Customer Reviews

XL Voyager, Zytel Handle, Tanto Point, Plain

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

 

 

Hey Everyone,

Bought this knife from Blade Shop a couple of days ago on standard shipping, and it arrived much earlier than expected. That was a pleasant suprise! The knife itself is large for my hand (which I prefer, so my hand has room on the handle.) Its made of VG-1 Stainless, and absolutely razor sharp. The diamond checkered Zytel handle has a very substantial grip, and gives excellent purchase on the knife. I did modify mine slightly however. I started by removing the clip and using a grinder I ground down the overhang on the clip. It made securing it to my belt a chore, but by removing that overhanging lip it makes it a simple, one handed affair. I then used a buffer to round down any remaining burrs in the metal. A light touch of industrial paint and it looks like it did from the factory, but shorter. The checkering under the clip is like the rest of the handle. That said, it will snag on clothing (pants or loose shirt) and could eventually make it ragged. I took some 400 grit sandpaper and simply worked it until the diamond was worn down. It still looks the same but its very smooth which facilitates smooth in/out of pocket without possibly tearing the material. A little Rem-Oil on a rag restores the factory shine. Other than those 2 personal quirks, I love this knife! Out of the box I was able to shave arm hair off. Im not talking like it left some stubble, it shaved it like a disposable razor would. I'm impressed! I might write another review in a month to allow for some use. Im sure it wont disappoint. I highly recommend this knife for a self defense option as well. Its size is commanding, and if I had one pulled on me I wouldn't wait around to ask questions. I'm gone! Have a good one!

I bought this knife two weeks ago from this retailer. I'm very happy with both the knife and the retailer. I've been carrying a different brand of knife for the last 15yrs and was ready to retire it before I lost it (too many memories). So since I was looking for a new EDC knife I thought I might as well consider a slightly larger blade. The Cold Steel Tanto XL has a FIVE inch blade. It took me most of the first week to get used to how large it was! Be warned, that it's large enough to possibly cause alarm among folks who are scared easily by knives. I also carry a smaller knife for everyday cutting chores, so I don't intend to pull out the Tanto XL unless things are of a more serious nature, or I'm with friends who also appreciate knives.

It came razor sharp, opens smoothly, and locks up rock solid. It made in Japan, and it's obvious in the attention to detail on a knife at this price point. I'm very please. In carrying this knife daily for the last two weeks, I've found that the extra length rides in my pocket just as well as shorter knifes. I also learned what others have previously warned about---------the very abrasive handle. I love how well my hand grips the handle, but the area underneath the pocket clip will quickly chew up the inside edge of a pocket. There are solutions to fixing that problem that are easily found on the 'net, but in the meantime, it's great to know that I'll never risk losing my knife, which I've actually had happened with other tactical knifes with pocket clips.

So in a nutshell, if you're looking for a very well made larger knife in the this price range, I would strongly suggest you consider this one.

First off..I've had an early lrg 4" CS voyager tanto since the early 90's(molded clip,non-ambi thumbstud etc..) and its been put through the mill then some, yet is still is in service..and even still locks up tight.

Upon unboxing this newer 5" XL version in VG-1, I was pleasantly surprised (as I expected) by the weight and Japanese aesthetics of this quite large knife ..Any problems noted were with the pocket clip as noted in recent reviews on the voyager series and Now with the new pointy, very uncomfortable and even punishing 'volcano style thumb-stud that the newer VG-1 models have.
Why on earth they settled on this most uncomfortable thumb stud design is beyond me when the stud on the aus8 models were just fine to begin with.
I would have rated five stars had these lesser problems not existed.

All is not lost though, as these flaws can be easily dealt with ..partial pressure on the stud while flicking the wrist is usually enough to launch the blade..not to mention when gripping the rear of the knife handle(as with drawing from a pocket) then flicking the knife down quickly then up will quickly dispatch(shake-out) the hefty blade with out even touching the thumb stud ..And the clip can be bent out and reprofiled as per some mods out there that work very well.
Also Don't forget to break the knife in using a drop of oil at the joint periodically will smooth the action significantly over time.

As far as the ' cheap Plastic feeling' handle is concerned 'as some have said' ..BUT for those who don't know, Nylon 'in general' is extremely tough, Let alone when it is impregnated with micro fiberglass fibers to further enhance its rigidity and strength
Zytel® (buzzword=FRN) is the same exact stuff used on many of our firearm frames (e.g. Glocks ;) and it is Plenty strong and resilient enough to safely hold a knife blade even under heavy use ..it is the main reason the voyager series is known for being both very strong yet very light-weight.
so enough on the 'its just cheap plastic' remarks already ;p

Summary:This knife is great, and gripping securely to the rear of the handle is easy do thanks to the ergonomics and aggressive checkering ..this gives one the extended reach of a Full sized KaBar fighting knife ..and all this in an elegant folder..
'Sign me up' :)

I bought this knife intending it to be a pocket knife, something that I could carry around for general use. The quality of the stainless steel blade is superb, and incredibly sharp right out of the box with no need to hone it any further. The handle (Zytel) which is some sort of plastic really doesn't do the blade any justice. I was hoping that the handle would have been of higher caliber, but it felt cheap overall. When the blade was in the closed position, too much of the blade's profile was exposed, and not protected by the handle, which didn't help any to its size. I wear a size large glove, and this knife in the closed position was just too big to hold comfortably; it is too large to be kept as a pocket knife. I have returned the knife and perhaps may purchase the "large" size as opposed to the "extra-large" that I write this review about.