I've been carrying a CobraTec out the front knife for the past three months and, I have to say, that I'm impressed with it for sure.
If you don't know of CobraTec, they are based in Meridian, Texas, and make a wide range of knives of all sorts.
Fast forward to July and, in conjunction with Guns.com expanding our selection into knives and other accessories, our warehouse staff acquired some of the models we were carrying for a series of photo shoots. This is where Eger comes in, as I was poking around in the photo studio and found this little blue guy hanging around while doing some filming.
"Borrowing" the FS-X, I covered my tracks by sending an email to our e-comm wizard and our awesome photographers letting them know where the knife vanished to, just so they didn't think there was an invasion of pack rats. Just one big pack rat, to be sure. I sent the above photo, named "Eger Can't Be Trusted Around Knives" to underline what occurred and why it happened.
Now, after three months of EDCing this little guy, I feel I can hold class on it.
The Basics
Weighing 2.5 ounces, the FS-X is a dual-action OTF, which means the same button both opens and closes the knife. CNC machined, the well-fit two-piece handle is crafted of 6061 T6 Aviation-grade aluminum, and it features a high-quality 2.75-inch D2 steel blade that holds a great edge and is easy to sharpen.
For more on D2, check this out.
The knife is ambidextrous as the pocket clip can be switched for right-hand or left-hand use depending on your preference.
The blade deploys with a satisfying *snik* and retracts the same way, with very little blade play. It has a built-in safety in the respect that it will not fully deploy if something is blocking the blade.
Besides the pocket clip, it has a removable steel glass breaker for those last-minute glass-breaking emergencies and includes a nylon belt sheath because everyone should have something else to put in their desk drawer and forget. It ships in a small pelican-style plastic case.
Why an OTF?
OTFs are cool, as they allow easy one-handed opening. I've been a fan of them going back to the $15 "NATO Military" knife that was sold in Shotgun News back in the 1980s and wore out in about five minutes to the Microtechs that I have in my cabinet but am afraid to carry and possibly lose.
Keep in mind, though, that something like 14 states have funny laws and/or outright bans on these, so be sure to be aware of that. Support knife rights as much as you do gun rights! It is all the Second Amendment.
Reliability
I have never had the FS-X fail to deploy in the three months that I have carried and used it. Not once. Keep in mind that I am a bit OCD and will snik it in and out a half-dozen times every time I use it, so you can bet that it has been extended and retracted hundreds of times in that period. Should something go wrong, all CobraTec OTF knives are backed by a lifetime warranty.
I've carried a pocketknife almost every day since I was about six years old, and invariably wind up using one at least two or three times a day to open packages and mail, strip wire, cut weed-eater string, and the like.
Sharp right out of the box, I haven't had to touch up the blade edge of the CobraTec yet. It is ideal for everyday tasks and, in a pinch, could be used for self-protection.
The FS-X is held together with six small screws and can be disassembled for maintenance (CobraTec has a video on the subject) however, rather than T8 Torx screws seen on some of their models, this one has triangular-headed screws, which I am guessing are proprietary-ish, although there are some "tri-wing screw" bits floating around. With that being said, never fear because CobraTec includes a little tool for the screws, so crisis averted.
Should you want to trick out your FS-X, CobraTech offers like seven different blade types that you can buy separately and swap out, including tanto, serrated, dagger-point, and Wharncliffe profiles. They also sell a $5 screw cap that you can replace the glass breaker with, should you want to risk being trapped in a sinking automobile. I wouldn't so I think I'll just keep the breaker installed, at least for now. My luck, the second I take it off...
Bottom line time
The CobraTec FS-X OTF worked. Full stop. So far, using it and kinda low-key abusing it for the past 90 days, it has never left me hanging or with a frown and a "that's not good" crossing my lips. So far, I have performed zero maintenance on it or had to update the blade to keep it chugging along. Would I keep carrying it as an EDC? For sure, because it is reliable, has a small profile, and costs about a third as much as some other more Gucci-level OTFs. Would it be the only knife I took on a 90-day expedition to the Yukon? Probably not, but I don't think it was meant for that.
Word of warning: If you get one, keep an eye on it. I have had to track this one down from someone I loaned it to on the range to get it back. These things have a tendency for people to get sticky hands. That reminds me, please don't show this article to our photographers. They may want their knife back.
