Cold Steel Hand and a Half Training Sword Review

Take you lot ever wished your pocket pocketknife was as heavy equally a fixed blade? Have you e'er wanted a folding knife that you lot could perhaps hold with 2 hands? Practise you always want to perform the act of chopping small tree branches with your folder? Or, if you're just looking for one of the biggest, heaviest knives around, with a price tag that'south just over $100, the Cold Steel 4Max Spotter just might be a contender for your next knife buy. Not all knives that are big and heavy are created equal, so permit's talk about what makes this pocketknife worth information technology'southward weight in dollars, and why information technology may or may not be something you'd consider carrying in your pocket as a daily employ tool.

Key Specs: Common cold Steel 4Max Scout

Locking Mechanism

Lock Back

Deployment Machinery

Thumb Stud

The Blade

With iv" of AUS-10A steel, and a blade stock thickness of .18", you have an thought of what a monster this blade is. It's a drop point shape, with a high saber grind, and a respectable stonewash finish. Information technology'south touting large thumb studs on either side of the blade, and carries Cold Steels typical style of large font branding and model name on the bract. There seems to be a desire to exist loud and proud in the Common cold Steel pocketknife naming department when information technology comes to press the model on the blade, and it gives the experience of a glorified gas station knife in my eyes. There are some pocket-sized changes Common cold Steel could make to their knives to give them less of a inexpensive or budget pocketknife feel, and this is one of those aspects.

Carrying the blade stock thickness nearly all the way to the very tip of the blade, the 4-Max Sentry sports one extremely tough blade. Information technology's thick behind the edge, which tin can be viewed as a negative by many users with cutting performance in heed, but with a steel like AUS-10A (which is quite tough in the budget realm of steels, and has better-than-average edge retention), on a knife with this kind of build, it feels in line with the balance of the design to go on a thick edge for durability in cut. A good portion of the bract near the heel, virtually ½", is reserved for the sharpening choil, which is large enough (for careful hands) to use as a choked up position for the alphabetize finger. The aforementioned stonewash on the blade is very smooth, which gives the blade a frictionless experience in passing through fabric, every bit well as a smoothed out spine for a comfortable feel in hand.

Deployment / Lockup

With the Andrew Demko designing many of Cold Steel's knives in the past years, but recently retiring to focus on his own manufacturing, the Triad lock was designed by Mr. Demko along with the 4-Max Scout. The lockup on the 4-Max is, every bit expected, absolutely solid. The Triad lock, for brevity's sake, is a lock back with a end pivot added to it. The bract finer rests on the stop pin (which is enormous in this pocketknife), and the dorsum lock bar rests under the end pin. This gives the bract and lock bar a place to end, justifying the "tri" portion of the lock'due south proper name. There'due south almost zip that can make this lock fail, even in extreme testing, as Andrew has washed in numerous YouTube videos in the past. In a existent life scenario, though, the lock is almost guaranteed to never fail, and has an extremely smooth activity to kick.

With large pollex studs to match the balance of the pocketknife, the 4-Max Scout is quite easy to deploy in terms of efficacy. Just, one trouble many boilerplate-to-large sized hands may have (but non Andre the Giant sized hands) is that with a knife this large, the blade studs move and then far away from the handle while deploying, it can be a claiming to hold onto the knife with only one manus. Now, if i is as talented every bit yours truly (sarcasm intended), flicking the blade open in one swift motion is quite pleasing, and eliminates the issue of having to adjust your hand as the bract opens, or having to use two hands. I'll admit this takes some practice, and some careful treatment, as yous don't want a most eleven ounce pocketknife falling toward your feet or anything else for that matter.

Using Common cold Steel'due south pivot organisation of phosphor bronze washers along with paper thin teflon washers, the blade deployment is somehow incredibly smooth. They utilize this pivot style in many of their knives, and I'm ever pleasantly surprised how well they work. Additionally, dorsum locks tin can be quite stiff and gritty, but Cold Steel does a skillful job with keeping the smoothness fluid even in a knife with this kind of heft. Unlocking the bract is quite easy too, which is again a little surprising, with the lock bar existence the same thickness as the blade tang. Here'due south where you're really want to be careful; one handed unlocking.

A two-handed unlocking sequence would be the safest choice hither, just again, with some practice and conscientious hand positioning, one handed unlocking is possible. The weight of the blade on this knife will fall extremely fast downwardly toward the index finger, as that's the just way to unlock the knife with 1 hand. With the index finger positioned close to the bract, the unsharpened portion of the blade will state on the index finger, and then comes the repositioning of the hand to clear the blade path, at which fourth dimension the bract tin can be pushed closed in which e'er manner you see fit. Really, though, be conscientious with this blade. It's very heavy, and moves very fast in one case it passes by the mid way point of closing.

Features, Fit and Terminate

So how does a roughly $100 pocketknife fair in the fit and finish department? Quite well, actually. With materials being used like "Griv-Ex" handle scales, "stainless steel" liners, and AUS-10A blade steel, this Taiwan made folder could have a better listing of components. But, does the sum of materials make up the knife as a whole? I say no, because the heat care for of the steel is well done, the finishing on the scales, while a fiddling over-textured is nice and grippy, and a super solid lock and comfy handle brand up more of the knife as a whole than only the listing of materials used.

Pocket-sized screws on an extremely big knife always feels like way to save money in a small fashion in manufacturing, but it's still used on many knives. And the 4-Max Lookout man is no different. The liners are left with rough machining edges, and could use a de-burring in the manufacturing procedure. The pocket clip has plenty of retention to proceed the pocketknife in place while moving throughout the day, only the overly grippy scales make information technology very difficult to make it and out of the pocket. But aside from these nitpicks, which are admittedly constitute on much more expensive folders as well, the 4-Max Scout is quite well put together, because it's price point.

Field Test

Exercise you always get the urge to use your pocketknife exterior of unremarkably agreed upon rules of folding pocketknife use? I know I exercise. And with some knives, I'll put them through more rigorous testing than virtually others. And so for the Scout, I wanted to make sure I didn't cut some re-create paper and concord the knife in front end of a camera for a 10 minute online "review". Starting with the staple of knife use in our common EDC based lives; cardboard. Yes it's slow, mostly anticipated, and can be washed by merely about any knife you tin can selection up effectually the firm. Only this folder is and so huge, so thick behind the edge, and and so "novelty pocketknife" feeling, I wasn't sure what to expect when breaking down some boxes in the garage to fit into the trash. Initiating the cut was not as piece of cake equally with many other folders, since the border is quite thick on the 4-Max Spotter. And the bract, while alpine in nature, withal has a very thick stock to try and pass through long draw cuts. But without likewise much thought or excess try, I was able to break down some double walled cardboard without much resistance. And, the ergos of the giant handle were able to polish through, with hope for heavier use to come.

And so, moving to cut some iii/8" thick sisal rope. This particular test is very dependent on the thickness of the edge on the blade. You can have a .10" thick stock, but still have a hard time cutting this rope on a forest demote with a thick edge. And the 4-max Sentry did struggle a little here. The cutting on this exam was comparable to an XM-18, requiring some dorsum and forth sawing motion to become the rope to cutting. Many knives with a thinner edge are able to push cut through the rope, merely that's non going to be a possibility with this knife, at to the lowest degree until a pregnant edge reprofiling is done in sharpening. With one strong chop, the rope cut hands, though. Then, at that place'due south that. It'south fun to employ like this, and has virtually no issue on the border, since it'southward so thick and durable.

Grabbing a spare two×4 piece of woods from the bit pile, I choked upwards on the handle to exam out the grip and ergonomics. Either in the standard position or the choked up position, I couldn't find a bad way to hold this knife. I had no hot spots, no rough edges (salve for the sharp-ish liners), and the clip melted abroad in the hand. The thicker edge on this bract wasn't much of a trouble shaving downwards a proficient section of the 2×4, either. And then far, and so good. Now, what about some chopping? Well, it's a big, heavy knife, with enough of handle to spare. So, gripping the handle down well-nigh the lesser of the grip area, and putting full faith into the Triad lock, I went all in with some chopping.

There won't ever be a folding knife that compares direct with a fixed blade, just this sure comes shut. With the wood in a large vice, I was able to chop through the wood without too much time. Secure in hand, and in one case again, no real edge deformation to speak of. I took another piece of wood, lightly hammered the pocketknife into the side, and pried with it until I was able to split up the forest into two pieces. This tests out the lock and blade force in side to side nature, and shows if the heat treat and handle build quality are strong enough to get through the testing without whatever warping or breaking. And of course, at that place were no problems to speak of. Not that I expected any, and this is perchance not the hardest employ examination there is, but I wanted to effort something that someone would actually do in a pinch on perhaps a camping trip or bonfire.

Alternatives

All these knives available at BladeHQ.

In typical style, Cold Steel uses many of their production knives in the shadow of it's original predecessor, in this case, the Common cold Steel 4 Max. Yes, you lot read that correctly. They have 2 variants of this knife. The original, Italian made iv Max uses S35VN blade steel, Titanium handle liners, and G10 handle scales. The titanium liners drib the weight about one full ounce, but the price goes from $110 upward to $425. Yes, a Common cold Steel that rivals the toll of the biggest production made makers there are. Never having handled the Italian made version, I can't give a existent "in hand" comparison, but most knife guys I talk to say that the Italian variant isn't worth $315 more than the Taiwanese model.

And if you're dead set on a 4" folder, my first choice would exist the Spyderco Police 4 in K390 and G10. But that model is unfortunately discontinued. So, the Spyderco Police 4 Lightweight FRN in VG10 will have to do. It's got the same bract length as the 4 Max Scout, comes in at but $10 more than the Cold Steel, and is made in Japan. It cuts the weight down from the Picket'due south 10.two ounces down to a measly 4.2 on the Spyderco, so using your folder equally a chopper will take to exit the window on this alternative. And, if you're willing to stride upwardly the price, the Police iv Lightweight does come in the K390 steel variant, which is a huge upgrade from VG10, coming in at $165.

Toning down the hugely oversized folder, to just a normal oversized folder, the Cold Steel AD10 is a groovy choice. Information technology uses the slightly more desirable S35VN bract steel, touts a "lightweight" nature of just 6.8 ounces, and a blade length of iii.six". This is still a very large folder, only moves out of the novelty feeling range that the iv-Max Scout lives in. The AD10 is also designed by Andrew Demko, fabricated by Common cold Steel in Taiwan, and uses the same, ultra potent Triad lock as the Scout. It'southward buttery shine, and very comfy. We've got a review of that besides, if you'd similar to read more. It does drive up the toll quite a flake over the Scout, at virtually $190, but does employ G10 handle scales over the Scout's Griv-Ex fabric.

Conclusion

When you wait to purchase a knife for it's overbuilt, oversized, overly heavy folder, there's no better choice than the Cold Steel 4-Max Watch. It's heavy, potent, and tin can take a real chirapsia. It'll suffice for most daily cut tasks, and cantankerous over into potential bushcraft apply or in a compression on a job site. Information technology's not easy to get in and out of the pocket, just it'll be certain to stay put in various "difficult use" conditions. Information technology has practicality built in to it'southward big, bad style, and will hold upward to long term comport and apply for just virtually any atmospheric condition. Just don't plan on cutting up apples without corking them into absurdity, or passing information technology over to an innocent eyewitness to open a box without hearing comments on how obnoxious this beast is.

• Budget cost with quality build, good estrus treat for budget steel, comfortable for various utilise.

• Very heavy, larger than life size, thick blade grind, difficult i hand functioning

Quality/Performance - 73%

Value for Money - 80%

77%

The Cold Steel four-Max Picket is overbuilt, oversized and overly heavy - but that's the signal for this hard use folder.

hernandezwhathim.blogspot.com

Source: https://knifeinformer.com/cold-steel-4max-scout-review/