Cold Steel CS SRK ColdSteel

...I'm not a fan of the short Kabars - their handles are too small. Conversely, the handle on their short heavy bowie is too large. So neither 'short' bowie they make that I know of really compares well - one being too small to compare & the other being too large :confused:

The handle of the SRK is "just right" - as far as a straight handle with contours goes IMO. No metal double guard to gouge the hand & not so big around that a fellow with medium sized hands can't get a comfortable grip on it...

As for Carbon V being 1095, I had heard differently; what makes dawg say that?
 
As regards my comment on the Carbon V, I don't know exactly what it is. I've heard from a couple of folks that Camillius uses 1095 or 1085 in the SRK blade. This is second or even third hand but it's information from people in the knife industry at some level or another so....I would think it's pretty close though due to my personal experience with SRK edge holding and resharpening. I have nothing against C/S, but I think S.O.G or KaBar out of the box both exhibit better overall quality. As we all know, knives are a strictly personal thing and highly subjective to individual needs,ergonomics and history of what works for that individual. I note a number of self described "steel snobs" on forums and that subject doesn't kick my bucket very far. What works for you may or may not work for me. I prefer common production knives over customs (I have both) as I work in hazerdous and extreme conditions and loss of a tool is somewhat common. By having a production knife with consistent quality, I can replace the loss and immediately be at home. As regards your comment on the KaBar handle, see above and also, I have big hands. The heavy bowie works very well for me. I tend to gravitate towards knives in the 40-75 dollar range if they have a proven record. They seem to hold up well and fufill my requirements. The exception would be my fondness for my Ranger 7" and the Becker Brute which are as close to a perfect knife for my heavy needs as I could hope for. My EDC is a Frost Swedish Army 4" which is like a Mora. I picked it up for $8.95 (no kidding) and frankly, I'ver seen a better edge holding blade in my life.
 
I'll say this for the Kabar HB (I've got the short one); they are a gem to resharpen as I just found out today...

Did some whittling on the kraton handle with a SAK & I'm much happier with the Kabar now :thumbup:
 
Yeah...I rasped down the bird's beak pommel to make it better to throw at woods rats.They're a nice knife for the money. BTW, I used to live in Troy up near Piqua. Don't miss it at all.......Had to get back west to my pointy mountains :-)
 
Check out this site if you're lookin' for what Carbon V MAY be

http://www.zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml

Carbon V may be 0170-6

But whatever.

My SRK is O.K.. Mine is a factory second, but considering you can get "firsts" for factory 2nd prices on the web you may want to look there. I like the SRK, but if I had the choice again I'd buy a Ranger knifes RD6.

My 2 cents,

Cameron23
 
I realize the coating will wear off. I didn't expect it to come off right away; I have a few Benchmades that have their black coating and they have show better durability.
When I said "fixed" I was referring to how sharp some of the knives are in the video compared to "out of the box". At one point they have a guy shaving his arm with one of their axes. My SRK did not come out of the box that sharp and I have handled new CS axes and they do not shave hair. Obviously they have made these knives and axes in the video sharper than their normal production.
Don't get me wrong the SRK and many CS products are a great value.
But I belive they are giving a false impression of their factory finish.
 
Tweakmeister - The SRK sheath is not just for righthanded folks. Simply unsrcrew the nylon part from the Kydex sheath and turn it around....then it's ready to go for us lefties.
 
As I said in another thread, its a pity SOG don't headhunt the CS sheath designer. Their sheath's are good. Got a Pendleton Mini at the weekend, ultra sharp knife, and great sheath, left or right handed.
 
SRK was also my first fixed knife. I liked it but because of it's thickness and angle of cutting edge(28? 30? degree) it is not a very efficient at cutting. It's more for chopping. I also hated black coat that comes off easily and make knife looks ugly.

First I removed black coating and found that SRK has very rough grind. Cold Steel is saving money by rough grinding and then covering it with coating. Coating much cheaper that making nice finishing.

I also reground my SRK and made flat bevels run all the way from spine to the edge bevels. This leave the edge thin for high-performance. I like it much better this way.
 
dawg said:
Of the two SRK's I've had, first one was returned for poor quality blade, second was given away before I tossed it in a dumpster. Great ergonomics, nice size, blade thickness and decent point. Camillius makes cold Steel's SRK. Carbon V is just a company name and probably 1095 or 1085 carbon (Same as a KaBar). I'm in the minority regarding displeasure with SRK's. most folks like 'em. Their edge holding and overall quality didn'y impress me at all. Nice thrower though, my buddy kills a few rats with his every month.For the same price I can get a KaBar short bowie and be much happier.
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Never knew that Camillius made ColdSteel's SRK. But Carbon V is definitely a label. I've heard that it's a variety of different carbon steels that have been used over the years.
 
I guess my old SRK is an exception to the rust situation. This one is from around 1990 or so and has the cordura sheath. I traded/gave it (can't remember) to my Dad around 93/94. He and my mother were caretaking an island in the edge of the Mississippi River on the eastern Arkansas side. He carried it everyday tucked under his belt in an upside down carry on the slough while checking his barrel nets and in working around the island. When they left the island and went full time RVing it would often reside in a pouch on the door of the vehicle. He's carried it through several years as area camp ground managers, first in Big Bear and for the last few years at Manastee National Forest in Michigan. I finally got it back from him. Some of the blade coating is worn off, but there is only a trace of red residue near where the blade enters the grip. Not an active rusting, just a little light color. To my knowledge he never really did much in the way of maintenance beyond a sharpen or two over the years.

Lucky I guess, or maybe it was breathability on the part of the cordura sheath. Anyway, I got it back finally and hope to hang on to it for a while. It ain't the most asthetically pleasing blade, but it is a rugged workhorse.

I read above that the older SRKs won't fit the new Kydex sheaths? Bummer, I was hoping to get one for this old blade. Hmmm, "This Old Blade." Sounds like a great TV show!
 
Monocrom said:
Never knew that Camillius made ColdSteel's SRK. But Carbon V is definitely a label. I've heard that it's a variety of different carbon steels that have been used over the years.
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I've always felt that while to a certain extent important when weighing a purchase,steels are overated. I would prefer to judge a tool on it's actual use and merits and have often used cheaper knives or little known blades with excellent results.
 
dawg said:
I've always felt that while to a certain extent important when weighing a purchase,steels are overated. I would prefer to judge a tool on it's actual use and merits and have often used cheaper knives or little known blades with excellent results.
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Part of me agrees with you. The reason why I prefer to pay more $$$ for a "name brand" knife is because I don't want the lock-mechanism on a cheaper folder failing; while I'm using it!

The main point I was trying to make is that Carbon V is a label, one that could apply to ANY carbon steel. Other than as a label used by CS, Carbon V doesn't actually exist as a recognized blade steel. If you wanted to look up the molecular composition of say, D2; not a problem. But because no one outside of CS knows exactly what Carbon V is, there's no way for a person to look-up its molecular composition...

I'm not saying that what CS is doing is wrong. But, it just LOOKS bad when a company won't tell you exactly what it is that you're spending your hard-earned $$$ on. The only thing you can be sure of, when you buy a blade made from Carbon V, is that you are getting some sort of carbon steel.
 
Yeah, carbon as in content and "V" as in bevel...easy Madison Avenue 101. I weld-all processes-in the course of my various interests and deal with a lot of exotic metals. When someone with a steel question comes along, I love to tell 'em it's Carbon "V"...'course I tell them what it is later but...it's interesting to see how something catchy like that so impresses folks.
 
dawg said:
Yeah, carbon as in content and "V" as in bevel...easy Madison Avenue 101. I weld-all processes-in the course of my various interests and deal with a lot of exotic metals. When someone with a steel question comes along, I love to tell 'em it's Carbon "V"...'course I tell them what it is later but...it's interesting to see how something catchy like that so impresses folks.
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I think it's an excellent marketing tool to impress the ignorant. Somewhere, out there is a person bragging about how their new knife is made from Carbon V. Ask them what that means; they'll say, "Oh it's some sort of high-end, super carbon steel." And that's what they actually believe!:barf:
 
COLD STEEL SRK? I can't think of a better knife for the money, well maybe a KERSHAW Storm II folder :)
 
CARBON V? I think it's the same steel that farm implements are made of. Kinda like the big blades that turn the soil over. Laughing, but still can't wait to get my own SRK.
 
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