Cold Steel Mini Tac Bowie 3-5/8" Lightweight Durable 8Cr13MoV Stainless Steel Fixed Blade Clip Point Outdoor Hunting Utility Knife, Griv-Ex Handle, Secure-Ex Sheath - Boxed

The cold steel tac mini bowie is an incredible value!Among my around forty mid to high end knives,I previously only had two small fixed blades,a Guardian 3,and an Essee Xancudo,both of which I prefer in horizontal carry.The ONE downside to this cold steel is,the cold steel clip you can get does not conform to horizontal carry,however,it comes with a neck chain,and is very comfortable and accessable under the shirt.I really like how the cold steel fits in your hand,better then my other two fixed blades.Also,the blade is very slicey and pokey.The knife came very sharp,however,after ten strokes on my sharpmaker,it is RAZOR sharp.The steel is budget and surely wont hold an edge as well as even vg10 or 154cm,BUT it is so easy and quick to sharpen,thats not really an issue for me.For the price,this knife is an absolute steel,and in several ways superior to knives costing much,much more,(my guardian3 cost 119,and my essee xancudo cost 124-of course both are made of high grade steel).If you arent good at free hand sharpening,(which Im not),get yourself a lanskey four rod turnbox for around twentfive bucks-ANYBODY can easilly put a good edge on a knife with that system!Update,after a month really dont have much to add,except after reading some of the negative reveiws,its obvious that its hit or miss getting a good one,especially with the sheath.However I suspect the complaints about the sheath being to tight,or dulling the blade from drawing it stems from not knowing how to use it-you use your thumb pressing on the ramp to withdraw,and just use a little awareness when removing or inserting into the sheath,just keep the blade towards the top and you wont dull it.I recently aquired a neck knif I like better,but unless you have 250 dollars to blow on a neck knife,Id stay with this cold steel!

Bought this along with the Mini Leatherneck. For 20 bucks apiece I could not resist. The Leatherneck went back. This one, the Mini-Tac, is a neat little knife. Not quite a skeleton knife but still very lightweight and with an extremely slim profile perfect for edc or wearing as a neck knife if that’s your thing. The handle ergonomics are excellent and the knife snaps into the sheath with a positive click and is retained with no rattle whatsoever. If you grip the handle with your ring and middle finger while pressing on the sheath with your thumb, the knife will come out with the oversized finger choil perfectly positioned for your index finger. Cold Steel Secure-Ex sheaths are fiberglass reinforced nylon and are much maligned for dulling blades, but making a habit of lightly pressing upwards when you draw the knife so that the spine contacts the sheath instead of the blade should minimize this issue.The one thing I’m not a fan of is the dull gray coating on the blade. Just unattractive IMO. Maybe it’s so your enemies can’t peep you creeping through the bush stealth mode with your deadly Cold Steel tac knife, but I would’ve much preferred a satin finish like the Leatherneck had. Black would be ok too. If Cold Steel were to release a premium version of this exact knife with real G10 scales, S35VN steel and a satin finish, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

This one is a go...For under $20.I picked it up for $17.99.I would definitely recommend it at that price point, but not at full price.One star off for grip panels with sharp edges.Easy enough to sand down a bit, but you really shouldn't have to.I used 240 grit sandpaper and didn't have to be very aggressive at all to achieve the result I was looking for.Sharp, but not razor sharp out of the box. It slices paper without tearing, but fails the hair test.It will shave hair on the back of my hand, but only with a lot of pressure behind the stroke.Self defense?Maybe, but there are much better choices fof $20-$30.The Mini Tac is not easy to draw quickly. The Kyoto 1 is very fast.In fact, a no brainer. Lightning fast!With the sheath getting in the way, the Mini Tac is a bit of a fumbler.Both sheaths offer secure enough waist carry, but if you brush up against something, the Kyoto 1 might not hold, due to its fatter rubbery grip and shallow carry sheath. On the other hand, the Mini Tac would probably stay more secure due to it's deeper sheath carry, thin grip, and non rubber grip material.In my opinion, the grip on either is too small for a defensive knife, still, better than your empty hands.If you are considering a knife for defensive purposes, get a small knife with a ring at the end of the handle instead, such as ITOKEY's small upswept blade.That's what I carry on my left in conjunction with a KOMWERO ringed Wharncliffe with a +4" blade on my right side. I tend to use the smaller knife for utility, as to not frighten unsuspecting citizens. The large Wharnciffe is rather scary!How does it compare to the Kyoto 1?Both are made in China, which is a much, much, better option than their Taiwanese options. The quality control is much higher in China. I was very disappointed with one of their SPIKE TANTOs I just purchased.That's going back today!What s piece of garbage!Really bad mismatched angles on the tanto tip.Sorry got off track.Had to mention it.Back to the Mini Tac and Kyoto 1...They are similar in size and length, but the Kyoto 1 is a thicker, more sturdily built knife than the Mini Tac.Sharpness is a smidge better on the Kyoto 1, but still, difficult to shave hair.Neither knife comes with a belt clip!The only option I've seen, is Cold Steel's Secure-Ex plastic one.The lashing holes on the sheaths are basically that. Lashing holes!The hardware on a standard clip is too big to fit the holes. I currently use zip strips to lash them to my belt loop, mounted horizontally.This works very well, but is rather inconvenient because the zip strips have to be cut loose for laundry day.Why don't they just include the clips?They could at least list them with their knives as an option.Just about everyone else includes a belt clip with their knives!l, and some are very nice!Why can't Cold Steel? Jerks!...A neck chain came with the Mini Tac (big deal), none with the Kyoto 1.The sheath of the Kyoto 1 fits easily within a jeans belt loop.Again, I secure it to the loop with zip strips.The Mini Tac sheath is a very tight fit for belt loop carry.I barely got it into one of my regular Lee loops. It's so tight,I could probably carry it this way without zip strips.Verdict:I prefer the Kyoto 1 slightly over the Mini Tac, simply due to its higher value as a conversation piece.Oh... there's the quick draw thing too.Why not get both, if you can find them at under $20 each?