Cold Steel Espada XL G10: Excessive, or Useful?

This one goes up to eleven. (As in, about 11 inches of blade reach if I hold it down towards the bottom of the grip.) So how does this perform as both a utility and martial tool? Does it let me fold up the equivalent of a full-size Bowie to carry with me in a pocket? (And, yes, I've actually been carrying the thing in a pocket.)

[@user-wd4ge2zh2c]

I carried 2 of them concealed in the waistband for 2 weeks and even slept with them tucked in the waistband of my gym shorts. I was very surprised how easily and how well they conceal and how comfortable they are to carry. I firmly believe the xl Espada is one of if not the best non firearm concealed carry self defense tools on the market. I feel that is important because even in states with constitutional carry, such as my home state of TN, there are often places where a person can carry a knife but can not carry a firearm. Aslo, I think you are fooling yourself to imagine one version or another being less noticeable. As much as I love the knife ALL versions are immediately noticeabl at the most casual of glances when carried in the pocket.

[@jorgefernandez6407]

Excellent review Mike! I mostly carry my LG Espada but, have also carried my XL too. For me, since the XL fills my pocket almost completely, I've found that removing that pocket clip works best for me in the way that the end of the knife is right at my pockets edge and the thing is so big, I barely have to reach in my pocket in order to deploy it! And I mainly wear relaxed fit jeans, so the knife (for me) is pretty easy to carry. Even now, I'm still in awe of the XL Espada in how a "folding" knife that big, can be so well made and functional! Again Mike, GREAT REVIEW!!!

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Thanks! I'll try it without the clip. It does carry surprisingly well.

[@chrisrey9644]

I've got the XL-G10 Espada and carry it everywhere but work. It does everything i want it to do and more! Regular cutting tasks are taken care of by a slip joint pocket knife, but my Espada is always ready to go.

[@omarceriani3371]

This is the best review of the Espada XL l have ever seen... this knife remember me of some traditional italian knives designed for fencing... like the balestra aviglianese or some huge sicilian folding knives...

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Thanks! I've been looking for a good quality large traditional Navaja.

[@JohnK.-cj2nq]

JoeX’s favorite knife, which says a lot

[@Sora2529]

The Cold Steel Spartan is the largest folder I can comfortably carry that I've tried out so far.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

That is a great knife.

[@chrishyatt2102]

Great review on this. I own 4 of these and occasionally edc the g10 cts xhp version. It always surprises me how easily it is to forget I have it in my pocket.

[@serpnta1267]

Great series, Mike. I'm liking the idea of carrying a large folder more and more.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

I've got several great choices at this point, and they get a lot of regular use.

[@kellywilson137]

Wear Hi-Vis gear, no one bats an eye even if you walk around with Questionable things. Loved the comparisons with the Fixed Blades, Nice to see how it measures up. just Ordered my own one in Black.

[@mikeborrelli193]

The true " gray man" in urban and suburban environment.

[@shaunblevins3303]

Another Great Video Michael. I have a OD Green with Black Blade XL Espada. I love it however the only times I Carry it is if I’m going somewhere late at Night and when I walk my Dog for Coyote Protection since Guns are a NO go in my Neighborhood

[@humane7273]

Very nice video. I have both.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Thanks!

[@nameless-yd6ko]

Thank you for the vid! My Espada xls G10 always rides in my pocket when I go out, in a lower pocket of my pants, right next to my hand when standing at rest. It is for defense only. It is razor sharp and will not be diminished or insulted by mundane tasks. It never comes out in public!! If it does, someone dies! I can always use my $1. keychain knife for the vast majority of tasks for which I might need a knife. Perhaps I'll also toss another in a pocket, like my District 9 Catastrophe, or anything else I might take a fancy to. Martial weapons are just that. Can be used in emergency, of course, you can make a fuzz stick with a katana, but by nature, emergencies are few and far between. There is such a huge gap between the martial cold steel and the runners-up that the choice is simple; I don't leave home without it! Rule #9! ;)

[@whitetablewoods3026]

I have a G10 large and XL Espada. They are awesome, but by no means legal carry in my country. If you're wearing a hoody, you can catch the handle in your pocket. I believe you may have overlooked the two handed grip available on the Espada XL, lol

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Yeah, kinda like handling a two-handed sword that got broken off about 8" up the blade. Didn't feel right at all. Unless I'm using it as a pry bar.

[@user-my7wk8uw8r]

Cold steel XL folding knives, whether voyager or TALWAR 5.5, folding knives close to these sizes, or Espada XL G10, the center of gravity is almost between the blade and the grip. But the weight is not enough to affect controllability, although the end of the handle itself has some shortcomings, such as the feeling of holding the slender handle. But for me, it would be best if I could hold it at the end of the handle like at 32:27 in the video.

[@avatarion]

The lowest grip position is ideal for a quick thrust after deploying it out of pocket. Also gives you the most reach which is what you would want in that situation. But I don't think it's good for a prolonged fight.

[@WillEDC]

I feel the flat grind means it can chop reasonable wood without chipping.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Yup, chops surprisingly well. Tough blade.

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

I’ve got the large Espada. I very rarely carry it. It’s just too big and cumbersome for daily carry. For a folder, I carry my Voyager XL clip point. It’s big, but not so big that it’s uncomfortable. Fortunately my state has Constitutional carry for firearms. As a result, they eliminated all city and state restrictions on carrying edged weapons. Which is great. So I usually carry a fixed blade as well as a folder. I’m a huge Cold Steel fan, so most of my fixed blades are Cold Steel. I’m picking up a Marauder with a plain edge and I’m looking at maybe grabbing the Black Bear Classic.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

That XL Clip Point is a great all-around big folder. The Marauder and the Black Bear Classic are pretty impressive.

[@bushcraft_in_the_north]

Regarding if people see it or not,i just ordered the Ruby red and black blade version😄 because i think it is just beautyfull. I allready have the large and the XL Espada in black and stonewash blade. I just love them,i also bought the OD green and black AD10 in s35vn blade and a Nepalese Kukuri knife. Was thinking about the Natches Bowie in cpm3v but went for others,i allready have the Laredo Bowie in O1 steel. And that is my fav Bowie fighter blade. But i am probably going to get the Natchez down the road. You know, just have to get it, because, awesome big Bowie. 🔪🐻‍❄️🇧🇻

[@michaelrizzo5523]

I'm hoping for a red one in the Large size.

[@bushcraft_in_the_north]

@@michaelrizzo5523 i agree,that would look very nice👌🏻 i am afraid they dont sell as much because men,you know,it's red🤷🏼‍♂️but I think it looks nice,a little more bling.very nice with the blackend blade. In polished aluminium, I think the large Espada is the nicest looking of them. But as practical users it is hard too beat the G10 version. Same strenght, flatter and better grip. The OD green looks nice to. Nice too see them come in color options. I just hope they can keep quality up and going. It is really a shame that Lynn dont lead the company anymore.

[@pavlepetrovic6846]

Best research, i have one, but it is for zombie apocalipse! 💪💪💪

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Or when the neglected CA power grid gets shut off for a week and the whole county instantly goes full Mad Max.

[@squick1842]

Seems like some Espada XL have lockback and others have Tri-ad lock. I would think Tri-ad are way better...any opinions on this?

[@michaelrizzo5523]

The current models are all Tri-ads. Maybe the early versions weren't? My earliest CS folder is an American Lawman from 2011 that has the Tri-ad.

[@richardhenry1969]

Funny thing even though ive been carrying coldsteel large knives for years. Ive never looked up the law. I generally felt like i would rather protect myself and deal with everything else afterwards. I survived a home invasion in Baltimore city. The criminals had no problem pistol whipping me and my wife. They broke my arm and ribs. The fact the police acted like i was guilty by living were i lived. I figured my family and myself trumps laws they pick and choose. Well after you said something i looked up the laws in Maryland. Any knife that folds is legal as long as its not automatic with a button or switch. Also folding knives don't fall under the concealment law since they aren't weapons. I don't put a lot of weight into our laws when criminals are not being charged in my city. Something must change.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

That's a rough lesson, my friend. Sorry that happened to you. But, yeah, a lot of weapon laws play on a manufactured fear to get easy votes rather than doing the hard work, and it's the law-abiding that get criminalized. And then they ease up some other law without thinking it through (latest in my area is no high speed police pursuits without supervisor approval, which criminals take to mean just floor it and they're not allowed to chase you).

[@richardhenry1969]

@@michaelrizzo5523 love your videos and outlook. Thanks for the kind words it means more then you realize.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

@@richardhenry1969When I was in Humboldt County we had a ridiculous number of home invasions that were always assumed to be "deserved" because it was often a grower getting robbed by former associates, but in Arcata they'd hit random residential houses just playing the odds that one might be a grow. And then CA basically de-criminalized all theft below $1000, and store employees who tried to stop the resultant looting got attacked with knives and hammers and fired for violating store safety policies. Things got post-apocalyptic, especially when the power company shut off the grid for days because they hadn't maintained the lines in decades and entire towns were getting taken out by wildfires. When I moved there in 2000 the biggest headline was someone's cows got loose.

[@donjuanmckenzie4897]

I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this, but on every single tri-ad lock knife I own (xl espada g10, rajah 2, range boss, sr1 lite tanto) if i GRIP and bear down HARD on the knife in a power cut my hand depresses the lock bar ever so slightly and the blade gets a little wiggle and play to it. I'm curious if you could recreate this, I've asked this on a few different Cold Steel related videos and so far everyone has said no.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Tried it. The only way I seem to be able to make it happen is to hammer grip it with the web of my hand right on the lock and squeeze down hard, and even then I have to turn the knife a bit in my grip so it's not into the softest part of the web, and with my hand and finger size that puts the blade out of alignment for me. But if I put pressure on the right spot, I get the wiggle you describe, like the blade is loose. I do something similar opening these when I don't want the loud click, but the sharp hot spot from the lock would make me get a different grip if I was carving or chopping. Where the lock is on the grip (higher or lower) compared to the finger grooves positioning your hand seems to make a big difference. Might need to do some more comparisons across the CS Triads, see which ones are more or less problematic, compare to other lockbacks. Doesn't seem to depress the lock nearly far enough to risk it unlocking (though some springs are stiffer than others--it's very inconsistent from knife to knife), but I did see the Dutch Bushcraft guys scare themselves batoning with an Espada and accidentally hitting the lock dead on. Interesting... Definitely a worthwhile experiment! Thanks!

[@donjuanmckenzie4897]

@michaelrizzo5523 The trouble is it happens in the best hand position for power cuts. Its not a deal breaker but I wish Cold Steel could do something to avoid this problem. It doesn't happen on say, my Spyderco Police 4 which has a lockback

[@lampshadesoapmaker678]

I used to have a marshal blade collecting hobby until i bought my Espada XL. After buying that, i see other defensive folders and think "why?" It literally does not get better after the Espada XL it is the pinnacle of martial folders, and anything else is gonna be a step down in usefulness as a weapon.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

I've been looking at traditional Navaja and the Espada is a major improvement on the design.

[@user-wg2sx2yp3w]

One of the factors of martial carry that I think you don't address as fully as you should is speed of access. If you need a knife for defense, you need it as quickly as you can get it.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Yup, that, for me, is the upside of having these stick up out of the pocket a bit, combined with the hook on the end of the grip.

[@user-wd4ge2zh2c]

Hey, you seem like you may know a bit about fencing. What kind of training do you have?

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Several decades of various Kenjutsu styles, Chinese swordsmanship, a bit of FMA. The last handful of years I've been diving into HEMA, doing a lot of cross training comparing the systems and weapons. HEMA is a lot more approachable than the traditional Japanese and Chinese arts. I've also discovered Argentine Esgrima Criolla and North American Bowie, which are basically fencing with big knives.

[@user-wd4ge2zh2c]

That's pretty cool man. Could you recommend any good sources i.e. books for self training. I'm out in the sticks where it is an hour and a half drive to any martial arts studio, HEMA or other, that teaches fighting with edged weapons. If you are able to it is much appreciated.

[@michaelrizzo5523]

@@user-wd4ge2zh2c I'm also pretty isolated, haven't been part of a school in a long time. I have a selection of "classics" from various eras and countries, but I need to apply what I already know to make sense of them. There are lots of KZbin channels that can be a lot more helpful as you can see it in action.

[@gblades5618]

Great channel! 💪🇺🇸🦅

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Thanks!

[@powerplay4real174]

Totally agree 💯 Mike has a very informing & enjoyable channel for knife & blade enthusiasts. 😊

[@nameless-yd6ko]

36 1/2 minute vid with a dozen commercials (that I have to jump to dismiss or watch them.. never)!! KZbin is going to lose demographic with this insulting crap! I'll miss your vids, though... I did watch the whole thing! ;)

[@michaelrizzo5523]

Thanks for hangin' in! That sucks!