Cold Steel4-Max Scout Folding Knife with Tri-Ad Lock and G-10 Handle, One Size

Golly, this company (Cold Steel) makes some phenomenal knives!!!! I only discovered Cold Steel (CS) about a month ago (April 2023), and of course, wish I would've known about them sooner, but I'm ecstatic that I now know about this brand! Over the course of the past month, I have purchased 5 Cold Steel knives, which I think speaks volumes, and I'm certain I'll be purchasing several more CS knives throughout this year and beyond. Yes, I've backed my mouth with my money. The CS knives I bought and the order I bought them in are, Crawford 1 OD clip point, SR1 Lite spear point, Recon 1 clip point, Voyager XL clip point and the 4 Max Scout drop point. Even though this review will be published on the 4 Max Scout, I am going to provide details on how all 5 knives compare to each other. But regardless of my thoughts on any one knife compared to any of the other 4 knives in one area or another, I will say that I love them all and would be super happy if could only own one of them, as you literally cannot go wrong with any of these. the operational, aesthetic and other characteristics of these knives is flawless.Crawford 1:This is the only knife that is a flipper, and because of this, this knife does open the easiest, and I mean this thing flings opens with no effort at all and in less than 1 millisecond; it's an amazingly fast open. The blade feels rock solid in both the open and closed position, i.e. no wiggle and feels really sturdy. This is the thinnest knife body and lightest weight of all the 5 knives, and out of the packaging was 3-way tied for second place in terms of sharpness with the 4 Max Scout and the Voyager XL. This knife is very sharp, but I think all CS knives are very sharp out of the box. For just basic carry, cut and random uses around the house or work, this is a great knife based on size, blade length (3.5") and weight. This is the only knife out of the five that has a leaf spring lock, but I have no concerns with this type of lock, especially since this knife has a secondary mechanism to lock the leaf spring in place. I've seen a couple people complain about difficulty in sliding the secondary mechanism, but I discovered the trick is to put your thumb at the very end of either side of the sliding mechanism and either push or pull the mechanism depending on if you are trying to lock or unlock the knife. If you do this, it slides very very easily.SR1 Lite:This knife takes 1st place for sharpness out of the box. I cut myself twice in 5 minutes just opening and closing the thing, and barely touching the tip broke my skin and I bled. Crazy sharp. This knife also has the thickest blade...well, tied for first place with the 4 Max Scout. If I could only keep one of these five knives, it would be a tie between this and the Recon 1, with the Crawford 1 coming in second. The 4 Max Scout and the Voyager would probably tie for my third choice(s), but honestly, as far as choosing just one, they are all neck and neck with each other, so it's a little bit of splitting hairs to choose just one over the rest. This knife and the Recon 1 are the tightest when it comes to opening the blade, but don't worry, it's not like you are going to break a sweat, they just have the most resistance for whatever reason, but nowhere near a deal breaker. Plus, they have already gotten a little easier to open. Also, for this knife and the Recon 1, the lock release is the toughest to depress, but also not a problem at all, and I would still choose one of these 2 knives over the other three. The lock releases have also gotten a little easier to depress over a short period of time.Recon 1:This is the second lightest and thinnest of the knives behind the Crawford 1. It feels really great in the hand, but then again, they all do! This is perhaps the sexiest looking knife among all of them, if that matters to you. The black blade on the black G10 grips gives this knife a unique look that personally, I really like. Out of the box, the blade, when closed, did have some wiggle from side to side and up and down, but I turned the main screw about a 16th of turn to tighten it, and all of the wiggle went away and ever since then it feels very sturdy all around and I'm sure it will stay this way. The other thing with this knife is, I think the blade had some burs on it right out of the box, because it was not cutting paper as well as the others (small amount of tearing was happening especially by the heal), but after several cuts, it is slicing through paper w/o any tearing. Even though this knife is very sharp, the other 4 are just a little sharper, and like I said earlier, the SR1 lite is noticeably the sharpest of all them. Despite anything that could be construed as negative about this knife, I would still choose either this or the SR1 lite over the other 3 because this knife is so light and thin and has a 4" blade that is still an amazing and very sharp blade out of the box. I'm sure some time and attention to sharpen this blade and it will be as sharp as the rest of them. Plus, this is the only blade made from S35VN steel, which may be the best of the steels in these 5 knives. However, you can't go wrong with any of the steels in these 5 knives.Voyager XL:For its size, this knife is very light. It's just a little bit heavier than the Recon 1. Despite its relatively light weight, the knife feels very sturdy and dependable. Out of all the knives, this is the biggest knife, and as a scare tactic alone, will give you the best effect, because it looks like a monster when you flip it open. One handed opening of the Voyager XL was the second easiest of all the non-flippers, and the lock is smooth and light to depress. The 4 Max Scout is definitely the easiest to open with one hand, as it is such a lite and smooth open with just the thumb stud. I also really like the stonewash look of this AUS10a steel on the Voyager XL, but still second to the look of the black blade against the black G10 grips of the Recon 1. Even though this is a very large folding knife made from great knife steal, I wouldn't say that it is too big to carry around all the time, as it fits in my front jean pocket just fine and I'm under 6'. Otherwise, another good option for this large knife is to keep it in the center console or at home. I actually cut myself one time with this knife closing it, so yes, it is super sharp too.4 Max Scout:This is definitely the heaviest of the 5 knives and comes with the beefiest looking blade, although I really don't know how much that will do for me. I think the majority of the weight of this knife (60%) comes from the handle and not the blade for whatever reason and whatever it's worth. Because it weighs so much, it's probably the only knife of these 5 that I wouldn't put in my pants pocket, but a jacket pocket is a possibility. Otherwise, probably keep this in a bag, purse, center console or at home. As I mentioned above, other than the flipper, the 4 Max Scout is the easiest to open and close with one handed operation and the thumb stud, as it glides open with practically no effort, and also looks great using the same or similar stonewashed AUS10a steel as the Voyager XL. Despite its weight and girth, I have no doubt this blade is a winner for household and work chores, and I love it! I also like the texture of the handles on this knife more than the others...well, tied for first place with the feeling of the G10 grips on the Recon 1.Hope this review helps.

This is a LARGE pocket knife. It has some weight and will fill your pocket.I have been a big fan of Cold Steel's knives for decades now. I've had several and have been impressed by each one. Cold Steel uses the best steel and over engineers their knives to be strong and dependable. Being a lifetime outdoorsman and a combat veteran, I really appreciate their quality. I know I can depend on them when it counts.I like a big knife and this one definitely is. It fills my pocket. It doesn't leave me wanting for a bigger knife when I use it. It's big enough to take care of most everything. I'm 5' 6" ,130 lbs , muscular though. It feels great in my hands.It's super solid. You can't miss the TriAd locking mechanism engaging. When it does it feels like a fixed blade knife. No play at all.Cold Steel uses the best steel for each knife they make. I have found that their knives hold an edge many times longer than other brands. Every one of their knives come razor sharp right out of the box. Don't look at them hard, they'll cut you !The handle is great. Easy to get a good grip. Definitely non slip even when wet.The pocket clip is reversible from one side of the knife to the other. It's very heavy duty. When I received my knife the clip was too tight. It was very hard to clip and unclip from my pocket. Easy fix ! I removed the clip from the knife with a Torx T-6 bit and bent the clip slightly backwards then reinstalled the clip to the knife. I hit the sweet spot the first try, it works great now. Note: If you do this be sure to remove the clip from the knife before trying to bend it.When you draw this knife from your pocket you will get some attention from those around you. It's a great looking large pocket knife. The stone wash finish on the blade looks awesome. And when you lock the blade open the TriAd lock snaps into place with a solid sound that you can't miss.This has been my EDC knife ever since receiving it. I know that I can count on it for whatever comes up.I received my knife on time and in great condition. Everything as described by the seller. If you're looking for for a LARGE pocket knife I highly recommend this one.

After I saw Joe-X beat the crap out of this knife I just knew I had to buy it. This is a large Folding knife, not the largest that Cold Steel sells, this is the 4Max Scout which is 4" blade length. They also sell a 5" blade length and other folding models that are as big or bigger. This is a large folding knife. It is heavy and feels like a fixed blade when you hold it. Great Quality. Great Workmanship. The TriAd Lock is one of their strongest locks. And this handle has the metal under the G-10 so it's as close to a fixed blade you will ever get with a folding knife. Easy to open. Easy to close. I think with practice you can open with one hand but closing will take 2 hands. This knife is a BEAST!!! Mine has the AUS-10 steel which is a great choice for a steel that can take a beating and is still stainless. I think the difference between AUS-10 and AUS-10A is in the Heat Treatment. Same steel and steel composition. They "A" on the end just means they did some extra step during heat treatment. It's a valuable addition to my knife collection.

Thought about this one for a month before buying it. Glad I did. Feels great in my handle. Very sharp and very sturdy construction. Lubed it up with protective Barricade, and left it dry overnight. Gave it a light wiping and it is good to go. Even my wife likes it too! Have been a happy Cold Steel customer for 3 decades!

This is a handful of a knife. That being said, it fits mine hand just fine. I like the feel and heft that it has. That provides a nice balance in the hand and allows for some serious usage. Razor sharp and ready to go. As with most brand new knives, it is a tad stiff but it will become smoother with use.