New Blade: Cold Steel 4Max Scout

[Wambli Ska]

Google destructive testing and sit back and watch. Several knife publications have called it an “indestructible folder” and after reading a bunch of articles, reviews and YouTube videos my curiosity was peaked.

Got a bunch of gift cards for my birthday so I ordered one.

Damn!!! This is a beast of a folder and NOT designed to be an SD blade even though the opening is quick. BUT, this is not as much a folder as the knife you take when a fixed blade is not the right choice for whatever reason, maybe legal or sensitivities. So think of it as a good 4” fixed blade with a built in sheath.

It has 4” .20” thick 10A AUS blade so no fancy steel but a good rust resistant all around blade. Folks are using them as pry bars, beating them against rocks, car hoods, breaking bricks with them with no edge damage or roll and no breaking or damage to the joint.

The handle is intelligently shaped so you have a very secure grip if you hold it long for chopping, normal hold for cutting or choke up on it for close in precision work. The grip is aggressive enough that it won’t slip if your hands are wet but it’s not sandpaper that will wear a hole in your jeans pocket.

Street price is about $65-$85. There is a fancier version for a couple of hundred $$$s

So here she is:

IMG_1305.jpeg (1.97 MiB) Viewed 1990 times

IMG_1304.jpeg (1.97 MiB) Viewed 1990 times

IMG_1303.jpeg (3.84 MiB) Viewed 1990 times

IMG_1302.jpeg (3.63 MiB) Viewed 1990 times

IMG_1301.jpeg (2.88 MiB) Viewed 1990 times

[sakodude]

Looks stout and heavy. I tend to favor light weight for pocket knifes, hate the weighty feel in my pocket but that's just me.

[Wambli Ska]

Looks stout and heavy. I tend to favor light weight for pocket knifes, hate the weighty feel in my pocket but that's just me.

Interestingly enough the profile is rather slim so when you clip it to your pocket (the clip is short and strong!) it lays deep, snug and close to your body. I have many other folders and this one does not “feel” any heavier in every day carry than the others. Not a knife I’d carry while wearing lose dress slacks but closer fitting clothes like my jeans and in the pockets that are specifically designed for knife carry in my range or hiking pants weight has not been a problem. I also could see it being clipped to the inside of a belt or even IWB if necessary.

[Bigslug]

Not too many people start out hoping for "Crude, but effective". Mikhail Kalashnikov had firsthand knowledge of what the end-user had in store for his product, and I think that's what Cold Steel was going for there. Not my personal style for a few reasons, but I know a lot of folks who drive their knives like a rented car for whom that would be perfect. Respect.

[Wambli Ska]

Not too many people start out hoping for "Crude, but effective". Mikhail Kalashnikov had firsthand knowledge of what the end-user had in store for his product, and I think that's what Cold Steel was going for there. Not my personal style for a few reasons, but I know a lot of folks who drive their knives like a rented car for whom that would be perfect. Respect.

Yep, you get it.

[Wambli Ska]

This not an EDC. It’ll probably live in the Jeep as an “oh poop I need something stronger/bigger than a pocket knife” alternative.

[Chiro1989]

10-15$ Morakanivs are car knives, I would carry that knife on me if I was out and about in the woods/camping/ hiking

[sakodude]

IMG_1757.jpeg (4.84 MiB) Viewed 1921 times

Pocket knife/truck knife, see the difference

[Wambli Ska]

That itty bitty thing?!?!? I have a Kershaw Camp 18 as my true Jeep “knife”.

See the difference?

IMG_1312.jpeg (35.45 KiB) Viewed 1909 times

[Wambli Ska]

10-15$ Morakanivs are car knives, I would carry that knife on me if I was out and about in the woods/camping/ hiking

And that works too

I do a lot of impromptu driving off into the wilderness on National Forest and BLM lands. I want to have enough gear already in the Gladiator that if the winds sweep me onto a walking trail to go explore I can swiftly grab some essentials right out of storage in the Jeep and go walkabout.

[sakodude]

That itty bitty thing?!?!? I have a Kershaw Camp 18 as my true Jeep “knife”.

See the difference?

IMG_1312.jpeg

I do see the difference, I like mine better, broke a handle on a Kershaw once. Granted it was some walmart special so probably not best quality.

[Wambli Ska]

Needless to say I was just joking. I like your pick too. Kershaw has a big range of quality and durability in their lineup, including some great knives and some that won’t keep an edge if you cut a tissue with them.

That being said their Camp Knives can take a beating, I chopped down a fence post with this one and it made short work of it so I’m pretty confident in durability, but to be truthful it’s not a knife. With an 18” blade it’s more of a pretty beefy bladed machete and limited in scope to big chopping tasks. I look at it as a better hatchet. Yours is definitely usable for more diverse tasks than mine.

[sakodude]

As was I I do like this CRKT, it's a brute but not to heavy. It replaced the axe I carried with my hunting gear saving a little weight. it has done a stellar job of splitting camp wood and clearing brush so far. I think it could be useful splitting a carcass but have not had the opportunity to do so as of yet.