The Cold Steel Brave Heart is an ideal-size blade. It is a small, compact, multipurpose knife that will excel as a hunting blade, utility knife, or as an alternative to a double-edge boot knife. I’ve been on the hunt for an ideal-size fixed blade to carry concealed that would also be useful for common outdoor tasks.

Recently I have been carrying the Joe Watson Small Bowie, but the Cold Steel Brave Heart is a tad bit shorter in length and has a slimmer profile, making it ideal for me personally. It never gives me uncomfortable reminders I’m carrying it, whether I’m standing, walking, jogging, sitting, or driving. This is truly a blade that can be carried all the time without drawing attention to yourself.

Style of knife: Fixed-blade defensive knife

Blade length: 4″. Overall length is 7.75″

Type of edge: A traditional V-grind spear-point blade

Blade and handle materials: Blade steel is Japanese AUS8-A stainless. The handle material is a Kray-Ex material—a superior handle material because of its robust traction and resiliency, which allow it to withstand the shock of even the hardest blows.

Sheath: The factory sheath included with the knife is your typical Cold Steel Secure-Ex sheath, designed as a concealable sheath. For my personal blade, I ordered a custom IWB sheath from Blade Rigs. The sheath made by Blade Rigs has a slimmer profile and better clip, I think. The clip that Blade Rigs uses allows you to carry the knife concealed without a belt: It can even be worn with sweatpants or surf shorts.

Weight: 2.8 ounces

MSRP: $104.99 direct from Cold Steel

Unique features: The traditional jimping on the blade spine is both ornamental and functional, providing an aggressive non-slip platform for maximum control.

Application: Self defense, everyday carry, and basic wilderness field tasks

Pros: The weight and profile create a perfectly balanced blade.

Cons: The thinner profile of the blade reduces the lateral strength. Use common sense when deciding what tasks to challenge this blade with and it will serve you for many years.

Bottom line: I’ve been carrying this knife every day for the past few weeks with no issues whatsoever. It conceals well even under a t-shirt. I’ve used it for various outdoor field tasks—basic carving, wood prep, and fire starting—and it performed flawlessly.