Cold SteelAmerican Lawman 3.5" S35VN Razor-Sharp Blade 4.625" G-10 Handle Tactical Folding Knife with Tri-Ad Lock, Ambidextrous Pocket/Belt Clip

Short Version:Great overall pocket knife. Worth the money.Long Version:I haven’t bought a Cold Steel folder in many years, I was always disappointed when they moved away from AUS-8A and their prices went up a lot. But I decided to take a chance on this model because it looked so functional and simple.In the end, overall, I’m actually pretty impressed with the design, materials, and finishing of the knife.0.023”-0.025” edge, at 14-15 degrees per side, lightly hollow-ground, on 0.185” stock, so it actually cuts very well for a production folder.The handle is pure G10, no liners, which makes it relatively thin. Very well-done rounding and softening of the edges of the grip, no harsh/sharp corners, and the texture of the G10 is great also, very solid grip but not horribly abrasive.The DLC is certainly different than their old Teflon-paint finish on the AUS-8A knives, but this is one of the high points on the newer versions. Let’s face it, the DLC both looks and functions better. It may cost more, but I think it’s worth it. It looks like a great dark/deep blues steel on a gun. And there’s no chance of flaking or otherwise wearing in the way their old Teflon paint used to.The steel is S35VN, I haven’t hardness tested it because I don’t have access to an HRC machine currently, but it seems similar to their old AUS-8A. I’d bet that it’s in the high 50’s, probably averaging around 58 HRC. It will form a burr but it’s not awfully difficult to remove or prevent that, it forms a clean and sharp edge and it’ll dent/impact/fold before it chips. In other words, it seems standard Cold Steel durability instead of maximum hardness and minimal retained austenite.Overall, I think this is worth the price over the older AUS-8A models, it’s worth the price compared to many Spyderco and certainly many Benchmade models, and I’m interested in buying more Cold Steel models in the future. They’re rock-solid folders. The Tri-Ad lock, G10, and DLC combined with thin-enough edges has sold me.Spyderco and Benchmade are pricey, the Cold Steel models are very decent compared to the the cost of the other two.

It’s a great knife. Very durable, keeps an edge, super sharp.. the list goes on. This knife is incredibly visually appealing, and it has great feel in your hand. It’s not too heavy and it’s great for edc. Great for the price.

I’m currently obsessed with all things cold steel. I’ve owned a few budget cold steel knives and they were just meh. However it took me a while to get into their more premium knives and omg are they awesome. I love all of them: lawman, ad10, ad15, recon 1. I find it impossible to consistently name my favorite; I can easily make a case for all 4 of them. They are so cool and worth every penny. I love those torture test videos. I’m buying every one of their knives over $100. The best thing about the lawman is how slim, light and easy it is to carry, especially considering its strength and capabilities. If you’re looking for the easiest to carry out of these then this is your best bet.

Amazingly utilitarian knife.

All the cold steels I've bought have been crazy solid knives. All have come really sharp. I will say that the factory edge on this lawman was so uneven. It was sharp but ugly with a couple degree difference in areas. I resharpened it on a kme and got it pretty good. It has a similar carry profile to a spyderco shaman. Not small but carrys really well and can take anything you wanna throw at it.

Feels good in hand ...good size...light ...sharp ...ism well pleased

Oh man! I think this may be the perfect hard use EDC blade! Excellent steel, (S35-VN) thick blade stock with great edge geometry for slicing (hollow grind), very comfortable and textured handles with multiple grip options, extremely strong lock! And all in a relatively small package! It’s maybe not a discreet knife for gentleman’s carry, but for most every day situations it is fantastic! :D. It’s fairly thin, so it does fit in pocket well. I’m not a fan of Cold Steel’s pocket clips, but I still love this knife!

The S35VN steel is great for knife blades, and the triad lock is legendary, however I ended up returning this knife b/c the handle makes using the knife for hard tasks awkward and unwieldy. In trying to make this product pocket friendly, they have made it so thin it does not fit the hand.