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- Dec 7, 2019
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- 3,291
TL;DR: Great as a fixed blade EDC for getting occasional knife work done, not my first choice as a work knife on account of the small handle. Grip is rock solid, but something like a Mora Companion would be more comfortable. Light in the hand and the small footprint is nice. 4/5 stars for me.
Technical specifications (from Cold Steel’s website)
Weight: 3.3 oz.
Handle material: Kray-Ex rubber (same as the SRK and Recon Tanto)
Blade thickness: 3 mm
Blade steel: 8cr13MoV
Blade length: 3.5 in
Overall length: 6.75 in
Initial impressions
I just received this little pocket Bowie, so this is by no means a long-term review. If the knife lasts for several years, I look forward to adding my comments then, whether it excelled or was found wanting.
I saw the Mini Leatherneck for sale at a relatively good price in my country, so I thought, “Why the hell not?” First off, the handle felt surprisingly great in hand. In a basic hammer grip with the knife perpendicular to my arm, I can wrap four fingers comfortably. For reference, I have a medium to large sized hand. In a more slanted saber grip however, my pinky ends up floating, so that’s where a paracord fob comes in useful. The pinky finger grabs onto the paracord instead.
It is a stable grip and I do feel that the knife locks into place. Even with sweaty hands, I’m not afraid of the knife slipping out of my grip; to Cold Steel’s credit, the Kray-Ex does its job well. However, I wouldn’t call this the ideal knife for long hours of work because the quillons will eventually be a nuisance and regardless of hand size, you will want a roomy comfortable handle in a dedicated work knife. If I had to open boxes for hours on end, I’d sooner reach for the Morakniv Kansbol or Becker BK-16. Or even the SRK.
If you just need a pocket blade for occasionally opening a package or helping a friend open theirs, this is a more than capable tool for that job.
Second, let’s discuss the blade itself. In terms of both aesthetics and function, the clip point was the best fit for me. It’s easier to sharpen and I don’t like having to worry about two edges in the dagger blade’s case. Out of the box, it was decently sharp though not as paper slicing smooth as Cold Steel’s mid-tier folders. I still get clean cuts on white paper though with a slight bit of resistance. Even among budget steels, 8Cr is far from the leader in edge retention, though on the upside, it’s fairly easy to sharpen. If it performs even close to the Spyderco Resilience’s 8Cr, that’s good enough for EDC. At least for me.
The bevels looked even enough from the base to the tip. The blade tip is nice and pointy, perfect for popping balloons and poking fruit. Blade stock is 3 mm, though I would not use this for prying or anything that you should really use a Becker BK2 for. The top quillon gets in the way of resting my thumb on the spine, but I can still rest my pointer finger on the swedge for more precise cuts.
Third, the sheath. I haven’t deliberately tested if Secure-Ex dulls the edge, but when unsheathing, I just put more pressure against the spine to minimize contact with the edge. Seems to work just fine for now. The sheath comes with lashing holes so we do have some belt mounting options. The knife locks in with an audible click and no rattle once sheathed. It’s a tad more difficult to unsheathe than I would like, but I suppose that’s better than too loose. For my purposes, this knife will be riding in the pocket.
Niche or philosophy of use
I see this as a backup fixed blade that you can throw in the pocket, backpack compartment, or toolbox. I don’t know if it’s true full tang, but it does have the sturdiness of being one piece of steel. I like the Kray-Ex material, ensuring a fairly positive grip even in emergency or hairy situations.
Again, I would not assign it as a dedicated work knife, but it’s a nice fixed blade EDC to include in the rotation.
Concluding thoughts and rating
In summary, the build quality is good for the asking price. I don’t see anything majorly off with the grind lines, the cross guard does not wiggle one bit, and the short handle was more comfortable than expected. If I had to make minor revisions, I’d add half an inch to the handle length and decrease the size of the crossguard a bit. As a general point, Cold Steel ditching Secure-Ex in favor of Kydex would be nice, but that’s probably a pipe dream.
For knives in similar price brackets and size, I still prefer the Mora Eldris and CRKT Siwi for their superior ergonomics, but the Mini Leatherneck holds its own as a pocket fixed blade EDC.
4/5 stars.
Technical specifications (from Cold Steel’s website)
Weight: 3.3 oz.
Handle material: Kray-Ex rubber (same as the SRK and Recon Tanto)
Blade thickness: 3 mm
Blade steel: 8cr13MoV
Blade length: 3.5 in
Overall length: 6.75 in
Initial impressions
I just received this little pocket Bowie, so this is by no means a long-term review. If the knife lasts for several years, I look forward to adding my comments then, whether it excelled or was found wanting.
I saw the Mini Leatherneck for sale at a relatively good price in my country, so I thought, “Why the hell not?” First off, the handle felt surprisingly great in hand. In a basic hammer grip with the knife perpendicular to my arm, I can wrap four fingers comfortably. For reference, I have a medium to large sized hand. In a more slanted saber grip however, my pinky ends up floating, so that’s where a paracord fob comes in useful. The pinky finger grabs onto the paracord instead.
It is a stable grip and I do feel that the knife locks into place. Even with sweaty hands, I’m not afraid of the knife slipping out of my grip; to Cold Steel’s credit, the Kray-Ex does its job well. However, I wouldn’t call this the ideal knife for long hours of work because the quillons will eventually be a nuisance and regardless of hand size, you will want a roomy comfortable handle in a dedicated work knife. If I had to open boxes for hours on end, I’d sooner reach for the Morakniv Kansbol or Becker BK-16. Or even the SRK.
If you just need a pocket blade for occasionally opening a package or helping a friend open theirs, this is a more than capable tool for that job.
Second, let’s discuss the blade itself. In terms of both aesthetics and function, the clip point was the best fit for me. It’s easier to sharpen and I don’t like having to worry about two edges in the dagger blade’s case. Out of the box, it was decently sharp though not as paper slicing smooth as Cold Steel’s mid-tier folders. I still get clean cuts on white paper though with a slight bit of resistance. Even among budget steels, 8Cr is far from the leader in edge retention, though on the upside, it’s fairly easy to sharpen. If it performs even close to the Spyderco Resilience’s 8Cr, that’s good enough for EDC. At least for me.
The bevels looked even enough from the base to the tip. The blade tip is nice and pointy, perfect for popping balloons and poking fruit. Blade stock is 3 mm, though I would not use this for prying or anything that you should really use a Becker BK2 for. The top quillon gets in the way of resting my thumb on the spine, but I can still rest my pointer finger on the swedge for more precise cuts.
Third, the sheath. I haven’t deliberately tested if Secure-Ex dulls the edge, but when unsheathing, I just put more pressure against the spine to minimize contact with the edge. Seems to work just fine for now. The sheath comes with lashing holes so we do have some belt mounting options. The knife locks in with an audible click and no rattle once sheathed. It’s a tad more difficult to unsheathe than I would like, but I suppose that’s better than too loose. For my purposes, this knife will be riding in the pocket.
Niche or philosophy of use
I see this as a backup fixed blade that you can throw in the pocket, backpack compartment, or toolbox. I don’t know if it’s true full tang, but it does have the sturdiness of being one piece of steel. I like the Kray-Ex material, ensuring a fairly positive grip even in emergency or hairy situations.
Again, I would not assign it as a dedicated work knife, but it’s a nice fixed blade EDC to include in the rotation.
Concluding thoughts and rating
In summary, the build quality is good for the asking price. I don’t see anything majorly off with the grind lines, the cross guard does not wiggle one bit, and the short handle was more comfortable than expected. If I had to make minor revisions, I’d add half an inch to the handle length and decrease the size of the crossguard a bit. As a general point, Cold Steel ditching Secure-Ex in favor of Kydex would be nice, but that’s probably a pipe dream.
For knives in similar price brackets and size, I still prefer the Mora Eldris and CRKT Siwi for their superior ergonomics, but the Mini Leatherneck holds its own as a pocket fixed blade EDC.
4/5 stars.
