Cold Steel Is Finally Using This Sought-After Blade Steel In a Pair of Rugged EDC Knives

It might seem difficult to believe, but the longtime knifemaking brand has actually never used this material before.

Cold Steel Recon 1 MagnaCut knife blade closeup

Published April 29, 2025

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Updated April 29, 2025

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Cold Steel’s Recon is one of its most time-tested tactical folding knife offerings. The fixed-blade version dates back to the 1980s, and it was among the first knives the brand ever offered.

However, the series is still very much alive and well today. In fact, it’s recently been chosen as the vessel for a material the brand has never used before. The Cold Steel Recon 1 MagnaCut, as its name suggests, is the first knife from the brand to utilize MagnaCut, a highly popular super steel.

Cold Steel Recon 1 MagnaCut knife on bag — Despite the blade material change, this knife retains its signature hallmarks, including its time-tested silhouette.

Superb steel

It needs to be said that the standard versions of the Recon 1 are nothing to be scoffed at. They are built to high standards, offer an array of exceptional features and are equipped with highly respectable S35VN steel.

Still, with its current popularity (largely due to its spectacular all-around performance), there’s no denying the allure of MagnaCut steel. In fact, it performs better than S35VN in just about every way.

If you can swing the admittedly high price, the MagnaCut version of this knife will outperform any other version.

The only edge (pardon the pun) that S35VN has on MagnaCut is probably price. While the MagnaCut version of this knife is normally $310, the S35VN one is $177. That $133 price bump might be enough for some to avoid this new version.

However, if you can swing the admittedly high price, the MagnaCut version of this knife will outperform any other version. That’s especially true if you’re putting it through its paces via hard cutting tasks.

Plenty else to love

The only swap for this new version is the blade steel. Everything else that makes the Recon 1 a formidable folder remains, which is very good.

That includes its beefy, tactical-friendly size — the knife measures a whopping 9.375 inches, of which 4.0 inches are made up by the clip-point blade. It also weighs 5.2 ounces, which is fairly heavy but within the realm of acceptability.

That weight can be credited to its ergonomic G10 handle scales — the knife would be a lot heavier with metal scales. However, it can also be attributed to its hefty locking mechanism.

Hidden within those scales is an Atlas Lock, a variation of a back lock so formidable that it could be compared to the strength found in fixed-blade knives (not unlike its Demko-designed cousin, the Tri-Ad).

This is all to say that the Recon 1 is a magnificent knife, even without the new blade material.

Cold Steel Recon 1 MagnaCut knife in hand — At 9.375 inches in length, the Recon 1 is a beefy tactical folder.

Available now

The Cold Steel Recon 1 MagnaCut knives — available with satin- or black-finished blades — are available now. Both are priced at $260 (down from $310).