Cold Steel Rajah II

Horn Dog

Horn Dog

Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Messages
4,363
What a great idea, I thought. A folding kukri that can fit in the pocket that is actually tough enough to chop with. It came in today. Here are the specs:

Blade: 6"
Overall: 14"
Weight: 13 oz.
Thick: 5.3mm
Steel: Japanese AUS 8A Stainless

The handle is something called grivory, a hard plastic material. This knife is a beast. Here it is along side the Camillus Boy Scout lockback I used to open the package.
Rajah2006.jpg

The lockup is solid, with a reassuring click. No blade play at all. Balance point is at the handle cutout for the first finger when using the forward grip. The handle is 8" long, so it helps to have deep pockets like my Cabella's hikers have.
I took the knife out back and slashed some palmettos with it, machete style. No problem for this folder. So I found a woody tree or shrub of some sort growing in my drainage ditch. It had to go, and down it went in three chops.
Rajah2011.jpg

Rajah2012.jpg

I went further on down into my little jungle and chopped some more trees and brush in the path. This is one handy pocket knife for the yard, and would be equally as useful in the bush or camp.
Rajah2016.jpg

Rajah2017.jpg

Then I decided to really give the blade a workout by batoning some hard maple, splitting it with the Rajah II.
I broke the tang on a nice fixed blade doing this same task.
Rajah2018.jpg

Rajah2019.jpg

Rajah2020.jpg

Rajah2021.jpg

The knife performed well. There was no blade play at all after this, and the lockup was as solid as ever. That new Tri-Ad lock that CS is using, really seems to work. The pocket clip did dig into my hand in use, so I removed it. Much better. It came with a spare and spare screws, but I just don't like the feel of it. The Rajah II is one serious folder. I'll be using it a lot this summer, and we'll see how it holds up. For now, I am very impressed.
Rajah2022.jpg
 
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HD,

Thanks for the review. That knife looks like a monster... How is it to carry?
 
BarberFobic1992 said:
interesting design. i cant see edc-ing it or anything, but otherwise, a very nice and original knife.
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It is a bit much for EDC, but this summer, it may be mine for a while. At least on yard work days. I just realized what a wierd knife this is to review here, where so many posters seem to prefer small custom bushcraft fixed blades to folders, and then here comes some redneck with a folding chopper! Oh, well. :D
 
Looks like an impressive knife. I just got the CS American Lawman, which also uses the Triad lock. It has no play and seems very strong. The spring is stronger than on any lockback I've sampled. The g-10 is too rough but it may smooth with use.
 
I'm lookin forward to EDC'ing the Rajah1 if i ever get paid form work.....

great review HornDOG!
 
I think it makes perfect sense as a hiker's do-almost-all kind of blade. Big enough for tougher chores, small enough to throw in a pack, and with an appropriate pouch, could easily be carried on the belt or lashed to a pack.

Does CS supply any kind of carry pouch?

Andy
 
Oh yeah, this knife or the nicer Rajah I is right up your alley, Bushman5. :thumbup:
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
I think it makes perfect sense as a hiker's do-almost-all kind of blade. Big enough for tougher chores, small enough to throw in a pack, and with an appropriate pouch, could easily be carried on the belt or lashed to a pack.

Does CS supply any kind of carry pouch?

Andy
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Unfortunately they do not. If ever there was a folder that should not have a pocket clip, but should have a sheath, this is it. It fits nicely in the open topped pocket in my new Maxpedition Jumbo.
 
Horn Dog said:
It is a bit much for EDC, but this summer, it may be mine for a while. At least on yard work days. I just realized what a wierd knife this is to review here, where so many posters seem to prefer small custom bushcraft fixed blades to folders, and then here comes some redneck with a folding chopper! Oh, well. :D
Click to expand...


Horndog,

Nothing wrong with big folders..I EDC'd a Cuda Maxx 5.5 D-2 robo-assisted blade for several years... My friends used to always say "Do you have that bowie knife in your pocket again" and I'd whip out my big 12". That knife draws a lot of attention... When I was 8, I started carrying an Imperial Wildcat Skinner on my hip ( a big knife), just gave it to my son on is B-day. but than again.. I am probably a redneck....
 
the Cold Steel Rajah series is what i had hoped the Spyderco Khukuri folder would be like. Sadly, the Spyderco Khukuri folder turned out to be a little tiny keychain knife.
 
Holy crap that's a big folder!

Cool pics, thanks for sharing :thumbup:
 
Whilst that's not the kind of folder I'd carry I can envisage some niches where that would do well. That it cuts and is big and strong with low maintenance should see to that. Dunno exactly why, but it evokes a memory of a big Roman folding military knife.

Not really much to say about AUS 8A – good enough meat and potatoes steel if done well, but Grivory is interesting. I've only encountered that on Beckers before. I wonder whether it's going to take off more widely as a kind of Zytel update.
 
I don't know what grivory is, but it seems tough. There are stainless steel liners under it. And as you said, if done right AUS-8 A steel is ok. Al Mar still uses it. I think the Japanese steel makers have it dialed in. Time will tell just how well the knife holds up to the strain of chopping. But it seems pretty strong now. I have wished for a folding chopper for some time. I am not all that surprised that it took Cold Steel to do it. Whatever else one may think of CS, they have had quite a few successful products over the years.
 
I found a great deal on the Rajah 1 folder and it's a beast. As already mentioned, it's a good niche folder if you need a heavy duty folding knife. I was able to baton just like Horn Dog's. It's actually pretty good at bush-whacking on lighter vegetation. If for whatever reason, you couldn't hump a fixed blade, this does pretty good for the inherent weakness of folders. CS actually did a good job on this.

I'd post pictures, but our internet connectivity out in the field is good, but not good enough for pulling up my photobucket.

ROCK6
 
great review! by all accounts i've read the tri-ad lock is the strongest folding lock going that i know of. after watching the espada go thru the paces on the youtube video by Andre Demko i would like to get one but it isn't exactly a W/S knife;)

on a side note the extra pocket clip is for lefties since the right side one won't fit both.
 
crossada said:
...
on a side note the extra pocket clip is for lefties since the right side one won't fit both.
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You are right! I never noticed until I just checked.:o
My advice is to throw them away. They make chopping very uncomfortable.
 
Great review Vic, man you get all the cool toys to play with eh !

I wouldn't be worried about the steel as Coldsteel seems to get amazing results from their heat treatment and causes it to exceed the steels normal expectations.

Glad to finally see a folder big enough for your paws Vic !!!!
 
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