SRK and Master Hunter Handle Issues

ursamajor · Jan 29, 2016

knife chop said:
I was quoted $50 last year to re-handle my SRK. I said funk that and contacted a knife maker that can make custom handles for it. That knife maker charged me the same price with better quality handle that will absolutely won't fail.

Please tell me who.

sean1999 · Jan 29, 2016

Krusher said:
the new master hunter 3v has other problems than a loose handle.

pic is from ama***

any news on that ?
but that failure is easy to fix .....just make a recurve out of it

How did that chip occur? Are these newer steels more prone to chipping?

Jonslaught · Jan 29, 2016

Krusher said:
the new master hunter 3v has other problems than a loose handle.

pic is from ama***

any news on that ?
but that failure is easy to fix .....just make a recurve out of it

Didn't know the Spartan came in fixed blade.

Krusher · Jan 29, 2016

@sean1999
its not mine.its from an amaz*n customer.
that's what he said:

11 Bravo Bushcraft:Verified Purchase I bought this knife and was pretty excited for the supposed quality at this price. The edge was super sharp and cut through wood to make feather sticks like butter. Edge seemed to stay sharp. I thought I had found my new favorite knife. Then I used it to baton through a 2 inch piece of wood which wasn't even a hard wood and a big chunk of the blade chipped off where even reprofiling the blade would be hard. And if somehow you were able to reprofile the blade there's even a crack forming in the middle of the blade which would no doubt lead it to breaking right in half at some point. Such a disappointment. This can't be real 3V or they are using some fancy marketing to burn people. Maybe they just have the very edge as 3V but the rest isn't. Who the hell knows...but I have some cheap rat tail $15 Mora which was stainless steel and not even carbon steel that I used to baton through the same wood and had zero problems. Such a HUGE disappointment.

That should not happen with cpm 3v.
Watch on YTube "CPM 3V knife abuse test"
@Jonslaught
You asked for it!
not made in china,taiwan,japan or colorado EARTH

MADE IN HELL

Cold Steel Special Projects (Limited Edition only for crew members)
Lynn went to hell and back with it!He chopped the devils leg (above the knee

) with that prototype (while heat treating it)

...... and the competitors in colorado are still proud of a simple hole in their blade. :very_drunk:

UCPOPO · Jan 29, 2016

sean1999 said:
How did that chip occur? Are these newer steels more prone to chipping?

That's why you don't baton with a hunting knife. I will never understand the love for batoning.

Kwon Kwang · Jan 29, 2016

UCPOPO said:
That's why you don't baton with a hunting knife. I will never understand the love for batoning.

This. The scuffs in the knife seem to indicate it was batonned with.

Jonslaught · Jan 29, 2016

UCPOPO said:
That's why you don't baton with a hunting knife. I will never understand the love for batoning.

Thats not why. Length is why. This is a separate issue, chipping should never happen, period. Chipping reveals a weakness in the blade's production. A higher end steel blade like this, send it back, get a replacement. You could baton 1000 times and never have this happen with another one, who knows? Production errors can happen fairly often, when they do -- send it back.

I understand the disdain for batonning in regards that splitting wood is an axe's job, but lets not use a chip in a hunting knife as an avenue for bashing batonning. That was funny because batonning is pretty much, in itself, bashing. Shouldn't baton batonning. Conundrum.

Krusher said:
@sean1999
@Jonslaught
You asked for it!
not made in china,taiwan,japan or colorado EARTH
MADE IN HELL

Cold Steel Special Projects (Limited Edition only for crew members)
Lynn went to hell and back with it!He chopped the devils leg (above the knee) with that prototype (while heat treating it)

...... and the competitors in colorado are still proud of a simple hole in their blade. :very_drunk:

Nice MS Paint mock up, btw. Forged in Hell and could be used to dine there as well! I say this because the recurved version looks like the 300 sword. Hell, and they were Spartans, like the CS knife I mentioned earlier. It all comes full circle.

sean1999 · Jan 29, 2016

@Krusher, thanks for the background info. Make you wonder if they should of just stuck with the AUS8 steel.

Aleous · Jan 30, 2016

This really worries me as I really wanted to get either a AK-47 field knife or a new SRK in 3v but seeing something like a large chip in something like 3v just stops me in my tracks. Since it's probably a heat treat problem I hope this is just an isolated incident, it's the only report on this kind of damage to a cs 3v blade I've come across though I do hope CS is investigating this.

KenHash · Jan 30, 2016

sean1999 said:
@Krusher, thanks for the background info. Make you wonder if they should of just stuck with the AUS8 steel.

Cold Steel hasn't made an Aus8 Master Hunter since 2005. Which is really weird since they went to Aus8 on the SRK.
From 2006 onwards the MH has only been made in VG1 Sanmai. Only in 2015 did they introduce a carbon steel version
again since Carbon V's demise.

But that's really a shocking photo since it's 3V. Although naturally I'm curious as to how it was used to end up like that.

The Whip · Jan 30, 2016

knife chop said:
They should just mold it around the tang similar to what fallkniven does. it creates a solid handle that wont come loose. the problem with press fit is that the tang and the kraton itself has variances and that will definitely cause issue.

Hmmm. Since Hattori manufactures both the Fallkniven knives and the Cold Steel San Mai models, I'm guessing the manufacturing techniques are identical.

I've owned Cold Steel fixed blades with Kraton (very early models and later, after the durometer rating was increased) and Kray-Ex handles on just about every steel they've offered, and I've never experienced a loose fitting. That includes some Seconds offerings that contain gaps in the handle/guard junction and in the handle/tang junction, but still they exhibit no loosening of the handle.

I think Krusher simply has lemons (or counterfeits). He should follow Ken's advice and submit them to a local Cold Steel dealer for a warranty return. Complaining about the situation without attempting to have it resolved accomplishes nothing.

sean1999, to answer your questions: No, loose handles are not common. Yes, Cold Steel will fix/replace it if you purchase one that's defective. I personally think the elegance of the San Mai models is worth the cost difference. But if you're going for straightforward utility, the VG-1 models will suit, or you might wait for the new 3-V offerings. Alternatively, you can try to track down some of the Carbon V knives. They will definitely not disappoint; though with the design and materials improvements Cold Steel has made over the years, the Carbon V models aren't quite as de facto superior as they once were.

-Steve

KenHash · Jan 30, 2016

Just to be accurate, Hattori makes all the Fallkniven fixed blades as well as the larger CS Sanmai models.
However, the SRK (Aus8 & Sanmai), Recon Tanto (Aus8&Sanmai) and the Master Hunter(Sanmai) are made
by the Kinryu factory also in Seki. But Kinryu has an enormously long history of making kraton and kraton-type
handled fixed blades besides the SRK- all of SOG's seki knives (excluding the S1 and S2), nearly all of Mike
Stewart's Seki Blackjack knives, Phil Hoffman's Seki Condor knives, etc.

sean1999 · Jan 30, 2016

@ The Whip, thanks for the input. There are a few left over AUS8 SRK's out there.....or else I'll just wait till the prices drop on the new models, LOL!

Kwon Kwang · Jan 30, 2016

The Whip said:
Hmmm. Since Hattori manufactures both the Fallkniven knives and the Cold Steel San Mai models, I'm guessing the manufacturing techniques are identical.

I've owned Cold Steel fixed blades with Kraton (very early models and later, after the durometer rating was increased) and Kray-Ex handles on just about every steel they've offered, and I've never experienced a loose fitting. That includes some Seconds offerings that contain gaps in the handle/guard junction and in the handle/tang junction, but still they exhibit no loosening of the handle.

I think Krusher simply has lemons (or counterfeits). He should follow Ken's advice and submit them to a local Cold Steel dealer for a warranty return. Complaining about the situation without attempting to have it resolved accomplishes nothing.

sean1999, to answer your questions: No, loose handles are not common. Yes, Cold Steel will fix/replace it if you purchase one that's defective. I personally think the elegance of the San Mai models is worth the cost difference. But if you're going for straightforward utility, the VG-1 models will suit, or you might wait for the new 3-V offerings. Alternatively, you can try to track down some of the Carbon V knives. They will definitely not disappoint; though with the design and materials improvements Cold Steel has made over the years, the Carbon V models aren't quite as de facto superior as they once were.

-Steve

I got both Carbon V and San Mai III! Love these blades!

Nothing is loose on either model. The kraton on the guard has worn a little on the San Mai model from the sheath. It's no biggie.

Jonslaught · Jan 30, 2016

KenHash said:
But that's really a shocking photo since it's 3V. Although naturally I'm curious as to how it was used to end up like that.

Shouldn't matter against wood. And its 3v, no excuse for that. Maybe Cold Steel is taking 3v out of its element by making it too hard. As high as 61HRC, I heard it through the grapevine! Marvin Gaye aside, is that true that their 3v is that high on the scale, I have heard it here, but anyone in particular know for shore?

UCPOPO · Jan 30, 2016

Jonslaught said:
Shouldn't matter against wood. And its 3v, no excuse for that. Maybe Cold Steel is taking 3v out of its element by making it too hard. As high as 61HRC, I heard it through the grapevine! Marvin Gaye aside, is that true that their 3v is that high on the scale, I have heard it here, but anyone in particular know for shore?

I've had some great 3V up to 62HRC. Gets razor sharp and holds and edge forever but does not work well for impact work.

Jonslaught · Jan 30, 2016

UCPOPO said:
I've had some great 3V up to 62HRC. Gets razor sharp and holds and edge forever but does not work well for impact work.

I wonder then, if CS treats their 3v blades differently. Harder with the hunter and maybe softer for the AK Field, SRK, RT, Warcraft. Especially the AK Field, that blade is designed to be a companion knife like the BK2 and ESEE 5, in that multitask, harder use class.
Cold Steel really needa step up n let a customer know. They tout the blade at "3V! ROAR!" and everyone expects it to be tough as nails not knowing the Rockwell is hard and have that chip happen.

Krusher · Jan 31, 2016

The Whip

I think Krusher simply has lemons (or counterfeits). He should follow Ken's advice and submit them to a local Cold Steel dealer for a warranty return. Complaining about the situation without attempting to have it resolved accomplishes nothing.

yes sure its a counterfeit.Its not so easy to send something to america.First i will have to get the paper that i send something for repair.Because if cs sends it back to me i have to proof that it was in repair and not a new order(because of taxes)Plus the waiting if it arrives here in germany i will have to wait there like 3 hours.

We have someone here who calls himself "cold steels official dealer".I asked him if he is responsible for cs products(sending them back to america)
he told me "only if it was bought from us" WOW awesome service from an official dealer (no i did not bought it from him)
He is even listed on cs website as an dealer.

KenHash

I understand that you are upset that the handle came loose on what you consider to be an "expensive" knife. The term is relative to each individual.

Its not expensive for me.
BUT lets be honest its not cheap for what you get.i dont think much ppl here would buy it for 190$ ? for 110$ yes but not for the price i paid for it.
forget about the knife i dont cry about it i just want to warn ppl that there can be a problem with the handle.(especially the ppl outside america because its not so easy for us to send something back)+ i just answered sean1999 question.(just the truth no fanboy lies)

That's why you don't baton with a hunting knife. I will never understand the love for batoning.

I agree.I watched many video from nutnfancy

and everytime you see non-stop wood processing action ....WITH A KNIFE.
BUT since this shit(with the srk)happend to me i will test every knife for defects when i receive them.Just some batoning(only if the knife was made for strong use like military)...if it fails its worthless.
Why? Because we have a law here that the dealer has to give me replacement IF something fails in 2 years......i bought the srk in the same month with a fällkniven a1.(back then 3-4year ago)so i put the srk in my collection and the a1 was my outdoor knife.
in this 3-4 years i never used my srk.just last week i used it for the first time (in the kitchen)after the work i notice some wobble inside the handle.(not much but i think it will develop more if i use)
no big deal if this would happen to my A1 because i used it for outdoor(3-4years).(btw no my a1 has 0% wobble)
but this srk is like new and that wobble makes it feel like some chinese knife.

@Kwon Kwang
not a singel user was found on that pic

[video=youtube;9UZ2h2ExIkI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UZ2h2ExIkI[/video]
hmm maybe he got a counterfeit

(SRK and Gurkha Kukri)
thats 2 in a row for him....he might hit the hat trick

Krusher · Jan 31, 2016

@sean1999
NO cpm 3v is much better than aus8a. But the question is WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?
The user wrote he was battoning 2 inch piece of wood (while that happened)he told that he finished the job with his MORA (and it didnt fail)

Possible:
#1 he just lied and was batoning through steel

#2 bad heat treat but this means that it will be at least 50+ master hunters on the market with the same flaws(because they dont heat treat just 1 blade at the same time)and if his master hunter passed QC then the others passed it too

And some lucky guy(on bladeforums ) gets one of these.and post some pics after hard use (slicing newspaper)
and writes something like "my master hunter never let me down through all those years ..and everytime it took the beating like a champ"
while the blade dont even have a scratch on it.

Only cs/the customer from amazon/the chinese ppl that produced this know the truth

and like the amazon reviewer said "WHO THE HELL KNOWS WHAT STEEL THEY USE"

The Whip · Jan 31, 2016

KenHash said:
Just to be accurate, Hattori makes all the Fallkniven fixed blades as well as the larger CS Sanmai models.
However, the SRK (Aus8 & Sanmai), Recon Tanto (Aus8&Sanmai) and the Master Hunter(Sanmai) are made
by the Kinryu factory also in Seki. But Kinryu has an enormously long history of making kraton and kraton-type
handled fixed blades besides the SRK- all of SOG's seki knives (excluding the S1 and S2), nearly all of Mike
Stewart's Seki Blackjack knives, Phil Hoffman's Seki Condor knives, etc.

Whoops, my mistake. I didn't know that the smaller San Mai models were manufactured by other than Hattori. Thanks for the clarification, Ken.

sean1999 said:
@ The Whip, thanks for the input. There are a few left over AUS8 SRK's out there.....or else I'll just wait till the prices drop on the new models, LOL!

Whichever steel you go with, the SRK is a great, rugged knife. Please let us know what you think after you've gotten yours.

Kwon Kwang said:
I got both Carbon V and San Mai III! Love these blades!

Awesome choices, Kwon! You've got two of the best Recon selections, in my opinion. I'll find one eventually, but I always regret that I never picked up one of the Carbon V Recons back when they were so prevalent and inexpensive.

Jonslaught said:
Shouldn't matter against wood. And its 3v, no excuse for that. Maybe Cold Steel is taking 3v out of its element by making it too hard.

I disagree. I know that 3-V is extremely tough, but no steel is immune to over-stressing. And different designs, even if executed in the same steel, imply different functions. That guy wasn't carving wood, he was batoning through a round branch with a hunting knife. By any sane reasoning, he was using that knife for an activity for which it was never intended.

The Master Hunter is lauded in Cold Steel's advertising for its cutting ability. If that chip had resulted from an accidental strike against a bone, then I'd say it was an issue. If it occurred in an SRK, I might raise an eyebrow and wonder about the heat treatment. But under the circumstances described, that guy got exactly what he should have expected.

As others have mentioned, I'll never understand the modern fixation on batoning with knives. That's what hatchets were invented for! I grasp that emergencies arise and people want to know how far they can push their tools, but if I had to go into the woods with just a knife, it wouldn't be with any knife smaller, weaker, or less multifunctional than a Trail Master. And even then, I doubt I'd baton with it. There are other, better ways to split wood.

Krusher said:
yes sure its a counterfeit.

I comprehend your sarcasm, but it's been known to happen, particularly outside of America:

http://coldsteelforums.com/Fake-Recon-Tanto-m220474.aspx

I also understand your frustration with your loose handles and the difficulty in getting them fixed from Germany. Your tale is a cautionary one, and I'm sure that sean1999 appreciates examples of differing experiences. But your first batch of posts upon joining Blade Forums has been focused on berating the quality of Cold Steel knives (and, by extension, Cold Steel's reputation as a company) in the Cold Steel subforum because you've got two bad examples that Cold Steel has no chance of examining or addressing. Meanwhile, the rest of us are saying that, based on our collective experience (which is significant), your knives are anomolies. But you don't seem satisfied with leaving it at that. Do you see why it appears as though you're pushing an agenda instead of simply making a point?

I'm sorry that you got some bad knives and you're stuck with them. But impugning the rest of us by implying that we just aren't using our knives hard enough is nothing but misguided baiting, particularly since you admit that it wasn't use that caused your handles to loosen in the first place.

For what it's worth, while researching my response to this topic, I ran across an interesting story from a guy who broke his Recon Tanto in half at the handle while using it in the woods. As the details unfolded, it turned out that he had unwittingly purchased an old Carbon V Second from an unscrupulous (or ignorant) seller on E-Bay. He sent it in to Cold Steel. Despite the fact that the knife 1) was purchased second-hand, 2) was a Second, which is not warranted, and 3) was used in woodcraft, which is hardly the intended purpose of a Recon Tanto, Cold Steel still sent him a brand new knife. That is some noteworthy customer service!

If you're interested, here's the link:

http://edcforums.com/threads/cold-steel-recon-tanto-snaps-in-two.71412/

-Steve