Reddit reviews QEONIX Cold Steel 9733 80PGTK GI Tanto 7" Carbon

Adding to my wishlist. This is amazing. I normally carry a giant 7 inch knife because YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED IT.

Edit: posted the pic of the knife below. Here it is in case anyone wants it. Cold Steel 80PGTK GI Tanto 7" Carbon by Cold Steel http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H9DO4Y/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_sWJgtb0K2QB5T

You're welcome.

On that, Cold Steel actually has some good products. They are absolutely edgelords and make a lot of "cool factor" cringe stuff, so bear in mind this isn't me playing the contrarian. However the way they became known in the first place was by producing quality blades.

Take a look at their take on the Kukri.

Though it might not look it given the context, a Kukri is a serious blade for actual work (a cross between a hatchet and a large knife, the design done right can split wood, finely cut, chop, and even in some cases pry). Cold Steel is absolutely serious in this offering, and are attempting to compete with authentic handmade Himalayan Imports kurkis from Nepal for serious users. That's bold.

Now personally, I never was a knife guy but I've always liked tools and like to read on outdoorsy stuff.

Me tip: Get a small U.S. made stockman knife to carry. You'll actually get a lot of use out of it without being an edgelord or being disruptive. Learn the names and uses of each blade on it and review a quick page on safe knife usage and rules (e.g. folks think you can pry with a knife, you cannot, and other little safety and usage tidbits; like the right amount of blade for the right task).

Anyway, the one that really put Cold Steel on the map was their G.I. Tanto.. I kept an eye out and picked one up at a pawn shop, one of the original runs, for the original price. The perks were that it had a paracord-wrapped grip (at the time), was carbon steel, indestructible literally (you can even pry with it, split wood, etc.) because it would flex into a U-shape before breaking/deforming; it had a tanto-edge (very strong shape), and originally sold for $15. Its design competitors were often less robust, broke easier with exotic steels, were even heavier, and went for $300+.

Needless to say that became popular for serious users and modding them became a thing. Very serious knives are often extremely basic and the value is subtle in the design; like with Opinel, Ontario Old Hickory series, or Mora--all completely overlooked by the tacticool crowd. The GI Tanto was aimed at the neckbeards, but it found a home with serious usage.

So Cold Steel was and is actually a serious brand, and they're absolutely appealing to neckbeards in their badass lineup. On that, however..

Cold Steel was and is usually the only company making actual swords (an oxymoron). What I mean is, swords are usually low-quality steels, ridiculous designs, are unsharpened and are unusable (will snap, or they don't have actual tangs). Cold steel actually made historically accurate, very durable pieces for a decent price. They wouldn't break on you or pose a danger, and were basically quality built.

Take a look at this katana, $600 with ray skin handles. This isn't for fantasy zombie slayers, but can be decorative or used by a martial artist who skillfully chop those bamboo bundles and learn historic techniques.

Or (video warning) this weeb.

Anyway to that end Cold Steel has very good quality and usable blades, and a "guilty pleasure" lineup that includes US-made, high quality Russian Special Forces shovels and tactical boomerangs. There was one elder I knew who had a nerve disease who needed a cain, and who carried a Cold Steel battle cain because they are good quality, unassuming, and could help him to defend himself (given his inability to run or fight with his hands).

So that's the lowdown on Cold Steel and what they're about.

Given the job and the terrain I'm imagining this is more of a general-abuse knife (ie, "sharpened pry-bar") than a dedicated cutter. Accordingly, I'd try not to spend a fortune on it.

Though they're not serrated I'd be inclined to get a couple of these (~$26 on Amazon) which are designed to be cheap abusable knives for this situation. If there's lots of prying to be done an interesting option would be to get a Breacher Bar, plus a sheath for it (such as this one but currently out of stock), wrap the handle with paracord and pair it with a decent folding knife (such as the RAT 1) for actual cutting.

Other usual suspects:

http://www.amazon.com/KA-BAR-Fighting-Utility-Serrated-Sheath/dp/B000BSZDP8

http://www.amazon.com/Ka-Bar-Short-Tanto-Point-Serrated/dp/B001EIALK6

http://www.amazon.com/Ka-Bar-Short-Fixed-Blade-Knife/dp/B000JMEWBC/ref=sr_1_5?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1334972468&sr=1-5

(NB: with the Ka-bars make sure you get 1095 carbon steel not 440A stainless.)

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-Kraton-Handle-Concealex/dp/B000BSY9AS

Or, for something rather smaller maybe an ESEE 3.

Edit: Just remembered the Glock 78 - again it's on the sharpened-pry-bar side of things and sheath and retention are probably better than most of the options above. (It's a proper Glock product and not just some random company that's licensed the name (I'm looking at you, Smith and Wesson) and IIRC is issued in the Austrian forces.) Available in black, olive green, and sand colours. There's also a saw-back version (the Glock 81 IIRC) but I'd recommend against that.

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-80PGTK-Tanto-Carbon/dp/B004H9DO4Y

The Cold Steel GI tanto is pretty great, and for $20 you can't complain, my friend abuses his like crazy, and it holds up great

Cheap carbon steel knives I've had my hands on are Glock Field Knife, the Cold Steel GI Tanto, and the Cold Steel Bushman.

The GI Tanto is very heavy and effectively indestructible. My brother in-law describes it as an orc knife. Easy to make a spear out of but not as easy as the bushman. Can be bent 90 degrees laterally and spring back.

The Glock is also indestructable and while not as heavy as the tanto it isnt light either. Very thick spine. Comes with or without a root saw.

The bushman is much lighter and thinner than the other two. Turns into a spear really easily. Can also be bent 90 degrees laterally.

Not saying any of these are the best there is but I have used them all and I couldn't see any of them ever breaking outside of extreme abuse. They're also a fraction of your budget so that's always nice. Don't expect them to be pretty. They're purely utilitarian.

I use a cold steel gi tonto. I have literally beaten it with an axe to split wood and it takes the punishment like a champion. Not too expensive if it breaks and with a seven inch blade it can do almost anything

Edit: added amazon link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004H9DO4Y/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/184-4945738-8788764

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H9DO4Y/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_kCaXDb5J4JZJC

How about the cold steel kobun? Aus 8 is a decent steel for the price. If you want something a lot tougher the cold steel GI tanto is probably the best bang for your buck deal you can get on a knife. Just depends on what size and use you are looking for.

Kobun
https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-17T-Kobun-Tanto/dp/B0034JR4EO

GI Tanto
https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-80PGTK-Tanto-Carbon/dp/B004H9DO4Y


And give as many specifics as you can about the size you want, what you'll be using it for etc. so we can recommend the best knife we can for you

I love my GI Tanto from Cold steel

http://amzn.com/B004H9DO4Y

Coldsteel GI Tanto. I own it and love it. $25 cant go wrong. http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-80PGTK-Tanto-Carbon/dp/B004H9DO4Y

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-80PGTK-Tanto-Carbon/dp/B004H9DO4Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413514545&sr=8-2&keywords=cold+steel great knife for the price

Young man , here is a real knife. Should be able to handle everything Australia can dish out. $20.00 US dollars.

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-80PGTK-Tanto-Carbon/dp/B004H9DO4Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GovJ_A9yNtg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHLIBtB8BOY

For mainly camping get a Cold Steel GI Tanto on Amazon. I usually don't like tango style blades but Cold Steel's has a thick edge that's great for bushcraft while the secondary edge/tip is great for prying and other heavy duty tasks. It is 1055 carbon steel so do clean it after every use. I recommend you modify the grip to something better though, I personally use tennis over grips as they are cheap and amazing.

Or if you want something smaller for both camping and EDC I suggest a Kershaw Skyline

If you're on the road you need shit that is all utility. I've put together a list that I think fits that bill. No Kershaw Cryo fashion knives here. I love a good looking blade but if you pull that out and lay it next to you far from being threatening someone will probably just steal it.

You need to buy a hobo knife to be a proper hobo.

For a self defense blade I would look at the Cold Steel GI Tanto. To be honest it is best used as a deterrent, it is menacing enough that it should serve that purpose. It's tough steel too so you can use it to pry and chop too. Prepping firewood with it by batoning is going to be easy.

A coarse diamond sharpening key chain is also nice to have.

Here is a waterproof jacket for $11 from Eddie Bauer.

Some inexpensive dry stuff sacks would be good too.

A stainless water bottle that you can also use for cooking is good too.

Fixed blades

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Companion-Outdoor-Military-4-1-Inch/dp/B004TNWD40/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411328955&sr=8-1&keywords=mora

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-80PGTK-Tanto-Carbon/dp/B004H9DO4Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411329214&sr=8-1&keywords=cold+steel+knife

Folding knives

http://www.amazon.com/Kershaw-1990-Brawler-Folding-SpeedSafe/dp/B005UE6GRC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1411329041&sr=8-2&keywords=kershaw+knife

http://www.amazon.com/Kershaw-3410-Chill-Pocket-Knife/dp/B002IVHQ5Q/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1411329149&sr=8-17&keywords=kershaw+knife

A nice Cold Steel Tanto knife. https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-80PGTK-Tanto-Carbon/dp/B004H9DO4Y/ref=pd_lpo_200_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GTXWE56YWW2DGY8FT4E8

Great damn knife I'm sure any martial artist would be happy to own. Only $25.