Cold Steel 5.5″ Talwar Knife Review

The Cold Steel XL Talwar knife derives its shape and style from the curved south Asian sword that shares the name.  The talwar originated in the Persian and Indian confluence area alongside other curved swords such as the saif, the shamshir, the kilij and the pulwar.  The British Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre even takes many of its cues from the talwar.

A classic talwar has a wider blade than a shamshir.  It also does not have the expanded false edge that a kilij has. The classic talwar sword featured a pommel disc that was quite large. Below the pommel, there was often a sharp spike.   At the top of the handle there was traditionally a knuckle bow.  A knuckle bow is the part of the hilt on some swords which extends down to cover the fingers.  The combination of the knuckle bow and the pommel disc created a tight area for the hand grip.

Because the talwar had a fairly cramped grip, it was difficult to use in traditional sword fighting.  Instead it was used as a piercing weapon and did have some utility when used to make draw cuts.

The Cold Steel Talwar takes the blade shape cues of a classic talwar and resolves the somewhat limited functionality of the talwar’s cramped grip by giving you one of the most generous handles I have ever seen on a knife.  In fact, the design of the Cold Steel Talwar actually allows you to use it as a hand and a half knife if you so desire.

The Japanese AUS 8A stainless steel blade features a continuously curved cutting edge from the tip all the way to the choil.  The blade has a full flat grind and a fully serrated edge.  To open, you use the ambidextrous thumb plate designed by Andrew Demko.  This plate, with practice, can be used to open the blade with a draw snag movement as you remove the knife from your pocket.

The blade locks open with the Tri-Ad® lock.  Cold Steel which claims to make the strongest and safest folders in the world, created the Tri-Ad lock to further back their claim to safety.  The Tri-Ad uses a stop pin which distributes both vertical positive and negative pressures.  It takes these pressures and transfers them into the liners that protect the rocker.  The blade is designed with a shoulder which fits around the stop pin.  This increases the system’s resistance to wear.  When the blade is opened completely, the full surface of the lock and the blade tang mate up flush.  Because the lock has a slight angle, any force on the blade actually creates a stronger lock up instead of loosening the lock up.  It is an ingenious and effective locking system which will take an incredible amount of abuse and continue to perform without fail.

The handle on the XL Talwar is two 7 1/4″ G10 slabs with heavy texture.  A series of finger grooves sit along the curved interior edge of the handle.  You can hold the knife choked up to the very front for controlled cuts, you can hold it set back for slashing cuts and you can actually hold this with two hands for maximum control and force in your cut.  A series of heavy duty jimping lines runs on the spine from the blade down to where the Tri-Ad lock sits.

Comes with a right/left reversible tip up pocket clip.

This is a great, heavy duty, big knife.  If you want the big one, you can find the Cold Steel 21TTXLS on our site here.   If you like the knife, but would prefer it a bit smaller, you can find all of Cold Steel’s Talwar knives here on our website.  Let me know what you think of yours below.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Item Number: 21TTXLS
• Name: Talwar – Combo Edge 5 1/2″
• Blade Length: 5 1/2″
• Blade Thickness: 4 mm
• Overall Length: 12 3/4″
• Steel: Japanese Aus 8A Stainless
• Weight: 8.4 oz
• Handle: 7 1/4″ G-10
• Pocket Clip: Ambidextrous Pocket / Belt Clip
• Suggested Retail Price: $184.99

The Cold Steel XL Talwar knife takes inspiration from the traditional, razor sharp, curved blade Indo-Persian sword of the same name. This model, 21TTXLS, features a 5.5″ combo edge blade. Flat ground with a continuously curved cutting edge from the upswept tip all the way to the choil, the Cold Steel Talwar gives cutting and piercing power unheard of in a folding knife. The handle is American G-10 textured and contoured into a pistol grip style for comfort and safety. Add in the industry leading Tri-Ad® lock and you have a knife to be reckoned with. It also has Andrew Demko’s ambidextrous thumb plate that allows you to draw-snag the knife as you pull it from your pocket–the power of the Talwar at the speed of lightning