Eoin May Reviews: Cold Steel Razor Tek 4″

At the NRA show this year in Houston I was walking through the aisle and this guy looked at me and said, “You look like a knife guy.” Well, yeah. Naturally, he took me to the Cold Steel booth and showed me to a case that read “New Releases.” Naturally, one knife called to me (shut up, they can too talk): the new Razor Tek 4’’. Naturally, I took it home … and naturally, it’s the subject of today’s review.

If you have never heard of Cold Steel, it is an American knife company that has been producing some of the strongest knives on the market for the last three decades. Their social media is replete with popular videos of them torture-testing their own products on things that tend to be murder on blades, such as cow bones and bamboo. The company sells everything from training blades for martial arts to a self-defense bat called the Brooklyn Basher.

On to the Razor Tek 4’’ blade. This knife has so many attributes that makes it the perfect fixed blade for EDC. Four inches long is a very good length for EDC, especially for a fixed blade. That length renders it long enough to do almost anything you will need to do, but short enough for comfortable, discreet everyday carry. The spine of the blade is over 3mm thick, giving it enough strength to chop up small branches or button a log for a fire.

The blade shape lends itself to self-defense as well as outdoor survival. It’s a kind of drop-point hunter, making it great for processing game or protecting yourself in a sticky situation. The blade steel is 4116 stainless, which has close to a 56 Rockwell hardness. What that 56 Rockwell hardness means is good edge retention, and ease of sharpening. This steel also has a very high corrosion resistance, which means it is very resistant to rust.

How about the feel? The knife is very balanced, and the handle is quite comfortable in the hand. The scales are made from Cold Steel’s GFN—glass-filled nylon. The blade also comes with a secure-ex sheath. The sheath itself fits very tightly and securely, and deploys the knife very smoothly and easily.

The only quibble I have for this knife is one that Cold Steel already anticipated some of its customers may have. I am not a fan of the nylon loop you use to strap it to yourself or a pack. Now the loop does make it easy to strap to a bag, but the loop is too big for a secure fit to the belt. The sheath also comes with a strap that snaps around the end of the knife to keep it secure. Personally, I feel that all it does is add another step that gets in the way of deploying the knife. The good news is that, if you feel the same way, there is another clip you can buy on Cold Steel’s website that can replace all of that called the C-Clip.

Overall, the Razor Tek 4’’ blade is a terrific fixed blade EDC knife. I have carried it every day for the last couple weeks and besides the strap on the back of the sheath it is perfect. The blade cuts well, it comes out of the box razor sharp, and it feels great in the hand. The knife also doesn’t break the pocketbook, only retailing at around $100. ColdSteel.com

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