretty, but business (especially US owned, overseas produced) is so damn cutthroat, someone's always gonna be getting hurt. Lynn is no saint, but I really respect him, and I think he's got a good heart (yes I've been aquainted, just qualifying not bragging) in the end, he found himself against the ropes a bit, and retired a bit sooner than he wanted. I hope he is happy and healthy. I'm certainly gonna miss him.
How do you know how good it is unless you hang weights off of it until it breaks? Good review as always, Nick. Spot on about CS practically yelling with their labeling.
I think I'll stick with my Code 4, it's really the only cold steel triad lock that appeals to me. Not a huge fan of cold steel's business practices either, trademarking sanmai is just pretentious. That being said I do like my code 4 though. Great review as usual.
Tmankiller72 GoldenEye is a bit spendy for a cold steel (I own much more expensive knives, but I wouldn't spend a ton on CS personally). Also don't really care for the goldeneye's looks (kinda ugly IMO). Same with the 4max, too spendy for my liking and don't really like the looks, though to me it looks better than the GoldenEye.
Every time I see a CS closed with the triad lock gap I think “why is that not a bottle opener?!”.. make it happen nick, you got connections!! I’ve tried with my Finn Wolf and out did not work lol. Though I admit trying it with a softer steel may not be the smartest idea, a harder steel should hold up fine
Timmy Two well, you obviously don't need a hard use knife, this isn't for the pocket jewelry crowd. I've owned knives from $15 production to well over $1,000 customs. Bang for buck, utility, and strength of SOME Cold Steel models are almost without peer. I'm not a Cold Steel fan boy, but that doesn't change the truth.
Facts. I have many expensive, beautiful, well-made custom and production knives. But when I'm camping? I have a CS Ultimate Hunter in my pocket and usually a fixed blade on my belt.
Right? "I wouldn't pay $10 for this knife!" Get the fuck outta here, it's XHP, hardened to like 61rhc for a bill or less!! This knife is TOUGH. Talk about the answer to "How can you tell someone doesn't know anything about knives".
Always keep in mind what a knife is made for. The Hunter, is a hunting knife, designed to skin animals and process meat...Not to cut apples. You use a paring knife, to cut apples not hunting knives. The handles sizes is wide as it makes it easier to hold and control when skinning and butchering meat. Any time you use a tool for what it is not designed to do, you will be disappointed. No knife can do it all. The question is... Does it do what it is designed for, and how well does it do it versus its competition? As a folding hunting knife, this is a really good tool. I just wish it came in Elmax steel. So, go out and kill a wild pig, or a deer, or an elk and cut it up for dinner.
I'm not a hunter expert but I would want a fixed blade, relatively small, thin, sharp, with a good rounded belly for skinning/processing. I think this knife would be OK... Just a little too thick...
the central avenue gunslinger I use two sizes of hunting blades, depending on the task. For their tasks larger aren't difficult to control, though for detail cutting and slicing smaller are easier to control for sure.
what's sad is I really like the looks of this knife. it has a lot of resemblance to Andrew demko's AD-10 series which is one of my grail knives. also, as a hunter, this looks like it would be a great knife for skinning ( the name ultimate hunter has nothing to do with that opinion, but the blade shape looks well suited to that task). I would even be able to look past the price tag, because I just like the way it looks so much. However, the fact that it's a cold steel means I won't be buying one. after the way Lynn has basically given the middle finger to the whole knife community, I won't even put any of my money in his pocket. Before the drama, I owned a few cold steel knives, and was impressed by what you get for the money, but none of the designs really "spoke to me" if that makes any sense. After the drama, there hasn't been any issue with me not buying a cold steel, because I didn't see anything that he liked.....but than they came out with this one, and now I keep thinking "damnit Lynn, why did you have to go and make something that I want!", lol, oh well
It's sold as a hunting knife, not a trowel or fruit knife. I dislike Cold Steel, but the knife is good. When you have to try that hard to find "cons" it's time to stop.
Their Videos were the reason I didn't buy one of their knives and rather went with an unnamed knife that cost 4 times as much. Well done Cold Steel. You could see it in his face that he was embarassed himself for that video.
