Cold Steel Kobun Plain Edge 5.5" Japanese AUS8A Stainless Steel American Tanto Shape Fixed Blade Tactical Hunting Knife, Ergonomic Kray-Ex Handle, Secure-Ex Sheath

I bought this knife back in November and have since carried and used it every day. I got this knife with the intent/purpose of carrying it every day, but I understand other people have different purposes of use. It is also a utility knife for me, as in I use it for any task that comes up through out the day, so I am not one who carries for the sole purpose of self defense. After these months of using the knife in many general roles here's my list of pros and cons for the Kobun:Knife Steel Pros:- The AUS 8 steel holds a great edge. I did put a different edge on the knife with my sharpening stones, but this isn't necessary as it comes out of the box very sharp.- The steel is tough as well. Example: I was cutting some peppers that I was fire roasting and then putting into my smoker. I over powered my cut (mostly due to just how sharp the knife was and how well it slices - I explain that later on in the review) and my blade went right through the pepper and smacked onto a metal bar. I was worried there would be a big ding in the blade from the hard impact, but the blade was un-phased. This was wonderful and really proved the strength durability of the blade's steel.Knife Steel Cons:- I have noticed that it smudges or takes signs of use more than other stainless steels. That just makes it so it isn't as pretty all the time and you can't let it sit in moist environments.- This steel is harder than your average pocket knife steel and if you are a person who is bothered by a steel that is harder to sharpen then you may not like this... I see this as a Pro - in my opinion though.Knife Size Pros:- The blade size of this knife allows it to be very useful, being a mid sized knife. I have carved chickens, chopped up boxes, sharpened pencils, cut soft bread, and much more (needless to say it is washed very often.) A very all around useful size!- The thickness of the knife is wonderful. It has a very slender profile so I hardly notice it while I am carrying it. It doesn't bulge and and sheath is very slender as well so it it extremely convenient.Knife Size Cons:- If you are looking for a knife that fits in your pocket this is not your knife. This knife is designed for self defense, and although I have found it very very useful for every day carry usage, some people might prefer something that folds or is smaller in length. Coldsteel does make a Tanto that they consider a neck knife, but I hear of most people getting it and using thin cord to strap it to their belts and they really like using it/carrying it on a daily basis, that could be a smaller alternative.Knife Blade Pros:- The Kobun has the tanto blade design. It is a Japanese blade design that is primarily meant for fighting and self defense. That being said, this is going to be an excellent self defense knife.- The tanto blade has incredible blade and point strength due to it's thickness. You can read all about it on the ColdSteel site. Personally I have noticed that the point stays needle sharp so when I have cutting tasks that need puncturing this knife never has a problem and the point doesn't bend when I am being tough on it while doing wood work or carving meat and working through or around bones.- Another thing I personally love about the tanto blade is the point where the two blade angles meet. That bad boy slices like crazy! Cutting fruit or vegetables with skin is nothing for this blade. I just use that point where the to blade meet to make my original slice and it is like a hot knife through butter. I have heard that this is also an advantage because it slices so well on a slashing movement, so it has its benefits in the personal defense realms as well.- The blade design overall is one I have found to be very useful. So much so that I am teaching myself to make knives and when I am good enough I am going to make a tanto style kitchen knife.Knife Blade Cons:- The blade is thick. Not ultra thick, but you can tell it was design to be strong. It is very strong so that is a "pro" but some people may prefer a little thiner of a blade for more finite cutting tasks. If you are that type of person you may find this thicker knife blade a little more than you would like. It has never hindered any of my cutting tasks, but there have been times my preference would have been just a blade just a tiny bit thinner. But if you make this knife thinner then you would lose some of the pros that make this knife amazing so I wouldn't say it should be a deal breaker if you are in the market for a knife like this.Knife Sheath Pros:- As I mentioned earlier on in the review. The sheath is very slender and makes carrying this knife confortable and easy.- The plastic is strong and holds the knife well. I carry this knife when I go running (strap it to my leg or back pack) and after 2-4 miles I check to make sure it is holding well and it is always snug. I should explain that I do carry the knife handle down, so if it were to fall out it would with that carry style.Knife Sheath Cons:- Whenever I take the time to hone my knife blade so it can cut hair I feel like the blade edge doesn't hold and my theory is that it rubs on the sheath when I un-sheath and re-sheath the knife. Thus wearing the extra sharp edge off. I am not a real knife expert and have been practicing sharpening on a stone, so I may just need more work to get the perfect edge on there. This is NOT to say that the knife becomes dull. It still cuts right through just about anything I'd ever need it to, just not a hair shaving edge...I feel that if I go into any more details the review will get a little to nitty gritty for my taste. I have tried to illustrate the pros and cons I have come across in my type of use for this knife. Your uses may be different, so I hope these insights can help you determine whether this is the knife for you. For the cost, strength, durability, quality, and sexiness of this knife I recommend it to all of my friends, as well as anyone reading this review. If this knife already appeals to you and you feel you would have uses for it, then you will not regret purchasing this knife. If you think big carry knives are "scary", or people should have permits to carry knives like this then it may not be the best purchase you could make.

Been looking for something like this for awhile. I've had the now prehistoric Kuzen Oda Tanto by Pacific Cutlery (now Benchmade) that I bought back in the 80's. Great design. Very similar to this knife; rubberized handle, beautiful Japanese blade design (not the sharp angled American Tanto tip, but more samurai sword tip). The draw back was mediocre steel, I think 440 stainless. and too much bulk. Great martial arts fighting knife though. So, I then ordered a custom made knife that I tried to mimic that old Tanto. But was not too happy because the blade was too light/thin and the handle was too slippery. So I was on a quest for the perfect defense knife that is easy to carry and low profile while long enough to be effective.So here it is. This knife ticks (almost) all features that I was looking for. The blade length. long enough but short enough to carry, nice grippy handle that doesn't bulge too much, good way to carry that is quick to put on and off and intimidating looking enough to thwart an attacker (after all, deterrence is better than being tangled up with sharp edged weapons any day, if you ask me).I wore this in a cross draw appendix carry slipped inside my belt but outside of the pants. With the stainless clip holding the belt. I went on a trail run with it and it stayed put under my shirt and a light windbreaker. Not of hint of bulge while having full range of motion (seated in a car, bending over to tie my shoe lace...). The handle being rubberized, wasn't too uncomfortable against my bare belly either.The sheath had very good retention. You have to use your thumb as leverage to get the knife out. if you don't, you'll end up flailing the knife out (dangerous). Those people who say that the clip isn't strong enough for you to draw the knife, try using your thumb to push it out. It will sneak out like a well behaved puppy.The grip is thin. It was designed that way on purpose. It hides very well for such a long knife. The rubber knobs on the grip holds very well even wet. I have pretty large hands but I've had no difficulty holding this knife securely. Of coarse, it's not designed for prolonged use like making shelter etc. but for defensive situation, you will not be holding this thing for an hour. Matter of fact, I prefer the thinness because it allows the knife to dance freely in your hands where you get some variation on your grip, not just a monkey fist grip.The blade came pretty sharp and nicely ground. Yes, it may take more skill and time to sharpen the angled Tanto tip, but I do think the secondary tip does give better "start cut" on slashes. See Lynn Thomson's video on "snap cuts". It makes sense on a defensive knife I think. Not to mention how strong the tip is for serious penetration. Yes, as a utility knife, it can be a pain, but once again this is a defensive knife. Also, as I've alluded before, I do think the American Tanto tip gives an intimidation factor that could stop the fight before it can start. Seeing this blade makes the would be attacker think, 'this MF is crazy!". Also the bright finish is a good thing on a defensive knife. You want the attacker to see it and hopefully be scared by it. Black out finish is good if you want to sneak up on a person and slash their throat, but where I come from that is first degree murder where you can spend your entire life in jail (unless you're a state sanctioned "professional").I said earlier that it almost ticks all the marks. The "almost" part is the steel. AUS8 is a decent steel. I think the philosophy behind using a less quality steel for a defensive blade is that you're not really using this thing all the time, so edge retention is not a big feature that you're looking for. My guess is that a well sharpened AUS8 in a knife fight that will involve maybe 2-5 cuts will perform just as good as Elmax or M390 for those 2-5 cuts. If you're fighting 10 people, then yes, a stronger steel will be better. But let's face it, that kind of scenario only happens in movies. Having said all that, I would've happily pay extra 30-40 bucks for a D2 or S35VN.I'm very happy with this knife on what it was designed for: light, fast, concealable, effective and intimidating fighting knife. If I'm making a shelter or starting a fire, take the ESSE or Tops.

The real deal. Shaving sharp right out of the box, going to EDC this for a bit and report back. Blade is balanced nicely, right around the hilt. I’m kinda torn on the “kray ex” grip, it feels a little slippery although my hands might be a little oily.Love the tanto design and it seems to be pretty dang durable from my research on YT. Overall a great value for a great blade of AUS 8. Also love the low profile metal clip on the quality sheath it came with. My only concern would be the grip when it’s wet, will return later with updates when warmer weather permits field use.

I really want to like this knife. Great size. I like the end of the handle having a bump so it doesn't slip out of your hand, like the kydex sheath with belt clip. However, Handle itself is just a little bit too thin, sadly. It feel like a piece of metal just covered in rubber and it needs more.substance and contour, like some side scales underneath the grip, or a cord wrap, something to make it fit into the palm of your hand rather than be as thin as it is. So for the pattern, I think it could be improved. For what it is. It's a good size and okay.