Cold Steel Rajah III: Good EDC?

J

jonesywales

Joined
Nov 6, 2011
Messages
13
Howdy,

I like CS folders for their strength (triad lock) and their value (relatively low $). I have a Recon 1 and a Mini Lawman, both of which I have in my EDC rotation. I just ordered a used American Lawman, and am thinking about adding the Rajah III to the collection. If you have one, how does it carry in the right front pocket?
 
Depends what you going to do with it

Not bad for an EDC but for the price I would rather get a benchmade grip or a Spyderco Native
Their locks and handles aren't as tough imo, but blade steels are better

If you just going to cut I would chose one of those 2. Their are other models in those brands of similar quality and price but those 2 are my favorite

The Rajah3 is more of an SD slasher imo. I have a Spartan so not biased against CS
 
It's a good knife, but a tad wide in the pocket.
Solid as hell though, with good handle ergonomics.:thumbup:
 
djjonny said:
Depends what you going to do with it

Not bad for an EDC but for the price I would rather get a benchmade grip or a Spyderco Native
Their locks and handles aren't as tough imo, but blade steels are better

If you just going to cut I would chose one of those 2. Their are other models in those brands of similar quality and price but those 2 are my favorite

The Rajah3 is more of an SD slasher imo. I have a Spartan so not biased against CS
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Yeah, def agree with the Rajah being more of a SD knife compared to the two you mentioned. I would like to get a grip sometime in the future.
 
While the Rajah 3 is a very cool knife, I personally wouldn't use it as an EDC. It's a very wide blade and it takes up the majority of my pockets. I think the American Lawman would be a better knife for an everyday role. It's slimmer, has a more utilitarian blade shape, and good ergos.
 
Scrazy said:
While the Rajah 3 is a very cool knife, I personally wouldn't use it as an EDC. It's a very wide blade and it takes up the majority of my pockets. I think the American Lawman would be a better knife for an everyday role. It's slimmer, has a more utilitarian blade shape, and good ergos.
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Cool thanks. I actually just ordered a Lawman. I'm looking forward to carrying it.
 
The Rajah III is a fine knife, and would make a good EDC for the right person. As Brother Scrazy noted, it does take up a little more pocket room than something thinner, but it has a sweet blade shape and has a hand-filling handle. And of course, the thumb plate wave-type opener is very effective once you get the hang of it. Is it pocketable? Absolutely. But only you can decide how much pocket room you want to give up. But I would say its very manageable.

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Rajah III.

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As for the Lawman, I think you'll love it.
 
Just wanted to follow up. Got both the American Lawman and Rajah III. I really like both of them. The Rajah III is pocketable and I've EDC'ed it with no problems. I find the blade shape a little less useable than the American Lawman, but I love the pocket-deployable feature of the Rajah III. The American Lawman is my favorite, though. Just a nice looking, stout blade with a really great EDC blade shape for me.

Just my $0.02.
 
The BM Griptilians full sized knives are not full steel frame knives and therefore not as well engineered for hard use as the CS Raja3. The Raja makes a great small pocket knife in the field as well as EDC after you get used to it and the khukri blade for cutting in this size range can't be beat by any other brand! My field set is a Raja3 and Vict swisstool spirit and a Busse Steelheart! The Spy native is great I have one but the cutting award and hard use award in the field in this size range still goes to the Raja3
 
Darcknight said:
The BM Griptilians full sized knives are not full steel frame knives and therefore not as well engineered for hard use as the CS Raja3.
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Not really true.
You should probably try using both for an extended period of time before stating things like that as if they were fact.:)
 
Darcknight said:
The BM Griptilians full sized knives are not full steel frame knives and therefore not as well engineered for hard use as the CS Raja3.
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Grips are still more that tough enough for hard use as long a your not being ridiculous with them. there's a video of someone laying its ends across two boards and he had to not only step on it but jump on it to get the liners to snap haha. so plenty strong
I'd go with the grip but if you like the style of the raja then more power to you
 
I had a Rajah 3 but traded it off because of the steel. In my experience, Cold Steel's version of AUS 8 needs to be sharpened frequently. The handle is also very thick for such a short blade. I did like the recurve blade shape and it was not a heavy knife to carry. I got an Ontario RAT 1 in the trade and it is waaaay better for me. Although they are both made of AUS 8, the heat treatment has to be very different because they do not act the same. The RAT 1 gets scary sharp and stays that way for a long time. Maybe its blade geometry. I dont know why, I just notice a big difference. I dont think the tri-ad lock is much of a factor in a small knife like this. A standard lockback may work just as well for an EDC. If liner locks are nt your thing, go for something with the AXIS lock. For a little more cash you could get a mini grip with 154cm which is really great steel. Good luck.

Unklfranco
 
Been in the cutlery business for 32 yrs and seen them come and go. I have worked with both for extended periods of time and in the long and short of it all a knife that does not have a full steel frame ie the full sized griptilians versus a knife with a full steel fram ie the R3 in the final analysis the R3 will win out in the longevity aspect of hard use. It is like a fixed blade with a 1/2 tang or 3/4 tang versus a blade with a full tang which would you rather have? Facts are facts and non full steel frame knives are subject to failures within the construct of the knife I have seen those cut down frames slip and loosen. That IS a fact!
 
I have seen that video and there are times in life when one has to use a tool in a ridiculous way and that is what I am talking about. In the final analysis the R3 will win out over the griptilian if you have to get ridiculous with it! The blade style of the R3 is stronger and more versatile for field apps in the long run as well! Don't get me wrong I am a Benchmade fan and probably have every knife they have made since 1995. I do find the R3 to be a great knife design and innovative for those of us that love khukris and the versatility they provide in the field!
 
The Ontario might have a higher RC number in the temper. The Cold Steel is supposed to be RC 56-57 which is a common RC for 1095 carbon steel and I find that the AUS8A steel in the Cold Steel needs to be sharpened more often as well but in not much of a different way as 1095 in RC 56-57 either and the CS blade may hold the edge longer than a 1095 blade at the same RC. That is the selling point in the shop that I manage. AUS8A is a stainless version of 1095 in your pocket. I also find the AUS8A in both the Ontario and the CS to sharpen up real easy!
 
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