Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio

“One gorgeous folder” aptly describes the Cold Steel Storm Cloud. It is one tough, but lightweight folding knife. It is one that you might want to add to your collection.

When new knives come to my attention, and I think it is something our readers will really like, I request a sample. This folder from Cold Steel Knives, the Storm Cloud, really caught my eye when I first saw it. Only “bad” thing with many Cold Steel products is, supply seems to outstrip supply – and folks have to wait.

I put in a request for the Storm Cloud, as soon as I spied it on the Cold Steel web site, only to learn that it was out of stock. So, the months rolled by, and still no Storm Cloud from Cold Steel. Did my buddy, Lynn Thompson, forget about me and my request? Nah, not likely – he passed my request along to someone who was supposed to handle this sort of thing, and that person never sent me the sample. That person is no longer with Cold Steel for other reasons. As soon as I alerted Mr. Thompson to the fact that I hadn’t received the Storm Cloud, he looked into it, and let me know one was on the way.

Specifications

Let’s take a real close look at the Storm Cloud. First of all, it has a 3.5-inch blade made out of one of the hi-tech stainless steels called CPM20CV, and the blade’s thickness is 3mm – a bit thinner than some similar Cold Steel folders I’ve tested, but stay with me on this. The knife only weighs 3.6-oz – we are talking very light-weight, for a knife of this size. The handle is a little more than four and a half inches in length, and the handle scales are made out of G10, with a Carbon Fiber overlay. Wait? What did I just say? Yeah, you read that right – it is two hi-tech materials, laminated together. G10 is known to be almost bullet proof – and Carbon Fiber is also tough, but known for its beauty as well. No matter how hard I looked at these two materials, laminated into one, I could not see where they were joined together. Wow!

Here’s something a bit different from Cold Steel, this folder is being produced in Italy, not Taiwan or Japan – but in Italy! The Storm Cloud was designed by Mike Wallace, and the blade isn’t the traditional Tanto you’ve come to expect from Cold Steel, instead it is inverted, and the point of the blade is dead center in the middle of the blade…I’ve always felt that a good fighting knife – should have the point of the blade either in the middle or slightly towards the top of the blade. This modified Tanto blade will be fast in the hand, and aid in deep penetration, too.

We have a pocket clip, for secure carrying in your pants pocket, and it is tight, very tight. I had to actually remove the clip and bend it ever so slightly, so that it would fit over the lip on my cargo pants that is designed for carrying a knife in that spot. The pocket clip is also ambidextrous, so you can switch it to the other side, if you carry a folder in your left front pocket of your pants.

It has the now famous Tri-Ad lock on the back of the Storm Cloud – the strongest locking mechanism that I’m aware of on any folder. Plus, the Andrew Demko Thumb plate, that allows for opening the knife, without actually touching the blade. With a little bit of practice, you can draw the knife from your pants’ pocket, while applying a little bit of pressure towards the side of your pocket – as the knife is drawn, it starts to open – and by the time you have completely drawn the knife, the blade will be opened and locked. It takes a little bit of effort because the Tri-Ad lock is so stout – check out the Cold Steel web site for a video on how to perform this action.

So, we have a beautiful tactical folder, one that is flawless in manufacture and design, but one that is classy as well. Plus, its built like a tank. But unlike some tactical folders, this one won’t send the boardroom running when you pull it out of your pocket – it is quite classy looking.

Very Sharp, Of Course

When it comes to super sharp knives, Cold Steel set the Gold Standard – and everyone else had to follow. The Storm Cloud is as sharp as sharp can be, and it passed all my usual cutting tests, including the ever there, blackberry vines, as well as hemp rope. I didn’t have to touch up the blade in more than a month of testing either – it held an edge, a sharp edge – during all of my testing. I was impressed.

If you’re in the market for a first-class tactical folder, one that doesn’t scream “tactical” when you pull it out, then you might want to take a very close look at the Storm Cloud. I’ve designed and had some custom knives made by some famous custom knife makers, and not a one, could hold a candle to the Storm Cloud when it comes to being flawlessly made – the Storm Cloud is “that” good. Full retail is $299.99 – and it is worth every dollar they are asking for it. If you have to wait to get one – it will be worth the wait.