Cold Steel Luzon is a rather large knife extending up to 13.5”. That makes it much bigger for a pocketknife. Its handle length is 7.5” and the blade is 6” long. However, it is much thinner and lightweight. So if you are looking a lightweight yet larger knife, then the Cold Steel Luzon is your go-to knife. Its blade comprises of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel, hardened at 57-58 Rockwell, and features sharp and strong points with just enough belly to make them useful for cutting and slashing.

The handle is bamboo-inspired, featuring concave segments that offer countless comfortable grip options. It is made of glass-filled nylon (GFN) that are impervious to elements and unlike any handle.

The Cold Steel Large Luzon is inspired by several balisongs in Lynns collection, but functions as a flipper. Luzon is the perfect alternative for those who cannot legally own balisongs. It is handsome, budget-friendly, and a breeze to flip open. It is a formidable choice for those going in harm’s way. Equipped with study leaf-spring lock and a secondary safety mechanism, it offers incomparable levels of safety. Once engaged, it is extremely resistant to shock and impact. It will keep your fingers safe under any conditions. It also comes with an extended tang and lanyard hole.

The Cold Steel Luzon came in a simple Cold Steel branded box. It had a very nice finish right out of the box, very well-oiled and clean. The flipper action was very smooth on the first flip. The lock was a breeze to engage and disengage the knife. The blade however, lacked the factory edge, but had ample cutting edge. The convex clip point was very sharp right out of the box.

The GFN handle was very smooth yet non-slippery, and comfortable in the hand. The pivot system also works great.

The liner lock however, was stiff. But you can see the metal piece that pushes up against the liner lock when you switch the lock button so you cannot push it out of the way. But you really had to get in there to engage the liner lock before you can flip the blade close.

Another issue was that the pocket clip was too rigid for the spring action. If you try to pull it out of the pocket, it will drag the pocket’s fabric with it. That makes it hard to get the knife out with one hand. However, it is ambidextrous and reversible, wide and well-placed. It would not get in the way of holding and using the knife.

The knife also felt as large as it was, yet lightweight. Some users may not be comfortable with the really large handle, as it will protrude outside the palm. One advantage of the large size should have been being able to place your index finger on the spine of the blade to utilize the extra room, but the thumb stud does not allow you to do that. You cannot drag your finger up above the handle for a comfortable grip, especially if you are chopping vegetables on a cutting board.

However, the knife overall is very impressive and makes itself known while you are carrying it.

The Cold Steel Luzon has ample blade space with 6” of length, and quite sharp with a blade stock thickness of 0.137”. It should be able to act as a kitchen knife and as an EDC folder. The convex clip point edge adds a lot of cutting edge to the tip as it thins towards the pointed edge. It has a very fine cutting edge, which should be able to punch through packages, plastics, cardboard and paper

As it is a flipper, it also has dual thumb studs on either sides; the front side of which acts as an external stop pin, stopping your finger from sliding down the blade when using it. The upper thumb stud can be used to flick it into the closing position, but that stops your finger from using the spine of the blade. That means you cannot choke up the knife and hold it close up to make precise cuts. It basically limits the ways in which you can hold the knife. It also does not have jimping on the spine, but a very small sharpening choil at the base. The satin finish is nicely done on this knife, but it is not as bright and shiny as you would expect. It looks somewhat like stonewash finish, and does not leave fingerprints.

The branding is done minimally on to front side of the blade, with the brand’s name etched in black on it. You can also see the flat grind lines running through the length of the blade, and the belly of the blade is enough to prepare meat, vegetables, and fruits.

A small screw is also visible on the back of the blade that enables you to hold the knife in a pivot position. Although it is lightweight for batoning, it can be given a shot.

The 8Cr13MoV is a formidable choice for this knife, with a hardness level of 62. It falls in the upper-mid range as far as the steel type quality goes. It is originated from China and contains higher carbon content than AUS-8. Spyderco probably makes the best use of this material with the heat treatment process, but Cold Steel has also done a fine job with it.

The 7.5” closed knife could be quite intimidating, especially if you are used to carrying a regular-sized pocketknife. It feels and looks like a giant in the hand. Fortunately, it is thin and lightweight, so not really a nuisance.

You can also see the full extended tang and the dual thumb studs protruding out even when the knife is closed. Now that could be a nuisance, since it can pinch when carrying it around. The end of the scale is convex with a lanyard hole. Now the handle is big enough for the lanyard hole, but you can still use it for easy carry. You can also see the two small screws on either side of the lanyard hole. There are two more screws along the length of the handle, with a larger pivot screw. Now too many screws, and that too much smaller, can make it harder to unscrew the knife for cleaning and maintenance. It would probably require four hands to disassemble the knife.

The bumps on the scales actually makes it easier to grip the knife. It feels a lot like texturing, although the scales are not quite smooth either, which is perfect for a smooth, grippy and comfortable hold. It is rounded inside near the thumb stud, providing ample space to place your thumb for the opening action, which is good because the blade rests fully covered inside the scales. Only a very small space of the blade protrudes out, which is not enough to slide your finger over to open the knife.

The glass-filled nylon is another great choice as the material of this handle, since it is durable, flexible, and shatter-resistant. It is a slight variation of the FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon), and comprises of short glass fibers in nylon polymer mix, which is then injection-molded into the ideal plastic handle. It is also what makes the Luzon lightweight and offers excellent ergonomics. It is also slip-resistant, thanks to the excellent grip from different textures.

The pocket clip is made from the same material as the handle itself, the GFN. It is as big as the handle, and covers the width of the scales. It is also configured for tip-up, left, and right. The added configuration would also make it much easier to hang into the pocket, or even the belt. It goes well with the overall profile of the knife.

The flipper action on Cold Steel Luzon is extremely safe no matter how you flip or flick it open and close. It looks like Mike Wallace paid special attention to the flipper. The dual thumb studs work very smoothly, and protrude out whether the knife is open or close. You use the back flipper top open the knife, and the front one to close it.

Although you can do it manually as well, the back flipper would not allow your finger to slide up the spine, also considering the large size of the handle. So the flipper is the safest option to open and close.

The flipper also does not require much pressure to spring into action. A single flip is enough to open the blade. It also would not leave you high and dry by sticking into a mid-position. That is the advantage of having large thumb studs. At the same time, it is also capable of holding its position in the pivot style.

As far as the lockup goes, you can see the lock at the back of the knife, which you can use to fix the blade in its position. That way, the blade would not disengage unless you unlock it. It is a great addition, since you do not have to worry about the knife closing up while you are using it.

The detent ball being light enough is also what makes the liner lock on Luzon a breeze to engage with. The stop pin also aligns the blade when open and anchored to the scales. The liner lock is excellently done on the Luzon. Both the flipper and the lockup mechanism is what makes the Luzon easy to use.

The blade did not disengage by its own, but there was a definite lockup damage. Too much stabbing also chipped the blade a little. The handle however, was very flexible and durable. As we bent the knife, the handle bent too, but did not break.

Cold Steel Luzon Large vs Medium

The most obvious comparison of the large Luzon is with its medium counterpart. The medium Luzon has a 4” blade as compared to the 6” on the large. It is more pocket-friendly, handy, and lightweight. If you are used to smaller pocketknives, then the medium one would be the one to go for.

However, the medium Luzon’s handle is not as wide as the large Luzon. In fact, it is too thin for comfort. Although it does feel like you are not holding the knife, it makes it challenging in use. But the medium Luzon is easier to flip open, with the thumb studs right there within reach while holding the knife. Whereas, in the case of Large Luzon, you may have to slide your hand up to reach the flipper, or the liner lock.

The Cold Steel Large Luzon is great for its price, large yet lightweight, and an excellent flipper. The liner lock however, is stiff. It is able to hold its pivot position and the blade has enough cutting edge that offers excellent edge retention.

The handle is probably the best part of the Luzon. It is durable, flexible, smooth, ergonomic, yet grippy. The only thing that is missing is the jimping on the spine and the extended thumb studs that do not allow you to slide your finger in a chopping position. But that is also what makes this knife safe to use.

The pocket clip is wide, made from the same GFN as the handle, and is reversible and ambidextrous, configured for tip-up, right, and left. But it does drag the pocket’s fabric with it when sliding the knife out.