COLD STEEL COUNTER TAC I 5"

I bought this knife for self defense only as I don't believe a "dagger point" will be much good for anything else. The knife came razor sharp on both edges with a wicked point. It has a full tang and feels quite sturdy. The shape and length of the handle fit my hand perfectly. I was worried about all the nubs on the handle, perhaps being made of soft rubber or something else that would not be durable. The handle material is quite firm yet very "grippy". I have read some reviews where a buyer has complained that one side of the knife is flat while the other side has the normal raise triangle shape associated with daggers. It's true that the top of the knife has beveled edges and the bottom is actually concave. But I personally see this as an advantage. I don't think that a true "diamond" shaped dagger would slash as well or as deeply as this knife will. The blade says that it is made of AUS 8A steel which as I understand it, is considered an upper mid-range steel. It is marked as made in Taiwan, which I don't find to be a deal breaker. The blade is straight, the edges are well ground and sharpened. There're no tooling marks or defects that are visible. The "Secure-Ex" sheath is black plastic material and holds the knife firmly in place. It has a removable belt loop if you're going to secure to your Molle with straps. This isn't a high end fighting dagger, but then you're not paying high end prices for it either. Overall, I am very happy with this knife purchase and feel that I won't be disappointed at all.

The knife for the price is quite good. It’s a decent steel and a strong full tang. However the grind pattern is unorthodox making it not really a good slicer. It will be able to slice but not as good as other knives. This is primarily a self defense knife specialized in puncturing and it should do the job quite well but not really versatile for utility because of the grind. The grid however makes the tip stronger and more durable. The sheath and clip are also quite good providing good retention for both the knife and when clipped to your belt. I don’t need to use my thumb to deploy the knife. The Handel is contoured and fits my hands rather well with good grip. For context I’m 6 feet tall.

I am satisfied with this very sharp product. It is put together pretty solid. Balance is right behind the cross guard. Retention is adequate and tactile, but I wouldn't get too creative with a choice of carrying angles - upside down, absolutely not.. Magnet draws the tang throughout the full length of the handle. Grind lines are a little wonky (on one side, towards the tip), but the sale price was low enough for me to forgive unsightly imperfections - I have come to expect this from SGM Cold Steel products, after several recent purchases that sported disappointing appearances. Really, these "sale-priced" knives are "seconds," and should be listed as such. Still, this is a functional little knife, provided you don't look it over too hard. My Kobun was also bought recently (during a dip in price), and it suffers the same wonky grind angle problem that seems to be plaguing SGM Cold Steel pretty badly these days. But the Drop Forged Boot Knife I recently received is a monolithic masterpiece of carbon steel - it is gorgeous. Carryability (for me) goes to the Kobun, for the weight and slim profile. The retention fit of the Kobun is more secure, and a serrated edge has the distinct advantage for cutting nylon rope. But for "presentation," the Drop Forged is the winner. If you like one of them, you will probably like all 3 of them as I do - and all three are excellent choices, but you may prefer to arrange yours in a different order. Something else to consider is that MTECH USA sells a decent replacement for the CounterTac1 - the MT-097 is a value based, budget grade sticker that does the very same job for a small fraction of the price. Recommendation: If you are not particular about appearance, then yes, because these are put together pretty well.

Perfect fit for my hand. This knofe is a bit big for a concealed carry situation, however for a defensive blade I don't think you can do much better than this. Triangular wound channel that would be created by this blade would be very hard to repair. 40% of stab wounds are fatal, this blade would qualify if it needed to be deployed in that manner. I found however that it is just a bit big for an EDC situation. Still a good blade and I do personally like Cold Steel products, I think they are a great value for money, often times with good steel that is easily sharpened and holding a good edge. If you need a good sticking blade this will do nicely.

Looks like a very competent knife. Ideal for "get away" situations. Probably less so for fine work around the camp but that is not its purpose. Not as sharp as some other Cold Steel products but that is due to the acute angle of the grind and the thickness of the blade. It is plenty sharp, and the real issue here is the pointed nature of the blade for thrusting. That leaves nothing to be desired. Very sharp at the point. I think this one is a keeper.

As I said - Meh. Blade is fine- sharp enough, flat on one side so easy to get into things. Sheath is UTTER TRASH (like all Cold Steel sheathes). Clip is horrible and breaks if you look at it wrong, Cold Steel doesn't care, so you're looking for a way to keep it on to your belt. Holes don't line up well for a standard 9x9 MOLLE belt clip like a Tek Lok. Not the worst knife I have, but not nearly the best, either.

Watch some videos on YT of Lynn Thompson explaining this design, and it will make sense. This was made with a very specific purpose, and bushcraft ain’t it. Strictly a self defense knife. A lot of negative reviews are from people trying to use it for purposes other than intended.

Cold Steel is really sleazy for showing front view of knife and not the back side also. Back of knife is flat and does not have the groove in the blade shown in front view. I am done with Cold Steel better options from other knife makers...