The New Cold Steel Voyager XL

Ammoland ^ | 15 March, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

I like Cold Steel knives.  I own, have owned, and have given away quite a few of them.  I have even lost a couple in fairly extraordinary circumstances.  They have served me well.  About 15 years ago, I settled on the Cold Steel Voyager XL.  It is a good sized pocket knife with a blade about 5.25 inches long.

I used it, among other things, as a sort of “worry beads”, manipulating it, opening and closing it with one hand, trying different angles and grips, and essentially, getting to know the blade rather intimately.  Over the years, changes have been made.  I broke the composite pocket clip on an early model; they were replaced with the current metal clip, which has worked well.  The early models only had the thumb stud on one side.  They were made ambidextrous.  The edge style can be had in plain, serrated (with the excellent Cold Steel serrations), or half and half.  I settled on the plain blade, but they all worked well.

I have used the knife to dress out deer and pigs, cut rope, open envelopes, whittle kindling, cut bread, slice meat, and chop off branches, mini-machete style.

I have become so comfortable with it that when I need a knife, I draw it from my pocket, open it one handed, perform the task, close it one handed and clip it back in the pocket without hardly thinking about it.  I have a back-up or two, but when I heard that Cold Steel had stopped making them, it was with a little bit of apprehension.

Looking at the Cold Steel site eased my mind.  The XL  Voyager was still there, but the grip was a bit different. 

[marktwain]

The new Voyager XL is significantly different. It is longer, heavier, is flat ground instead of hollow ground, and is made in Taiwan instead of Japan.

[smokingfrog]

If you have a favorite knife, you’re almost certain to lose it. Otherwise, I’d probably own some Striders.

[ops33]

My favorite are Moore Knives from Matamores, TX

[ChuteTheMall]

$38.50?
Beware of counterfeits.

[Noumenon]

I routinely carry a Chris Reeve large Sebenza. My all time favorite belt knife. My favorite fighting knife is a 40 year old Cold Steel tanto. One of the few knives I’ve owned that feels alive in my hands.

[smokingfrog]

[Noumenon]

Mine is smooth matte titanium. Wicked sharp,too.

[marktwain]

“$38.50?
Beware of counterfeits.”

I was concerned about that. However, the price, although much lower than the MSR price, is about what I paid a number of years ago for the Voyager XL on sale through a distributorship.

I examined the knife closely, and compared it to the images on the Cold Steel web site.

If it is a counterfeit, it is a really, really, good counterfeit.

It was purchased through Amazon, if that means anything.

Still, it is possible. Communist China seems to have a policy of ripping off successful manufacturers. Trump has made this part of his campaign. We are being cheated by the Communist Chinese. I do not know if Taiwan has a reputation for cheating.

[smokingfrog]

Great knives.

That one is the Wilson Combat version to match the pattern on their 1911 grips.

[Noumenon]

Very nice. Reeve builds some great knives. His Airman is another that I’m looking to add to my collection. BTW, the Al Mar lightweight combat folder usually rides clipped to my left trousers pocket. “You can never have too many knives”.

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

Before I opened the full screen I thought a new browser was being offered.....

[marktwain]

Digital devices have taken over the vocabulary...