Cold Steel has just released their newest offering to the EDC, hunting, and tactical knife community by offering a lower-cost version of their popular AD-15 sub-4-inch tactical folding knife – the AD-15 Lite. Like the Standard AD-15, the AD-15 Lite still uses the innovative Scorpion Lock Design and sports a 3.5-inch AUS 10A steel blade.

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New AD-15 Lite Tactical Scorpion-Lock Folder from Cold Steel

The original knife was inspired by custom knife maker Andrew Demko who developed the Scorpion Lock mechanism. The Scorpion Lock works quite a bit differently than your standard frame locker and actually becomes more solid when it is held in the hand due to the rear “yoke” using your hand force to further lock the blade closed.

Cold Steel AD-15 Lite Specifications

• Model #: CS-58SQL
• Weight: 6.2 oz.
• Thick: 3.8 mm
• Blade: 3.5″
• Handle: 5″
• Steel: AUS 10A
• Overall: 8.5″
• MSRP: $159.99

Photo Credit: Reliks.com

The AD-15 Lite foregoes the S35VN stainless steel in favor of the less expensive AUS 10A which has started to become a staple of Cold Steel’s mid-range knife blades. Further cost savings are made by switching from a 3D CNC-machined aluminum billet frame and using instead an injection-molded Griov-EX handle material. The Scorpion Lock design of both the AD-15 and the AD-15 Lite makes use of a strong compression spring and the rear yoke which allows the user to both open and close the knife with one hand very easily.

In total, you’re saving a little over $100 by going with the AD-15 Lite versus the standard AD-15. For daily use and abuse, I tend to favor knives around the middle of the pack in terms of price. Cheaper knives generally don’t handle the type of abuse I dish out to them and either sharpen poorly or need to be sharpened too often. On the converse side, I don’t really like spending nearly $300 on a knife only to lose it or have it completely wrecked by my wanton blade abuse. What are your thoughts on this lower-cost alternative to the AD-15 knife? Let us know down in the comments.