Cold SteelEspada AUS10A Steel Ultra-Sharp Blades Matte Black G-10 Handle Scales Tactical Pocket Folding Knife with Tri-Ad Lock

One of the biggest folding knives I've ever had the pleasure of wielding, I hesitated on getting this for so long due to me being in a bind money wise but I definitely don't regret buying this UK razor. It's almost 16 inches in total length and has alright steel with it being aus10a and is which is decent steel and not super hard to sharpen if you screw up the edge somehow. I would say that the only gripe with this knife would be the fact of the side to side play on the blade when in the closed position so don't ever drop this thing or else the edge will get killed and your blade will be scratched but besides that this knife is great.

Great quality, no damage or scuffs, very sharp

Can not go wrong with Cold Steel!!! The carry, overall design, and feel of the Large Espada is amazing. Even though I do not EDC this blade, I have put it through the paces for sure. still locks up tight, still as sharp as the day it arrived! From Zombies to Tomatoes this beast keeps on slicing!

Do you ever want to carry around a sword in public but your state says that's illegal. We'll do i have the folding "knife" for you. This pocket sword is easily the best tool for the job. Random zombie shows up decapitated. Swamp monster eats your dog cut it open in one slice. Wondering ronin challenges you to a duel your covered.

First and foremost the blade is beautiful and the stonewashed finish is the icing on the cake. The grip is amazing, the handle has a small diamond like patttern which makes the handle more comfortable. Opening is easy the thumb plate is very strong and reliable. Weight is surprisingly well distributed. It's a one hundred percent in value, if you can appreciate Taiwan steel and big blades then this mammoth sized beauty is for you.

It's huge. Two handed grip. You'll like it

This knife, or shall I say mini-sword, is built solid like a tank. Blade is extremely sharp right out of the box, better handle with extreme caution and use both hands when handling this folder.There is absolutely no blade play whatsoever in any direction. It's amazing considering how big this blade is. The handle is ergonomically sound. The handle is grippy enough even when wet.I have owned a bunch of Cold Steel, including the Espada XL, the Espada Large, various models and sizes of the Voyager Series, the Rajah II and III, the Black Talon II, the SR1, the Recon 1 series, the 4 Max, the Frenzy, etc and I have to admit that the the Triad-Ad Lock on the Espada XL is sadly NOT smooth at all. Even the Tri-Ad lock on Espada Large or the Voyager Large has smoother operations. The Tri-Ad Lock on the Espada XL, while very secure, is also extremely stiff and requires a ridiculously enormous (yes, ridiculously enormous, you read that correctly) amount of force to disengage for closing the blade. The pro is that no possible way for me to accidentally disengage the lock. The con is that I am going to have a hard time trying to disengage the lock when I intend to do so.Out of all the Cold Steel models equipped with Tri-Ad lock, the smoothest I have encountered so far is the SR1, effortlessly, like butter. The build quality and fit and finish of the SR1 is exceptional for its price, and I wish Cold Steel had done the same for the Espada XL.Not really sure what practical use a *HUGE* folder like Espada XL would have. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty exciting to own this mini-sword. However, besides the fun factor, I honestly am not too certain what to use it for. It appears to be too large to be EDC comfortably, but yes, it's true that, amazingly (gotta give Cold Steel credit for this), you can actually fit this in your pocket if you have pockets deep enough (as long as you do not store anything else in the same deep pocket). Yes, I can chop small branches with it, but I would never want to subject such beautiful blade to that regardless whether it's the more expensive S35VN or the less expensive AUS-10 (if one wanted to chop branches in the back yard, one would get a high-carbon-steel machete instead). Tactical? Maybe. The sound and vision of this humongous blade snapping and locking into place would probably scare away most malicious/belligerent entities, so it does have the advantage of that deterrent effect. But then if one wanted a tactical folder, one would probably be better off with the Black Talon II (or the Civilian/Matriarch or something similar) which was designed with that in mind. Camping/hiking/hunting? Sure it probably can serve those purposes if need be, but why not buy and use a fixed blade designed for those specific purposes instead? This is, after all, a folder.Overall a pretty decent and fun blade. Will I acquire another Espada XL? Probably not. Will I keep my existing Espada XL? Most definitely.

This is my 7th Cold Steel knife, and I love them all.Unfortunately for me, most are either 6 or 71/2 inch blades and in Texas those fall under restrictions in certain places.The regular Espada is 5 inches and under the 51/2 inch limit and able to be carried anywhere.Would hate to forget and get in trouble over a half inch of steel.