Cold SteelTuff 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.

The media could not be loaded. I work in retail. This is a perfect companion that cuts what a basic box cutter can’t (ex. tray-cutting wet cardboard). INCREDIBLE EDC that’s just big enough; so it won’t intimidate if seen open. Great balance and fits comfortably in hand. This is my new EDC and I’m thinking of buying a few more!

I used to carry a BuckLite, which I loved in every respect, except for the shape of the blade. I realized that 95% of the time I used my knife for opening boxes or cutting cardboard, and the BuckLite blade was pretty bad for that task. I basically needed a utility knife.After trying the folding utility knives, which cut great but were horrible (too bulky) for EDC, I tried the Gerber E.A.B. Lite, which uses a heavy duty utility knife blade. The Gerber was very compact, and the utility blade was great, but the ergonomics are terrible. Opening and closing the knife was tedious, and did not have much to hold onto when cutting.When I saw the Cold Steel Tuff Lite, I thought it looked like a great EDC knife with a blade that would work like a utility knife. Overall, it works very well for that purpose, but it has two minor issues and one significant issue.1. Minor: As other reviewers have noted, the pocket clip is not very easy to use. It is fairly stiff, which along with the shape, requires either very stiff pants pocket, or require me to use one hand to hold the pocket fabric while the other pushes the knife on to the pocket. I've bent the end of the clip upwards to try and make it easier to pocket.2. Minor: When folded, the Tuff Lite is relatively "wide", from the top of the closed blade to the back of the handle--almost 1 3/4". When carried in my pocket, it gets in the way.3. Significant: While the blade is razor sharp (as others have noted), the very shallow angle of the hone and the relatively thin edge makes it extremely weak / fragile. I tried to gently pry some soft plastic, which bent the tip of the blade edge. After that, I only used it for basic cutting--opening boxes, etc. After a few weeks, I noticed the edge of the blade was covered with visible nicks. I don't know how I damaged the blade--my only guess is that I might have cut a zip tie at most. Anyway, this blade is so fragile that it isn't suitable for anything more than paper, packing tape, and perhaps cardboard. Anything harder will nick the blade.I just sharpened it with my Lansky stone set. Eyeballing the blade vs. the Lansky sharpener angles, it looks like the edge of the blade is 17 degrees or shallower. This explains why it is so sharp out of the box, and why it is damaged so easily. 17 degrees is just too shallow for me for an EDC--it just doesn't hold up.I sharpened it using the 20 degree setting on the Lansky, which I've found to be the minimum for holding an edge. Hopefully the edge holds up better at 20 degrees. But the edge of the blade is still relatively thin, so I'll still be careful with what I cut.UPDATE Feb 2015: (Updated from 3 stars to 4 stars) After carrying this knife daily and using it regularly, I am more comfortable with it and really like it. The bend in the pocket clip helped, making it easier to clip on my pocket. The 20 degree angle hone has worked well and the blade has held its edge better while still being incredibly sharp. I love the shape of the blade--the flat point works great for opening boxes, packaging, and cutting cardboard boxes. I am more careful with it than my BuckLite, but I really like the Cold Steel Tuff Lite.

I’m still unsure if this is the right knife for me, I prefer snappy knives , that have an ambidextrous opening and closing mechanism. This was not that for me, however other aspects of the knife I just cannot discredit would be the comfort and sureness of the grip you can get on this knife, however I would like to note that the inside of the handle material along the edges are a little rough, the lock while one if not the best in the business requires two hands and overall slow’s me down. Cold Steel must heat treat there AUS-8A quite well because I’ve had no problems keeping my copy shave sharp and would say that for anyone that might be looking to use this knife for work, primarily for breaking down cardboard boxes that this just might be the thing for ya if you don’t mind touching up the blade every once in a while with a strop or sharpening stone, all said and done this little lightweight knife is a workhorse and an incredible bargain for the price.

I carried around a sheffield box cutter for a few years working in IT to cut zipties and open packages. Problem was, the blade would break or chip on the zipties, which was a bit dangerous. I also did a lot of 3D printing and wanted something that I could use to shave off the bits of extra material with. Box cutter blades are too weak for that. This knife, with an equally short blade that was legal on my college campus, fit the role so well. I also have huge hands and this knife offers a full-hand grip, unlike a lot of other short-blade knives. Also, the flat blade means it's super easy to clean and sharpen. Also, the profile of the blade means the tip hasn't broken off after a year and there are no sharp corners in your pocket. The lock is solid and easy to disconnect. Also the blade is super thick, so there's zero flex to it when you use it. I'm extremely happy with this knife, and honestly I'll probably just but another one if something ever happens to mine.

I'm a little biased when it comes to Cold steel products even though it seems that their quality control has gone downhill over the years especially when getting it from Amazon however nothing wrong with this blade especially for the price point this is an excellent EDC great for simple tasks like moderate cutting packages envelopes thin rope twine very light and durable