Mini Tuff Lite 2" 4034SS Sheepsfoot Razor-Sharp Blade 3" Griv-Ex Handle Everyday Carry Pocket Folding Knife w/Tri-Ad Lock

I got this because I really like Cold Steel folders but didn't want something too big for easy EDC, and the black-finished blades seem to have bad peeling problems.This little beast is strong and sharp, locks up tight (somewhat too tight--it can be hard to unlock, needs two hands). The handle is a bit short (3 fingers), but nice if you choke up using the index finger choil on the blade. It is a little hard to open one-handed because it is a bit small and the finger hole is undersized, but I've gotten used to it. One caveat: The specs say 2" blade. The actual cutting edge is only 1.25" (the rest is choil). It's like a really stout utility box cutter, just fine for many chores. And small (the picture makes it look bigger than it is). I can hold it in my fist with my thumb extended and cover the whole knife, blade open, and I have small hands. Closed, it's about as bulky as a lighter--it disappears in your pocket. Great knife for very little money.

I really like these knives. They are small enough to be easy to carry and legal to do so most places. They are light enough that you barely notice them. They are cheap enough that you won't mind using or sweating all over it if you want to carry it while running or working out. And, it is designed well enough to be really comfortable and easy to use for EDC tasks.

This review is only relevant as of January 2021. Cold Steel has been purchased by a large outdoors company which seems committed to the usual, prior quality control that Cold Steel is famous for. Also, rather than a batch of recycled slightly-less-than-perfect Tuff Lites, I might have just gotten a one-off lemon.I purchased this black mini Tuff Lite in the second week of January 2021. It was from Amazon's own stock and I presume ((hope?) that their stock is fresh with good turnover of inventory.A fair while back, Cold Steel announced a shift in steel in the Micro Recon and Tuff Lite to 4034SS. In fact, this is the steel labeled on the carton.However, in reality the enclosed knife - with factory seal tape on each end of the carton - is etched as AUS8 instead of 4034ss.(Amazon got it more "right" than Cold Steel, since the product description says AUS8).I'm not complaining about the steel discrepancy because AUS8 is generally considered a superior steel, while knifeuser dot com rates 4034SS, a Krupp steel, as a low-low end steel for a pocket knife, roughly comparable to 420HC in his opinion as to formulation.(That being said, Buck Knives teases out AUS8 levels of performance from their 420HC steel, thanks to the well-recognized superiority of the BOS heat treatment. On the other hand, Cold Steel is renowned for the quality and consistency of THEIR heat treatment.)Here's where I'm going to complain.There is some side to side and up and down wiggle in the blade when locked open. I have a good number of of Cold Steel folders, and this has NEVER happened before.To be honest, quality feels much like - ha ha, here's Buck Knives again - an American-made Buck folder. Safe and usable, but sloppy. Not the high quality tolerances from Japanese, Taiwanese, and now Chinese sub contractors and OEM's that revolutionized cheap factory folders by elevating them to "custom" levels of tolerances, fit, and finish.The only problems I've ever had before with Cold Steel Knives was overly tight lock-up Tri Ad locks on the Hold Out and a couple of other early Tri Ad folders, which felt like they needed a Vise Grip to move that final fraction of a millimeter to unlock the blade, and a former Tuff Lite plain edge that chipped when I cut some speaker wire with it (I know that the Tuff Lite's hollow grind is thin at the edge, and cutting wire isn't an "approved" use, but this was thin gauge, multi-strand speaker wire and I expect a Cold Steel blade to be tougher than that).So, I know Cold Steel is crazy dedicated to quality control. From time to time they've even mentioned publicly that they've had to scrap some incoming shipments (which they sell as "2nd's" or dispose of) due to lack of quality control - the lack of the very high quality control we expect from ALL Cold Steel Knives whether from Japan (Seki City, the "original" source of my Voyagers; or Taiwan with their mad quality control apparently born out of precision bicycle parts manufacturing; or even from China mainland, which can produce perfect anything these days IF the maker keeps an eye on the subcontractor).So I got what is essentially a second, in my opinion, maybe some "nearly good enough" stock that got shoved into available on-hand Cold Steel cartons marked 4034SS. This assumes Cold Steel cartons their knives in Ventura and not in the factory in Taiwan.The other way to look at it, is that Cold Steel didn't like the way 4034SS was performing and made a mid-production run change from 4034SS back to AUS8 and kept using the stock of available cartons on hand back in Taiwan. And, that far from a 2nd, my former luck with perfect or near-perfect Cold Steel Knives simply ran out, and I just got a "Buck quality" highly functional but not emotionally satisfying loose-goosey Tuff Lite Mini.I'm not going to return this based on the sloppiness, although for $28 I'm tempted to, I just share it here since a lot of fans are worried that Cold Steel quality, or designs, will sink now that GMS owns them.Now I've given the Tuff Lite Mini the benefit of the doubt, hence 5 stars except for "value". There is NO other "folding package cutter" that has SUCH a solid lockback, SUCH a thick handle, and still comes in at 1.5 ounces with, for me, the perfect clip location (reverse side from normal) for carrying in my left hand shirt pocket clipped all the way to the left of pocket.I simply can't give this 5 stars for value, at least not at close to $30 in January 2021. $30 is Ontario Knives' Rat 2 pricing territory, and exceeds most pricing for the excellent, but much longer, Kabar Dozier Folding Hunter which weighs in at 2.2 ounces. I would hope once supply lines get better post-Covid, that we'll see more competitive $20 range pricing on this, and if you see that, it's 5 stars all the way across.If you are in a very restrictive, size-limited jurisdiction, consider this, the Dragonfly, the Micro Recon, the Lady Bug (expecially serrated). Cold Steel also sells the Mini Tuff Lite in serrated, and a larger sized Tuff Lite.Anyway that's enough venting. This is a great pocket knife, and no one comes up with odd-ball yet highly functional designs like this other than Cold Steel. Now if only Cold Steel would reintroduce a Voyager with thinner handles and D2 steel....

I've carried this knife through some of the toughest days of my life- burning buildings, car wrecks, rescues, and many other situations- it's held up to that kind of regular use. Small enough in my pocket to not get in the way of any movement (nor cause any discomfort), print on uniform pants, or to stand out as large and unreasonable. The small blade length is almost always plenty big to get the job done (I mean... I wouldn't cut an onion with it, use a kitchen knife for that)- and the way the knife holds in the hand when opened is pretty decent- I've never dropped this knife. Super lightweight, and the clip holds VERY tight to the pants, it's great.Being such a unique knife, if I ever left it on a table at the station or somewhere else- everyone knew immediately that it was mine. I got another one for camping, and I put a 6 inch dummy cord with some orange / reflective bank line so if it fell into the brush or got lost I could sniff if out with a flashlight.My only problem with the knife is that I'm upset to have lost my first one- it was a damn good knife, with battle scars and tall tales attributed to it! It does not hurt me to buy a new one.Handiest $20 I ever spent.

I’m in and out of secured locations and wanted a knife that won’t “scare” the security staff. This is the perfect size to open boxes, shorten ropes, dig the dirt out from under my nails and do all manner of knife stuff without attracting unwanted attention or alarming the lemming population. Is it a weapon? Probably in the right hands but as a knife it checks al the boxes. Sharp out of the box, fit and finish is very good for this price point. If you’re looking for a knife shaped object that will do knife stuff without getting you arrested, this might just be the ticket.