CODE 4

There are those who want you to believe that you have to spend a few hundred dollars, or more, to get a high quality folding knife. This is absolute nonsense, but you do have to look in the right place. If you are looking at Cold Steel, you can end your search. I have long said that, IMO, CS offers the best production-grade knifes in the industry, and I still believe that today. I have used their products for years and have never once had a problem. The most important aspect of a folding knife is its locking mechanism. Having the blade of a folding knife close prematurely can sure mess up one's day. The Code 4 uses Cold Steel's Tri-Ad system, which I feel is absolutely the strongest, and therefore safest, available today. When you open the blade, you can hear and feel it snap into an incredibly secure and locked position. It is not going to close until you make it happen. That is real peace of mind, and one that I trust without hesitation. The Code 4 is a thing of beauty. The fit, finish and quality are immediately apparent. Its 3.5" spear point blade is razor sharp, and it's line, angles, grinds and geometry are as nice as one could hope for. The ambi thumb studs are large enough to enhance ease of opening without being obtrusive, and its butter smooth. When closed, the blade is perfectly centered. The blade is made from S35VN steel. This is definitely a high end steel that enhances overall toughness, corrosion prevention, and edge holding ability, all while making it reasonably easy to sharpen. I like this steel a lot. To me, the least significant of these four major factors is corrosion prevention. An occasional wipe down with an oily rag or shot of WD40 will work wonders. If you are too lazy to take a few seconds to perform this task, you definitely do not deserve a knife this nice. The solid aluminum handle is a greyish green color that looks very nice. The exterior is smooth, there are no serrations or other patterns designed to help provide a secure grip. Because of this, one might think that it would be slippery in the hand, but I have found this not to be the case at all. My hand locks in comfortably and securely. The handle is very slim and trim, making it quite comfortable for EDC. Like other CS knives, the pocket clip has a lot of tension, making it a bit of a small chore to use. For me, this is okay. I would rather it be a bit too stiff than not stiff enough. It will break in eventually or you can carefully bend it to suit your own needs. I read a review where the owner felt this knife was almost too nice to use, and I can agree with that. I am very impressed with this knife, and it takes a lot to impress me. The quality and workmanship in this knife is superb. It is literally every bit as nice, if not nicer, than others in the $300 range! Keep in mind that knives are designed for cutting. They should not be used as screwdrivers or pry bars. Take care of your tools, use them properly, and they will take care of you. I have two EDC folders: this one and a Spyderco Paramilitary 2 with MagnaCut steel. I feel this is Spyderco's best folder, and it is extremely nice, but if I could have only one EDC, it would definitely be the CS Code 4. To me, value is the sum of an item's practicality, quality, and price, and I can state without reservation that the CS Code 4 is a real bargain. God bless, and stay safe out there!

The number one thing I love about this knife is how well it rides. It's got a thin profile, so is non-intrusive in the pocket, and the metal scales allow you to pocket the knife quickly and cleanly. Say goodbye to the days of shredding your pocket with course, gritty or spikey grips; I've had this knife for 3 years and you can't even tell I carry a knife at all times by looking at my pockets. While you might think smooth metal scales would make for a slippery grip, the finger grips molded into the handle keep the knife very snug and I am comfortable using this for almost any task, including self-defense if needed. Beyond that, the tri-ad lock is great and secure, especially for a lefty - there is no chance I'll use a liner lock for any type of stabbing or self-defense, as you're just asking to pop the lock and cut your finger off. I am 100% certain the tri-ad will never accidentally close; it's virtually impossible. Speaking of being a lefty, it's nice to have a company sell an ambidextrous knife, because it's a pain to find something you like only to realize it's not going to carry or hold comfortably. The blade is a good steel, holds a good edge and is easily sharpened when you get to that point. I cleaned a 350lb hog recently with nothing but this knife and just a couple runs through the sharpener. It did great! Also, with the smooth scales, I didn't end up with a bunch of pig gunk to brush out of grip crevices. Just had to do a quick wash, sharpen it up and we were back to new. I originally had a clip point version but forgot I had it on me and TSA now owns that one. I immediately bought another when I returned home and went spear point. Both have their benefits and drawbacks but will probably opt for the clip point if I end up with another one...the sharper point allows for detailed tasks like removing splinters, picking, scraping, controlled/precise puncturing, etc. To summarize, this is a great knife I will continue to carry until something else really impresses me, but it's going to have to include a few features this knife has got me spoiled me with. Highly recommended and for the money, it's hard to beat. Benchmade people will probably disagree with that, and fair enough, they make a great EDC. But don't overlook Cold Steel and the Code 4!

Ok, for the price this knife is a great value. First of all I love the slim handle and overall feel of it. It combines a low profile in the pocket with a hefty high quality blade. Looks sharp as hell in a classic sort of way, intimidating even. Razor sharp out of the box. Would love to know the bevel angle for when it will need sharpening. The only imperfection is that the opening/closing mechanism is a bit dated and old fashioned. I will say that when opened it feels solid as hell. No play whatsoever and a little lubricant in the pivot helps a ton. But it’s definitely not a one hand closer, even though it is a one hand opener. Still, as an edc its slimness makes up for it. I literally can’t feel it in my pocket.

Bought this as a present for my son (he's 30). I got it for $65 and it was a great price for S35VN steel. I am a knife collector and I wanted my son to have a quality knife. The Tri-Ad lock paired with the S35VN steel makes this one heck of a rugged knife. Sadly my son is not an outdoorsman, so he probably won't use it much. He's a scientist. But this knife is priced for great value for such high quality steel. S35VN steel offers above average properties for Toughness, Corossion Resistance, and Edge Retention, the 3 properties all knife steels are rated by. This is by far the best steel for the money. The next steel that offers all 3 properties with higher ratings is Magnacut but that steel is very expensive (usually $200 and up for that steel.)

I own several knives ranging from Benchmades , Spydercos, Kershaws, SOGs and Kizer and ColdSteel. For the value, workmanship and quality, I always have been a fan of ColdSteel and how they take the time to temper their blades and to develop their edges. Their knives are extremely sharp and do need to be handled with care. When I saw the Code 4 with S35 material at the price on Amazon, I had to buy it. ColdSteel makes some of the best folding knives on the market. The triad lock is one of the strongest locking systems on the market. However, it also proves to be a detriment , initially, to the knife. However, one need not fret over this issue, their is a way to reduce the stiffness of the triad lock. It requires patience and extreme care. Refer to photo regarding the semi extended/semi folded position. This position of this blade applies a slight compression factor to the Triad locking mechanism and ,consequently, reduces the stiffness in the actuation of the lock to fold the blade. Now this is the part about patience, I have been having my knife in this position in an empty drawer for over six days and the lock is definitely much more manageable than compared to when it was fresh out of the box. The bottom line , this method of reducing the stiffness in the Triad lock system is hazardous so please be extremely careful when applying this procedure and have a safe place to store the knife where no one will accidentally touch it. I would also recommend some thick working leather gloves if you have them available. As a safety rule, have your full attention on the knife as you place in drawer or a shallow container, do not allow for any distractions. If you handle the knife with respect, and in the angle shown, and don't allow the back edge (the spine of the blade) to touch the ground surface-- lay it perfectly flat-- the stiffness will be reduced and you will rewarded with one of the best folding blades that has an incredibly strong locking system. This knife in all aspects is definitely as close to perfection as possible.

I picked up the clip point when it was on sale last week for $67. When it came, the first thing I noticed was how light it was for a knife of it's size, and how thin it was, but it was quite rigid. I couldn't even come close to thumb flicking it and the Tri-ad lock was very gritty. Dissapointed, I almost just sent it back. But I didn't. I hit the lock and pivot with a healthy shot of CLP and started working it. It took a little while, but after about 150-200 open/close cycles it was loosening up, and the grit in the lock was nearly gone, and later completely gone. At that point I was able to thumb flick it with ease, but Spidey flicking it is still challenging for me. The blade came decently sharp, but after a bit of work on the hone and the strop, this thing is a screamer. The S35VN blade absolutely performs. A word of caution...when closing with one hand, make sure to get your index finger all the way up the edge of the scales near the blade pivot to catch the flat spot on the bottom of the blade. I was getting cocky with the one hand close and accidentally dropped the blade very lightly across my index finger. With little to no pressure the blade barely even made contact. The blade is so sharp, that I didn't even feel the cut. I had to look down to see blood running down my finger to even know that It had gotten me. So, be careful. I ended up digging the knife so much that I saw the spear point on sale for $62 and picked one of those up too. The first spear point I got had some weird discoloration on both sides of the scales near the pivot. It looked like oil, but I tried alcohol, Goof-Off, and another oiling trying to work the stain out to no avail. I requested a replacement and sent the original back. The second knife came perfect and after putting it through the same paces as the clip point, it's a screamer too. I put a 550 tail on each of them, as I always seem to do, to help with pocket retrieval. I would love to see this knife available with Micarta scales as the aluminum scales are on the slick side, and I'm not sure how they will do with gloves. I would even welcome G10 or Griv-Ex over the aluminum as I'm not sure I've ever seen a Cold Steel with Micarta scales. *EDIT The slickness of the scales eventually got to me so I went searching for some gripshon. I found it via a Talon 998R Rubber Grip Sheet. The sheet was 10 bones and it's enough to do roughly 4 large knives, both sides. It was a fiddley process for me. I traced the frames on paper and refined it several times to avoid the lock and finger cut outs, the pivot, and the frame screws. After I was happy with the pattern, I transferred it to the back of the grip strip. Remember to put your pattern face down when transferring to the back of the grip sheet or you'll end up with a useless backward pattern. A true DOH! moment. At that point I cleaned the hell out of the scales with alcohol about 3 times and let each dry fully, Then you stick on the grips, get them in place and heat it with a hair dryer for 30ish seconds pushing down on the scales particularly the edges. It stuck like a demon with no signs of letting go. I'm quite pleased with the feel of the knife now. Obviously, I wasn't as concerned with aesthetics as I was functionality. Don't get me wrong, it was manageable before, but the grip makes a world of difference. I kept the final pattern and installing to the 2nd knife was a breeze. I intend to keep the pattern in case I ever have to redo them. These are my first two Cold Steels, but they won't be my last. I'm already eyeing an AD-10 in S35VN. If anyone is curious, I'm favoring the spear point (drop point) over the clip point and find myself reaching for it for more often. Overall, I'm very happy with both purchases and definitely recommend the knife and either blade style. For about 50% of retail, it's a no-brainer.

Good all around knife. Not great at any 1 thing but good at everything. Easy to carry because it’s slim and disappears in the pocket. Clip needs to be loosened just a tad. Most CS knives fit a niche. This one kinda covers everything. Came sharp and with all CS knives, heat treat is second to none. Sharpening S35VN is far easier than S30V. It’s a bit thick behind the edge because the blade can be used far harder than the handle will allow. Takes a nasty sharp edge and putting a mirror edge on it is easy. Handle has sharp edges where the closed blade resides. Gotta de-horn it… no big deal. A pointed diamond file did the trick. I prefer a slicer but this is not that. This knife is more geared toward people that would purchase a Benchmade 940. A working knife one would say. You’ll need gloves because of how thin it is if hard use is your intention. Not taking anything from CS … it’s a damn good knife. However, people want to understand the ins and outs.. Hope this helps.

It took me awhile before picking up the Code 4. Couldn’t pass up on the price. Amazon has amazing prices on Cold Steel knives. Nice thin handle, the action is always great, super sharp with that S35vn steel. Nice large size knife. It’s a Cold Steel the lock up is awesome with the tri-ad lock. Look its a great quality Cold Steel knife. The aluminum scales look more green than gunmetal gray as the advertise on the website. Still looks good

Gran cuchillo, muy afilado, largo ideal, grosor ideal, delgado y ligero, imperceptible en el bolsillo, un poco dificil de abrir y cerrar pero creo que con el uso se quitara, el agarre de seguro es confiable pero no se siente asi , de hecho se siente resbaloso y no da confianza al no tener texturas y por ser delgado (cosa que me encanto) se debe imprimir fuerza adicional para tener un agarre confiable aunque el diseño del mago para los dedos ayuda mucho tambien, entiendo porque a tantos le gusta este cuchillo, a mi me encanto pero para sumarlo a mi coleccion mas no para usarlo en mi dia a dia y es una lastima porque lo veo y me encanta, tenerlo en la mano enamora, pero la verdad es que para el dia a dia si bien procuro mucho la ligereza y calidad de materiales, tambien procuro un abrir y cerrar facil, seguro y confiable ademas de un agarre que sea y se sienta firme, me encanta la marca cold steel pero mas para coleccion o tareas y entornos especificos, para EDC habra quien le guste pero yo prefiero algunos SOG's y Kershaws, aclaro que es solo mi opinion y perspectica y no pretendo afirmar nada por encima de las opiniones de los demas, solo espero ayudar a que hagan una buena compra.

Coisa mais linda du mundio

Das Code 4 Messer kam gut verpackt und schnell an. Es ist sehr gut verarbeitet, sehr scharfe und gut geschliffene Klinge, alles ist stramm und fest, auch die Ecken und Kanten sind bearbeitet, so dass man sich nicht daran verletzen kann. Es hat für die recht kurze Klinge einen recht großen Griff, der sehr gut (Handschuhgröße 9 1/2) in der Hand liegt und man deshalb mit dem Messer auch "arbeiten" kann. Es lässt sich auch relativ leicht öffnen. Warum relativ? Der Mechanismus ist leichtgängig, doch aufgrund des relativ großen Griffs ist mit dem Daumen schon eine recht große Drehbewegung nach vorn zu vollziehen. Mein bisheriges Lieblings-Hosentaschenmesser (das auf dem Foto abgebildet Ruike P801-SB) wird auch weiterhin mein Lieblingsmesser bleiben (wiegen beide 120 Gramm), da es qualitativ genauso gut ist, es sich jedoch wesentlich schneller und bequemer öffnen läßt. Zudem ist es es wesentlich günstiger. Trotzdem ist das Code 4 aufgrund o. g. Punkte definitiv empfehlenswert, da man ja mehr Hosen hat und ein Messer langweilig ist.

Läuft einwandfrei auf Washern mit hauchdünnen Teflonscheiben zusätzlich. Kommt mega scharf an. Nach schleifen ging an der Diamantplatte einwandfrei, jetzt eher nicht schärfer. Der Lock ist prinzipiell nix zum spielen, jedoch erwische ich mich trotzdem oft beim öffnen und schließen, der Sound ist einfach super. Spiel nicht vorhanden. Reinigen ist ein Vergnügen, bei mir läuft das Messer auf fett.

Wow, die Verarbeitung, der Look und die Schärfe der Klinge.. Ein absolutes Meisterstück. Es stimmt alles an diesem Messer. Für kleine Hände ist es allerdings durchaus ungeeignet. Die Klinge ist extrem scharf. Der einzigartige Mechanismus zur Öffnung sitzt fest und lässt sich leicht öffnen und schließen.