Cold SteelRoach Belly 4.5" German 4116 Stainless Steel Fixed Blade Trailing Point Outdoor Hunting Utility Knife, 4" High Impact Polypropylene Handle, Durable Sheath Included

I mainly like to use carbon steel knives with scandi grinds for myoutdoors activities, however I wanted to put together a knife basedfishing tool kit. This way I would have all the tools I would normallyneed, right at my side at a moments notice. This knife fit the bill.Being stainless, I don't have to worry about rust from constantly beingwet or covered in fish/bait guts. It also has a run of the mill complexbevel, which is good, because part of my kit includes a quick, easy to usesmith and wesson sharpener When I'm out fishing, I don't want to break outstones and or rodes, I just want to run the knife through a basic sharpenera few times, and get back to work).Its got one of these injection molded type plastic handles. Because of this,and the stainless steel...when I get home from a trip, I just toss this thingin the dishwasher and it gets cleaned right up, no problem.Its got a lanyard, which is nice, so when I clean my knife off in the river,I don't have to worry so much about dropping it and loosing my knife.Its got a cheap cordura sheath, and I'm fine with that. I wouldn't want a nicesheath for it, because its going to get covered in guts and scales anyway.I've heard some complain about the steel...but hey...its a cheap stainless steelknife! Mine takes an edge fairly quickly using my little sharpener, and it holdsfairly well considering.My kit includes (this knife obviously) my smith and wesson sharpener, attached to the knifesheath by ranger bands, a leatherman juice in pliers form with its sheath attached by clipand ranger bands to the knife sheath, and a mini measuring tape looped through the bottom ofthe knife sheath.Serves me well.Can't tell you about the tang, I just don't know, and I don't care, because this is not a roughuse knife for me, no battoning or anything like that. I can tell you it feels good in the handand is a mean slicer.It looks like they are going up in price, at least since I bought mine. If it gets over $15I would say pass.

I purchased this knife along with the Cold Steel Pendleton Lite Hunter and the Belt Knife. I bought these knives because I've become a fan of the quality, value and durability of Cold Steel blades. I needed to find a knife I could put in the tackle box (that fulfills other basic utility roles in a pinch) and my wife wanted to see if any of these blades could live a double life with her in the kitchen. First, I will tell you that form, fit and function quality of these knives are excellent. I still can't find my socks because they blew off....these knives for ~$10 a pop just offer incredible value. I like the High Impact Polypropylene handles as they'll be impervious to moisture issues and will last. These sheaths seem odd at first but are durable. I'm happy to carry any of these three knives, put them in the tackle box, hunting bag or the glove box. In the kitchen....they did OK. I think the blade thickness was just too much for fine slicing but they made great choppers. The belt knife excelled at chopping and actually made it the furthest in slicing an apple prior to the blade thickness splitting the fruit (best of the 3 there). The offset handle of the belt knife really provides the additional clearance needed to excel in the chopping arena. Overall....the Pendleton Lite excelled as the most versatile knife. I personally like this Roach Belly knife as my fishing/tackle box knife. The sharp point, sweeping belly and wide base provide great geometry for fish prep and it would be a great back up skinner.

I bought two of these knives, one for my father and one for my father-in-law. Both have a good number of knives, for both this was their first Cold Steel knife. Both stated that this was the sharpest knife they ever owned, one cut himself before realizing just how sharp it was. Makes for a good hunting knife or just a good camping knife. The blade is solid and, as I stated, sharp. It would be good for skinning an animal or prepping food for cooking (cutting veggies, etc). This is really just a good multipurpose knife. The handle is very comfortable in the hand, though it does feel cheap. It is smooth, so not the best grip. The case is very basic, but what you should expect for the price of this knife. I would recommend this knife for the price and the versatility, but the handle quality is my reason for only 4 stars. Great blade, okay case and while the handle may be nearly indestructible, it needs a better grip - like the Outdoorsman Lite has (I got the Outdoorsman Lite for myself). I would gladly pay an extra $5 if Cold Steel made the handle a little nicer.

Just received mine and think the value for the money and quality are great. It’s light weight and sharp. The handle is a bit slick and could be shaped better, but the jimping on the back of the blade and the overall shape and design are useful. The 4116 steel blade and polypropylene handle ensure ease of cleaning. The fit of the knife to the sheath is a bit awkward but not a show stopper. Really, for $20 or less this is a good deal for a light hunting, skinning or camp knife.