- Cold Steel Recon 1 Spear Point · Spear Point4″ blade · 0.138″ spine · 5.3 oz · ~1.33″ tall
Cold Steel Recon 1 Spear Point
The Cold Steel Recon 1 Spear Point is a 4" spear point folder in CPM-S35VN, flat ground. The handle is G-10, secured by a tri-ad lock. It is the longest-bladed of the 61 EDC folders here, at 4".
- Blade
- 4″
- Weight
- 5.3 oz
- Steel
- CPM-S35VN
- Price band
- Premium
Everyday carry and general utility
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Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against coldsteel.com, knifecenter.
- Spine thickness
- 0.138″
- Blade shape
- Spear Point
- Grind
- Flat
- Steel
- CPM-S35VN
- Overall length
- 9.375″
- Closed length
- 5.38″
- Weight
- 5.3 oz
- Lock
- Tri-Ad
- Deployment
- Manual
- Handle material
- G-10
- Country of origin
- Taiwan
Why a spear point
Symmetrical or near-symmetrical about the centreline, so the point sits in the middle of the blade. Strong tip, even penetration, less belly than a drop point.
Every spear point here →About CPM-S35VN
S30V with niobium swapped in for some vanadium: slightly tougher, noticeably easier to sharpen, marginally less edge retention.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All CPM-S35VN knives
What owners say
Drawn from 359 owner discussions of the Cold Steel Recon 1 Spear Point since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- Carried for years, not weeks. One owner has carried the spear point for ten years and leaves a Manix, 940, PM2 and Griptilian at home for it, another has carried one at work for almost four years without a letdown, and a third has had a Recon 1 in rotation for a decade, first an AUS-10 clip point they have since retired and now an S35VN spear point.
- The Tri-Ad lock feels solid. One new owner says the whole knife feels solid, especially the lock snapping into place, a tanto owner says it latches shut with a great sound and feels sturdier than their fixed blades, and one who batoned a lot with an AUS-8 Recon 1 as a kid says the lock never failed and it still has no blade play.
- Easier to sharpen than the tanto. A tanto buyer who struggled to match its two edges wishes they had chosen the spear point, and an owner of an older CTS-XHP spear point calls it bomb proof and the tanto more hassle to sharpen.
- Arrives very sharp: one new owner says theirs came very sharp, and one with several Recon 1s says they are by a wide margin the sharpest knives out of the box they have bought.
- Lighter and handier than it looks. One owner of the drop-point-style Recon 1 does not notice it in the pocket and praises the ergonomics and the slicing, and another calls it surprisingly light for what it is.
- Does overbuilt-folder work for less: one owner rates it among the best big folders for the money, able to do the jobs of pricier overbuilt knives, and another got their spear point for around $40.
What owners flag
- It is a big knife. One owner who rates it highly never carries it except on multi-day camping trips, and others call it huge or on the big side for a pocketknife.
- Stiff out of the box. One new owner could not flick it open one-handed and lubed and worked it in, a tanto owner calls the action super stiff and advises oiling and cycling it, and another had to disassemble and adjust theirs before it stopped needing two hands to close.
- Not a fidget knife: one owner says the action works but is unsatisfying next to many other folders, and another knife user says it is designed for slow-rolling the blade out, with tactical ergonomics you cannot choke up on.
- Vertical lock rock on one recent OD green spear point surprised its owner, whose other Tri-Ad knives, including a heavily used Voyager XL, have none; lockup was still solid.
- Grind centering slipped on one new spear point, which its owner found ground steeper on one side than the other.
- The tip has limits. One owner broke the tip of a spear point stabbing into metal-sheathed conduit, and another who carried one for years found the tip sometimes awkward for fine carving.
- Wear shows on old ones: one owner's tanto version stopped locking properly after a long time, and another's old hand-me-down tanto, used and abused for work and camping, no longer stays fully shut in the pocket.
Ten years of carry is one owner's record with the spear point Recon 1, ahead of a Manix, 940 and PM2. Others trust it in daily and rough use: one carried it at work for nearly four years, another keeps one in a bug-out bag as the best all-rounder, and the shape gets the most votes when people choose among the Recon 1 blades.
A 4 inch S35VN blade on a Tri-Ad lock, it arrives very sharp, and one owner says it feels sturdier than their fixed blades. New ones can be stiff enough to need oil and break-in, and one owner finds the action unsatisfying next to modern fidget-friendly folders. Isolated QC reports include vertical lock rock on one recent spear point and an off-center grind on another, and one owner snapped the tip stabbing into metal conduit.
Spyderco Shaman, Benchmade Adamas and Cold Steel's own AD-10 and Code 4 are the knives it gets weighed against. One knife user puts the Recon 1 and AD-10 on par with the pricier Shaman and Adamas, and a buyer comparing it with a Code 4 and Mini Adamas worried it would fill a pocket. Size is the trade: one owner who rates it among the best big folders for the money still leaves it home except when camping.
Should I get the spear point, clip point or tanto Recon 1?
The spear point gets the most votes for general use: knife users call it the most versatile, with a stronger tip than the clip point, and several find it easier to sharpen than the tanto. Tanto fans like its thicker, reinforced tip and spine for abuse, and one owner who has both the spear and clip points likes the clip's finer tip for detail work. One also notes the spear point looks the least aggressive.
Is the Recon 1 too big for everyday carry?
With a 4 inch blade and 5.3 oz it is a large folder. One owner who loves it only carries it camping, while another says they do not notice it in the pocket and find it light for its size.
How do I loosen up a stiff Recon 1?
Owners oil it and work it. One tanto owner advises leaving a new one half open for 72 hours with a couple of extra drops of oil and then cycling it a couple hundred times, another lubed and worked a new one hoping to flick it one-handed, and one disassembled and readjusted theirs until it closed easily.
Which steel version should I look for?
Current Recon 1s use CPM-S35VN, and one owner of the spear point recommends getting it in that steel. Older versions still have fans: one owner calls their CTS-XHP spear point bomb proof, another says their AUS-8 Recon 1 has held up great, and one retired an AUS-10 clip point and now carries an S35VN spear point. A MagnaCut version of the clip point also exists.
Features
- Tri-Ad lock
- Flat grind
- Made in Taiwan
- Stainless blade
