Hey, everyone.
David C. Andersen here coming at you from the KnifeCenter.
Today we're gonna be taking a look at two designs from Cold Steel and Andrew Demko,
let's check em out.
So the AD-10 and the AD-15 are two of the hottest new releases from Cold Steel right
now, and as you can see there certainly is a family resemblance between these two.
As I said, they were designed by Andrew Demko, and they both feature about 3.5" drop-point
blades with a broad shape made out of S35VN steel.
They also each feature some of the strongest locking mechanisms on the market.
The Scorpion Lock for the AD-15, which we'll get to in a minute, and the Triad Lock on
the AD-10.
Both of these locks are designed by Andrew Demko, and although the Triad Lock may look
like a normal lock-back, there's actually three separate mechanisms going on underneath
the hood here that make it stronger than ever.
The blade on the AD-10, as I mentioned is about 3.5" long, S35VN steel, and it sports
hollow grinds, which is gonna help it to slice very well.
We've also got a swedge along the spine which is not merely a decorative touch, that's actually
gonna help relieve some of the resistance on the spine when you're moving through softer
materials.
The lockup is nice and strong, the knife has a nice, beefy frame, but it doesn't impede
the action in any way.
It opens and closes very easily, especially so thanks to those large thumb lugs.
The strength is enhanced by the solid backspacer, which extends into the pommel, which features
a protruding point here which is going to be useful if you have to thump on any sort
of thing in the outdoors, as well as an integrated lanyard hole.
And I mention the outdoors specifically, because this is a very comfortable knife to hold.
Instead of a flat slab, we get nicely contoured G10 scales.
Especially here in the finger cutout, it's nice and radiused, and you can really bear
down on this knife without a ton of hotspots.
That's a trait it shares with another one of my favorite Cold Steels for outdoor use,
the Ultimate Hunter, and this knife definitely gives it a run for its money.
And now we'll look at the AD-15.
Apart from the obvious difference of the lock, there are a few key things to differentiate
this knife from the AD-10.
The drop-point blade isn't quite as broad, and we get flat grinds here instead of a hollow
grind.
Also, rather than contoured G10 scales, we get flat G10 with a raised textured finish
that still offers plenty of grip.
The party piece of course is that new Scorpion Lock.
It's appeared on Andrew Demko's customs for some time now, but this is the first time
it's appeared in production format with Cold Steel.
The way this lock interfaces with the tang is actually very similar to a traditional
lockback.
It has a hardened crossbar here that engages with a cutout in the tang itself.
However, unlike a lockback where you would disengage it by pressing down here, this bar
(also called a yoke), has to be lifted up manually to remove that interface and close
the blade smoothly.
Now this may look a little awkward, but it's actually pretty easy to close one-handed once
you get the hang of it.
I like to use my index finger to lift up here, while using my thumb to rotate the blade closed.
So you may be asking why it's worth the extra effort, and there's two main reasons for it.
First of which is, a little bit of added safety when operating it.
Because of the way you can close this knife, you can actually keep your fingers out of
the path of the blade, which is going to reduce the chances for accidentally cutting your
fingers.
Also, by the nature of the way it works, it's gonna be a little bit stronger than a traditional
lockback, because your hand actually functions as the backup locking device.
Because there's no button here, no matter how hard you grip it, it's going to be very
difficult to accidentally disengage this lock.
In fact, the harder you squeeze, the more secure it's going to be.
So no matter whether you choose the AD-10 or the AD-15, you're gonna be getting one
of the strongest locks on the market with a very robust drop-point blade that can get
a lot of work done.
So if you like the AD-15 and you want a chance to win one, we're actually offering a chance
to do so on our Instagram page.
Make sure to follow the link in the description below for the full rules and entry.
And if you can't wait that long and want to get your hands on an AD-15 or an AD-10 right
now, make sure to click the other link in the description below to head on over to KnifeCenter.com.