Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter Review

The heart of any knife enthusiast or outdoor enthusiast will certainly beat faster if you give him a Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter knife. Admittedly, the appearance is rather simple. But at the end of the day, a knife is all about functionality!

In this review, I would like to share my experiences with the Cold Steel Master Hunter knife with you. The knife is equipped with everything the outdoor/hunting enthusiast is looking for: a drop-point blade with flat grinding, a decent blade length, and a full 5 mm / 0,5-inch thickness.

You know what you have, don’t you? So much should be anticipated; the knife does a decent job!

Technical Date of the Cold Steel Master Hunter

Let’s start with the technical data:

• Blade material: American CPM3-V High Carbon Steel with Stonewash finish
• Total length: approx. 23.5 cm / 9 1/4″
• Blade length: approx. 11.4 cm / 4 1/2″
• Blade thickness: approx. 5 mm / 0,5″
• Handle: approx. 12.1 cm / 4 3/4″ Long Kray-Ex™
• Weight: approx. 170 g / 6.4 oz
• Incl. Tek-Lok compatible Secure-Ex® Sheath

Handle and ergonomics Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter

The handle of the knife fits snugly and well in my hand. I wear gloves in size 9.5 and already the first touch shows The strength of the handle material Kray-Ex™ sticks almost in the hand. Especially now in autumn when the fingers are wet, the knife stays where it should stay.

The tang is hidden and completely enclosed by the material. Here I see a small disadvantage if the end of the handle should serve as a hammer replacement. The transitions to the blade are clean and glued without a gap. This is especially important when hunting game or when preparing food to keep the cleaning and maintenance effort low. At the end of the handle, there is a sufficiently large hollow rivet (lanyard eye), through which a piece of paracord can easily be passed.

The Kray-Ex material is hard enough to work sensitively. Nevertheless, the shock is well absorbed during rough work. Fingerguard and tapered handle make fatigue-free working possible.

The Cold Steel hunting knife does not have a finger choil. So, unfortunately, no anticipation is possible. A so-called jimping on the back of the blade is also missing. Which doesn’t bother me personally?

Making feather sticks, fan out wood, make fire, build a camp, batoning work flawlessly. Also peeling an apple is no problem. Due to the blade thickness, it is certainly not made for finer work. For such tasks, you need a blade.

If you chop larger branches, you will notice that the light knife is very well grip-balanced. Here you should definitely work with a lanyard on the handle.

The Blade of the Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter

The Cold Steel hunting knife has a good sharpness out of the box. And the blade held the sharpness for quite a long time. Usually, you do not use outdoor knives to shave so you can not really compare. A friend of mine sharpened his Master Hunter to cut his hair from his arm. The CPM 3-V steel is very tough. If the knife has to be used for rough work, it does it without any problems. Due to the Stonewash finish, the blade is not covered with a coating.

The re-sharpening shows the robustness of the CPM 3V. It takes a while to get the blade sharp again. The blade has a low carbon content and will not rust easily but is not rustproof!

Due to the drop point shape, the blade has a good belly. This is an important aspect when hunting game when gutting and cutting!

There are no sharp edges, which basically speaks for proper processing. However, fire steel is difficult to use. Even if you don’t want to stroke with the cutting edge over the fire steel. Peeling and debarking of wood are, of course, more difficult.

Design and Appearance of the Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter

In a nutshell – this knife is not a beauty. But this is not uncommon with Cold Steel knives.

I would call it simple, clear, and plain. A bit tactical perhaps!
Well, I guess you have your own opinion about it.

Safety of the Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter

The great grip material and the finger guard make safe working with the knife possible. Sliding with your hand onto the blade is almost impossible.

The hunting knife is supplied in a plastic sheath made of Secure-Ex®. Easy to assemble from left to right so that the knife is wonderful for right- and left-handers to use. A large Cordura belt loop with a press stud allows a lightning-fast putting on and taking off.

The sheath is Tek Lok™ compatible, so the mounting possibilities on trousers or backpack are really manifold.

The knife sits very tightly and securely in the sheath so that you have to use a little force when you want to pull the knife. But you can be sure that you won’t lose it easily.

Resume

The Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter is fun. The CPM 3-V steel is robust and well-chosen for this type of knife. Personally, I would tend towards carbon steels and Scandi grinding, especially in the outdoor bushcraft sector. But with the flat grinding of Master Hunter, you are well prepared!

The Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter Knife handles all outdoor tasks with ease. The Cold Steel Master Hunter doesn’t have to hide when building a camp, making a fire, or preparing food.