5 Huge Cold Steel Folders

This post was originally written in June 2016 and was updated in 2024 to include newer models.

Cold Steel is known for going to the extreme.

The famous knife brand often gets killed by critics, calling Cold Steel knives nothing but “mall ninja” junk. But any real knife enthusiast could tell you that Cold Steel makes some strong, well-designed knives for the hard worker, such as the Cold Steel Recon 1 and Cold Steel Voyager.

Despite having some down-to-earth knives for everyday carry, Cold Steel doesn’t shy away from the monstrous and preposterous.

So in today’s post, we’re looking at five huge folding knives Cold Steel currently makes. Some of these are in fact the largest folding knives on the market as well (except for the No. 13 Opinel with a whopping 8.75-inch blade). These may not always be practical, but they are always awesome. I also added a few clips from YouTube so you can see what these knives look like in the hand.

Cold Steel Ti-Lite VI (6″ Blade)

The Cold Steel Ti-Lite is a thin and sleek folder that looks like something out of the 1950s. When engaged, the knife features two bolsters that resemble a good ol’ switchblade—except this is a manual folder that engages with a thumb stud. Or if you’re carrying the knife in your pocket, the bolster doubles as a protrusion that catches the side of your pocket and engages in one swift movement (a la the Wave).

The knife has an overall length of 13 inches, which gives this an excellent reach. It has Zytel handles. This piercing point and quick-opening mechanism make this tool great for self-defense.

Cold Steel Luzon (6″ Blade)

The Luzon is another knife that’s ideal for self-defense. The knife was inspired by Lynn C. Thompson’s balisong collection. Designed by Mike Wallace, this huge folder has a 6-inch blade made from 8Cr13MOV stainless steel.

It uses the a regular liner locking mechanism and features a comfortable handle with enough texturing and grip to keep it in your hand. The Luzon comes in a smaller size, but why would you want that?

Cold Steel Talwar (5.5″ Blade)

When it comes to most intimidating knife ever, nothing tops the Talwar. Sure, it doesn’t have the largest blade, but 5.5 inches is plenty big enough when you have a fully serrated edge with a large slicing belly.

The Talwar is designed by Andrew Demko and boasts a thumb plate that makes engagement on this large beast faster than any automatic knife. With an overall length of 12.875 inches, the reach on this self-defense folder is insane.

Cold Steel Counter Point XL (6″ Blade)

Created after Lynn Thompson spent years of researching the best qualities of boot knives, the Counter Point series is yet another knife with a thin stiletto-inspired appearance. Like the Ti-Lite, the Counter Point has a spear point with an unsharpened swedge to aid in piercing.

The handle is made from Griv-Ex polymer with enough shape to give you a solid grip. It comes in three different sizes, but the one that makes out list has a 6-inch blade, known simply as the Counter Point XL. It has an overall length of 13.125 inches.

Cold Steel Voyager XL (5.5″ Blade)

Finally, there’s the famous Cold Steel Voyager XL.

This beast of a knife comes in many different sizes, but the XL is the largest. Cold Steel says the Voyager series is designed to be an everyman knife, and it’s not hard to see why.

The Voyager has an interesting handle design with a grip that helps keep the knife in the hand and prevents it from slipping out the back. This version has a 5.5-inch tanto blade that offers the user all types of versatility.