Cold Steel Espada Large: Nasty Habit
30:15 March 13, 2010
Science & Technology
nutnfancy
There's few if any major knife makers that make the aggressive fighting knives that Cold Steel does. Say what you want but Cold Steel continues to deliver some impressively capable fighting blades in both fixed and folding blade formats. Witness the excellent "Espada" series of fighting knives. Poster child for this Nutnfancy blade review is the Large size Espada knife. It is my favorite of the series. It offers an amazing 5.5 inch beautifully swept hollow ground AUS8A blade that arrives razor sharp. In the emergency defensive role, the Espada Large would excel due to its sharpness, good belly, reach, and strong tip (thrust cuts possible too). Finish on this blade is impressive with Scotchbrite sides and polished flats. The CS Espadas feature a solid 7075 frame milled from solid aluminum billet. This rock solid frame is responsible for its strength, authoritative heft (not too much though), and head-turning snap as the knife deploys (it's loud and I love it!). No skeletonizing is attempting on the frame. Polished black G10 scales are a beautiful contrast against the polished aluminum frame, achieving the same striking contrast we saw in the Cold Steel Black Rhino tactical blade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwybQQDheSY). Don't expect high traction from these G10 scales however...they suck for that. With the well-designed and low profile clip burying this knife deep in the pocket, extraction under stress might be an issue. That's why I fit up my own lanyard system for this Espada Large. Drilling and chamfering the 7075 aluminum backspacer allowed the attachment of a hollowed-out 550 cord lanyard that was sewn for more stability and durability. Speed of deployment of the Espadas is blinding fast in practiced hands; the thumb plate snags on the pocket readily and is used to wave the knife into the deployed configuration (Note however that the thumb ramp CAN bury too deep into some pockets and snag). Espada deployment (and overall actuation) should be done carefully and slowly to gain proficiency. This is a blade that should be given your highest respect so YOU don't get cut with it (or your pants too apparently)! With larger sized hands, manual actuation of the ambidexterous thumb plate is possible but expect a longer reach on this Large Espada (longer still on the XL). Lockup is tight and secure and the bulletproof Triad lock is has been well-demonstrated in abusive tests. Weight is substantial but serves a purpose in this fighting blades: 5.4 oz Med (reasonable), 9.8 oz Large, and 15 oz XL. Ergonomics throughout are squared away. While lacking jimping, the long sculpted handle of the Espada Large accommodates all kinds of grips with security and the sub-hilt finger grooves allows for extra reach. The lock situates nicely for disengagement in a conventional hold. The Cold Steel Espada Large is my top recommendation for the a large tactical blade POU; the XL is just too big for most users. If you want to impress your buddies and just have a cool knife this knife or its monsterous big brother, the Espada XL, are excellent choices as well (great collectible blades). Admission fee to this blade might be pricey for some (XL $285, Lrg $185, $130Mar 2010 prices) but I say its worth the price. On all accounts then, the Espada Large is an epic blade that achieves equally high levels of good looks, cutting capability, toughness, durability, coolness, and functionality. Whether placed in a serious defensive POU or just collected, the Espada Large will give great satisfaction to its owner. //////////////////////// Nutnfancy Likeability Scale: 9.5 out of 10 ////////////////// Music: Nutnfancy original music, "Slightly Stricken"
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