When it comes to pocket knives, I always try to recommend ones that will not kill the wallet. Cobratec Knives happens to be one of those companies. Yes, they make higher priced items also, but they have plenty in the under $100 range. The Cobratec Rath is one of those.

Cobratec’s Rath is a nice everyday folder. It uses a flipper on the top of the handle to open up the knife. And a liner lock to hold the blade in place. Nothing fancy for the Rath as this style of every day carry (EDC) knife has been around for ages. The Rath is a simple knife that works well.

The specifications on the Rath are what make it shine. It starts with a coated D2 steel blade. If you happen to listen to the podcast, you know that we like D2 steel as a great inexpensive knife blade material. It holds an edge decent enough and is easy to sharpen. I have not needed to sharpen the Rath. Granted, I did not abuse it like the Black Mamba that Cobratec sent for review. The coating on the blade also helps protect it from the elements. A nice touch since D2 is not a stainless steel. The blade's thickness is 0.12 inches and Cobratec hardens it to 55-62 HRC, which is pretty standard for D2.

Cobratec chose to use G10 for the Rath’s handle. G10 is a composite material that gives the handle good strength. It also is impervious to a bunch of chemicals. The G10 handles will probably outlast the Rath’s blade. Another advantage to G10 is its texture. Even when not texturized, it still has great grip. Exactly what you need and want in a knife handle. The Rath has smooth handles, but they still allowed me to get a good grip on the Rath, partly because of that G10 material.

The Rath uses a flipper style opening. I like flipper opening knives, and the Rath’s flipper works extremely well. The blade just flips right out. One of my complaints with the Rath is that it only uses a flipper to open it. There is no other way to open it. I’d like to see a little slot or something in the blade so that there is at least another option to open it. However, this does not keep me from liking the smooth operation of the Rath’s flipper. The Rath also uses a liner lock to keep the blade out once it has been opened. The liner lock also performed as expected. To close the knife, just push sideways on the liner to unlock the blade, and then pivot the blade in.

Now that I have gone over the general stuff, let us get into the numbers. The Rath uses a 3.5 inch long drop point blade. I really like EDC knives in the 3-3.5 inch blade length range. So the Rath checks that box for me. I also am a fan of good drop point blades, and the Rath’s blade shape is very useful. The blade hides in a 4.5 inch long handle that also carries the pocket clip and lanyard hole. I do not use lanyards, but the hole is there if you do. I did like the deep carry pocket clip. It puts the knife pretty far down in your pocket. When the knife is open, it is 8 inches long. Imagine that, a 3.5 inch blade plus a 4.5 inch handle makes 8 inches. For a knife this size, the Rath is fairly lightweight, tipping the scales at 4 ounces. I was really happy with the lightness of the Rath. It is easy to carry in the pocket.

I have used the Cobratec Rath for a bit and it has treated me well. The drop point blade cuts nicely for me. It has cut lots of boxes, a few steaks, and some other stuff, all the time doing what a knife should do, cut. One aspect I really liked about the Rath is the jimping on the top of the blade. There is not a lot of it, but it is cut deep enough to get a good non-slip grip with your thumb. The handle’s shape is also very comfortable in my hand and is pretty slim, which I like. I also think the Rath is a good looking knife, especially with the red accent around the pivot.

Cobratec’s Rath is a good EDC knife. It uses a good coated blade. It has a nice G10 handle. It uses a tried and true flipper opening and liner lock. Plus it looks good. And you get all this for under $60. What more could you ask for in a simple EDC knife? So head over to Cobratec and check out the Rath.