First CS - chose the American Lawman

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Pr3inar

Joined
Oct 17, 2015
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809
Just ordered a Cold Steel after years of consideration. I always chose the other alternative, but after I found out I could close a relatively expensive «hard use» liner lock folder like a slipjoint unless I waved it really hard, I went CS, and the American Lawman.

Looking forward to try the Tri-ad, and I’m curious to how I will like s35vn. Sold my para 2 in s30v last year, and except some cpm m4/Spyderco Bradley, 2 I have mosltly used a8-mod, aeb-l, 80crv2 etc, steels with high thoughness.

I’m also looking forward to the lightweight, non-liner handle, and to see how it differs in strength from steel/titanium lined knives.

If you have any cxperiences/opinions/praise/cons for the s35vn Lawman, I would love to hear about it!
 
Congrats, it’s probably the best model to dive into cold steel. The lawman is still one of my favorite folder. In terms of strength, ease of carry, quality of material and price, the lawman is really hard to beat.
i only wished cold steel made more varieties of lawman like satin blade or with different blade shape like they did with code 4 or recon 1 series. Even better if they can bring back the pre-2015 thicker handle but with smoother texture like the current model.
 
Good choice. Strong, light, great ergonomics. I like the s35vn. Good edge retention and not too hard to keep sharp.
 
Very good choice. I prefer the goldeneye but it has a pretty unique look, but I like the handle and blade more. The lawman is pretty tall and flat, which is okay but I didn't care for, for EDC. The goldeneye I use for hiking, which is a hobby I picked up after I got rid of the lawman. I think the ergos of the lawman weren't the best for hard use, for my hand at least. It was just to thin, but that's what makes it easier to pocket.

On the liner lock, it sounds like the lock isn't functioning right. I've had one like that and if you bend the lock slightly so that it increases the pressure on the tang, it may fix it. It did on the one I had that acted like yours. Liner locks can be pretty strong, but ease of operation is probably their strong point over other lock types.

I wouldn't worry about the steel toughness unless you decide to use it for things a folder is not designed for. S35vn is plenty tough for most hard use tasks in a folder, even for small to mid sized fixed blades, assuming the heat treat is good. It can withstand a reasonable amount of abuse but you may be fixing some small chips if you decide to baton it through a bunch of thick wiring or something for some reason.

You've had M4 so you're probably already equipped for it, but getting some harder stones like diamond makes maintaining S35vn much easier since it does have good abrasion resistance, though nothing compared to M4. You may just never have had to sharpen the M4 since it holds an edge a long time.
 
bikerector said:
Very good choice. I prefer the goldeneye but it has a pretty unique look, but I like the handle and blade more. The lawman is pretty tall and flat, which is okay but I didn't care for, for EDC. The goldeneye I use for hiking, which is a hobby I picked up after I got rid of the lawman. I think the ergos of the lawman weren't the best for hard use, for my hand at least. It was just to thin, but that's what makes it easier to pocket.

On the liner lock, it sounds like the lock isn't functioning right. I've had one like that and if you bend the lock slightly so that it increases the pressure on the tang, it may fix it. It did on the one I had that acted like yours. Liner locks can be pretty strong, but ease of operation is probably their strong point over other lock types.

I wouldn't worry about the steel toughness unless you decide to use it for things a folder is not designed for. S35vn is plenty tough for most hard use tasks in a folder, even for small to mid sized fixed blades, assuming the heat treat is good. It can withstand a reasonable amount of abuse but you may be fixing some small chips if you decide to baton it through a bunch of thick wiring or something for some reason.

You've had M4 so you're probably already equipped for it, but getting some harder stones like diamond makes maintaining S35vn much easier since it does have good abrasion resistance, though nothing compared to M4. You may just never have had to sharpen the M4 since it holds an edge a long time.
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I’m no master sharpener, but the edge pro for rebeveling and sharpmaker with diamond rods or DMT plates against the stones for honing takes care of most of my sharpening needs:)

The thinness is one of the tings I consider a pro, just have to wait and see how the ergos works out!
 
Pr3inar said:
I’m no master sharpener, but the edge pro for rebeveling and sharpmaker with diamond rods or DMT plates against the stones for honing takes care of most of my sharpening needs:)

The thinness is one of the tings I consider a pro, just have to wait and see how the ergos works out!
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You re going to like that knife.
 
First impressions are very good:

- Wider than I imagined, thats good
- very smooth action
- great, even grind/bevel

The detent is surprisingly «weak» compared to my Spyderco backlocks. I can whip this open without using the thumbstud. I don’t know if I consider this a good or a bad thing yet, I guess I just expected it to be much harder!

Going to bring it to work tonight:)
 
And a pic
HoqDKCs.jpg
 
Gosh the edge thickness looks waaaay to big for my taste. So far its the only issue that stops me from getting the AL.
 
daybd said:
Gosh the edge thickness looks waaaay to big for my taste. So far its the only issue that stops me from getting the AL.
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I never measured my Lawman but I am pretty sure it is thinner behind the edge than a lot of my production knives.
The American Lawman is one of CS’s most edc friendly knives.

It is a very good good size and weight and plenty tough.
 
daybd said:
Gosh the edge thickness looks waaaay to big for my taste. So far its the only issue that stops me from getting the AL.
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I should mention that this picture is taken after a rebeveling with the Edge pro, using the small knife attachment (SKA) just to place the knife more more evenly. Sat the edge pro to just below 21 deg pr side, and the SKA raises it up 2-3 degrees, so here it’s about 17-18 deg pr side.
 
Was the lock failure one an Emerson? Just curious. And congrats and enjoy
I to have been on the fence between lawman, code 4 and recon
 
Pr3inar said:
I should mention that this picture is taken after a rebeveling with the Edge pro
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Well it changes everything. I was wrong judging by the picture.
You've mentioned that the handle was wider than you expected. What your glove size? I'm just trying to decide before hitting the "Buy it now" button.
 
daybd said:
Well it changes everything. I was wrong judging by the picture.
You've mentioned that the handle was wider than you expected. What your glove size? I'm just trying to decide before hitting the "Buy it now" button.
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I use 10 in my work gloves, don’t know if its the same size standards you use over there. I use L/XL nitrile gloves if that helps
 
It’s one that I have always been on the verge of getting. The coated blade and the curved pocket-clip always get in the way.
 
Dallas T said:
Was the lock failure one an Emerson? Just curious. And congrats and enjoy
I to have been on the fence between lawman, code 4 and recon
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I'm debating on a Lawman. The Recon is unreal man. If you like a 4 inch folder - this is for you.
 
jstrange said:
It’s one that I have always been on the verge of getting. The coated blade and the curved pocket-clip always get in the way.
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I never liked coated blades until I got my first Lawman. Now I don t mind them. After I got my first Recon 1 I realized I like them fine.
Try one.
 
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