Any experience with Cold Steel Kobun knife?
- Thread starter BigMonster
- Start date
cold-steel-kobunHeinnie Haynes | Best Knives, Everyday Carry & Survival Gear
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I did try googling it but no instant joy.
And I'm alllll about the instant joy.
Is this single sided blade geometry ?
AKA Chisel edge.
I don't see the appeal myself but I had to purchase a little WSK to understand once it was in the hand it was a baddddd idea. So I can understand the allure.
+1 Kudos point for finding it so easily.
( And I'll take that point away -1 , for failing to be able to post a direct link
)
I have one and it's ok. Small grip which I believe is for use with gloves and is defiantly more for poking with than slicing. Strong tanto point and useable sheath.
If you like the look of it, what does it matter what others think?
I think though that if you buy it, its something that will eventually (maybe quite soon) find its way to the Classified section. A toy that doesn't quite lived up to expected joy of ownership.
As a piece of art or design it isn't great, hard to get excited about AUS8, injection moulded rubber/plastic. For cutting ability, again, nothing to get excited about. Steep secondary bevel, short hollow grind. When I was in my early 20s and interested in martial arts I rather fancied one in the fantasy sort of way some folk do, imagining it would be cool to carry for self defence . Fortunately, I already had an SRK and several AUS8 Voyagers, and when I got to handle a Kobun at a show I realised it wasn't something with any practical value to me, and not enough aesthetic value to be worth the price. (No, I never actually carried a knife for self defence in the UK, and was told by a friendly state trooper I shouldn't carry the 4" Voyager in the US either...boo.)
In the UK its design purpose isn't legal, unless you are a deploying soldier. So "experience" will amount to folk who fancied the look of a concealable stabby tactical/defence knife then tried it out for camping, the kitchen, or on a farm/building site opening sacks. That's like fancying the look of a Mazda MX5 and asking advice from people with no paved roads who use cars for moving furniture and livestock
Obligatory Cold Steel video for entertainment.
I think though that if you buy it, its something that will eventually (maybe quite soon) find its way to the Classified section. A toy that doesn't quite lived up to expected joy of ownership.
As a piece of art or design it isn't great, hard to get excited about AUS8, injection moulded rubber/plastic. For cutting ability, again, nothing to get excited about. Steep secondary bevel, short hollow grind. When I was in my early 20s and interested in martial arts I rather fancied one in the fantasy sort of way some folk do, imagining it would be cool to carry for self defence
. Fortunately, I already had an SRK and several AUS8 Voyagers, and when I got to handle a Kobun at a show I realised it wasn't something with any practical value to me, and not enough aesthetic value to be worth the price. (No, I never actually carried a knife for self defence in the UK, and was told by a friendly state trooper I shouldn't carry the 4" Voyager in the US either...boo.)In the UK its design purpose isn't legal, unless you are a deploying soldier. So "experience" will amount to folk who fancied the look of a concealable stabby tactical/defence knife then tried it out for camping, the kitchen, or on a farm/building site opening sacks. That's like fancying the look of a Mazda MX5 and asking advice from people with no paved roads who use cars for moving furniture and livestock
Obligatory Cold Steel video for entertainment.
I purchased a Kobun during the first lockdown. I quite fancied the look of the knife. Very pleased with the knife, as I have small hands it seemed to suit well. A very light tool and quite sharp out of the box, but not a razor. Tried it in the kitchen and slices pretty well. All in all a fair quality for a reasonable price.
I can't speak for the Kobun, but I have a folding Cold Steel tanto which I've used a lot at work. The blade shape was originally for stabbing things (people) but can be put to other uses. Would I buy another? No. Do I like the one I have? Absolutely.
The ATS-34 versions are the ones I have experience with. Whether it is a good purchase depends on what you expect it to do.
As a display piece, it will work well. If you need to stab something, the strong point will work well. In actual use, I find it very limited outside of its intended role which is really impractical for a normal life. I would put in the same class as a true dagger, great for what it was designed for but pretty limited outside that role.
Being an AUS steel lets Cold Steel release it at a lower price point so, you can dabble with that blade shape now at a much price point.
As a display piece, it will work well. If you need to stab something, the strong point will work well. In actual use, I find it very limited outside of its intended role which is really impractical for a normal life. I would put in the same class as a true dagger, great for what it was designed for but pretty limited outside that role.
Being an AUS steel lets Cold Steel release it at a lower price point so, you can dabble with that blade shape now at a much price point.
