Opinion on the Cold Steel Spartan

cbrstar

cbrstar

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Sep 7, 2015
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SBHscXG.jpg


A few months ago while watching a review watching Advanced Knife Bro's review of this knife I couldn't help but think to myself "What kinda rube would actually buy this crazy huge knife?"...Well turns out that rube is me!
But in my defense I've never owned a CS before, and when I found this in the local Pawnshop at a good price well curiosity killed that cat and I had to have it.

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I envy people who know exactly what they want with knives. Myself on the other hand keep getting pleasantly surprised by knives I didn't think I would like, but they grow on me after spending some time with them and this is no exception. It's weird the longer I collect knives the bigger they keep getting. I started with a SAK, and I thought I was done when I got my Police 3, but now I own a Spartan and a Recon XL and wondering how I ended up here and whats next?

As you can see in the above pic the Spartan fits in my hand quite well and is very comfortable. But the handle is both one of it's best features and one of it's worst.

The scale material is Griv-ex (Grivory) which I wanted to hate on compared to FRN as it's a cheaper material. But in this application it's decent because due to the handle shape as your hand isn't going to slip and it's quite durable.
The big problem for me with the handle is the size and shape. On one hand the handle feels like it absorbs a lot of shock, but on the other it's just simply way too wide! You are going to notice it in every pocket you put it in every moment of the day. Unlike the Recon XL I bought which is actually longer but fits nicely in your pocket.

The biggest flaw though IMHO this is a terrible self defense knife...

I'm not going to pretend I really know anything about SD, and I don't actually buy knives for that purpose. But a name like "Spartan" and the vids CS puts out I can't help but feel that's the number 1 purpose someone might buy this knife.

The reason I believe this is a terrible self defense knife is due to the thumb ergonomics makes this knife extremely hard and slow to deploy. Also the weight of the blade + and the friction of the tri-ad lock is working against your favor. At best you are going to open the blade half way and will need a strong wrist flick to fully open it. IMHO it's not efficient enough.
But you're going to say "Duh, you open it with the wave function dummy!" Which brings me to the handle again. What if you don't have it in your front pocket but instead the rear or coat due to comfort? Also I don't know about you but for me the wave function doesn't always fully open. I guess I need more elite ninja training...

Instead of all the negatives lets hear some positives why this knife is actually great.

This might be not a great self defense knife but instead IMHO I think this is one of the best camping knives I've ever owned!

The blade shape is fantastic for chopping into wood, and the lock is strong enough that you can put your fixed blade away in confidence. The size for me is also just right for my camping tasks, and the blade geo is decent for food prep.
If I can fit one more camping trip in this year this is my new go to knife.

OPIIjMj.jpg
 
:) I don't own and have never even handled a Spartan , but I do have many other big Cold Steel folders with the Tri-ad lock and have used them a lot .

With much using , opening and closing ...over time they tend to "break in" nicely and become much easier and smoother to open and close . Sometimes this can take awhile , so be patient .

Once fully worn in , they usually will give many years of carefree service . The Tri-ad lock is designed to be self adjusting with extended use and will normally stay rock solid in lock-up for many years .

I expect that once your Spartan gets broken in , you'll be able to easily open with the gravity / inertial / shake out method . The longer , heavier blades are usually very easy for this way of opening in my experience . It's fast , too ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
DocJD said:
:) I don't own and have never even handled a Spartan , but I do have many other big Cold Steel folders with the Tri-ad lock and have used them a lot .

With much using , opening and closing ...over time they tend to "break in" nicely and become much easier and smoother to open and close . Sometimes this can take awhile , so be patient .

Once fully worn in , they usually will give many years of carefree service . The Tri-ad lock is designed to be self adjusting with extended use and will normally stay rock solid in lock-up for many years .

I expect that once your Spartan gets broken in , you'll be able to easily open with the gravity / inertial / shake out method . The longer , heavier blades are usually very easy for this way of opening in my experience . It's fast , too ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Click to expand...

For myself it's a lack of leverage. At the same time I also bought a Recon 1 XL and I find the thumb stud much easier to reach which makes the knife way easier to open. You're most likely right about the lock needing more breaking in though as the spartan has more detent then the recon.
 
I don't think I full y understand the reason that lies behind the huge folders that Cold Steel makes. Maybe because I am not a big guy with big hands but even if I was, and I was going to carry that much weight with me, I would rather carry a fixed blade in my belt than the equivalent sized folder in the pocket.

Even with the triadlock a folder will never be as reliable as fixed blade and something that big calls (or risks) getting used for tasks a folder shouldn't be used. I am talking about battoning, chopping, etc.

Mikel
 
I've had one for many years and can't recall ever really using it. I have no doubt it could handle anything I threw at it except being remotely comfortable in my pocket. I agree with every point made in this thread... best worst knife ever.
 
Ogreman said:
The Spartan is mainly for self-defense or for chopping. Have to agree its not one to EDC all the time:).
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It was designed for SD in mind. When you hear Lynn talk about the knife you hear him mention how it saved his friends life in a knife fight.
But I don't own knives for SD purposes. So for me it's a fantastic chopper!
 
Mikel_24 said:
I don't think I full y understand the reason that lies behind the huge folders that Cold Steel makes. Maybe because I am not a big guy with big hands but even if I was, and I was going to carry that much weight with me, I would rather carry a fixed blade in my belt than the equivalent sized folder in the pocket.

Even with the triadlock a folder will never be as reliable as fixed blade and something that big calls (or risks) getting used for tasks a folder shouldn't be used. I am talking about battoning, chopping, etc.

Mikel
Click to expand...

Neither do 99% of the rest of the knifemakers out there, which is why Cold Steel is one of the very, very few who makes knives like this, which is why they sell.
 
I ordered one online.I think it may haver been a Knock-Off(Counterfeit). It said Spartan and came in a box that said Cold Steel. I opened and closed it about 15 times and a pin inside the knife fell out and the blade wobbled around and would not lock, the knife was useless. This has happened with cheap knives I bought. I patched it up best I could and dumped it at a Pawnshop.
 
You quite possibly got a fake, the one I have is solid as a rock no problems what so ever. Sorry to hear about your knife and good luck going forward.
 
A0EC5097-86ED-454C-B53B-F7FE5737420C.jpeg
I don’t carry a Spartan but I modified this one for my friend with some stippling and a fob. I also ground the blade into a trailing point (allowing for back-cuts), thinned out the edge and gave it and a mirror polish.
The handle is big and the knife is heavy for its size, but I’ll still probably get one someday and do another trailing point modification to it. I think it’s an outstanding heavy use/defensive folder - especially when utilizing a fob to assist with “waving” the knife from your pocket reliably...
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5BC718B5-097D-4B4B-A458-FC77CD1B5CA5.jpeg
 
scdub said:
View attachment 1557631
I don’t carry a Spartan but I modified this one for my friend with some stippling and a fob. I also ground the blade into a trailing point (allowing for back-cuts), thinned out the edge and gave it and a mirror polish.
The handle is big and the knife is heavy for its size, but I’ll still probably get one someday and do another trailing point modification to it. I think it’s an outstanding heavy use/defensive folder - especially when utilizing a fob to assist with “waving” the knife from your pocket reliably...
View attachment 1557632
View attachment 1557633
Click to expand...
Sweet ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
cbrstar said:
SBHscXG.jpg


A few months ago while watching a review watching Advanced Knife Bro's review of this knife I couldn't help but think to myself "What kinda rube would actually buy this crazy huge knife?"...Well turns out that rube is me!
But in my defense I've never owned a CS before, and when I found this in the local Pawnshop at a good price well curiosity killed that cat and I had to have it.

wC8JxzW.jpg


I envy people who know exactly what they want with knives. Myself on the other hand keep getting pleasantly surprised by knives I didn't think I would like, but they grow on me after spending some time with them and this is no exception. It's weird the longer I collect knives the bigger they keep getting. I started with a SAK, and I thought I was done when I got my Police 3, but now I own a Spartan and a Recon XL and wondering how I ended up here and whats next?

As you can see in the above pic the Spartan fits in my hand quite well and is very comfortable. But the handle is both one of it's best features and one of it's worst.

The scale material is Griv-ex (Grivory) which I wanted to hate on compared to FRN as it's a cheaper material. But in this application it's decent because due to the handle shape as your hand isn't going to slip and it's quite durable.
The big problem for me with the handle is the size and shape. On one hand the handle feels like it absorbs a lot of shock, but on the other it's just simply way too wide! You are going to notice it in every pocket you put it in every moment of the day. Unlike the Recon XL I bought which is actually longer but fits nicely in your pocket.

The biggest flaw though IMHO this is a terrible self defense knife...

I'm not going to pretend I really know anything about SD, and I don't actually buy knives for that purpose. But a name like "Spartan" and the vids CS puts out I can't help but feel that's the number 1 purpose someone might buy this knife.

The reason I believe this is a terrible self defense knife is due to the thumb ergonomics makes this knife extremely hard and slow to deploy. Also the weight of the blade + and the friction of the tri-ad lock is working against your favor. At best you are going to open the blade half way and will need a strong wrist flick to fully open it. IMHO it's not efficient enough.
But you're going to say "Duh, you open it with the wave function dummy!" Which brings me to the handle again. What if you don't have it in your front pocket but instead the rear or coat due to comfort? Also I don't know about you but for me the wave function doesn't always fully open. I guess I need more elite ninja training...

Instead of all the negatives lets hear some positives why this knife is actually great.

This might be not a great self defense knife but instead IMHO I think this is one of the best camping knives I've ever owned!

The blade shape is fantastic for chopping into wood, and the lock is strong enough that you can put your fixed blade away in confidence. The size for me is also just right for my camping tasks, and the blade geo is decent for food prep.
If I can fit one more camping trip in this year this is my new go to knife.

OPIIjMj.jpg
Click to expand...
If a real man can only have one Cold Steel folder, it must be this pocket Kopis.
 
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