RR: SERE 2000 vs Chinook

J

JamesA

Joined
Jun 2, 2001
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Recently picked up a Spyderco Military: decided, upon playing with it for a couple of minutes, that I was willing to take some extra weight if I could get some more thickness in a knife. Thus, I've been looking at knives with double liners, and I keep coming back to two: the Al Mar SERE 2000 and the Spyderco Chinook.

I've got some of my own thoughts on the matter, and I'd like to know yours.

Seems to me like the SERE has a better steel (personal choice; I've dealt with Spyderco's 440V and Spydercos' VG-10, and I like the latter; I'm assuming that Al Mar's VG-10 is comparable), a more useful blade shape, a much better pocket clip, and it's pretty close to the weight I like.

On the other hand, the Chinook seems to have a much stronger, more secure lock and a more secure handle, and I like the opening hole and the tip-down carry.

Now, the problems I've got with the SERE: I don't like the tip-up carry, ESPECIALLY with thumb studs. I've always had problems with the studs catching my pocket on the draw; has anyone had this issue with the SERE? Also, the grind on the blade looks pretty inefficient; looks like a thick grind, and a pretty useless tip. And, on top of all that, it's a liner lock; is this one done right? I handled one, seems difficult enough to disengage, which I think is a good thing...

And with the Chinook: It's too heavy. and I'm absolutely FANATICAL about blade play; apparently, you're supposed to expect the Chinook to develop some. That'd bug me a LOT.

So those're the pros and cons I've come up with; you guys got any opinions? Am I missing anything? I'm strongly leaning towards the SERE, so if you can disillusion me about any of the strengths/weaknesses I listed, please, please do.

Oh, and by the way -- is it ess-eee-are-eee or is it "sear," like the verb that's similar to burn?

Thanks for your help,
JamesA
 
The Chinook does not develop bladeplay, it has a little bit right out of the box. There is not enought that you can see it, but you can feel it. It is necessary for there to be a little bit of bladeplay for a lockback a strong as the Chinook's to function.
I hope that helps:)

Jeff
 
It is pronounced "Sear" but it is an anacronym. I think it stands for Survival, Evasion, Rescue, Escape.
 
I had a SERE 2K which I absolutely loved. I sold it, however, because I'm the type of person who only likes to have 1 knife in each size range. And I already had a Large Sebenza. 'Nuff Said.
The liner lock on my SERE looked thin, but was strong as hell. It definitely passed the spine whack test. I agree with you on the thumb stud/tip up carry thing. The SERE opened once or twice upon pocket extraction due to the ambi thumb stud.
I loved the shape and heft of the handle, very comfy. It felt better than the Chinook's to me.
The blade, although very strong, doesn't make for a great slicer due to its geometry. However, that VG-10 really kept an edge, and it was the toothy micro-serrated kind of edge which is great. It always "felt" sharp and was a breeze to touch up when it finally dulled.
Another quirk the knife had was the use of synthetic washers in the pivot. Very smooth, but the action loosened up occasionally, requiring a tightening now and then.
Perhaps my biggest gripe with the knife was the sharp edges on the blade spine and liners. I had to spend about an hour with a jewelers file till it was to my liking.
I might also recommend the Mini Buck/Strider in the same class as these 2 knives, however, it's a bit smaller. See my review of it here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=178513
Good luck with your search and let us know what you decide.
Lenny
 
Ctayola, I believe it's SERE: Survival, Escape, Resistance, Evation.
Almar makes a nice knife, but my money usually goes to Spyderco. The blade play on the lock back models is "clearance" or "tolerance" so the blade will open smoothly as intended. Also Im not a big fan of liner locks, unless it's the Sebenza, which locks like a bank vault. Spyderco's opening holes are also much more user friendly than the thumb studs, IMHO. Just my 2 cents.
 
Originally posted by Lenny
The SERE opened once or twice upon pocket extraction due to the ambi thumb stud.

Perhaps my biggest gripe with the knife was the sharp edges on the blade spine and liners. I had to spend about an hour with a jewelers file till it was to my liking.

I might also recommend the Mini Buck/Strider in the same class as these 2 knives, however, it's a bit smaller.

Lenny
Click to expand...

Lenny,

If you see this, do you mind a few questions?

Could you be a little more specific on the pocket opening? Was it during a speeddraw or was it an "I have to open this envelope" draw?

Also, are the sharp edges actually painful, or are they just annoying, like on, say, the Calypso Jr Ltwt (if you've handled one)? Makes it much prettier, but much harder to put real pressure on the spine.

THe Strider -- I thought about it, but if I was going to get one, I'd go for the large one. However, decided against it because I'm not terribly fond of either of the steels that it comes in.

Thanks,
James
 
I trust the Chinook a lot more. No blade play and locks up wonderfully. I have already had to send the SERE2K back to Al Mar for lock failure and took them nearly 2 months to get the knife back to me. Locks up well now though but I trust the Keating knife more and love the heft of it. I still like the S2K but given the choice I would choose the Chinook...in fact I do it is my EDC.

Mine has absolutely ZERO blade play, BTW.
 
The SERE 2000 is an awesome knife. Get one and you will NOT be disappointed. Some of the earlier knives had some lock-up issues but that seems to be corrected now. The new ones appear to be excellent, and I can't get mine to budge with the heaviest whacks. The liners on the SERE 2000 are thicker than just about anything else, contrary to what someone else said earlier. The SERE is a bank vault of a knife.

If you are fanatical about blade play, you should look no further than the SERE 2000. Mine locks up so tight it feels like a fixed blade, no exaggeration. The Chinook should have natural blad play because of its lock-back.

The SERE 2000 is about as rugged as they come.
 
I have had a SERE 2000 for about eight months. It is a very rugged knife as you know. As has been previously stated, the thumb studs are somewhat sharp and my knife opened im my pocket during a slow draw.

The edges on the blade spine are sharp, but can be smoothed.

One point not mentioned is the depth of carry. The pocket clip on the SERE makes for quite a low ride. More concealable for sure, but more difficult to draw quickly. For this reason, I do not carry mine frequently.

I have never seen a Chinook.
 
If you are looking at these other knives JUST because you want a thicker/larger handle, the cool. But, if you're looking at them because you don't trust the single, nested liner of the Military, let me just say that I have abused the CRAP out of my Military, and it has held up like a champ. I've given 440V a ration of s*** in my past, and still have a love/hate relationship with it. But, the Military is one awesome knife, no matter the steel. It was the only knife that cut like I wanted when it came to removing the old carpeting from my house. I had a flat ground A2 tanto, my CUDA Talon (in Talonite™), and the Mil. While the Talon held its edge as good or better than the Military, the geometry and blade planform of the Military was superior. And I was leaning on this thing with most of my weight. Holding up on the handle, pressing down on the top part of the hump with most of my weight, so that there was tremendous pressure on the pivot area (admittedly not trying to close it, though). At this point the Military still has NO play, it locks up like a vault, and the locking liner didn't even move any further over during that abuse. Yeah, the handle is thin, but the Military is one TOUGH!!!! knife. Sal and Spyderco did this one up right. So, like I said, you might just want thicker, but don't worry about that Military single liner.
 
I had one of the first S2Ks. The studs were sharp and it did occasionally open as I was pulling it out of my pocket. I have a later model S2K that seems to have solved that problem. The thumbstuds are not as sharp as they were on the first run.

Both knives are rock solid. I prefer the S2k mostly because I personally don not like the tip so upswept as on the Chinook. That is a personal choice though.
 
I guess i'm now qualified to reply since I just opened a box that contained both knives :)
These are just my first impressions after having played with them a bit:
The fit and finish of both are impeccable, thick blades, thick liners, thick handles. The chinook has more heft. I love how low the SERE rides on its clip but it is tip up with the blade not facing my pocked edge :eek: time will tell if it opens or not. When the Chinook's lock engages it sounds like someone locking a deadbolt, really solid cachunk sound. The Chinook has a nice ribbed area on the top tang of the blade which would give better leverage than the handle of the SERE in a grip when your thumb is on the spine. Holding both knives gives you the confidence that every bone in your hand/wrist/arm would break before the knife gives in to any punishment.
The chinook requires significantly more force to open than the SERE but it is actually easier as the big thumbhole is worlds better than thumbstuds. The SERE's thumbstud actually comes REALLY close to the handle in one place, and the usual way I open knives makes it push my thumb off. Nothing a little adjustment of my mechanics won't fix.
The Chinook's handle is more "grippy" than the SERE's and feels more secure, but neither feels like it could slip out under any circumstance.

Adam
 
JamesA
The blade opened during slow draws. The thumb studs were sharp and ever so slightly too long, a recipe for getting caught on your pocket. Also, the sharp edges were uncomfortable in the hand, not really painful. I would definitely handle one before I bought. But it really comes down to which knife you like better, feel and design. Personally, I don't like the shape of the Chinook's blade. Now, if they made it in a spear or drop point, I'd buy one immediately.
As for the Buck/Strider, you don't like BG-42?
Could you tell me why?
So far, the blade on mine has remained incredibly sharp and aggressive.
But I also loved the VG-10 of the SERE.
Lenny
 
I also have had both, and would recommend the Chinook. The reason is because of the thumbstuds on the SERE. They are just too long, which causes them to catch on your pocket and partially open the knife.
My SERE partially opened several times during the time that I had it.

It's a shame really, because it's a really nice knife otherwise....
 
I have both and prefer the SERE. When I first got it, I was bugged by what I considered to be the over-built handle. Then I realised that the handle was made that way in order to deal with torqueing and twisting movements, the kind typically cause liner locks to fail. The SERE is bomb proof. No blade play. No flexing. Passes the spine whack test with flying colors. Between the SERE and the Chinook, the SERE comes closest to feeling like a fixed blade. The Chinook is not a bad knife, but, considering its blade shape, I consider it to be more of limited use.

With regard to carry, I took the clip off my SERE and carry it on my belt, tip down, in an old Buck 110 sheath. Fits perfectly and I don't have to worry about the knive opening in my pocket or getting lost during a ramble through the woods.
 
The SERE 2000 has the best liner lock I have ever seen on a production knife (and better even than many customs). Mine is the more recent version and is virtually "bullet-proof". It is no lightweight, but fills it's billing as a folding survival knife in major league fashion.
 
Originally posted by Nathan S
With regard to carry, I took the clip off my SERE and carry it on my belt, tip down, in an old Buck 110 sheath. Fits perfectly and I don't have to worry about the knive opening in my pocket or getting lost during a ramble through the woods.
Click to expand...

Here is a good way to carry your SERE:

attachment.php


custom sheath from Gary Graley. :D
 
James,

I'm sure you have considered it, so this is probably a moot point but...

If it is a robust, comfortingly strong "feeling" and truly strong, tight, ergonomically-near perfect, comfortable to use and carry folder with a very high quality blade then you really must consider the Spyderco Tim Wegner, plain-edge; model C48.

Perhaps it is a bit "lighter" than you are looking for (perhaps not) but if you haven't actually handled one you certainly should. You will see immediately what I mean.

As a bonus, it opens like an auto with a light thumb flick, every time.

Jeff/1911.
 
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