For a budget friendly tank , definitely good to have , it is a beast but definitely love it and own both clip point and tanto

I've watched numerous video reviews on YouTube concerning the SR1 Lite Tanto. People have this model great reviews and I decided to buy this along with the SR1 Lite Plain Blade.

The first Tanto I received was majorly defective: the blade was shaking loose while it was closed. When I hold it closed with the blade toward the floor, gravity alone pulls it loose. It becomes dangerous at that point since the point now sticks out. I contacted KnifeWorks support for a RMA exchange. I had to pay for shipping, which I did not like. IMO, if a knife is defective, the shipping back should be free courtesy of the manufacturer Cold Steel.

I received the replacement Tanto a few days later. I am still disappointed in this model. The knife does not drop loose (so far) when held upside down in a closed position. However, it does shake side-to-side against the frame while closed. It's annoying since the SR1 Lite Plain Blade does not have this problem. No other Cold Steel knife (Voyager XL, Spartan, 4Max Scout) I have shakes like this. All I did to test the knives was to open, close, and test for blade play. No chopping or slicing. The replacement Tanto also has some blade play.

I am keeping the Tanto, even though this model seems to be a defective line. Both Tanto knives I received were new in their factory sealed boxes. I don't want to waste anymore money to pay for shipping back another one. I wonder if this is from the "old" Cold Steel company, or the "new" Cold Steel after the selloff to GSM.

The one good thing about the SR1 Lite Tanto is how smooth it opens and closes with the Tri-Ad lock. Since the blade is thicker, the lock is less difficult to depress to close.

To other potential buyers, if you don't want to waste money for exchanging defective knives, then avoid the SR1 Lite Tanto!

Utterly disappointing.