new here, no idea, little help?

J

jonv

Joined
Dec 27, 2002
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4
hey folks. i was referred to this forum by a buddy who is somewhat of a knife nut. i, myself, am somewhat of a gadget guy, but have ony a beat up folder, a good folder, and a fix blade.

here is the question. to take overseas to a particular sandy place, i just purchased a cold steel srk. i dig the weight, the size, and especially the price. you would think that, being in spec ops, you would get all kinds of good gear BEFORE you deployed, but alas, this is not to be, so i bought what i rersearched to be a good , economical knife.

okay, here's the question for real. i like all about the knife but the hilt. the rubber is good to grip, but a little small, and not ergonomic at all. is there a way to change out hilts on a fix blade, or rather, is there a company that does this sort of thing. i'm looking for something like more of a contour hilt, like the gerber yari, or some type of k-bar model i recently saw.

any help or places to check would be greatly appreciated. i'm in the d.c. area if anyone knows of a place in that region.

thanks
 
You are not going to find a way to do that to a Cold Steel SRK, at least not cost effectively.

You are better off saving up some of your pay and getting a knife appropriate for your needs.

One cost effective solution includes the Newt Livesay wicked knives company offerings.
 
Not cost effective at all.
The tang is inside the Kraton, and you can only get it out of the handle by cutting the handle. Then you need new fittings and handle material.
You should be able to find a Becker Combat/Utility 7 or Combat Bowie 9, and they should do just fine (except the handles may be a bit big). I have relatively small hands and find the handle just fine. Should be just $50USD.
 
Yeah., what you're thinking is not very realistic economically.., so I do agree you should search out something more suited to your needs. Lots of stuff out there that is great for Spec Ops use..., and I think you'd spend a ton tyring to accomplish what you described with your current piece...


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
thanks, fellas, for the link and the suggestion of the becker. i'll check 'em out.
 
Count me as another vote for the Becker. It's almost impossible to beat for the price.
 
The Cold Steel Carbon V knives are pretty well regarded around here, at least at their price point, i own one as well, and i think it is a great all around fixed blade, but you are certainly right the handle is the weakest point of the SRK's design. The Becker-7 that has been suggested is a camillus product (camillus owns becker) as is the SRK (cold steel contracts camillus to build their carbon v knives) so the becker is going to have the same steel, heat treat and coating as the SRK, but the beckers handles are a glass renforced nylon, and there have actually been after market handles for the becker's.

But if you like the SRK's size and weight, the becker might not be the best choice, and neither would the Swamp Rat's. My guess is that the Busse Satin Jack would be the best up grade for you. You might also look into Strider, but greg walker has said that he doesnt like the cord wrapped handles performance in the sand, and there is Simonich LLC.

SRK's tang

SRK and Busse Satin Jack



A thread for reading regarding CS rehandling.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156082&highlight=srk+tang

Simonich, strider, and Becker are avilible here: http://www.1sks.com/

Busse and swamp rat here: http://www.bussecombat.com/ http://www.swamprat.com/

Some threads with Greg walker regarding combat knives in the desert

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=235154

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=234854

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=233948

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228742

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=231757

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=232053
 
It's an awesome knife with about a 6" D2 blade and is VERY solidly built, but seems to be cut well. In my experience the Micarta handle seems well shaped. This knife is well balanced and has a very well designed leather sheath that offers many mounting options.

I have a Lile Fighter which has a slightly longer (7") polished D2 blade and looks cooler, but I think for what you'd demand from a knife, the Grey Ghost's stronger point, and matte finish on both the blade and handle would serve you better.

I should qualify that I'm not a spec-ops operator unless you count when I play Counter Strike online. I'm too old and fat to serve, unless the world goes really south and they start drafting 40 year old sales guys.

jmx
 
Take a look at Swamp Rat as im2smrt mentioned. Great knives. If you hafta go soon they'll put you at the top of the their list, really seem to be military minded.
 
Thought this might be a good place to say that the A. G. Russell Catalog of knives has a 20% discount from their already discounted prices for those in the military. Orders must come with ID. This is also true for Police, EMT and Fire MUST HAVE ID

A. G.
 
Jon, if your going to be prying crates open and other hard core jobs, then Busse is the knife (some would suggest Strider or T.O.P.s).

Busse may be a bit pricey, but they are worth every penny, IMHO. Also if you break it, they replace it (I've never heard of anyone breaking a Busse). Call them up, military orders get top priority.
 
the rubber is good to grip, but a little small, and not ergonomic at all.
Click to expand...


Jon,
What you are saying suggests that you may be larger than the average (over 6 foot & with large hands, as opposed to long fingers)

If this is the case, & you have not yet finalised a blade choice, I suggest that you look at handle length, profile & o/all diameter as priorities when selecting a knife (The SRK has an excellent blade length/profile & thickness, edge holding is so-so, ease of resharpening is better than damn good)

All blades being equal (although they're certainly not) go for the comfort & egonomics of a good fitting handle;) )
 
AG russel - great for you guys to do that and that's good to know (leaving for Basic in 1 week)...next year your catalog will be the first place I go. Are you going to be offering the Spyderco Military at any point by next summer?

Go for a Swamp Rat (basically, a cheaper Busse - read about the difference between Busse and SR on SR's site).
http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/index.html

As others said, they will ship your order FAST because you are military.
:)
Warthog
 
Hello JonV,
The world is full of loyal Cold Steel customers, that love their knives, but hate the handles and guards. I solve their problems. Along with my Custom Knife business, I offer a Knife Repair/ Handle Conversion service. Visit that section on my Web-site, www.sunrisecustomknives.com there you will find a price list and photos w/text, of a few of the knives I have worked on. Only you can determine if such a project, is cost effective for your needs.
Best Regards,
Jay Maines
 
thanks for all the tips, guys. been working all weekend in nyc, not blowing anyone off. i had already purchased the srk when i posted the question, and the one guy with the conversion option on his site may be good work, but a little more than i can handle price-wise. i'll check some of the other links. thanks again for the tips.
 
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