Pendleton Hunter Knife

Given the quarry species generally available to the hunter in the UK, it would seem that some of the hunting knives on the market might be a little on the large side. For those that prefer something a little more compact, yet with all the cutting power that you could possibly need, take a look at the Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter.

Good build quality and excellent value have never been an issue with Cold Steel products, and the knife on test has the added advantage of being designed by custom knife maker, Lloyd Pendleton. The 3.5” drop point blade is made of VG-1, a high carbon, high molybdenum stainless steel which is tough, corrosion resistant and holds a good edge. It has a heavy (5mm) spine, but with steeply bevelled sides to lighten the blade and give a sharp deep bellied edge. The full thickness of the spine is carried through the ricasso, giving a very strong ‘L’ shaped ‘frame’ for the finer cutting part of the blade. The blade is supplied razor sharp, and the exceptional design gives the potential for quite heavy duty cutting if required.

The cushioned Kraton handle is contoured to fit the hand perfectly, with chequering, an integral half guard and widened upswept base helping to give a non-slip grip. Fine ribbing on the top edge of the handle give good control – allowing the thumb or fore finger to be rested on the spine for fine cutting or skinning.

Overall length of the knife is 8.25” and the weight is just under 5.5oz (knife only). It comes complete with a Secure-Ex sheath, featuring a rigid scabbard and webbing belt loop.

This is another good design from Cold Steel, with the added input from Lloyd Pendleton, to produce a sensibly sized hunting knife for the UK market.  Price for the Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter is a reasonable £66.98 and that comes with a 5 year warranty. Note that Cold Steel also make a Pendleton Mini Hunter (priced at £43.48) which is substantially lighter and more compact than the model on test here, and would make an ideal ‘bird, trout and bunny’ knife.