Cold Steel Rajah III Folding Knife

The 3.5" blade length Rajah III is the smaller version of Cold Steel's 6" bladed Rajah II. (The Rajah I was a "collection" grade 6" pocket knife.) At this blade length and weight (about 5 oz), the Rajah III can be an Every Day Carry cutting tool.Both Rajah III and its big brother feature bead blasted AUS8A steel, "Grivory" textured nylon compound handles with stainless steel liners, the famously strong TRIAD lock system, a strong and smoothly opening pivot, and a thumb plate for wave-opening the knife from a clipped-in-pocket position (right and left side black clips provided, tip-up only). For those who do not use the clips, there is a Paracord-diameter lanyard hole. The Rajah is assembled with Torx screws affording adjustment or disassembly for detailed cleaning. The Rajah knives feature a Kukri (or, Khukuri) recurved edge, modeled after the famous Gurkha fighting knife of that name.The recurved edge shape lends itself to hard use in cutting, chopping, and slashing. The Rajah III's 3.5" blade has a 3" cutting edge, a blade 1.25" wide at its widest, and a spine that is 0.144" thick, only beginning to gradually taper and drop to its point 2" along from its tang. The Grivory handle is grippy, but it is the shape of the handle that affords many confident grip positions whether for cutting, chopping, or slashing. Cold Steel's AUS8A takes a sharp and reasonably long lasting edge. Be aware, however, that bead blasted blades in most "stainless" steels seem to afford more opportunity for corrosion than stone-washed or polished blades of the same material. It's always good practice to clean any blade after use and wipe down with mineral oil to lubricate and protect the steel.While the look of the Rajah III is "tactical", its great strength and blade shape make it a hard-use workplace or farm and field knife. The Rajah III reminds me of the old Sunfish and Elephant Toe knives used by the oil riggers and outdoorsmen of the early 1900's (those knives were marketed as "vest pocket axes" for outdoorsman). The Rajah II is lighter and yet stronger than those traditional pocket knife patterns.The Rajah III comes in plain or serrated edge. Choose the serrated edge for longer-lasting effectiveness in cutting fibrous materials like cardboard or garden work. Choose the plain edge for smoother cuts and for slicing tasks. The plain edge is quicker to sharpen, of course, but note that sharpening the recurved edge is best done using mouse pads and auto-body sandpaper - 600 grit is fine, 800 or 1000 is extra fine. Sharpening the Rajah III Serrations would require a tapered diamond rod sharpener in addition to the mouse pad and sandpaper for any plain edge area.I have been very satisfied with the Rajah III for yard work and campsite use; batoning 1-1/2" branches for tinder and kindling is no problem. The Rajah III is a good hard working companion.

The Rajah 3 is an awesome little knife. I love the shape of the Kukri style blade. You just have to try it to appreciate the mechanical cutting advantage of that curved edge. Mine arrived sharp and perfectly centered with a nice stonewashed finish. It opens fast and the Triad system locks it up tight with no play in any direction. The grips are on the chunky side and it uses up a fair amount of pocket space but the solid feel combined with the Wave style opening make it a real pleasure to carry. My kitchen scales say it weighs 5 ounces which is about my max weight for EDC. It's worth it though.The only gripes I have are the pocket clip digging into my palm and lack of traction on the grips. Not deal killers but that's why I give it four stars instead of five. For forty bucks though, I'm not going to complain too much. It's the best knife deal I've ever come across. This is my first Cold Steel knife...I seriously doubt it will be my last. Cheers and thanks for reading my review.

I absolutely LOVE the Rajah III. I EDC it everywhere, and find that it can do pretty much anything I need it to. It comes pretty darn sharp out of the box, but takes an edge easily enough while sharpening. The "wave" opening feature is the standout part of this knife though-- I can take this knife out of my pocket and have it self-defense ready in literally less than a second. The knife's cutting power is excellent, especially when you put some force behind it. I would say it is better at "chopping" than "cutting", because the blade isn't as sharp as you would hope (but what do you expect for less than $50). For stabbing, this thing penetrates like a monster. The Tri-Ad lockup is incredible-- zero blade play, whatsoever. I 100% believe all the testing videos Cold Steel does are real, after handling mine.Overall, an excellent, sharp, and sturdy tactical EDC knife. I don't leave home without it, and will not switch to an EDC knife that doesn't deploy as quickly. A steal for the price, and as intimidating as you can hope for in a 3.5" or less state.

Very disappointed with this knofe. Ive had it 3 months and its already rusted. Took it fishing in the rain and by time I got home the blade was covered with rust. Poor grade of stainless steel.

this knife is OK it is heavy duty and the blade is thick but it does not hold an edge very well. The bead blasted finish on the blade is really nice but the "grivory" handles are basically plastic and make the knife look cheap in my opinion. The wave feature is nice but the way the clip is positioned, you only have about half an inch of the handle to hold on to while deploying the knife. The blade shape is very hard to sharpen.All in all, the blade is nice and thick, the lock up is perfect, and the handle provides a solid grip. It gets the job done. An OK knife that will last you a while