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Cold Steel SRK or Fallkniven A1?
- Thread starter MW740
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All Cold Steels knives that are made of Carbon V,is made in the USA. They always mention that in their advertisements. All of their stainless steel knives are made in Taiwan and Japan.
The A1 is by all means the best knife when comparing the SRK and A1. First the A1 is thicker. Second it is made of laminated steel.Hard VG-10 for the cutting edge,and soft 420J2 for the sides. Third the A1 has a convex edge, which the SRK does not. And at last,the most important aspect,the A1 is stainless.
If you are on a more limited budget,the SRK will do good because it is a good knife. But if you can afford the extra cost,do not hesitate to buy the A1 instead.
To PlaceKnives: do not hesitate to say your very own opinions.Never take anything personal.It´s just a discussion forum!!
Manowar
The A1 is by all means the best knife when comparing the SRK and A1. First the A1 is thicker. Second it is made of laminated steel.Hard VG-10 for the cutting edge,and soft 420J2 for the sides. Third the A1 has a convex edge, which the SRK does not. And at last,the most important aspect,the A1 is stainless.
If you are on a more limited budget,the SRK will do good because it is a good knife. But if you can afford the extra cost,do not hesitate to buy the A1 instead.
To PlaceKnives: do not hesitate to say your very own opinions.Never take anything personal.It´s just a discussion forum!!
Manowar
Let's take these one at a time: First the A1 is thicker but, as we all know, thicker certainly does not necessarily mean "beter". Plus, I don't think that approx. 1.25 millimeters is particularly significant (Fallkniven being 6mm and SRK being 4.76 mm). If, and that's a big if, the Fallkniven is the stronger knife, my guess would be that it would have more to do with the fact that it's laminated, not that it is a tiny bit thicker. Second, whether laminated steel is better, or not is *strictly* a mattter of opinion. Third, many folks don't prefer a convex edge (myself included) so this would not be a determining factor as to which is "better". For me, the lack of a convex edge makes the SRK "better" That's just for me, of course. ;-) And last, but not least, many, myself, included don't consider stainless to be more desireable than good carbon. I much prefer a well made carbon steel knife, especially over harder to sharpen VG-10.
I hate to muddy the waters, but, none of these factors makes the Fallkniven a "better" knife. All of these reasons are very subjective. Don't get me wrong, I think Fallkniven makes a great knife, but I don't know if I wouldn't rather have two SRK and have lunch money left over. Just my two cents.
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Yes,all of the reasons i have mentioned are very subjective,because that´s what i thinks about it. You can find advantages and disadavantages about both the A1 and the SRK,but i think that what´s finaly is going to decide the purchase is the most common issue-the wallet. The A1 is the most expencive of these two knives,no question about that.
What more,it sets the buyers up in two groups:the one who favours stainless and the ones that favors carbon steel.
Manowar
What more,it sets the buyers up in two groups:the one who favours stainless and the ones that favors carbon steel.
Manowar
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My A1 is solid VG-10. No laminations...
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Just in general, since I don't own any of these knives (I have a Fällkniven F 1, though):
While Fällknive has not tested their knives in a vice, they have done extensive strength testing on all of their knives.
The tests are done the Scientific University of Luleå in Sweden and seems fairly serious and "usable" in the real world.
I think they just started to make laminated VG-10 knives this year.
Obviously I can't judge the SRK as I have never seen one, but I would go for the Fällkniven even though it is more expensive.
I continue to be impressed by the performance of my F 1 every day!
Bo
While Fällknive has not tested their knives in a vice, they have done extensive strength testing on all of their knives.
The tests are done the Scientific University of Luleå in Sweden and seems fairly serious and "usable" in the real world.
I think they just started to make laminated VG-10 knives this year.
Obviously I can't judge the SRK as I have never seen one, but I would go for the Fällkniven even though it is more expensive.
I continue to be impressed by the performance of my F 1 every day!
Bo
Actually, I have pry bars that I use for that purpose.
20% may sound like a lot, but when you're talking about knives that are 3/16" to almost a 1/4" thick, I stick by my original statement. Not especially significant. "....the A1 is difinitely stouter in the prying department." "Definitely" is a very strong word, indicating that this is not your opinion but, rather, a *fact*. I submit that it is not a *fact* unless your have, in fact, tested both knives, under the same conditions and found that the SRK failed and the Fallkniven didn't. Until then, it's just a supposition. And, even then, it would be only be true of those two tested knives, in particular. I'm not saying that the A1 is not the "stouter" knife. I'm saying, that until you have empirical proof, it simply your opinion, with no factual basis.
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I would go with the Fällkniven A1, a very solid performer (I don't mean to imply that the SRK is not, but I just think that Fällknivens make excellent users): the convex edge is ideal for outdoor tasks (which is probably what you intend to do with the knife judging from the two models you wanted to know about in this thread).
Yup, the A2 sports a laminated blade.
Yup, the A2 sports a laminated blade.
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K Williams
You probably baught your A1 before Fallkiven started to use their laminations.From all the year of 2003 the A1,the A2,the F1,the S1 and some more knives has the laminated Vg-10 as a standard.
To The Porcupine: I have allso found my F1 to the best Fallkniven knife ever.
Manowar
You probably baught your A1 before Fallkiven started to use their laminations.From all the year of 2003 the A1,the A2,the F1,the S1 and some more knives has the laminated Vg-10 as a standard.
To The Porcupine: I have allso found my F1 to the best Fallkniven knife ever.
Manowar
The only Fallkniven website I know of says nothing about laminated steel for the A1 http://www.fallkniven.com/a1f1/a1_en.html
It does, however, explicitely indicate laminated VG10 and 420 for the A2 http://www.fallkniven.com/a1f1/a2_en.html
The F1 also indicates no laminated steel http://www.fallkniven.com/a1f1/f1_en.htm
I'm *not* trying to be argumentative, I just want to make sure everyone is on the same page here. I like these knives and fully intend to buy the A1 or A2 in the future. But, if the A1 is not, in fact, laminated, I'll just stick to my SRK. Or buy the A2 which, although significantly more expensive (what, a third more expensive than the A1?), but is more in line with the larger knife that I'm in the market for. BTW, if we were comparing the A2 with my CS Recon Scout, I don't think the "thickness" debate would last long, since the A2 is the same 6mm as the A1 and the Scout is a full 5/16". Does that make it a "better" knife? Edited for content, after having second thoughts.
Manowar, do you have a more recent Fallkniven website than this one?
http://www.fallkniven.com/next-index.htm
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That's not steak sauce I'm talking about! When a freak snowstorm (in June) caught me at around 10,000' elevation in the Eastern Sierras, it was my A1 that saved my skin. This stout blade made me an emergency bivouac out of a fallen rotted tree that got me through a snowstorm that could easily have been my last living memory. Stabbing and prying that log apart and carving out a shelter in the spongy inner pith would have bested some of my other blades. But the A1 with that thick stout VG-10 blade was exactly what was needed to pry apart that wooden hulk and stay alive. That tree, a wool blanket, a sheet of plastic, and my A1 got me through a storm that could have been a killer!
So, my vote goes to the A1, even though it is not a laminated blade like many other Scandinavian knives, and even though it costs more.
Whenever I go on a trip, and think about taking a fixed blade just in case, it's my A1 I reach for (not my Kabar Next-Gen Fighter, my Becker BK7, my Marbles Gamegetter, my EKA W11, my S&W HRT, or my Ontario RTAK). When the family goes camping and I do take one of my other fixed blades, I always add one more knife to the pack - - my A1.
TT2Toes
She may be showing age and wear, but she's still a beauty to me (below).
So, my vote goes to the A1, even though it is not a laminated blade like many other Scandinavian knives, and even though it costs more.
Whenever I go on a trip, and think about taking a fixed blade just in case, it's my A1 I reach for (not my Kabar Next-Gen Fighter, my Becker BK7, my Marbles Gamegetter, my EKA W11, my S&W HRT, or my Ontario RTAK). When the family goes camping and I do take one of my other fixed blades, I always add one more knife to the pack - - my A1.
TT2Toes
She may be showing age and wear, but she's still a beauty to me (below).
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That's my understanding too.
Yup! The F 1 is an outstanding knife!
TT2Toes:
Great story and your A 1 still is a beauty! A knife that has been used and carry the scars and wear to prove it!
Edited because I forgot to preview!
ichor said:Actually, I have pry bars that I use for that purpose.
20% may sound like a lot, but when you're talking about knives that are 3/16" to almost a 1/4" thick, I stick by my original statement. Not especially significant. "....the A1 is difinitely stouter in the prying department." "Definitely" is a very strong word, indicating that this is not your opinion but, rather, a *fact*. I submit that it is not a *fact* unless your have, in fact, tested both knives, under the same conditions and found that the SRK failed and the Fallkniven didn't. Until then, it's just a supposition. And, even then, it would be only be true of those two tested knives, in particular. I'm not saying that the A1 is not the "stouter" knife. I'm saying, that until you have empirical proof, it simply your opinion, with no factual basis.
Just some simple strength calculations.
For a strip of metal that is 1 inch wide and 3/16" or 0,24" thick we can calculate the 'mass moment of inertia' with the formula 1/12*b*h^3. This makes the 0,24" strip 2,09 times stronger. Quite significant I would say. Of course the geometry of the knives is different but is will still be considerable stronger.
TT2Toes said:That's not steak sauce I'm talking about! When a freak snowstorm (in June) caught me at around 10,000' elevation in the Eastern Sierras, it was my A1 that saved my skin. This stout blade made me an emergency bivouac out of a fallen rotted tree that got me through a snowstorm that could easily have been my last living memory. Stabbing and prying that log apart and carving out a shelter in the spongy inner pith would have bested some of my other blades. But the A1 with that thick stout VG-10 blade was exactly what was needed to pry apart that wooden hulk and stay alive. That tree, a wool blanket, a sheet of plastic, and my A1 got me through a storm that could have been a killer!
So, my vote goes to the A1, even though it is not a laminated blade like many other Scandinavian knives, and even though it costs more.
Whenever I go on a trip, and think about taking a fixed blade just in case, it's my A1 I reach for (not my Kabar Next-Gen Fighter, my Becker BK7, my Marbles Gamegetter, my EKA W11, my S&W HRT, or my Ontario RTAK). When the family goes camping and I do take one of my other fixed blades, I always add one more knife to the pack - - my A1.
TT2Toes
She may be showing age and wear, but she's still a beauty to me (below).
I own an SRK and have handled several A1's. Quality has to go to the A1, but is it twice the price, so one would think it should have better built quality.
While I believe either would do fine for their intended purpose I do have a lot of respect for someone that actually put his/her knife through the test, such as yourself. Glad to hear your knife held up, but better yet, you knew what to do with it.:thumbup:
