Cold Steel Recon 1 Review

With the Cold Steel Recon 1, we have a solid knife. Its strength and performance are good, and it is also Priced well. I think it provides a good value option. Known for its sharpness, toughness, and edge retention, the Recon 1’s Tri-Ad Lock is strong and reliable, making it a nice knife if you are seeking a good working blade.

Despite some minor drawbacks, like its aggressive G-10 handle and pronounced finger grooves, I think the Recon 1 could be a good knife for you. It offers multiple blade shape options to help you get a knife tailored to your needs. Cold Steel continues to update its lineup, and the Recon 1 is a durable, high-performance knife that you can use for tactical and everyday tasks.

Cold Steel produces durable, affordable, and high-quality pocket knives, which is hard to argue with. Recently, Cold Steel has been working to modernize its image by focusing on reliable, high-performance utility designs. This effort has led to many new designs and fresh takes on classic models.

One such classic is the Recon 1. In its latest iteration, a longstanding member of Cold Steel’s lineup, the Recon 1 embodies much of the best the new Cold Steel has to offer. It’s a strong, useful, high-performance blade. While it might not be my favorite in the current lineup, details on that later remain a great knife.

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review: History

The Recon 1 has been a part of Cold Steel’s collection for a long time. The first models were crafted in Japan, with simple handles, a thumb disk for deployment instead of a thumb stud, and a proprietary ULTRA-lock inspired by the Benchmade Axis Lock. The second version, made in Taiwan in the early 2000s, features G-10 handle scales, liners, and slightly modified handle and blade shapes. The current Recon 1 line was released in 2010.

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review: Ergonomics

The original Recon 1 featured a straightforward, slab-shaped handle, providing a neutral grip and allowing for various holds. Unfortunately, the current Recon 1 introduces pronounced finger grooves, and to be honest, I’m not a fan. It is not the end of the world, but adding finger grooves to a handle makes it less neutral, limiting the ways it can be comfortably used. The pivot area is bulky, with an inch or more of material between your index finger and the blade edge. This isn’t a significant issue for bigger tasks, but it complicates more delicate ones.

The Cold Steel Code 4, a similarly sized knife, positions your finger much closer to the blade’s start, proving it can be done. The American Lawman takes it further, offering a forward half-and-half finger choil similar to the Spyderco Paramilitary 2. It provides a large blade and excellent control.
The third drawback is the G-10. As with all Cold Steel knives, the G-10 is excessively aggressive.

In comparison, the Paramilitary 2’s G-10 is just right: grippy enough without being so abrasive that it shreds your pants each time you retrieve it. The Code 4’s aluminum construction is also preferred. Everything is better than Cold Steel’s aggressive G-10; I know it has its fans, but I am not one of them. even in an emergency self-defense scenario, a milder G-10 would suffice, and Cold Steel’s overly sharp G-10 makes the knife harder to retrieve—a potential problem in such situations.

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review: Blade Design

Cold Steel typically offers its most popular knives with multiple blade shapes, and that’s true for the Recon 1: you can choose between a clip point, spear point, or tanto blade. The spear point is the most versatile, but the tanto or clip point might be more appealing for tactical or self-defense purposes. All three blade shapes are durable enough to withstand reasonable use.

The Code 4 and the Voyager, another popular Cold Steel blade, offer blade shape options. The Kershaw Blur, another well-liked larger knife, is sometimes available with a tanto blade. While I’m not a fan of Tanto blades, if I had to choose between the Recon 1 Tanto and the Blur Tanto, I’d opt for the Recon 1; it’s difficult to tell by looking, but the Recon 1 has a thicker grind at the tip, reinforcing its durability for piercing tasks where a tanto blade excels.

The Paramilitary 2 only comes in one-blade configuration. While I prefer it over any of the three options for the Recon 1, I recognize that preferences vary and commend Cold Steel for offering users choices.

The Recon 1 is made from CTS-XHP, a high-end super steel rarely found in knives at this price. This Steel is exceptional, often compared to a stainless version of the ever-popular D2 tool steel. It sharpens to a fine edge, is incredibly tough and stain-resistant, and maintains its edge for a long time. The only downside is that sharpening can be somewhat challenging, but you won’t need to do that often. I prefer CTS-XHP over the Paramilitary 2 and Blur’s S30V, much more than the AUS-8A used in older Recon 1s.

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review: Carry

The Recon 1 weighs 5 oz. It’s not a lightweight knife, but you could do worse with a 4″ blade. However, you can also do better: the Cold Steel Voyager, another large pocket knife with a 4″ blade, weighs 4.65 oz. Admittedly, this is not a significant difference, but it’s a difference nonetheless.
If you’re not set on the 4″ blade, you can save a lot of weight with the Code 4, which weighs only 4.1 oz. with a 3.5″ blade, or the Blur, which weighs just 3.9 oz. The clear winner is the Paramilitary 2, which offers a 3.5″ blade and weighs only 3.75 oz.
The Recon 1’s small, overly tight clip and aggressive G-10 also make retrieval a chore. Compare it to Code 4, with its more sensibly textured aluminum scales, and you’ll see the mistake that G-10 is.

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review: Lock

For all of Cold Steel’s hyperbole about the strength of its knives, its products are incredibly tough—thanks mainly to the Tri-Ad Lock. Invented by custom knife maker Andrew Demko, the Tri-Ad lock functions like a standard lockback with a stop pin between the back spring and blade tang. This absorbs shock and stress that would otherwise impact the lock itself.
In practical terms, a Tri-Ad lock knife offers a lock that will, under regular use, likely never fail. You’d be hard-pressed to even induce blade play with a Tri-Ad lock; it’s that robust.

The only real competition for a Tri-Ad lock is another Tri-Ad lock. The Compression Lock on the Paramilitary 2 and the liner lock on the Blur, while both adequate, can’t match the abuse a Tri-Ad lock can endure. Does this matter in everyday use? no. But there’s something reassuring about knowing you have a genuinely reliable lock on your pocket knife.

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review: final Thoughts

You get substantial value for your money here, the Tri-Ad lock and CTS-XHP steel are undeniable strengths. The Recon 1 is a good knife in a market segment filled with better blades and a few true standouts. But I can see why you might prefer this to some other knives, and for that reason, the Recon 1 might be for you if you’re searching for a big, tough, hard-use blade.