2.5' Engage / 2.5' Clip Point Blade / 3MM Thick / 4116SS Steel W/Stonewashed Finish/Black GFN Handle/Atlas™ Lock

This is almost certainly Andrew Demko’s last design sold to or inherited by GSM when they took over Cold Steel. Demko then modified this lock design into the now well-regarded Shark Lock, which has dual motion (raise it slightly while pulling back, instead of the simple slide back-only on this Cold Steel Atlas design version. Now that this Engage design has been accepted by the knife world as a legitimate variation of the better accepted Shark Lock, it’s good to see this mini version going for around half a C note instead of a full C note. I just ordered my second Engage 2.5 with an intention to remove the thumb stud for safer loose carry in my pocket. You see, it doesn’t take much for us to start sliding the blade open due to the light resistance of the atlas lock, and given the location of the thumb stud towards the top edge of the blade, where it is more likely to snag than if it were hugging the frame more tightly, I don’t want it to catch on the seams or lining of my pocket as I carry it and accidentally open. Please note that this is not an issue if you use the pocket clip to position the blade against the pocket seam which is the recommended and expected carry position. However, I just plain don’t like pocket clips. I have successfully modified other pocket knives with stronger retention springs by putting a small strip of skateboard tape on the side of the blade where the thumb stud formally was as an alternate way of opening the blade; also if you watch the many videos of this small pocket knife online you will note that it can be snapped open simply by pulling sliding back the lock bar. About the new Atlas Lock: * very solid lock up in terms of up and down rock * slight side to side blade wobble probably due to either do a washers at the pivot or washers that are too thick. This might’ve been corrected by now since my last order was two years ago if it hasn’t been corrected, I will edit this review to make a note of the continuing issue. * unlocking slider resistance is similar to Benchmade Axis lock and the many copies that have emerged since its patent expired * very smooth opening * no detent ball to assist with a smooth snappy opening as found in liner locks. Smooth rollouts are incredibly easy though * quite easy to unlock, and fingers shouldn’t be in path of closure * ultra thin and light, yet scales are at near-G10 levels of stiffness, stiffer than FRN on Cold Steels other thin handles (no liners) * I only notice two handle attachment points, pivot and tail; the other points are pins not screws I’m very happy with this 2.5” and unlike some of my other recent Cold Steels, blade came satisfyingly paper cutting sharp and it was easy to get it even smoother cutting with 10-20 swipes on my strop board. I think the release bar is in a poor location if you choke to the rear of the handle, but not a problem in most grips. THE main claim to fame of this blade is the mini 2.5” length, only the Kiradashi matches it. Unlike Spyderco which pounds all the possible intermediate lengths of blade, Cold Steel tends to stick to 3 inch and up so it’s actually quite rare to find a usable handle, mini blade for package opening and utility chores that won’t make the sheeple tremble in fear. At half of its original rollout price, I highly recommend this

I was surprised. I thought it would be a little bit bigger. With that being said, feels good in the hand, lite weight, but seems solid. Definitely won't weigh your pocket down, it's not bulky. Sharp out of the box. I like it

Very solid construction. Great blade steel

I found the scale material at this size just felt overly cheap. The Atlas lock system was not the easiest to manipulate in this size either. If you are interested in picking this up just to experience the lock, I would recommend saving your pennies and getting the larger size. However if you just want a sturdy little tool for a pouch or to keep in a vehicle this will suit your needs.

This thing is tiny. The larger one would be great. Locking mechanism is great.

I bought 18 knives from Amazon this year 2023, and returned only two. However, the Engage 2.5 will be my third return (15 out of 18, not bad). Two reasons, first, the engage lock position for a knife this size is awkward for my thumb, opening/closing it caused a painful and very sore thumb. Second, the detent isn't just horrible, but the thumb opening nut catches each and everytime I pulled it out of my pocket, causing the blade to dangerously open everytime. I normally like the cold steel/demko designed locking systems, but I guess as much as I Love my 2.5 inch blade knives, this is a dangerous/painfull exception and I will return it. Maybe good for a Kid or Women, but not a big handed person like myself. Although, that doesn't stop all my other company 2.5 inch knives (my legal carry size) from being great!

Great design but to small to be practical for me. Also, I was afraid that the small size would cause me to mishandle it and I would cut myself. I quickly returned it and bought the next size up in orange.

I should have read the reviews. This thing is tiny. I thought it would be a short but more robust blade for the price. The handle and the blade is small. For $50 no thanks.