Lionsteel SR1A or SR2A

Ta2ude

Ta2ude

Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
319
Kinda new to the forum, I have been around for a while but no posts yet. I am having trouble making a decision and was hoping for some help. Lately I've been lusting over the Lionsteel SR1A or SR2A but there is no where close to me were I can handle one. I'm kinda horny over the orange or bronze with the black blade, I'm just not sure if I should go big or small. The price is almost the same and it almost seems silly to buy the small one for that reason alone but I was hoping someone here has handled both and could give me their impressions. I'm currently carrying a ZT560 which I love and a paramilitary. I also have a large Sebenza (perfect size for me) a Spyderco Manix 2 and a Manix 2 partially serrated, an Emerson mini CQC 15, Emerson combat Karambit, Spyderco Chokwe,Mcusta bushi sword damascus,and a Benchmade Griptilian. I'm almost thinking the SR2 would be a good companion to my Mcusta, which is what I would consider a gentlemens folder. Please help.
 
I had a SR1 in ti for several years. As much as I loved the knife design and the Sleipner steel
I didn't carry it very often. Just to big and heavy for my liking. I recently purchased a SR2 ti and I love the size and reduced
weight. It has become one of my favorite knives to carry.
 
Having handled neither, I'm going to suggest the TiSpine! :D :p Much smaller than your current line-up, but very gentlemanly.

I do know that I prefer a lot less belly than the SR series, and the TiSpine fits right in there. Plus, it's very light in weight. (But, by no means is it a light-weight!)

Only thing is, you'd be quite limited on color options...
 
sr1a because its larger but it isnt too big. the sr1 is one of my favoritist knives and probably gets the most pocket time.
 
LionSteel SR-2 is much more compact than SR-1. With both you have a choice of titanium or aluminum frame lock. They're mostly with Sleipner tool steel except for the aluminum SR-1 which is D2 (Bohler K110).

Spyderco LionSpy and Lil LionSpy are made by LionSteel in the size of SR-1 and SR-2 respectively and with G-10 on the presentation side and Elmax stainless steel blade. They're lighter and less expensive than the full titanium SR-1 and SR-2.
 
I have both. I have small hands(3 1/4 inch across the palm) and I can get a full but snug grip on the sr2. If you have larger hands you may need to go with the sr1. I typically carry the sr2 because it's compact size compared to the sr1. Either will serve you well. I really like the rotating disc that can lock the liner lock opened. I have orange handles with satin blades and love the look.
 
Even the small isn't really a small knife. It does however present a smaller profile in the pocket. The large takes up quite a bit of space. Both are superbly built tanks.
 
Thanks for the input. I just ordered an SR1A from Bushcraft Canada. It was the best price I could find here as they must have bought a few of these before our Canadian dollar went down the dumper. I went with the larger knife because bigger is always better right ?lol. I actually checked all the specs and it is smaller than my ZT 560 and I have no problem carrying that. I usually carry 2 knives and like I said previously this will be the companion carry for my Mcusta Bushi Sword which is much smaller and has a totally different blade shape. Originally I was in love with the orange with black blade but after looking at the pictures many many times I decided on orange with satin blade, it just seems to do the knife more justice in my opinion. It should be here in 7-10 days, can't wait.

EDIT# I forgot to add the "A" in this post originally, big difference.
 
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My co-worker has the orange and satin SR2A, it's beautiful. I have a TNP-SR1A with the black blade. The one you ordered will come with a nicely done convex edge on it. One thing, the Sleipner steel will stain rather easily.
 
CROM. You made me realize I forgot to add the "A" in my post. I ordered the Aluminum version as I couldn't justify the price difference between the two and D2 will be just fine for anything I do.
 
Pretty sure the aluminum SR2 version still uses Sleipner, that's what my co-worker's knife has. It's the full size that uses D2 IIRC. The knife also uses 7000 series aluminum. I am not aware of any other manufacturer using this, it's usually 6000 series, a lower quality alloy etc. Report back when it arrives.
 
Out of SR-1 and SR-2 Aluminum or Titanium only SR-1A uses D2 (Bohler K110 at 60 HRC). The others use Sleipner at 60-62 HRC.

The titanium is 6Al4V and the aluminum is 7075 Ergal.

Bohler K110 (D2) uses Bohler's cross-rolling technology that produces a fine, uniform grained steel and is one of the best D2 steels out there for knives.
 
Well my new SR1A came yesterday so I thought I would just post a few of my first impressions. First of all I really like the knife seems to fit me well and is very comfortable, glad I didn't get the SR2A. The orange is nice but doesn't look quite as good as the pictures I saw. Out of the box the blade was very stiff and almost impossible to deploy with just a thumb. I used the supplied tool and loosened it a fraction of a turn and the knife became flickable with a little practice. Lock up is very solid at about 40% and the blade is almost perfectly centered. It is pretty sharp out of the box, but I can notice a bit of a "roll over" or "double grind" right at the tip on the one side, nothing crazy and it should easily sharpen out when that time comes. Overall the knife was very nicely de-burred and had no sharp edges except for the steel lockbar insert. It has a very sharp corner that could easily tear your thumb up if you dragged it across the end. For the most part the knife is as good as you could expect and I am happy with it. I do have one complaint however and that is the pocket clip. I hate it. For one it is quite loose and needs to be removed and bent slightly to give it more pressure as it will easily slip out of a jean pocket. I like the deep carry aspect but I personally feel the clip is too short and could stand to be longer. I also find the clip has a weird double bend at the end which for me and my grip really causes some discomfort, as it feels kind of sharp and digs into my finger. I am going to give it some more carry time first but I am almost certain I will be removing the clip and grinding off the second bend to see if that improves comfort, which I believe it will.
 
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