Cold Steel FGX Boot Blade I with Kraton Handle , black

This knife surprised me. For the money, it's great. Great boot knife with the boot clip to hold the sheath in place. You're probably going to want to wrap the handle with some type of paracord as I have. I will say that on the last knot of my paracord, the knife moved to the side and I used my hand to steady it and took a very quick cut to my finger, just from the pressure I put on it with my hand. Ouch! I'm not kidding when I say it is sharp out of the box. Good weight and feels good in the hand now that I've wrapped the handle. It has a main purpose and that is stabbing something. You choose what that will be, but with the weight of it, I'm sure it can be used for other things as well. Solid knife. Very inexpensive too!

To people who don't get these FGX knives: these are not toys or training aids or display replicas. They are functional plastic knives. In the 1980s and early 90s it was a fad in the back of magazines to sell "metal detector proof" plastic knives as a sales gimmick. I don't know if Cold Steel did this back then, but that's where the concept started. However, if well enough made, these will do in a pinch for self defense purposes. They have a moderate edge that while not the sharpest is more than capable of cutting, slicing, and penetration. They won't be as tough or durable as a steel knife, but they are extremely light weight and fully functional for their intended purposes. I for one love the concept because I collect knives for fun and having a light weight plastic yet functional clone of a $180 knife for $6 is an outstandingly addictive hobby. If you know how to properly sharpen a knife with different grade stones, you can also make the blade razor sharp on this if you want but it's not necessary and functions as is. Only downfall and complaint is these don't come with a sheath and none are offered. Well that and Cold Steel has discontinued all if not most of these FGX knives.

As I am collecting Cold Steel items, I decided to see what the NIGHTSHADE FGX series of knives was all about. I purchased 4 different items, I'll talk about this "Boot Blade I". It is made out of "GRIVORY" with a "KRATON" handle, both of these materials were created by the CS company (at least I believe it so), they are very High Tech combination of fiberglass/plastics. This knife weight about 2oz, the point is needle sharp, the edges are sharp but not enough to slice through steak (maybe a well prepared Filet Mignon? LOL), it is very comfortable in the hand as it has the exact same handle as on the steel version, the blade is HARD and not flexible. There is 1 metal part and that is a steel ring which is through the lanyard hole, it can be removed in a couple of minutes but will take a bit of effort as the ring is thicker than most key chain rings. Now we come to the purpose of these weapons, yes weapons for that is exactly what they are, nothing more! I can see deep cover agents/officers/military have one of these hidden on their person where a metal detector would not find it. CS advertise them as someting you could hide outside/in rooms of your home that could save your life during home invasion etc (I prefer my 1911's- bedroom/bathroom/living room out of sight/reach of children!). These are truly remarkable high tech weapons and owning one or more as conversation pieces that could actually be useful in certain situations is ok in my books, I am just worried that some younger folks might think that they can sneak one hidden on their bodies into an airliner/courthouse and get themselves into a HUGE amount of troubles that will haunt them for a long time (Many airport now use full body XRAY machines that WILL detect these blades).I can recommend them, for the dollar value is Great! they cost less than $15.00, some less! Be responsible.

Good shower knife. Never know when you need to shank someone when your willy is out. Better to protect yo self than wreck yo self.

Sturdy enough to use at least once

The knife blade is made out of a material they are calling "Grivory" which is a type of nylon. The knife has no weight or balance to it and the blade just feels like plastic with no cutting edge just a sharp point. I guess if you carry it for defense purposes you could just poke someone in the eye!

I received two of these knives and they arrived packed well and in excellent shape. Both sides of the blade are sharp enough to do severe damage to an aggressor and the point is as sharp as any steel knife. I'm not sure about the reinforcements on the sides of the blade. They work for the intended purpose but, I'm not sure if these will damage a boot or cut through a sock and then cut one's ankle. A properly sized sheath also without metal would be a nice option. The knife is very light weight and is easy to handle. I showed the knife to my wife and she liked it as well and was even enthusiastic about where we can hide them in our home for emergency use. As I said previously the knife is very sharp so it is not an option for knife fighting practice. Slow moving step-by-step would be OK but, this is not a toy practice knife. The metal ring on the end might be useful however, I found that it throws the weight of the knife off. The ring was also distracting when holding the knife but, that could be because of the size of my hand. I took it off and it felt better in my hand. This knife is not made for gardening, etc. It is excellent for its intended use and of course will not corrode or deteriorate. The rubber grip is sticky and has hashes and groves. The knife will not accidentally slip out of your hand. Actual measurements: blade length-5 inches; handle length-4 1/8 inches; maximum blade width-1 1/8 inches; overall length (end-to-end) 9 1/2 inches. I will buy this knife again.

Came with a small knick in the top of the blade. The material is alot more plyable and fragile then i expected. I had hoped for a more solid material. Unfortunately, Ive gotta say it's a disappointing buy.