Cold Steel Counter Point I quick review

[res1cue]

Hey guys, just wanted to share some of my thoughts on this knife.

What you see is pretty much what you get. It's not like the CS spartan or CS recon 1, where you have to feel it in your hands to really comprehend the knife. The blade is half hollow ground AUS8. If any of you have the CP II, you can rest assured that the grind is high enough to be usable (unlike the flat half-inch grind on the CPII). I am not a fan of hollow grinds that are this short, but it thins out pretty good, and I will let you know if there are shouldering problems. The swedge thins out to a false edge of ~1mm thick....which is pretty thin. I don't care that much for it, since it starts so abruptly, but I didn't have problems with that kind of grind on the SERE 2000, so I won't complain about it yet. Out of the box it is quite sharp, but I will probably reprofile soon anyways. Blade is nice and wide, which I like.

Action is very smooth, well positioned thumb studs. Lockup is 100%, and is surprisingly fast for such tight lockup. I can make out phosphor bronze bushings in there. It has a grivory handle with steel. liners (maybe about 2mm thick?). Ambidextrous tip-up only clip that rides a bit high.

One neat thing is the thumb "groove" in the butt that seats your thumb in the icepick grip. Ergonomics are great, feels solid in the hand, and the grivory is minimally textured to give a bit of traction, but without the complaints people usually have about CS's G10. Clip is still too tight, but I will adjust it myself. Lock detent is on par with Recon series. It actually feels a bit heavier than it looks, but it isn't too bad. Later I can weigh it on a scale for you guys if you want me to. Overall, it is just a nice looking knife in my opinion.

All-in-all, it is a decent knife. I have no real complaints about it, but I am not totally head over heels in love with it either. It isn't one of those amazing values that CS comes up with, like the voyager series, but at the 53 bucks I paid on ebay, it is a fair deal. If it was 10 bucks cheaper, it would be a pretty nifty deal. I would rate it overall as a 7.5/10 (price considered), so if you are in love with the blade shape, you'll probably enjoy it.

Now for pics.

Closed:

Open:

The thumb "groove" on the butt:

Comparison with Adamas:

Comparison with Al Mar Sere 2000, they are obviously very similar, but they handle very differently since the sere is so much heavier

Comparison with Al Mare Sere from top, you can see that they have similar shape, but the CPI is a bit thicker. The swedge actually thickens out closer to the tip

Comparison with CPII:

Comparison with Gryphon M10, very similar blade shape. This knife "feels" closest to how the Counterpoint feels:

 

[Larry Turko]

Thanks for the review and pictures. I really like the blade shape so I'm interested in this knife. So the clip ,like with many CS folders, is once again too tight. Is it because everyone wears really thin pants in sunny southern California?

 

[fishface5]

interesting & the pics are very helpful thanks!

 

[Buffalohump]

Cool review. Thanks! I have been waiting for this one.

Question: How easy is it to get the blade out?

 

[OrdnanceBubbaUSMC]

Definitely getting this one, res1cue gets all the folders I want before I do...

Way back when I set up a bulk purchase from Cold Steel for me and the guys in my unit, a few of them picked out Ti-Lites and they were very cool to play around and train with - have been waiting for something similar but a little beefier with Tri-AD lock (or even Axis or Compression Lock).

If I can get the blade to snap out at least as good as my Large Vaquero Voyager it will probably be A+ in my book and constant carry

 

[trentu]

I really like mine. Fits the hand well and is pretty easy to open one handed. Locks up well also. Nice review.

 

[res1cue]

Definitely getting this one, res1cue gets all the folders I want before I do...

Haha, I just do it so you never have to buy a bad knife!

If I can get the blade to snap out at least as good as my Large Vaquero Voyager it will probably be A+ in my book and constant carry

It comes out VERY fast. The thumbstud is well positioned that you can give a lot of inertia quickly. Looks like we both like similar knives, so I think you will like this one. I remember you saying you had bigger hands, and this one has got a plenty big grip

Cool review. Thanks! I have been waiting for this one.

Question: How easy is it to get the blade out?

Like I said, very easy. I am shocked at how easily the blade comes out, faster than the other triad knives I have




one more thing guys, I misspoke. It is a flat grind, not hollow

 

[Big Mike]

I have a question about your review,


...Does the blade work for cutting things?



That's what I buy a knife to do, but you don't mention it.


Things like edge retention are also important.


I would suggest using a knife before attempting to review it.





Big Mike

 

[res1cue]

Seeing as it is CS standard fare: 3.5 mm AUS 8, I bet will be on par with everything else it offers. I am going to reprofile the blade before I start doing cutting tests, but this week I am just swamped. I will get to that stuff when the weekend comes This is more of a first look at ergos and such

 

[Big Mike]

Seeing as it is CS standard fare: 3.5 mm AUS 8,

I bet will be on par with everything else it offers.


I am going to reprofile the blade before I start doing cutting tests...


...This is more of a first look at ergos and such

Thanks, now I understand.


You have not cut anything,

...you guess the steel will perform like some other knife you did cut with,

...and you're going to re-profile the factory edge before you do whatever testing you're going to do.



Thanks for you time in doing this review. :yawn:




Big Mike

 

[OrdnanceBubbaUSMC]

I don't think this would be your flavor Mike, you are a Bark River fan - need a custom Sodbuster with 1.5mm thick blade and authentic ivory scales

 

[klute]

But is it a review though? [he said quick review, not full one] i'm sure rescue1 will be a usin that knife, maybe in a month or so and then he might further the discussion on cutting but he is discussing other aspects at this time, which i appreciate, this is the gen. knife discussion after all.

And the CP2 on mine the false edge does try to stay sort of thick out towards the tip, great design move and execution.

 

[res1cue]

Thanks, now I understand.


You have not cut anything,

...you guess the steel will perform like some other knife you did cut with,

...and you're going to re-profile the factory edge before you do whatever testing you're going to do.



Thanks for you time in doing this review. :yawn:




Big Mike

Klute is right, i said quick review for a reason

And you are right, no cutting at all

And yes I will reprofile before I use it like I do on every other knife i receive

Sorry you dont find any value in this thread, but apparantly others did

 

[klute]

I've started to re-profile alot more now, I actually was / am planning to repro my CP2 as well as getting another CP2 or even a few more of them easily carried little units and have several different profiles to choose from. Life is good.

 

[clearytja]

Wow Big Mike....you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what???? This blade has just been released....the pictures alone (different angles than stock photos, comparison shots and in hand) are very helpful. Sorry but I liked the review and found it quite helpful. Thanks for a great review res!cue!!!!!
TC

 

[Big Mike]

Wow Big Mike....you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what???? This blade has just been released....the pictures alone (different angles than stock photos, comparison shots and in hand) are very helpful. Sorry but I liked the review and found it quite helpful. Thanks for a great review res!cue!!!!!
TC

More reason to want to know how it works.

But this "reviewer" has not reviewed the knife, only provide a few photos and his armchair opinion.

He admits to not cutting with it.

To add insult to injury, be has no plan to test the factory edge on this knife.

If he ever does review this knife it will be useless to the rest of us, as all he'll be testing is the knife he modded.



I guess I'm one of the few that remembers what a knife review is suppose to be.

This is a U-tube "Opening The Box" video without the moving pictures and sound.




Big Mike

 

[res1cue]

Wow Big Mike....you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what???? This blade has just been released....the pictures alone (different angles than stock photos, comparison shots and in hand) are very helpful. Sorry but I liked the review and found it quite helpful. Thanks for a great review res!cue!!!!!
TC

Thanks!
This was my primary reason for starting the thread. There are no pictures except for stock photos. So I thought I'd throw up some comparison videos and my thoughts on ergonomics/lockup/speed of opening etc

He admits to not cutting with it.

Yep

To add insult to injury, be has no plan to test the factory edge on this knife.

If he ever does review this knife it will be useless to the rest of us, as all he'll be testing is the knife he modded.

Don't know why this insults or injures you, or why you are so fixated on the factory edge. Most people here are capable of sharpening a knife better than a factory edge. I am sure I am not the only one that is not satisfied with a factory edge. I am more interested in maximum potential of a knife than how it comes out of box.

I wont do any tests with the factory edge, because I honestly do not care about that.

I guess I'm one of the few that remembers what a knife review is suppose to be.

Again, sorry it doesn't adhere to your "standards" of knife reviews.
But then again it isn't really a true review either (which is why it is in general discussion). I guess I shouldn't have put "review" in the title of the thread, but it is meant to be just a quick first look.

This is a U-tube "Opening The Box" video without the moving pictures and sound.

That's exactly what it is, actually. Seeing as I couldn't find a single picture or video on the internet of what the friggin knife actually looks like, and there are only stock computer-generated photos, I thought I'd provide some pictures.

 

[Big Mike]

Again thanks, :thumbup: :yawn: :thumbup:

...I see we are in total agreement about this not being a review.




Big Mike

 

[res1cue]

Again thanks, :thumbup: :yawn: :thumbup:

...I see we are in total agreement about this not being a review.




Big Mike

Just out of curiosity, Big Mike, why are you so stuck on the factory edge thing?

To me that is the least important feature of a knife. I once bought two Rifts at once. One was shaving sharp, the other one was very dull. I didn't care because I was going to sharpen it anyways, but that is proof that it varies very much between each individual product.

 

[Big Mike]

Just out of curiosity, Big Mike, why are you so stuck on the factory edge thing?

Personally I find of the edge of a knife often reflects the intent of the maker,

...is financial return more important then the makers reputation?


Quality knives from respected makers show up in how well a knife works.


I always live with the factory edge as long as I can in my testing, and then lightly resharpen and use it for a few more cycles before I make the decision on how it might benefit from a re-profiling.

Also, using a knife for cutting gives me a good idea of what a knife does, and does not do well.

Only after discovering these attributes can I make an informed decision on what I will use a knife for, and how it should be re-profiled to meet the uses I have in mind.


It's clear that you have a preconceived notion of what you want this knife to be,

...and are trying to convince others that your notion is somehow correct.



I like to let the knife tell me what it's capable of, starting with the factory edge is the best way I know to do that.




Also I should note that ham-fisted re-profilers have ruined more edges then have be destroyed in real use,

...botched tempers and overly thinned edges are the hallmark of know-it-all owners that don't really know any better.



This leads us back full circle to why it's best to start with the factory edge in evaluating any blade.




PS - Nothing personal res1cue, I just see so many "so called" reviews these days, the curse of u-tube spreads like a wildfire; we, here on BF, should hold ourselves to a higher standard.




Big Mike