List Price: $119.99
Sale Price: $69.60
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Another great score from Cold Steel!!! This AK-47 is the new 2010 offering based on the original AK-47 model, main difference is an updated locking mechanism, which is supposed to be stronger. It takes some force to depress the lock release, (which is located on the middle spine of the handle) and release the blade, so it will not close up easily. A good safety feature IMO, but hard on the thumb! The older model AK-47 lock had the release lever on the side of the handle which could possibly catch on something and unlock the blade while in your hand! I can see why they would update heir design.
The blade is AUS8A steel, hollow ground and has a nice uniform black coating and arrived shaving sharp!
The strike pommel is also an excellent touch and one of the reasons I chose this blade. It will come in handy if you ever need to strike glass. I also love the G10 handle on this knife, it has a very aggressive "tread" pattern and is extremely grippy!
The "pocket snag" on the base of the blade spine also works beautifully. The pocket clip (knife comes with a spare), which is extremely though and has a strong grip, rides low enough as to allow enough gripping surface of the handle to be exposed from your pocket and allow quick, safe deployment of the blade. Nothing cooler than pulling your knife out and having it snap open as you clear the pocket! Ready for use! The pocket snag can also be removed if you don't want that feature on the knife. Either way, you can still remove the knife from your pocket without snagging it open.
Overall a great blade, the practical knife user will not be disappointed with this!! Only downside is that the 2010 models do not come with an aluminum handle option, only the G10, which may be a deciding factor for some. Also there is no serrated blade offered and the blood groove is absent on this newer model (stronger without it, IMO.)
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I'll start this off by saying that I love Cold Steel Products. I've purchased literally dozens of their knives, including the previous model of AK-47. The one with the aluminum body and the ultra lock (thumb lock) instead of the triad lock. The blade on this model is extremely sharp, as are the edges on most Cold Steel knives. It has a sturdy frame, excellent traction from the aggressive G-10 handle and an aluminum pommel instead of a grivory (glass reinforced plastic) one. The blade locks perhaps more soundly than on any other knife I have owned and I'm sure it is extremely strong as they claim. However, I have some problems with the knife. Just as Nutnfancy (see youtube) says, the traction on the handle becomes a problem when you try to extract it from your pocket as it binds. You can fix it by sanding or filling in the scales with JB Weld (as per Nutnfancy's fix, see youtube again) as I did. It helps, but at least for me, the knife still has deployment problems. With a free knife from and aggressive tug on your pocket you can easily and extremely quickly open the knife. Basically drawing it from your pocket will automatically and instantly open the knife. However, the friction from the scales makes this difficult and combines with the tension from the triad lock to make it far more difficult to open. The tension from the lock also slows a "C/J" thumbless open. The blade is short and the natural positioning of your fingers on the handle closer the the hinge and makes fast, thumbless "C/J" style opening difficult: you have to really snap it out fast and far to open it without assistance from your thumb. It could be that I've only opened it several hundred times, rather than the thousands of times I've opened my older AK, but the break-in period with that knife was shorter than this one. The older model AK-47's had worse lock up and lots of wiggle room (in comparison to the newer model), but the ultra lock was easier to use than a liner lock. One handed opening and closing IS possible, but it necessarily puts your fingers in the way of the knife's blade, as you have to use your thumb supported by a fist grip in order to disengage the lock. As I have been cut this way before, I much, much prefer the older ultra lock, because you can keep all your fingers out of the blade's path when disengaging the lock.My opinion is very much based on the fact that I use my pocket knives A LOT, especially on a variety of work projects and outdoors. They're costly utility knives to me. I'd rather have a slightly weaker lock that allows me to completely keep my fingers out of the path of the blade. If the pocket assist was on an older model of Cold Steel "Recon" knives with full G-10 handle and a metal pommel and an ultra lock, I'd buy four for me and 2 or 3 more for my friends.
All that garbage being said, if you don't care about using an awkward lock, it is an extremely "safe" and strong lock. And if you can really pound it out of your pocket (unlike the older model), you can open it extremely fast. I'd give Cold Steel a 3/5 Star rating for me, and a 4/5 or 5/5 rating for other people. I hope this review helps.
PS: The $30 closeout older Recon Knives that Cold Steel was selling directly was the BEST EVER deal on a quality, awesome, awesome knife.
Best Deals for Cold Steel AK-47 Black G-10 Handle with Black Blade
The Cold Steel AK-47 redesign has not failed to live up to it's reputation. It is amazingly strong and has easily preformed every task that I have put it through. I use my knives very hard for work and after extensive prying and cutting the blade has absolutely no play in it. The knife arrived from the factory razor sharp and has only lost minimal edge quality after months of hard usage. I typically prefer custom fixed blades that have cost me well over $300.00, however, for the money the AK has proven to me to be worth every penny. I would recommend this knife to anyone looking for a knife you can cut a car door open with and still open letters the same day.Honest reviews on Cold Steel AK-47 Black G-10 Handle with Black Blade
To start, I'll say that this knife may be a little big for some people as an EDC. The 3.5" blade isn't too big, but the handle makes the knife 9" overall. It is relatively light weight compared to some of the other Cold Steel knives that I have, but it is still a little heavy compared to other manufacturers that make knives around the same size. But overall, I can say that I personally don't mind using this as an EDC, so the size and the fact that it is a little heavier than most competitors doesn't justify the docking of a star.Next is the blade. It is razor sharp right out of the box, just like any Cold Steel knife. Mounted on top of the blade is a little pocket snag (which is also used as a thumb stud to draw the blade normally with one hand), which allows you to draw the blade just buy pulling it out of your pocket. It is relatively easy to use, but can also be removed with a torx if you don't want it on there. The blade has 0 play like you would expect from a new knife. I haven't owned it long enough to see if it will eventually get some play in it, but I will edit this review in the future if anything on the knife changes beyond what you would expect from normal wear and tear.
The handle is the last piece. The grip that is on this knife is amazing. The G-10 handle seems to be very light and has a lot of grip. The combination of G-10 and the pattern that is etched into the handle seems to make a grip which you can feel confident with while holding the knife. The only flaw on the handle that I have noticed is that there is not much grip where the thumb is placed on top of the knife. It is still there, and you can feel it, but I would personally like just a little more. The pocket clip was way to stiff, like every Cold Steel pocket clip, but I fixed this as soon as I got the knife (just took a flat head screwdriver to it and pried it till I got it where I wanted it). The knife also sticks out of my pocket quite a bit (looks like a full inch), and yes, it looks like a weapon... Last, is the pommel at the end of the handle. I would assume that it would do quite a bit of damage no matter where you land a strike with it. It also has a relatively large lanyard hole drilled through the pommel, but unfortunately I don't use that feature, so I can't say what gauge will fit through it.
Overall, this knife is great, and I would recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind a slightly larger EDC.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Cold Steel AK-47 Black G-10 Handle with Black Blade
I have been carrying this blade using it mostly for utility tasks, however I am prepared to use it in a self defense role. The former is what it is used for most, the latter is why I carry this blade as supposed to another one. I am warning you though: there is no way to cut somebody in a fight, without practically, legally, and officially attempting to end their life. I am aware of this and am mentally prepared to do so if I absolutely have to. Along with this, as far as I am concerned, comes a responsibility to carry some kind of non/less lethal option, be it pepper spray, a taser, or an expandable baton. I personally opt for a baton. On to the review.Pros:
SPEED-
If used in a self defense role, you will be in very close to the bad guy, you have a very small time slot with which to deploy your blade and be ready to fight. It could be that fraction of a second that could decide life or death for you. This is why I love the wave deployment. it is so simple that it requires ZERO thought. you pull it out of you pocket and you are ready to go. I accidentally deployed it the first time I took it out of my pocket it is so natural! So, wave deployment is a HUGE plus. Also, it includes an adequately sized lanyard hole for if you want something extra to grab on to.
STRENGTH-
I am convinced that, as far as I have seen, the triad lock is THE strongest lock on a folding knife on the market today. It is stronger than other lockbacks because it has a thicker back lever, it has a very deep plunge with a strong spring, and the added stop pin (that is also beefy) means that it never wears to the point of anything but solid lockup. The solid g-10 frame, according to cold steel, is stronger than the old g-10 version with steel liners! The solid aluminim handle may save been stronger, but not including the lock mechanism. If you drop it on the floor, it WILL NOT come unlocked like I have seen framelocks and linerlocks do when dropped.
LESS LETHAL STRIKE CAPABILITY-
Like I said earlier, you are gong lethal with an edge. But with a knife with a long handle, and a big aluminum pommel on the end of it, you can save yourself the weight of the, say, baton, and, with the knife in the closed position, save yourself the legal and emotional hassle of killing the guy trying to kill you, even if it is justified. Less lethal capability is always the best option if possible.
TRACTION-
The traction plan on this knife is amazing. The roughly textured g-10 give traction, as well as the way the handle buries the hand within it. Traction is superb.
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CONS:
UNDER-CLIP ISSUES-
As it comes from the factory that aggressive g-10 is also underneath the srong pocket clip. This destroys your pockets. I ripped to shreds the pockets of several pairs of shorts because of this. I modified the knife to fix this problem by filling in the g-10 with epoxy, then sanded and painted it. Youtube tutorial here:
please know that the knife is not covered under warranty after modification, however Cold Steel's customer sevice is great and, if unrelated to the modification, they would probably help you anyway.
REACH-
In a tactical POU then you may want to have a longer blade than 3.5 inches. I personally find it adequete.
THUMB DEPLOYMENT-
Thumb deployment is difficult without large hands, however this is not the primary way to deploy the knife.
COATING-
The blades are Teflon coated, however I find this coating chips easily. It does help rust resistance, though.
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CONCLUSION: I highly recommend this knife for tactical or heavy duty utility tasks. Not over-priced, and you get much knife for the money. If you are not sure about whether to pull the trigger on the Cold Steel AK-47, I would say you should.
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