Cold Steel’s Ti-Lite series of tactical folders will only lead to more important choices, like which 1950’s gang you are going to join — the Jets or the Sharks? These folders, with a little tweaking, oil, and practice will open just as fast as spring assisted or automatic fighting knives of old, yet remain legal to carry nearly everywhere (of course, check your local laws before quoting this review in court). With a little extra practice, you can even finagle this knife to open by catching the quillion on the edge of your pocket.
The model being reviewed here, and linked below, is a 4″ long, 1/8″ thick, spear point blade made from AUS 8A stainless steel with a bead blasted finish. The Ti-Lites come in two 4.75-inch handle options: the more expensive, more durable, and classier (in my opinion) 7075 aluminum; or the cheaper, lighter-weight, and just as good (in my opinion) 43% glass filled Zytel. The link below will take you to the Zytel purchase, and this is probably the best selection. The price is nearly half, and you save 1.1 ounces of weight with this handle. The leaf spring lock and liners are still high quality stainless steel, so you really don’t miss out on much.
I really think this is a great knife. But, lefties, you should know this is a right-handed opening design only. The thumb stud is not changeable, nor is the stainless steel pocket clip – though it is removable with a size 4 torx screwdriver.
