Guess what we’re going to come out and call the best Cold Steel knife.

Is it the Andrew Demko AD-10? The Code 4? The Mini-Recon? The Cold Steel 4-Max? The Espada? The Cold Steel Recon Tanto? The Cold Steel SRK? The Cold Steel Ti Lite? Some full-sized fixed blade?

Not any of the above, not at the current time, at least. This feature is for the Cold Steel 1911, which is an excellent Cold Steel knife by any metric, and a great budget folding knife in general.

As far as we care, you might even call it the best Cold Steel knife of all. Here’s what it offers.

Ergonomics and Functionality

The Cold Steel 1911 is actually a relatively small knife, only 7” overall, with a 3” drop point blade. It has a 4” handle and weighs only 3.3 oz, so it’s fairly light, compact, and easy to carry.

One thing it’s not going to get high marks for, at least not from us, is the design of the shape. We get the purpose but it’s very angular and boxy, and not particularly ergonomic.

In case you didn’t catch on from the name, the handle scales and general shape of the knife are meant to mirror the classic grips of a Colt 1911. It does, but then again, as a knife handle, maybe it’s not the best design.

Passing that, there’s a lot we do like.

Blade Size, Profile, Steel

The blade is a generic drop point with a straight back and a straight cutting edge. There’s not too much atypical about blade shape.

It works well for most things, whether that’s opening envelopes, cutting up boxes, doing food prep, or that sort of thing.

The blade steel is definitely one of the cheaper and less impressive alloys that Cold Steel uses. It’s a 4034SS stainless steel blade.

This is very similar to the steel Cold Steel uses in the Pendleton Lite hunting knife (pictured below). By all means, it is a budget steel, but it performs well out of its price class.

The 4034SS used in this alloy takes a surprisingly impressive heat treatment and so it’s quite hard. It holds an edge very well, takes a very sharp one to begin with, and remains relatively easy to sharpen.

One of the greatest things about this steel, though, is its downright commendable resilience in the face of corrosion. It’s just almost impossible to get this steel to rust.

So, in a nutshell, there are tougher steels out there, and there are steels that take a better edge and last longer, but there are hardly more corrosion-resistant alloys - and definitely not at this price point.

Handle Scale Material

The Cold Steel 1911 is made with those boxy, 1911-esque handle scales, with a checkered pattern (just like the 1911).

They’re made of Griv Ex, a fiberglass-reinforced plastic that is very light and very strong. This material is similar to Micarta or G10 in terms of durability - maybe not quite, but close - and it is a bit lighter than both of them.

Like them, it’s a high-performance modern synthetic with a short list of drawbacks because there are basically none.

It’s non-reactive and non-absorbent, so you can get it wet, greasy, expose it to extreme temperatures, expose it to corrosives - it’s pretty much good to go.

Deployment, Lock Type, Extras

Now let’s talk about some of the things that actually give the Cold Steel 1911 a good running for the title of “best” Cold Steel knife: the deployment, lock mechanism, and double-safe feature.

The Cold Steel 1911 deploys via either a thumb stud (for right-handed users only) or a flipper mechanism. The action is a bit stiff when new but will limber up nicely with use.

It’s a liner lock, which is not impressive in its own right, but this knife has a little trick up its sleeve. On the same side as the pocket clip, there is a little metal bar that slides up and back.

This is a “double-safe” lock. When the knife is closed, if it is engaged, it will lock the knife closed. If it is engaged when the knife is locked open, it will place a wedge against the liner, preventing it from accidentally disengaging.

This is, in practice, a lock for the lock, that keeps the lock opened unless the double-safe is disengaged. This both strengthens the liner lock mechanism and makes the overall knife safer to use by preventing accidental lock disengagement.

It is by far one of the coolest and most practical features of this knife.

Carry

While the Cold Steel 1911 can be carried free in a pocket, it also has a nice, fat pocket clip (non-reversible) on the same side as the double-safe lock, which is easy to use, holds tightly, and allows for easy, tip-up deep carry.

Price

The last thing to love about the 1911, and which also makes it a strong player for best Cold Steel pocket knife, is the price: right now on our website, it’s less than $37, which is substantially less than some other Cold Steel knives we sell here.

If you consider the quality of the build and materials, its innovative features, its durability, and its price, it’s definitely a steal.