Customer Reviews

Cold Steel FGX Skean Dhu with Kraton Handle

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Always keep it simple. These are not knives made for cutting string or whittling wood. They have one purpose and one purpose only, the preservation of yourself and your family. These are not plastic toys, just give yourself a little poke with the pointy end and you will discover why. Definitely keep these "stickers" out of the reach of children and incapacitated adults. Buy extras, they make great little gifts....Lynn Stubblefield, Nashville, TN

This device is made for personal defense, as such it excells. If you want a "knife", search for the Cold Steel Braveheart. Same thing, non-serrated in steel. Both products are good values and can both be effectively deployed.

One of the best Cold Steel products I've ever owned. Edge is superb. As well as the rest of the construction. Highly recommended.

The knife is light (being a mix of plastic and ceramic), comfortable to hold, weather resistant and sharp. It appears to be very good for its intended use, which is a defensive blade that you can store nearly anywhere. I'm guessing that water, or the sweat and oil of your skin won't affect it at all so it should be handy for a while. That being said, it IS a plastic knife and isn't really suitable for anything else. It cuts well, but doing a practice jab at cardboard was enough to break off the very tip of it and it doesn't look like it will keep an edge very long with constant use. As long as you intend this for emergencies only, and not for utility, I would recommend this product.

What it is would be a polymer dirk. It's designed and intended for stabbing -- humans. It's not a letter opener, not a box cutter, not a whittler, not a utility knife. Cold Steel is clear in its description, it's a polymer/fiberglass reinforced dirk for self-defense, for hiding around the house, for secreting in places where you don't want to worry about rust and freezing temperatures.

Mine came packaged with the point protected by a cardboard end tab. The Skean Dhu is a direct copy of the Cold Steel Braveheart -- which is AUS 8A Stainles, Kraton grip. In stainless, the blade config works. In Grivory, I can see where the point would be fragile. Video on ColdSteel.com shows this knife penetrating all sorts of stuff -- leather, cardboard, and slashing too, without any breakage. I bought both knives thinking the Skean Dhu might fit in the Braveheart sheath. It does not fit -- blade is a bit thick for that. The Skean Dhu is "Grivory" with a Kraton grip. Molding is seamless, but it is two materials, Grivory and Kraton.

I don't care for the ring, which is not pictured in any of the descriptions. I'm removing the ring and maybe adding a lanyard.

It's a stabber and slasher -- BACKUP KNIFE, not a primary defense. I confess to having bought it because it will pass through metal detectors -- and let me add the caveat here that doing so will expose you (or me) to Federal Prosecution, possibly charges as a "terrorist." I'm able to have fantasies without acting them out.

We're making a wet molded sheath, two layers of Latigo stitched together, simple flat sheath. No complicating clips, no lash points. Just an "envelope" to keep the point covered.

$10.00 -- The Braveheart in stainless at about $50 is perfection for a boot knife. The Skean Dhu is what it is, a last-resort stabber, slasher. Worth $10 if you use it one time.

Amazon.com delivered in two days. Ordered on Sunday, had it in hand Tues. AM.

It is light weight, once the ring on the end is removed it is easy to secure in a private place on the body. I found it is actually really good for cutting light weight Styrofoam and will definitely "stick" you good.
To make a sheath I got one of those foam tubes they use as a kids toy at pools, and cut it down to the length of the knife. I wrapped it with some electrical tape and stabbed the knife into it, added a ring on the end and hung it upside down from my belt, because of the light weight it doesn't fall out, you can also put a piece of the the electrical tape over the "sheath" opening, and push the blade through, the electrical tape will contract to hold it in place.
If you pull it and hold it fighting style with serrations out; you can wield it quite effectively, and maybe not do as much damage as with an actual blade; so from the sense of using as a deterrent when lethal force is not preferred, it can be quite effective if used by someone with a bit of skill.
It'll get the point across, and reduce the chance of causing lethal force injuries, but it is still capable of doing so. It is also not effected by heat cold wet....and tip brakes are easily repaired with a good stone or sandpaper.

Got this more as a tacticool letter opener, it certainly fulfills it's purpose. Also will be a great shank if I'm ever to do hard time, and have to have a conjugal visit sneak it in. Certainly a more attractive/better made product than the similar "CIA Letter Opener", or anything along those lines. In fact, it was what a friend used to cut their birthday cake, and it did a darn fine job. Even though the cake had sat in a refrigerator for several hours, making the icing slightly crusty, the full-length serrations made short work of cutting perfectly portioned pieces. On top of that, the incredibly durable Kraton material was dishwasher-safe, and every bit of the sugary icing came right off. You hit a home-run with this one, Cold Steel, keep up the good work!

Due to ill health I've become a little careful of my security. I can no longer rely on a robust response to any unwelcome encounters, so I've been investigating alternatives.
One thing not shown in the page for this item is a large metal ring welded together, through the hole at the base of the handle. I find this less than useful, making the knife bulkier in my pocket than I would like.
Another thing not shown on the order page is the sheath - because there isn't one. If anyone knows where I can find one, please let me know.

The blade is quite sharp and scalloped (like serrated but larger), and the material seems quite tough enough for anything I might need it for. While I wouldn't recommend it to pry off jar tops or saw through tin cans, it would create quite a satisfactory wound on any attacker's hand or arm.
Unfortunately, I find I cannot carry it around because the thing would make quite a hole in my pocket, too. It really needs a sheath!

This is part of my first experience with Cold Steel products. Not wanting to drop major bucks before I became familiar with the company's quality, I selected a few items I could use but would not be hazardous to my budget if they were flops.

If this is an example, I need not worry, but this item was mildly disappointing.

I was looking for an "executive letter opener" that might serve alternate purposes in an emergency. The catalog states this is not a metal item, so there were no surprises there. The point is needle sharp and easily punches through many layers of cardboard or leather. It will probably do a nice job puncturing your steak, raw or well done, just as well. It did, however, fail to pierce a credit card. That remains my only disappointment with the blade. I would also have liked to see some type of sheath for it.

In terms of my stated use, it did a credible job of opening letters. Unlike a sharpened metal blade, though, the edges were ripped, not cut. The serrations on this blade are more than decoration, they are functional. In addition to piercing cardboard, I could carve it up with the Skean Dhu as well.

The grip knife is wonderfully firm and is definately a non-slip grip. The indent for the thumb is in a natural position and you helps hold the blade in the correct position.

Overall, I would rank this somewhere between a practice knife and a real blade. The point is sharp enough to pierce protective gear, but it may be stopped by a layer of plastic and the edge will cause injury if sliced across skin, but it is far from razor sharp.

While I am slightly disappointed, bearing in mind it's real purpose, I would recommend this to other people with similar needs. Overall, it is well made and lives up to the catalog description.

I was looking for a modern style Sgian Dubh or Skeen Doo to wear when wearing a kilt. Maybe I missed it, and should have read more comments, but did not realize this was going to be of fiberglass resin construction. The knife does not come with a sheath of any kind. I am much happier with the Cold Steel Braveheart knife. Now that being said, it looks just like the picture, is very light weight and can be sharpenned some. For only $10 it's not worth really sending back, I'm just not sure what I will do with it.