COLD STEEL Tuff Lite 2.5" AUS8A Sheepsfoot Razor-Sharp Plain Blade 3.5" Griv-Ex Handle Pocket Folding Knife

The media could not be loaded. Smaller than expected. But Taiwan made. Lockback. Tapered blade edge. Sharp. Good for cutting boxes and other things. Easy to carry. Pocket or clip. Not too expensive. I have small hands. Video shows size of knife relative to my hands. If you had big hands, this knife might be hard to use.

Toughest knife out of a 2 dozen collection. This tough lite by Cold Steel is the best built knife of the whole collection including Bucks, Kershaws and Gerbers. Excellent quality control. All screws were snug. Clip is very stout. You won't loose it out of your pocket if you use the clip. No blade play. Blade is a bit stiff but that is a plus because the tuff lite is a utility knife, not a figit or fast deploy. The triad lock is stronger than the back lock, frame lock or button lock. It is stiff to operate but that just speaks to its exceeding strength. This Cold Steel tuff light is my favorite of 24 other excellent knives and I hartily recommend it for use in challenging conditions.

I usually am partial to larger folding knives and have bought a few of them from Cold Steel. To date, Cold Steel continues to put out affordable, tough, well-made folding knives that tend to be combat-oriented. Recently, I'm getting to understand the use and need for smaller EDC blades. I've purchased some decent Sanrenmu small folding knives and was impressed with the quality and their usefulness when pulling a big blade is just not practical. So I decided to try out one of my favorite knife company's smaller folders, the Tuff Lite, plain blade. Man, is this thing fun to play with. The blade was very sharp out of the box. A little oil and the blade deployment was easy. I dont use the clip as I just throw the knife in my pocket. You dont even know that its there...very nice. Make no mistake, this is a small knife but the handle, finger choils and top of blade jimping locks this knife into your hand (i have large hands). This Tuff Lite fills the bill (the length of the cutting edge is a little short though) for some bigger EDC tasks. When you pop the blade open, folks will give you funny looks as the blade just looks "bad ass" This is the first small EDC knife that I consider as a decent back-up to a tactical blade. With a background in martials arts, knife fighting, etc... this knife is kinda like ...its not the size of the dog in the fight...its the fight in the dog. This lil dawg was made to fight. Like most Cold Steel products, this one should stay in my collection for a long time!

This is very solid little piece. Well made and the lock is nicely overkilled. The big sheepsfoot works well for those jobs where a utility knife maybe works, or is just too bendy or small. Sharp.Fab for hand work, like construction or arts n crafts. I used it to cut window film and to score metal siding to mark for the saw.The price reflects the difference between cheapness and expense. Thirty bones is not cheap, but affordable assuming you get some use out of it. I’m down with it. Totally. Better steel would be nice, but the cost wouldn’t work then. Still not bad.The bad- yes, it has 2 flaws- the action is not easy without a flipper, and a flipper is nice for workers, not just gamers sitting at their playstation who like to fidget. With gloves, a flipper can’t be beat. Not a dealbreaker. Another gripe is the lanyard attachment is at the wrong end.This is a big “DUH”. An obviously untested design.The lanyard must be on the same end as the clip. Period.Again, (sigh) a lanyard is for workers, not just people who want to have a pretty tassel hanging on their rarely needed toy. One can grab it with gloves and extract the piece in bad weather without any wet gloved fingers needing to be stuck into a tight pocket when it is partially covered with garments and in a bad position.Hello? Does anyone WORK anymore?Yes, they sure do!I digress, sorry. I still dig this little gem. Buy one for your collection or to wear out.

Actually: I should say, "Great knife! Exclamation point!"I almost said, "Excellent LITTLE knife", or "GREAT DEAL!" But both of those make it sound like this knife is a compromise. It is not. This is a legitimate EDC. I have pretty big hands, and the finger indents make this knife fit comfortably in my hand. The blade is small-ish, but come on, how much blade length do you really need and use? I love that it comes in a red handle, because I'm a tree guy. So if I drop this knife in the grass/dirt/mulch, I can find it! (I hate black/green/brown handles.)Easy to open with one hand. So well-designed that it is ALSO easy to CLOSE with one hand! Hard to explain, but the finger cut-out is positioned perfectly to protect you from getting cut while closing the knife!!Compact.Incredible price.Buy one. You'll love it.Buy two, and give one away!

Pro's:The steel used is a well known, easy to sharpen, dependable type (AUS8A); it takes a great edge as well. The spine maintains its full 1/8" thickness for 1-7/8" of the 2-1/4" of the blade's overall length. The Wharncliff blade shape and 2" cutting edge length are simply excellent for the majority of everyday cutting tasks (opening bags, boxes, blister packs; cutting rope, cord, cardboard; peeling back and scraping up tape). Despite its modest size, the knife locks very well into my large hands; the overall open shape provides finger holds and conforms to the hand, providing a secure and focused grip for cutting. The oval cutout provides easy one-hand opening in either hand. The lanyard hole is an elongated oval, ample in size for Paracord.Concerns:For some, Cold Steel's ultra-strong TRIAD lock may be difficult to press fully to open the lock. Also, on mine, I noted a sharpness to the oval cutout thumbhole only on the right side, which would be a problem for opening one-handed with the left hand, but easily resolved with a typical small diamond-rod sharpener.Bottom Line:Great value for a combo working cutting tool / everyday pocket knife with a lock that will not fail you and a blade material and design that will get the job done.