bob from United States, NE Public Profile

The knife (or dirk) itself is very nice except for two points - one easily fixed and the other not so much. The metalwork is well done and finished. The blade finish is a nice satin with the fullers polished. The wood is black, not dark brown as pictured. The blade is not sharp ootb - the first Cold Steel I've ever gotten not shaving sharp ootb - and that's the easily fixed problem. Disappointing though - the blade wouldn't even cut paper. The not easily fixed problem is the blade/guard junction - the grip is pretty wide. Peering in, you can see glue easily. The scabbard, again, is nice but has two flaws. The locket does not match the guard evenly - the gap is wider on the blade side. The other problem is retention. The scabbard comes with two pieces of thin plastic held in place with double sided foam. It holds the blade just right until you draw and reinsert a few times - then, unless you're very careful the plastic will either bunch up or come out altogether. With the plastic gone, there is no retention at all. Overall, these are pretty minor problems in a good looking knife. Once it's sharp, it should perform as good as it looks.