Product Description
In South Africa, an enexpensive ring lock folder is sold everywhere. It's a good design, but it's constructed from sub-standard materials, is poorly made and is overpriced. And yet, millions of these knives are sold each year. Cold Steel thought they could do better and did. The Cold Steel Kudu, takes some cues from its South African competition, however the Cold Steel version is vastly superior. Cold Steel has a Krupp 4116 Stainles steel flat ground blade, heat t r eated to RE 56-57 for better edge holding ability and ease of re-shrapening, and a thin razer sharp edge.
| List Price: | $12.71 |
| Price: |
$8.15 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
| as of Thu, 21 Feb 2013 04:21:04 GMT ***Remember, deals price on this item for sale just for limited time*** | |
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #10927 in Sports & Outdoors
- Color: Blk
- Brand: Cold Steel
- Model: 20k
- Released on: 2009-05-25
Features
- The blade is 4-1/4-inch Overall dimensions 10", 2MM thick. Weights 2.4 oz.
- For safety, the Kudu¿ has been thoroughly. The locking mechanism will hold the blade rigidly
- The handle is made of 43% glass reinforced Zytel®. This material has proven to be extremely strong
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
By Mitchell Small
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 lets get a few facts straight at the outset. The Kudu is a working knife, not a showpiece. Beauty is indeed in the eyes of the beholder, and I think there are a lot more elegant knives in the Cold Steel catalog, but this low-end offering can certainly stand proud among them.
The knife is sealed with a red band that says to read the instructions before using. Instructions for a knife? Has the CPSC invaded everything we do? No, the instructions refer to the locking mechanism. The ring lock design is unique, and while you don't have to be rocket scientist to figure it out, there are a few tricks that will make closing this knife a little easier the first time you encounter the locking mechanism. Don't fight it. Once you get used to it, the knife closes as naturally as any other lockback.
The lockback is very secure, but I would not suggest subjecting the Kudu to the torture tests shown in some of the Cold Steel videos. Flexing the blade against my hands, I can see some give in the handle, but not the locking mechanism. You are not going to do pull-ups with this blade, but that is not what this knife was intended for. I did simulate the Cold Steel cardboard slicing test by clamping an end from a cardboard packing crate in a vice and slicing across the grain. The knife went all the way across without a problem.
The blade on the Kudu is relatively sharp, right out of the box, but not as sharp as some others. My recently purchased Super Edge could shave my arm hairs, but the Kudu could not. I'm confident, though, that if I work the blade a little with a very fine stone, it will take the edge I'd like it to have. It's going to take a lot of work on my part, as this steel feels tough.
As I said, the blade is sharp from the factory. I found the edge better finished than the edge of my Buck Nobleman. What's more, this knife retains that edge. One of the first jobs I had for the Kudu was slicing up some old cardboard boxes left over from a previous move. After all the boxes were sliced up for the trash, the knife's edge was still there. I could see using this knife all day on a camping trip for various chores, washing it off at the end of the day and still have a blade sharp enough to slice up snacks for the evening. It is also large enough to do credible kitchen duty, if required. As I said, this is a working knife. Being made of the same type of stainless steel used for high-end kitchen knives, it also has a very nice finish.
The blade is where your money is well spent on this knife. The handle, while sturdy, feels light in my hand. It also feels secure and comfortable. While not designed as a tactical folder, the handle feels strong enough along the long axis that the unopened knife could be used as as defensive device, sort of like the Koga. The knife also carries well in a back pocket, but I may experiment with the locking ring and a carabineer to clip the Kudu to a belt loop.
If you really examine the knife overall, you will find some faults to it. As I mentioned above, I could see some give in the handle flexing the blade against the locking mechanism. The handle is made of reinforced Zytel, a very rugged durable plastic. While this ensures no weathering problems, there are no metal liners to reinforce the handle either. The locking mechanism, while secure enough for work situations, is simple and is limited by the handle strength.
After using this knife for a while, it is hard to remember how little I paid for it. I have no hesitation comparing this knife to others costing maybe six or seven times as much. I'd give it 9½ out of 10 for value, 9 out of 10 for the blade quality and an 8½ out of 10 overall. It is a working knife and it is an outstanding value for the price, but it won't
stand up in looks with a real high-end offering. It is money well spent and I have no hesitation recommending it to someone looking for a unique working knife, not a showpiece knife.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
By The house
I was curious when i read several scathing reviews of this knife, that it was a death trap, that you would remove fingers. I cant help but think those that think or said it have problems reading because if you follow the instruction card that comes with the knife, you would have to be a dummy to hurt yourself at all. Just because the knife COULD remove a finger if you try to close it without using your brain does not make it a dangerous knife. In my opinion, that just makes it a regular everyday knife. All that being said, the knife is quite a bit bigger than it looked from the pictures (which I find wonderful, I am 6'9'' tall and there is still more than an inch of handle not in my hand). All in all I am quite happy with this very low cost purchase, I would not have felt bad spending 2 or 3 times as much (but more than happy to have only spent $7)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
By Manny
I bought this knife because of the unusual way of closing it and the very good price. Fits into my collectors mind. From the reviews I understand that the blade and the handle are of very good material. The blade is sharp and one needs to be careful while closing it.
The unusual closing mechanism in this knife is very stiff and takes a lot of effort on the finger and hand used to pull the ring to disengage the lock. Although the blade closing is somewhat graduated, when I try to close the blade I make sure that no part of my hands or body are on the path of the closing blade.
I also noted from the reviewers who are familiar with this knife that this is a working knife. I think that this could also be a collectors knife because of the unusual closing mechanism. When I want to handle this knife not to really use it but just to test it's opening and closing mechanism., I open the knife not all the way to the last graduated step so I do not have to deal with pulling the ring because it is not yet fully engaged on the lock. Of course I do not use it to do anything. When the blade is fully open the lock is very solid.
This is an addition to my review above. I sprayed the locking mechanism of this knife with a silicone type lubricant and open and close it 10 to 15 times safely. The stiffness is lesser and I can close it now with less effort.
I searched You Tube for kudu knife and I found and learned some good tips on closing this knife safely and easily. There is even a video on how to open and close this knife with one hand. I prefer opening and closing my knives with two hands except with the spring assisted ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment