A Folding Kukri ?
Oct 26, 2008 18:45:21 GMT
Post by alvin on Oct 26, 2008 18:45:21 GMT
Cold Steel RAJAH II Folding Knife
Review by Jim Simmons of La Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
The blade of the Kukri knife has always interested me for its’ great cutting ability. I never purchased one as I had other cutting blades and could not justify another one – until recently. While looking over Cold Steel’s offerings, I ran across their RAJAH series of folding knives. I habitually carry a folding knife as Guatemala’s laws relating to the carrying of folding knives are quite logical. The only restriction is that a person had better not “brandish” it - nothing about blade length or carrying concealed or open. If you use common sense and don't try to bring one into a court building, police office, etc., you should be OK. My current folder is a great little 4 inch BENCHMADE McHenry and Williams. A nice knife, but I have been looking for a folder that’s a little more useful and found the Rajah II. The differences between the Rajah I, and the Rajah II that is reviewed here, are basically that the Rajah I has a frame and integral bolsters machined from 7075 aluminum, a shiny blade and G10 handles, while the Rajah II has steel liners, a satin finished blade and Grivory handles. And most importantly to me, the cost is much less. Both have the TRI-AD lock - a design that really impressed me for its’ apparent strength. Retail for the Rajah II is $159.99US, but I bought mine on eBay for $89.99US and $7.82 shipping to my Miami, FL mail forwarding service.
The knife arrived in beautiful condition wrapped with bubble wrap, packed in a Cold Steel box inside a USPS envelope. It looked like a solid, well designed knife. The edge came hair-shaving sharp, the point very pointy, it locked up very tight, and is very BIG. It also came with a spare clip for those who wish to carry the knife on the left side.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blade
Length - 6 inches
Widest Point – 1 5/8 inches
Thickness – 3/16 inch
Steel - AUS 8A
Length
Closed – 8 inches
Open – 14 inches
Weight – 13 ounces
POB and COP – N/A
BLADE
Right Side Showing the Clip
The thick blade, as thick as some swords on the market like Windlass, has a satin finish and is marked RAJAH II on one side at the ricasso and Cold Steel – Taiwan on the other side. The Cold Steel website states that the blade is hollow ground but, to my old eyes it appears to have a flat grind from the back to the very sharp main edge. The point is quite pointy. When open, the blade locks up very rigidly with no play in any axis. It can be opened with two hands or my favorite – by snagging the thumb plate that is attached to the upper part of the blade at the ricasso on the pocket or pants waistband while drawing – and flip it the rest of the way open – ready for an immediate cut.
GRIP
The sides of the Grivory handles have a nice textured finish for a very comfortable and secure grip even when wet with water. Every part of this knife is constructed of quality materials and well fitted and finished. For some reason there is a lanyard hole at the rear of the grip. Both sides of the grip are pre-drilled and tapped for the two belt clips provided with the knife. The handle is designed to allow three grip options. One allows the hand to “choke up” close to the blade for delicate work – cleaning fingernails, skinning game? Another allows a hand grip towards the middle of the handle for what Cold Steel calls “ordinary work”. With the last grip – my favorite – the handle is held near the rear. From here most of the weight is forward, providing the best chopping/cutting force - like the fixed blade kukri. I use more of a “handshake” type grip here.
The lock release is on the back of the handle and is easy to operate and is out of the way.
The Choked-up Grip Option
The Middle Grip Option
The Chopping/Cutting Grip Option
LOCKING MECHANISM
The TRI-AD lock appears to be a very secure design. You can read about it here.
www.coldsteel.com/triadlock1.html
TESTING
The Rajah II cut effortlessly through hanging, water filled plastic 1.5 liter, 2.0 liter bottles and water softener bottles. I also thrust through 8 layers of cardboard with no problem. I also made a number of excellent slashes on the poor cardboard. After the testing session, there were no marks on the blades’ finish, the edge was still hair-shaving sharp and the blade locked up like a safe – no movement between the blade and the lock mechanism.
Some Of The Bodies
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
I recommend the Rajah II to anyone needing a big folding knife. I have had no problem carrying it using the clip inside my front pants pocket or inside the waistband of my pants towards the front of my body. There are other ways to carry it, but I prefer these two methods. While in the pocket, there is a little more than 2 inches of the handle exposed outside the pocket. If I want to conceal it while carrying it inside my waistband, I leave a little shirt hanging out to cover what little of the handle is showing. I can also see this knife having some use as a pretty neat little camp/hunting knife that can be carried folded and opened up for heavy use.
Historical Accuracy: 0/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5
OVERALL: 4.25/5
Cold Steel link to Rajah Series
www.coldsteel.com/rajahseries.html
Review by Jim Simmons of La Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
The blade of the Kukri knife has always interested me for its’ great cutting ability. I never purchased one as I had other cutting blades and could not justify another one – until recently. While looking over Cold Steel’s offerings, I ran across their RAJAH series of folding knives. I habitually carry a folding knife as Guatemala’s laws relating to the carrying of folding knives are quite logical. The only restriction is that a person had better not “brandish” it - nothing about blade length or carrying concealed or open. If you use common sense and don't try to bring one into a court building, police office, etc., you should be OK. My current folder is a great little 4 inch BENCHMADE McHenry and Williams. A nice knife, but I have been looking for a folder that’s a little more useful and found the Rajah II. The differences between the Rajah I, and the Rajah II that is reviewed here, are basically that the Rajah I has a frame and integral bolsters machined from 7075 aluminum, a shiny blade and G10 handles, while the Rajah II has steel liners, a satin finished blade and Grivory handles. And most importantly to me, the cost is much less. Both have the TRI-AD lock - a design that really impressed me for its’ apparent strength. Retail for the Rajah II is $159.99US, but I bought mine on eBay for $89.99US and $7.82 shipping to my Miami, FL mail forwarding service.
The knife arrived in beautiful condition wrapped with bubble wrap, packed in a Cold Steel box inside a USPS envelope. It looked like a solid, well designed knife. The edge came hair-shaving sharp, the point very pointy, it locked up very tight, and is very BIG. It also came with a spare clip for those who wish to carry the knife on the left side.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blade
Length - 6 inches
Widest Point – 1 5/8 inches
Thickness – 3/16 inch
Steel - AUS 8A
Length
Closed – 8 inches
Open – 14 inches
Weight – 13 ounces
POB and COP – N/A
BLADE
Right Side Showing the Clip
The thick blade, as thick as some swords on the market like Windlass, has a satin finish and is marked RAJAH II on one side at the ricasso and Cold Steel – Taiwan on the other side. The Cold Steel website states that the blade is hollow ground but, to my old eyes it appears to have a flat grind from the back to the very sharp main edge. The point is quite pointy. When open, the blade locks up very rigidly with no play in any axis. It can be opened with two hands or my favorite – by snagging the thumb plate that is attached to the upper part of the blade at the ricasso on the pocket or pants waistband while drawing – and flip it the rest of the way open – ready for an immediate cut.
GRIP
The sides of the Grivory handles have a nice textured finish for a very comfortable and secure grip even when wet with water. Every part of this knife is constructed of quality materials and well fitted and finished. For some reason there is a lanyard hole at the rear of the grip. Both sides of the grip are pre-drilled and tapped for the two belt clips provided with the knife. The handle is designed to allow three grip options. One allows the hand to “choke up” close to the blade for delicate work – cleaning fingernails, skinning game? Another allows a hand grip towards the middle of the handle for what Cold Steel calls “ordinary work”. With the last grip – my favorite – the handle is held near the rear. From here most of the weight is forward, providing the best chopping/cutting force - like the fixed blade kukri. I use more of a “handshake” type grip here.
The lock release is on the back of the handle and is easy to operate and is out of the way.
The Choked-up Grip Option
The Middle Grip Option
The Chopping/Cutting Grip Option
LOCKING MECHANISM
The TRI-AD lock appears to be a very secure design. You can read about it here.
www.coldsteel.com/triadlock1.html
TESTING
The Rajah II cut effortlessly through hanging, water filled plastic 1.5 liter, 2.0 liter bottles and water softener bottles. I also thrust through 8 layers of cardboard with no problem. I also made a number of excellent slashes on the poor cardboard. After the testing session, there were no marks on the blades’ finish, the edge was still hair-shaving sharp and the blade locked up like a safe – no movement between the blade and the lock mechanism.
Some Of The Bodies
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
I recommend the Rajah II to anyone needing a big folding knife. I have had no problem carrying it using the clip inside my front pants pocket or inside the waistband of my pants towards the front of my body. There are other ways to carry it, but I prefer these two methods. While in the pocket, there is a little more than 2 inches of the handle exposed outside the pocket. If I want to conceal it while carrying it inside my waistband, I leave a little shirt hanging out to cover what little of the handle is showing. I can also see this knife having some use as a pretty neat little camp/hunting knife that can be carried folded and opened up for heavy use.
Historical Accuracy: 0/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5
OVERALL: 4.25/5
Cold Steel link to Rajah Series
www.coldsteel.com/rajahseries.html