Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter 3.5"

Love the knife, and the blade length is just 1/10 of an inch under legal max for a concealed knife in my state. The handle is unusually long (as in it fits my larger hands) for a 3.4" blade (CS says 3.5 but it's 3.4). The steel (AUS10A) is just fine for an EDC knife. I don't buy $300 and $500 knives with boutique steels to EDC. I want a $50-100 knife it won't crush me to lose. The knife gets 5 stars plus. The sheath has a few problems. First, the nylon belt strap works, I suppose, but I'm concealing this knife, not going camping. Sure, you say, just put another belt clip on it and it'll nestle in snugly on or behind the belt. OK, I would, but the eyelets are not only weirdly spaced and thus don't match up with standard custom clips, but they're also have and undersized ID too small for standard Chicago screws! I fixed this by ordering a $40 custom small-craftsman kydex sheath with standard eyelets and spacing. It's all good now, and knife + custom sheath price is still a good value for a great knife.

This is a great sized hunter, I recommend this knife to all.

This is a well thought out knife and sheath. The steel is very good, a high grade "medium" steel. No, it's not a super steel. If you want a higher grade, look to the Cold Steel Master Hunter with two upper grade blade steels available. The handle is Kray-ex, a substance at least similar to Kraton which is all but impervious to most anything you throw at it. The blade is just what I prefer; something between 3.5" and 4 1/4" being 3.6" long. The AUS10 steel is a quality steel and makes this knife a real bargain at the price here. Yes, there are better steels And likely some "steel snob" will try to compare it to this week's "super steel" so as to pan it. Why? It is what it is and what it is, is good stuff. The sheath is ultralight and ultra utilitarian. It's also well made and should wear comfortably for 95+% of owners. I also have purchased the lesser Pendleton Lite hunter and think it's also a great lightweight knife. It is not, however as durable (by spine thickness) and has a lower grade steel (basic 4116). Something I found though is that if someone here were to also purchase both models Pendleton Hunter & Light Hunter, the Lite Hunter fits perfectly in the Hunter's much better sheath. I find that a great feature and good reason to own both. Here is the best price for both the Pendleton Hunter and the Lite Hunter. Pictured with these two is an OKC Rat 3 that I also purchased here. Nice knife as well, but given the choice, I'd buy the Pendleton Hunter with it's excellent AUS10 SS blade. I doubt that you'd be disappointed with this nice knife. Top to bottom: Rat 3 Pendleton Lite Hunter Pendleton Hunter (best of the 3!)

A super value in a lightweight hunting knife . This is a perfect sized backup or bargain primary hunting knife. Super value.

High flat grind with a mild convex edge. Perfect feather sticking out the box. Instantly one of my top five of many.

Small knife with a very comfortable handle

This knife does have several things going for it. It has a really nice handle and the overall shape of the knife is great for hunting / skinning. The AUS10a steel on this model chips way to easily. I just spent 45 minutes working the chipped spots out of the blade after using it once to spit up a little bit of pine kindling (pine is not a very hard material). Also the blade stock is too thick on this model and the steel has begun to show small amounts of oxidation. Overall I think that there are knives that offer more reliable performance for a smaller price tag (example, Buck 684 or 685).

I purchased this knife before last year's hunting season. It came very sharp and I used it on field dressing several deer last year. The knife edge did pit but it was my fault. After dressing 4 deer the handle was caked in blood and fat so I left it soak over night. Next morning the blade edge was pitted and rusting in a few spots. If I wasn't lazy and cleaned it the right way it would have been fine. Pros: - Large (hand sized) rubber handle. Doesn't slip even when soaked in blood. - Blade is a small drop point tip. I prefer small drop point knives when working inside a chest cavity. I find there is much less of a chance of cutting myself (especially when your hands are cold) - Sharp steel and easy to hone a fresh edge quickly Cons: - Sheath is definitely nothing special and could use a few nicer features (but fine for the price point). - Blade is prone to pitting if left wet. As I said above this was my fault but I could see this happening easily if it got wet in your bag from a soaker hunt. Personal Note: It would be great if there was a blaze orange or other color option handle and sheath. As most hunters know, it is very common to field dress an animal in low light conditions. It is common to put your knife or sheath down in leaves and it can easily get covered over. I could see the advantage of all black if it was an EDC or if I was a ninja, but the knife stays in my bag until I need to process a downed animal. I actually tied a strip of pink marking ribbon into the lanyard hole of the knife so it isn't so easy to lose track of. Could also use an option that had a zipper hook on the back of the blade. I feel that would make it the perfect field dressing tool. In all I feel this is one of the better knives I have used for the purpose I bought it for. Would highly recommend... Just keep it dry!