Customer Reviews

Cold Steel Recon Tanto Kraton Handle with Black Blade (Secure-Ex Sheath)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Amazing knife and all for 64 bones. The package arrived a day early with product in mint condition. No nicks, burs, coating problems or the like. Be aware that this IS a big knife and shouldn't be considered for EDC although it is concealable [use a mercharness. Check your local laws for regulations]. It arrives razor sharp and battle ready. The grip is quite comfortable for extended use but my only beef with it is the way the rivet is set into the handle. The grip material extends over it to the point it does have some tendency to snag on things. Rather minor but note worthy. Over all I'm more than happy with it and if you're looking for a large tactical blade, this is it.

I just got this knife in the mail. Arrived as mentioned, the packing was safe and reliable, and insulated (not that the knife needs it) as well. I ordered the knife despite some of the bad reviews on Amazon about recon tanto not being a carbon V blade, but I also performed out side research about this knife. I have no regrets about the knife, just looking at the silver line of the sharpen blade makes you feel that you have gotten cut (as I had previously read on one of the review) the blade is well balanced, and has a good weight to it.

The sheath needs a little work, but overall design is great if you are making a survival kit, you can easily attach the pouch to the sheath.

As I mentioned that I just got this knife, so have not yet placed it in use. I will let you know how this beauty performs in wild and holds up to abuse.

Ive wanted one of these for years. When i found it on amazon for less than 64.00 i added it to shopping cart . I have bought cold steel knives for years. bowies , fighters , both fixed and folding knives.
My list is Trailmaster , Recon Scout ,Tri-Lite 6", Xl-Voyger, Larado Bowie , Sparton, and now the Recon Tanto . No long winded review here, these knives are the best in production knives i have ever owned. Most of all, they do what cold steel says they will do! But for best prices on there products, shop around. If you by from Cold Steel directly, like i did for several of the knives ive mentioned, it will be far more expensive. These knives are SHARP, TOUGH, TOOLS!The bowie knives are a must for campers who like to build camp fires and shelters.I gave the recon tanto 4 stars ONLY because its not the carbon 5 as descrbed, however, i still have complete faith in aus-8a steel.IM glad i bought when i did! They cost 25.00 more now. I cant see anybody that knows knives not being a satisfied owner of one of these knives even if bought at full retail! These knives put other popular brand name knives to shame in toughness and edge holding ability. :D

Being in the professional protection field I've owned many high quality tactical knives over the years. I've paid up to 3 times more for knives that didn't come close to the Recon Tanto. This is without a doubt this is the best "Bang for your buck" tactical knife I have ever owned. It is well balanced, lightweight, virtually indestructible and has an insanely sharp edge. This is my first Cold Steel knife and after receiving it immediately bought the folding model to replace my CRKT Tiger Striped Triumph (the edge doesn't come close to the Cold Steel).

When your life is on the line you need the most reliable equipment you can get your hands on. I see the Cold Steel Recon Tanto as the Glock of the tactical knife world. Not the most expensive, not the prettiest, but its reliability, cutting and penetrating abilities will get the job done!

Amazon doesn't list this as being made of Cold Steel's Carbon V steel because it isn't. It's made of much cheaper AUS8a stainless steel, which is good steel, but nothing like Cold Steel's Carbon V steel, which is tough, held an edge vry well, and was easy to re-sharpen. Plus, you could sharpen it to a very fine edge.

I know because I have two Cold Steel Carbon V knives...this one (Recon Tanto) and the Master Hunter. The Recon Tanto is big, heavy (the spine of the blade is thick, well over 1/8") which is good for chopping and thrusting. You could rig a hole with it, chop down a small tree, or split a deer carcass with it. The handle is made of something called Kraton, which is like solid rubber that's been textured to be soft to the touch. It is super sturdy and would shrug off any abuse short of an axe attack, acid bath, or house fire.

The blade itself is coated with epoxy of some sort, I forgot what it was called, but it's tough and will keep the blade protected, plus it blacks it out so it looks cool. I really like the Carbon V steel because you can put a very fine edge on it. My gripe and four stars comes because the knife wasn't that sharp from the factory. the blade grind was only about 30 degrees, way off of the much more useful 25 degree bevel. I sharpened mine and was able to lop cardboard tubes with ease! It does rust, which is why the blade's coated. Keep the edge oiled and it will be rust-free.

The blade runs through the handle which is bonded and then secured with a brass eyelet at the end of the handle where you can also run a lanyard cord. The sheath is Concealex, a hard plastic tht is also used to make gun holsters. The knife friction-fits into it and is also secured with a snap so it is very secure in the sheath. It is also very sturdy and riveted together at the edges with aluminum rivets. There's a drain hole at the bottom to drian water out, and it has a belt-loop that's also secured with two aluminum rivets, so this thing is unlikely to break under normal, and probably some abnormal use.

This is a sweet knife! I know the new ones are AUS8a steel, which is good, but the Recon Tanto is a fighting/utility knife and the carbon steel makes it more useful to me.

I have many knives, for both collecting and use. I favor Columbia River for good products at good prices; can't afford the much more expensive knives, and wouldn't really want to abuse/lose one in the field, anyway, at the replacement cost! I was skeptical about putting out money for "Cold Steel." It seemed like they have diverged into a lot of exotic products that aren't very tactical or practical, at inflated prices. But after researching the Recon Tanto carefully, I decided to try it. I'm glad I did. The blade is simple, but quality. Very sharp from the box. Love the grip. Nice length, nice belly to the cutting edge, unlike most straight tantos. I've used swords in martial arts, so I like the live, slashing sweep of the knife, although it does seem a little blade-heavy from the handle grip. The sheath is great at first examination. Retains the blade, even inverted without the strap. Unfastening the snap causes the sheath to hang out from the belt a little, facilitating a smooth draw. And the plastic isn't too noisy; I especially appreciate that the blade doesn't clunk around inside during movement. The more I play around with various cuts, the more I'm impressed with the feel of the Recon. I haven't headed to the woods with it yet, but I definitely feel it was worth adding, not just to my collection, but the "bug-out" bag.

None the less it sharpens nicely, and holds a good edge, more than one can say for 99.999999999999% of the knives out there. You can get high dollar knives that will not sharpen well. I used to work as an instructor in a class where we needed to keep knives very sharp, so I have a lot of experience sharpening knives. This thing is going to sit on a shelf in my house and likely never be used for more than opening a box or such anyway, but it was a gift and it is a very good knife! My youngest son also has one and punishes his, it has held up exceptionally well to his abuse.

Well I got my tanto yesterday opened the box pulled out the knife and just stared at it with joy for a bit (I'm a big fan of tanto's). Then I grabbed a piece of paper and tried to cut it and I could going all the way through, note it was a receipt for some food I bought so very thin paper it was. Now it got through like a third of the paper which is ok but should be razor sharp in my opinion, but I did do a quick shave test with it and again sharp but not razor sharp.
I also did a few light jabs at a part of my desk which is a hard wood, and angled the blade flat against like in the CS video and the tip seems fine. Also I took piece of printer paper this time and just did a few light slashes at it with different areas of the blade in which I found out the main cutting portion of the blade did the worse still good thou. But the tip and the secondary cutting area did the best in terms of a clean cut, maybe just because those 2 spots since farther up the blade have a little more speed to them thus aiding in a more clean cut.
The CS recon tanto in the thrust is as you would expect from a tanto just very clean and smooth in a pierce from a thrusting motion, also again the tip is very sharp it like some freakish needle. Moving onto the sheath for the recon tanto, the sheath is a kydex sheath if I'm not mistaken which does a very good job at holding the knife in place and keeping it from moving around well sheath, thus causing a bunch of noise. One more thing about the sheath it will loosen it grip a little after the first 10 or so actions of drawing and then sheathing the blade, but maintain a very secure and steady grip on it to were it wont come out unless you want it to. Last thing about the sheath is the belt loop, it's quick attach with Velcro and a good solid button to, so if the Velcro get full of snow or something the sheath will stay because of the button portion of it.
Last thing to mention about the knife is the handle, the handle on the recon tanto I rather like since it allows for a good grab with bare hands or gloves and some just very light and rough test of it also feel good in hand. But I wish the handle was like just 1/4-1/3 inch longer just so my hand wouldn't cover the lanyard hole.

Now I may or may not edit this review after i take this blade out with me into the mountain just to really test it in a utility role and durability, since for me a knife is a tool first weapon last except maybe a dagger.

The knife that put Cold Steel on the map (in my opinion) and one of the best knives on the market. You will not be disappointed.

Very happy with this purchase. This is my first tanto, a blade I have long admired, and the purchase was made after shopping around for the best vendor, quality and style. I had heard a lot about Cold Steel, and they live up to their reputation.

The tanto shipped quick, arrived safe and secure as described (blade encased in fitted card board, then wrapped in bubble wrap with the sheath, both inside the Cold Steel box, which was then surrounded by air packs in a larger Amazon box. It's obvious they put a lot of care into protecting the product during shipment, and for good reason. The tanto has great balance, an awesome sheath, looks quite nice and has exceeded my expectations. Both the sheath and the blade are well crafted and seem quite durable. Came sharp as well.