Cold SteelKobun Serrated 5.5" Japanese AUS8A Stainless Steel American Tanto Shape Fixed Blade Tactical Hunting Knife, Ergonomic Kray-Ex Handle, Secure-Ex Sheath

I had given this knife 4 stars but decided, despite them raising the price, it is STILL worth it. After using now for a while, I am so impressed by its utility, I just had to change it. Its everything I was looking for. For one, it has a nice clip which allows it to fasten to sweat pants which, sadly, they don't usually make with belt loops, thus making the wearing of other knives, impractical. Also this knife has a thin profile, with its flattish, but very tough handle. Its the perfect length. And BEST of all, it has a SERRATED blade!! This makes the knife into a tool that is actually, useful! I have plent of smooth blade knives, razor sharp, but they don't cut through a lot of things (like thick cardboard), things I encounter each day, things I have to settle on using a steak knife on because fancy knives don't work, are all show and thus, hardly ever get used. So this knife is great with its size, functionality, and wonderful, serrated blade! Clips right on my sweat pants so its always handy.The shape of the blade is exquisite with its beautiful tanto tip and one can be fairly certain that this knife, being made in Taiwan by Cold Steel, has been made well, with good steel. Lots of knives, like on that auction site, look good but are made with poor quality metal and don't hold up.So why had I given it 4 stars? I bought this last week here on Amazon for $33. Now its $40. This saddens me as companies keep using the times to inch their prices up and up and up. They probably make these for five bucks each so raising the price...again seems a bit predatory, at the very customers who keep the company going. So that is why 4 stars. But for such quality its still worth it. One little nitpick is that, if using the clip, it only goes on left handed, unless one takes the clip apart, flips it and then reattaches. But if you just use it on a belt, its right handed. I got it for the clip.

This is my first Cold Steel knife and won’t be my last. Shaving sharp out of the box! Fantastic finish on the blade and the handle is nice and grippy. Will be awesome for a defense blade.

The beauty of a great blade can be lost in the functionality and details of the interface with the hand.Not so with this drastically sharp and fierce cutting tool. While the handle is somewhat slim and flat in profile, there's a specific tactical reason for this: it is designed to be a boot-knife. Handle grip is tenacious in the hand and with a tanto point, the blade easily performs piercing tasks with maximum ease of entry. As for the cutting edge, it is reminiscent of a fine-toothed pro-quality Silky pruning saw with some key differences:the Kobun serrations are more suited to slicing knife-duties with the alternating close serration (24 tpi) sections and longer (4mm) sickle shaped sharpened valleys. The blade also has an overall belly which can multiply leverage when applying force with the edge. While this knife can serve nearly any cutting purpose, it does it at a relatively inexpensive price point and with a Japanese style worthy of its name.

This is a well crafted knife, however, the handle is too small for most man sized hands. It could and should be much fatter to fit larger, man sized hands for stability and useability. The knife blade is also well crafted, however, it could be a bit longer for slicing. Other than these observations when using, it's a great "little" knife.

It a very well made boot knife

Bought one for my son, as a little edged backup for his pistol. It’s excellent for that. Light, clips right on, very sharp, fits my hand perfectly (he likes it too)—I’ve read some of the negative comments and I gotta say #1 yes, slightly tight out of the sheath from the get go, but comes out easily with a little push from your thumb when drawing (very fast and easy if you practice just a little) this in my mind is a defensive knife (a people poker) you can use it daily and take it to do all kinds of stuff….but it’s intended purpose (to slice, tear and poke) is where it shines and it’s hard to fault it from the box. You know you want one….just do it

Got my knife 2 days ago. Came neatly packaged, really sharp, and the sheath had amazing retention. The sheath doesn’t let the knife come out unless you want it to. For $45, this knife has amazing value. Grip is a little short, but it’s fine, comfortable in hand. I also think it looks awesome. Overall very happy with it ESPECIALLY for only $45. Great deal. Great knife so far.

I liked my first one so much that bought another one, because the price dipped. Unfortunately the SGM ownership of Cold Steel has allowed their quality control to slip a bit..This knife (mid July 2024 delivery) has OBVIOUSLY visible and uneven grind lines - bad enough to notice from a quick, casual glance. This doesn't effect performance at all (clearly), but the appearance is distracting.. I guess the moment of "epic SGM quest for excellence" has passed..The prices (on SGM Cold Steel) dip for a reason folks - my knife being the perfect example..ORIGINAL REVIEW: great Cold Steel knife. Ounce for ounce, this is one of the most effective EDC knives I've ever owned. Stainless steel requires much less maintenance than carbon steel does, if you do carry it every day.With all of the newer stainless steel options to choose from, AUS8 steel (even to this day) isn't given nearly the credit it deserves - especially when it has been properly heat treated and cryo quenched.Corrosive environments can still make rust on AUS8, but a little bit of care should help keep it clean - Corrosion-X works great, and it doesn't get it as slick like grease will.The handle is a perfect match of "just enough to work," and "not too much that can get in the way." The Cray-Ex diamond pattern grip of the handle has just enough traction to do the job - not spongy and not rock solid.