Cold Steel Ti-Lite

Knife Collectors Org. Review:

The Cold Steel Ti-Lite is reminiscent of the stiletto knives that were prevalent among the Italian mafia. With a thin, pointy blade, the Ti-Lite is designed as a self-defence weapon. There are currently 2 versions being produced – one with an Zytel handle and one with an Aluminium handle. Both variants offer different blade lengths of 4″ and 6″. The titanium-handled versions have been discontinued. The 6″ model is a VERY large knife, and some have commented that the handle is so long that it is ridiculous and laughable. It is possible to wrap both hands around the handle! The total length when opened is 13″. Despite this, it is an intimidating knife and a folding knife with such a length gives the ‘wow’ factor. The smaller 4″ model is less intimidating and is more suitable and practical for EDC.

One of the downsides of this knife is that the quillons and thumb studs are painful to some when trying to open the knife. Opinions are divided over the finish of the knife – some claim that the lock is flimsy and the construction poor, while others have said it is a good knife with a solid lock. Some users have critiqued that though the Ti-Lite is a good-looking knife, it lacks functionality due to its blade design which makes it at risk of breaking and having limited use in EDC tasks, due to its thin blade with little “belly”. However, the Ti-Lite is designed specifically for ease of penetration/self-defence and not an EDC do-it-all knife. It is one of the best-looking stiletto knives that are available in the market today.

Editor’s Rating: 8/10

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Specifications:

Blade Length: 4″ x 3mm or 6″ x 4mm (Titanium-handled models only 4″)
Length Closed: -NA-
Overall length: 8.75″ or 13″
Blade Steel: AUS 8A Stainless Steel or 440A Stainless Steel (very early production, no longer in use)
Blade hardness: Rc. ?
Blade Finish: ?
Weight: 3.5 oz. (4″ Zytel), 4.6 oz. (4″ Aluminium) or 6.8 oz. (6″ Zytel), 9 oz. (6″ Aluminium).
Edge: Plain (single-edged)
Lock Type: Leaf spring (aka liner) lock
Carry System: -NA-
Handle Material: Zytel or Aluminium (Titanium handles (original finish & blue anodized) have been discontinued)
Knife Type: Folding
Country of origin: Taiwan
Part #: #26SP (4″ Zytel), #26SXP (6″ Zytel), #26AST (4″ Aluminium), #26ASTX (6″ Aluminium). #26S (Original finish Titanium handle), #26SB (Anodized Titanium handle)

Rarity Details:
Production Status: In Production & Discontinued
Last Known MSRP: Premium Member Content (see FAQs)
Current Estimated Price: Premium Member Content
Production dates: Premium Member Content
Production numbers: -unknown-
Limited run?: No
Other things of interest: Titanium handled models have been discontinued (~2008)
Rarity Index: 3/10 (10 being the most rare)

Rarity index scale (1 to 10, 10 being the most rare):

1 – Very common; easily available on ebay, google product search and almost every knife selling website. Spammed with at least 10+ listings on ebay.
3 – Has been around for at least 2 years and are selling reasonably well, with retailers favouring other newer models over this knife.
5 – Knives that are on the borderline of being discontinued or have been discontinued for less than 6 months
6 – Products from 6 onwards are either discontinued or limited edition.
7 – Discontinued knives that pop up once every few months on the “For Sale” part of forums or on ebay. Still can be found at a few online shops though.
8 – Knives that need lots of researching to find. Not available anymore in online knife shops and pop up (if you’re lucky) >4 months for one at a time.
9 – Knives holding this rarity are the shadowy kind. You can’t find any information on them at all (not even from online knife shops that have not taken down that knife’s product page). If you see one for sale grab at all cost.
10 – The rarest of all knives. If you hadn’t been here you wouldn’t even have known that it existed. Should you have one of these you better lock it up in a triple-combination safe and treat it like a family heirloom…

 

Product Description:

Our Ti-Lite® tactical folders evoke the sleek speed and rebellious lines of the classic 1950’s-styled switchblade. Unlike most switchblades however, they are legal to carry nearly everywhere.

They feature Japanese made AUS 8A stainless steel blades with a bead blast finish, razor sharp edges and study, needle sharp points. The CNC milled handles are forged from super tough 7075 Aluminium billets (known to be as tough and strong as Titanium) and are given an attractive bead blast finish and finished with a protective EDP (Electric Discharge Plating) coating. And for maximum strength and safety, we have equipped our Ti-Lites® with our patent pending, stainless steel leaf spring locks (proven, in our tests, to hold 130 lbs).

For ease of carry, the Ti-Lites® come equipped with a small, but unobstrusive steel pocket clip, and can be opened rapidly by using the thumb studs or by snagging a quillon on the edge of your pocket as you draw your knife out.

We are grateful to custom knife maker, Phil Boguszewski, for his design influence and help in the creation of the Ti-Lites®.

Zy-Ex Ti-Lites

We know that many of our customers love the look of our Ti-Lites® but find the prices a little steep. This is the reason we decided to create some affordable alternatives. The Zy-Ex Ti-Lites® mimic the look of their more expensive counterparts almost exactly. Instead of 7075 Aluminum, we used 43% glass filled Zy-Ex for the handles and high quality stainless steel for the leaf spring lock and liners. The results are extraordinarily lightweight knives that are remarkably strong, sharp and good looking, at a price almost everyone can afford.