Cold Steel´s
Scimitar and Scimitar-Spike
The Persian brothers
Scimitar comes from the Persian word “Chimchir” which means “saber”. The first time that these Persian-style-sabers came up was back in the 13th -14th century. A long curved blade was their recognition feature. The Scimitar brothers are also coming this way. Designed by Lynn Thomson, president of Cold-Steel Inc., these Scimitars are made with the same purpose in mind. A needle pointed, very sharp knife for the best performance using the draw cut. The draw cut, a push-pull motion, that is supported by this shape of the blade, will cut much better than any other technique/blade combinations.
The Scimitar Folder has a 4“ blade made out of the Japanese high carbon steel VG-1. From my understanding VG-1 is somewhere in between AUS8 and AUS10. The HRC of VG-1 is 58-62, it is very durable, keeps the edge sharp but it is not so rust resistant due the high carbon level (1%).The Zytel handle is 5” long and resistant of a lot of chemicals and high or low temperatures. The weight of the folder is 4.3oz. Not a featherweight but not to heavy as an EDC.
420 Sub Zero Quench is the cold-pressed steel the Scimitar-Spike is made of. This steel is rather soft, which is good for resharpening, and it can stand rust quiet well. Since the Spike is not developed as a working knife, I don´t mind this lower quality of steel. The Spike is just a little smaller as the folder-brother. The blade is 4 ½ “ and overall length is 8 ¼ “, but with 2.5oz total it has almost just half the weight of the bigger brother. The tip of the Spike is even more pointed as one of the Folder.
Both knifes handle almost the same. There are the curved grips, the pommel, the thumb-rest and the little stop for the index finger, this all is familiar. Of course the Spike is smaller at the grip area, where it is coiled with thin nylon cord. One thing that is very distinctive, is the pommel. A nice less-lethal-option added to a knife like this, will cover most situations.
The plastic Secure-Ex sheath for the Spike is not build like a tank. It is rather some basic plastic then tough Kydex. But it should be enough for carrying the spike as a neck-knife in the urban jungle. I would not mount it to a rig or vest as a back-up. The sheath will may not survive. The ball-chain is long enough to carry it the way I want. At belly level. If carried at chest level the knife will may be print too much and it is easier to reach underneath the shirt. Shortening the chain permanently is done easy by cutting it to the wanted length. If you don´t want to do that, tie a knot in it. But don´t be surprised by the printing of the knot.
A downside on the Scimitar Folder is, that it can just be carried comfortable on the right hand side, in a tip-up manner. As a southpaw you can´t change the side of the carry clip. The grip panels are held together by 5 Torx screws TX4, very small, and a Torx TX10, center screw. Once you override the blade holding position the knife will open easily. To do so, you need a little more power than with the Recon-1, which is still my CS favorite. But after the blade locked into the open-position with the titanium liner-lock, there is no millimeter of movement at the blade at all. I did the table-test a couple of times and I could not make the liner-lock open or even move. A very tough lock, which is also easy to disengage to close the knife. Over all this lock is very strong and secure but I personally don´t feel so comfortable with its operation. I guess, I am just spoiled by my Recon-1 Folder.
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Lynn designed the grip as a “pistol-grip” to give the operator more reach by holding the knife further back on the grip. Doing so you get more reach with your knife. I personally don´t like that too much. I feel like losing control of the knife. At least in the last position, where you just have the pommel in your hand and just a very small piece of grip left. Since the Scimitar is such a big folder, you can also use it as a Kubaton with great effect.
The Persian twins are two history based, but modern made knifes, for those who like to have a Folder and a Neck-Knife of the same family. The material is not breathtaking, but I am sure that it will hold up to the task of an EDC or Neck-Knife, with the self defense purpose in mind. They are both very sharp, like all Cold Steel knifes I have. The liner lock of the Folder is not the smoothest I have ever used but it is solid and trustable.
I hope that my review on the Cold Steel Scimitar brothers was useful for you
Cheer´s
Gunner