- Joined
- Aug 16, 2008
- Messages
- 5,911
I'm really impressed with this knife. Simply put, the workmanship is shockingly good for even a mid-tech production knife. Edge work is custom quality - it appears to be slightly convexed. Fit and finish is world class to say the least. I haven't attached the clip yet. The knife tolerances are outstanding. Things are stiff but will loosen up with operation. Not tight - just new feeling due to the tight tolerances. The lockbar fit is fantastic and because you have steel on steel contact, no annoying sticking due to Ti galling like can happen with Ti to steel contact. The Roto-Block has a dampened action to it. It doesn't turn accidently but is turnable with just the tip of your thumb. Just right for me although I doubt I will use it much. The SR-1 is not nearly as large as I had envisioned looking at other pictures of it by itself. Blade work and finish is so nice you get that dreaded notion not to mess it up which I will probably overcome soon. One can't always say a high end knife is worth the price but the SR-1 is easily worth $370. Buyer be warned though. If my SR-1 is representative of all others, this knife is so pretty that you get that urge to make it a safe queen. You must resist because it's very apparent that this knife is incredibly apt. There is nothing weak or flimsy feeling about this knife. In fact, quite the opposite. It feels like a bull but a very pretty bull. It feels like it could take a lot of abuse. I'd love to see how this knife performs under one of Jim Ankerson's realistic use tests but I am confident in this knife even if Jim didn't get the chance to test it. I'd like to know how the Sleipner steel and the Lionsteel heat treat performs too. The handle design is fantastic and just melts into your hand while the thumb ramp is right where it needs to be. It might be able to use a little more real estate on the thumb ramp but it works very well as is. Your hand falls right into place comfortably and there doesn't seem like a lot of anything that could create a hot spot but that would be left to a good use test to determine. The lockbar tab is situated well with great access and seems good for gloves. Everything on the knife is dehorned too. As I stated, I haven't attached the clip yet but there is no doubt that this knife will carry in a super friendly manner due to it's relatively thin profile along with the radiused contour of the handle sort of like what Strider does to their CC models. And the mild yet effective dehorning of the edges, including the spine is very welcome. The lock up is early without being too early and the knife has absolutely no blade play side to side nor up and down with some decent up and down pressure given to it manually by holding the handle in my right hand and pinching the spine with my left thumb and index finger to apply the up and down pressure. The lockbar SNAPS into place with authority when opened. It doesn't need any help locking up with solid contact at all. I doubt one will ever have to bend this lockbar as it is not weak either. Note that the spring cutouts on the lockbar have material removed from both sides, not just one but the remaining material is not too thin either. The balance point is exactly where your index finger settles into the front handle choil where the lockbar release tab is. Perfect. The balance is done well enough that the knife feels much lighter than the scale indicates. I haven't weighed this particular speciment though. The Ti slabs don't have a bead blast feel to them. They just feel machined, smoothed out then anodized. I think this will lend itself well to resisting marring like a CRK bead blast finish tends to do. Because the non-lockbar side of the SR-1 is so visually clean and void of any fasteners, etc., the lockbar side has a busy look to it but only because of the contrast in the two sides of the handle. It's nice to not have three or four fasteners holding the SR-1 together. This is just an observation and not a ding. Have no doubt, this is a beautiful (almost too beautiful) and well designed knife that appears to be capable of handling anything a hard use EDC or utility knife should be able to handle.
Well done, Lionsteel!
Here are the pictures:
Well done, Lionsteel!
Here are the pictures:
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I haven't really carried anything else but the 0551 for about 4 months now. I drop a different knife in my pocket about 1-3% of the time recently. I suspect I will start carrying a lighter knife on weekends more now that it's shorts weather and I often have a Kel-Tec P3AT clipped inside my right front pocket with shorts so I need to watch the additional weight since I don't wear a belt with shorts.
Recommended by all means and one very comfortable handle to boot . . .
