Opinions on Cold Steel Recon Scout

A

Andre

Joined
May 22, 2000
Messages
913
Just want to know if anyone has any experience with this knife, or whether there are any users out there who are satisfied or not and why.

I have been considering adding one of these to my collection for a while. I like the bowie profile and the rubber handle, but I'm not all that keen on the Carbon V steel. Nevertheless I think this compact version of the Trail Master with its concealex (kydex?) sheath is sharp, comfortable in the hand and visually appealling.

What do you guys think?
 
I don't know about the recon scout, but if you don't like the Carbon V steel you could consider Fällkniven A1.It has a little shorter blade 6,3 inch but it has a V10 steel and rubber (kraton) handle. You can get it with blackcoated or normal blade and with leather or kydex sheat. Here is more info from the knife www.fallkniven.com You could also search the bladeforums for Fallkniven A1 and get lots of information. I just ordered the A1 with kydex sheath yesterday and am waiting for it to arrive.
 
Fallkniven is not available locally, so it will cost a bit to get it to SA.

The Cold Steel is available and I like it, but I just want other users opinions on that particular knife.

Thanks
Andre
 
I had one. I liked it. It was sort of like a heavier duty Kabar or Marine combat knife. I sent it to a service guy in the mid-east. It was sharp out of the box and did camp chores admirably. Held it's edge well and was easy to touch up. Would probably have made a great fighter too, but that is not up my alley.
 
I love mine, it's my default choice for camping. It chops better than any other 7 in. knive I have, and I've been using/abusing it for about 8 years now, only some smudging and scratching of the coating. No problems with the handle, I find it very comfortable also.

Good luck!
 
I have owned one for years. I destroyed the handle and the guard throwing it. I replaced the rubber handle with one I made out of a hickory limb and cut a stainless steel replacement guard. I sanded all the black coating off the Carbo V blade for a more natural knife look. Now it looks more like an old fashioned bowie and with a Tuff-Cloth I haven't had to worry about rust.

It's a decent knife.
 
It's my default medium-to-large sized knife. Mine has the old nylon sheath, which is crap. The Kydex would have to be better. The Carbon V is a good steel. Tough and easy to sharpen. It's easy enough to remember just to wipe it down when your done.
 
I bought a Recon Scout second from Cold Steel a good while back and used it for all kinds of heavy duty things. I have posted this somewhere else so not sure if this is where. The RS held an edge great even after hacking down hackberry trees and debarking them to make walking sticks. You'd never know the blade was so thick to use this knife. It cuts and slices like a much thinner blade. It would be possible to use the RS for skinning jobs if it was all you had but it is really a bit big for this part of meat prep. For camp uses it is right at home. Its best for splitting wood, cutting brush, breaking the breast plate of big game, chopping veges, and meat or self defense. The black baked on epoxy finish is top notch, and the handle is great and easy to keep a grip on even when wet or bloody. I think the handles CS puts on their survival knives are top rate.

As I said before in my other post I'd still have this knife but my son wanted it for his deployment over in Iraq so that is where it is now. I'll have to buy a new one if I ever want to use one again. He has fallen hard for the one I gave him. Even a factory second sold us both.
 
I've had 2 or 3 Recon Scouts through the years, and it IS a very tough-use knife...With a blade of 5/16ths an inch thick, it isn't the greatest ripe tomato-slicer in the world, but if you're looking for a camp/combat/survival knife that WON'T let you down, buy one.

It would be nice to see Cold Steel come out with a version of the Recon Scout with an AUS-8A steel blade, 'tho, for those of use who like our blades to be stainless steel...
 
it's a good knife, however i'm not a big fan of cold steel's carbon V simply because of the maintenance requirements.

but if you don't mind the maintenace and want something useful, get a himalayan import ang khola. they will hack through anything and come with a warranty which basically says if you ever break one you get a free replacement. One of them even has a break one, get 2 free warranty.
 
I love my Cold Steel Recon Scout. Carbon V is a good steel unless you just have to have stainless.

Glockman - why AUS8? How about S30V or VG-10?
 
W.T. Beck said:
I love my Cold Steel Recon Scout. Carbon V is a good steel unless you just have to have stainless.

Glockman - why AUS8? How about S30V or VG-10?
Click to expand...

Cuz Cold Steel is stuck in 1985 when it comes to blade steels.
 
I never had any maintainance problems with mine and it got lots of use. The black epoxy coating protected the blade very very well. I agree that uncoated Carbon V (AKA 1095 steel) is prone to staining and even pitting and rusting if it isn't wiped off after every use but some of us old farts are used to that anyway. In the old days when stainless was still relatively new and thought to be worthless because it didn't take an edge carbon steel was the ticket. If it rusted a bit it just helped it cut better.
 
W.T. Beck said:
I love my Cold Steel Recon Scout. Carbon V is a good steel unless you just have to have stainless.

Glockman - why AUS8? How about S30V or VG-10?
Click to expand...
Because if it were made out of S30V or even VG-10, it would probably have to cost 20-25% more money to buy such a knife, than if it were made out of AUS-8, and because of the fact that Cold Steel does a fairly good job with AUS-8(A) steel anyway, since they have used it in many of their knives for many years.
 
Thanks for the info and advice.

I pretty much made up my mind to get one but then my local supplier had just sold the last one. He said he'd have more in 2 weeks time so I'm waiting for then.
 
it would probably have to cost 20-25% more money to buy such a knife, than if it were made out of AUS-8
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I am sure most buyers of Cold Steel or any other knife brand wouldn't know the difference between AUS-8 and S30V, but there does seem to be a market for popular knives in upgraded steel. For example, Cabela's is selling Buck Vanguards with S30V blades. The price is about double that of a 420 Vanguard in Walmart, but I for one plan to buy one.
 
I have a Recon Scout and have had for a number of years. It always served well.
 
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