Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Edit 07/02/2022: I bought the smaller version of this knife because it was on sale for a ridiculously low price. The smaller version has none of the defects that my larger version has. I have not purchased a newer version of the large Luzon so I cannot speak to whether they fixed the defects my original review pointed out, but the small version I just purchased is perfectly executed. ******** Edit 03/20/2019: I'm taking the review down from 3 to 2 stars. The reason? With the major flaw (see below) I won't carry it when I have other knives to choose from that don't have issues. Now this knife just sits in a drawer. ******** When I saw that Cold Steel was offering this knife I was ready to buy it right away. My favorite non-Cold Steel knife is the CRKT M-16-14SFG and its Zytel-handled version (I have both). The flipper, Emerson-wavable, hand-guard-safe-from-forceful-stab-double-quillon design is one of the best designs ever for a pocket knife in my opinion. The Luzon seemed to be Cold Steel’s take on it. POSITIVES: 1) Action: detent seems to be perfect. Closure seems secure. Meanwhile, a firm “flip” on the flipper fully opens the knife. (This is, however, only after a “break-in” period—see negatives below). 2) Blade centering: perfect even after “breaking in” of purposeful hard opens. 3) Pocket clip: secure but not fabric-rippy like some other Cold Steel pocket clips. 4) Blade shape: the blade has an aggressive profile—something between a Bali and a Bowie—making it great at both cutting and stabbing. 5) Steel: the 8Cr13MoV seems comparable to AUS8 which I find to be a good balance between cost, edge retention, and sharpen-ability. 6) Handle material: the polymer is grippy. Not Cold Steel G-10 grippy. Not Voyager plastic aggressive pattern grippy. However, it is more grippy than the semi-smooth Rajah II handle material. It is just right in my estimation. 7) EDC: Carries well. I had been EDCing the Rajah II. The Luzon Large is nearly identical in length but lighter and narrower in width, making it less noticeable in pocket. NEUTRAL: The double lock: works great (after break-in). But only if you consciously remember to engage it, making it inferior to the CRKT AUTOLAWKS (that works automatically). I know that some people hate AUTOLAWKS. So I guess to those, that this is not automatic is a plus. I consider it a negative so I'm splitting the difference with a neutral rating. NEGATIVES: 1) Major flaw: it sometimes jams open. Hard “flicks” to open will allow the liner lock to over-deploy and stick past the blade butt to the right. This has happened to mine several times now. It requires pliers to rectify (which leaves marks on the opposite side of the handle). This would be VERY problematic if it happened in the field without access to tools. You would be stuck with an open knife. 2) Moderate flaw: fit and finish: the liner lock doesn’t fit flush along the entire blade butt: see picture. The lock-up is tight because a corner of the liner lock fits correctly up against the blade butt - but only a corner. I have much cheaper knives with perfect liner-lock to blade butt meeting. I don’t know if this negatively affects the strength of the lock-up, but I would wager that it does. 3) Minor flaw: requires a “break-in period”: When I first handled the knife after opening the manufacturing packaging, the lock-up was terrible. The liner lock would barely meet the blade. During this time the secondary lock would also not reliably engage. I had to “break it in” by repeatedly opening it—I’m guessing at least 100 times before the liner lock and blade butt would fully line up correctly and the secondary lock would reliably engage. Cold Steel may have built it this way in expectation of wear and tear but if someone wanted to put the knife to hard use immediately after unboxing, they would take a chance of getting cut very badly if the lock-up failed because the liner lock was only barely contacting the blade back. OVERALL: I hope Cold Steel fixes the flaws in this knife because it is a great design if executed properly. If you are considering purchasing it, you will want to wait and see if Cold Steel updates the specs for the next production run, fixing at least the jamming open issue.