Astor Folding Knife – CTS-XHP Steel, Carbon Fiber G-10 Composite
The Astor Folding Knife is a high-performance, American-designed tool built for durability, functionality, and everyday carry. Designed by Les George, this award-winning knife delivers exceptional craftsmanship and value. Winner of the 2021 Blade Show “Imported Knife of the Year,” the Astor combines premium materials, precision engineering, and thoughtful features to create a reliable workhorse for a wide variety of cutting tasks.
This folding drop-point blade, made from premium CTS-XHP steel (58–60 HRC), ensures superior edge retention, corrosion resistance, and durability. A tumbled finish enhances the rugged, worn-in appearance, blending style with performance. The liner-lock handle, crafted from carbon fiber G-10 composite, delivers strength, lightness, and ergonomic comfort.
The Astor Folding Knife delivers a perfect blend of design, durability, and precision. With its premium CTS-XHP blade, carbon fiber G-10 handle, and award-winning engineering, the Astor stands as a versatile and reliable choice for collectors, everyday carry enthusiasts, and those who demand high-performance tools. Designed in the USA, it is engineered to withstand any task while providing exceptional ease of use and style.
Awesome EDC!!! Very impressed straight out of the box. Razor Sharp, Super Light for EDC, and the best quality knife for the money I have had in a folder!! A definite must have for any person that carries a folder everyday. Thanks for a Great, Quality Product
I learned of Spartanblades through a friend that has several of their blades. The Astor is my first blade and I’m seriously impressed. The build quality, balance, everything about this is great. Veteran owned and made in the USA, what else can you ask for? Saving up for some more blades!
This is probably the best quality knife I have found for under $150. Great quality and zero play in any direction. Also, CTS-XHP is great steel in my opinion. I did have to send one back that had overtravel and was send a new one immediately. Great customer service and I will be buying more for presents.
Great overall quality and price. I'd buy it again.
There's a lot to be had on the Astor at this price point. Good steel / size with a solid feel and a great blade profile by Les George.
Hands down the best deal in the industry on a full size edc right now. The blade has a wonderful ratio as it’s not too thick with a high flat grind making it a great slicer. Mine came scary hair popping sharp with a toothy edge, which is my favorite edge for edc carry. I enjoy the esthetics of the blade too. This one was well thought out. Detent right out the box was perfect and thumb-stud deployment is snappy. This one runs on Oil Infused Phosphorus Bronze washers. This is great as the Sintered washers have embedded oil so you don’t need to worry about pivot lube for awhile. Don’t mess with the pivot when you get it, just fidget with it and in a few days she’s perfect! Les George did a Rockwell hardness test in his shop on a random Astor he received and it came in at 61Rc , that’s perfect! All in all this is a great knife with a wonderful blade and ergos.
Good user knife and well built for the price. Easy to sharpen. Action will improve with some TLC.
So far this blade has been excellent. I've been carrying it at work and using it to break down cardboard and cut plastic straps and the edge holds up very well and was fairly easy to resharpen. The blade is ground right to slice material well but maintain strength. Very light and feels great in the hand with a very smooth opening action. For the price this knife is an awesome deal on n my opinion.
Seems to be a great every day worker knife. Good steel, hand feel and design. Looking forward to beating it up.
I actually bought this knife by mistake, as I misread the weight. The stated weight is .32 lbs, but I read it as 3.2 ounces. I have been looking for a knife with at least 3.25 inches of available blade (forward of the thumb stud), with enough handle length for all four fingers, good blade steel, and a blade shape like the Astor, for under $150. I also wanted it to weigh less than 4 ounces, but I got that wrong. Still, the knife is very good. The blade design is excellent...very high flat grind and aggressive distal taper make it very slicey and piercing, but the swedge along the spine leaves some strength in the tip. I don't understand what an "oil-infused bushing" is, but the pivot feels very smooth, and the detente is pretty much perfect. The action feels like it belongs in a much more expensive knife. My only complaints are that the liner lock is recessed a bit too much for me to get to it with my thumb, so I use two hands to close it. Also, the inside edges of the show-side G-10 could be chamfered a bit.