The Cold Steel SR1 and SR1 Lite are the toughest and strongest folding knives in the world...

Status
Not open for further replies.
DocJD said:
Fine for "spreading mustard" but sketchy for any real hard use , IMO . :p

Compared to the Tri-ad lock , liner locks are just generally pretty structurally weak and failure prone . That's just a fact . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Or, looking at it another way: compared to slip joints, liner locks provide a far safer tool when the blade is fully opened! :D
 
DocJD said:
But, with a slippy , at least you've got no false expectations . ;)
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I’m experimenting with carrying one for the next twelve months. Like most people of a certain age, I grew up with slip joint folders, so I have a healthy respect for those wicked little blades! :D
 
Pilsner said:
Absolutely! I’m experimenting with carrying one for the next twelve months. Like most people of a certain age, I grew up with slip joint folders, so I have a healthy respect for those wicked little blades! :D
Click to expand...

I started EDC'ing a slip joint, a Schrade stockman, in 1975 when I was a teenager and carried one for about ten years. I bought my first "modern" EDC (one-hand locking folder) in the late '80s when I purchased my first Benchmade (Mini-AFCK). But today, I carry a small slip joint in my front pocket for times when using a modern EDC might cause concern to knife-sensitive folks who may be present. Plus, the little slip joint is just plain handy.

It's an old Lipic advertising knife I removed the advertising from, manufactured by Camillus in NY.
5QldSoC.jpg


Anyway, the point I wanted to make is that I don't remember ever having a slip joint knife close on my fingers... It may have (probably?) happened when I was a kid and I learned to be careful but I don't remember it?

Regardless, the Tri-Ad lock gives me all the peace of mind I could hope for in a locking knife! I think that's my attraction to the SR1. It is exponentially over-built to perform anything I'd ever ask a knife to do. Maybe to the point of losing some practicality, but sometimes I buy knives that are more fun than practical!
 
jill jackson said:
Cold Steel has the Broken Skull, which is thin behind the edge and still has the strong lock. Just has a stupid name, but otherwise cuts pretty good and it weighs right at 3 oz .
Click to expand...
That one has sparked my interest a few times. Never did pull the trigger though.
It's worth mentioning that the Finn Bear I had from Cold steel was extremely sharp and still quite tough for what it was.
Super good bang for the buck from Cold steel in general.
That's another one I like but haven't gotten around to replacing/ buying. There really are a lot knives to choose from
when you live in a knife-friendly area. Sky's the limit but my bank account doesn't go nearly that high.
 
In the slicey department my Voyagers do quite well. I also have a Broken Skull (really stupid name) which is certainly slicey enough for me. If the clip were no so tight (haven't adjusted it yet) it would get more pocket time. BTW: It has a really stupid name billboarded on it.

I have sometimes taken to carrying two knives (sometimes more if SAKs and multi-tools count) - one for slicing and the other for just about everything and anything else. In the case of the latter, various Cold Steel offerings had filled the bill. The AD-10 is my favorite but that SR-1 Lite does not give the pause that my beloved AD-10 does when something particularly dirty or tough presents itself.
 
SALTY said:
In the slicey department my Voyagers do quite well. I also have a Broken Skull (really stupid name) which is certainly slicey enough for me. If the clip were no so tight (haven't adjusted it yet) it would get more pocket time. BTW: It has a really stupid name billboarded on it.

I have sometimes taken to carrying two knives (sometimes more if SAKs and multi-tools count) - one for slicing and the other for just about everything and anything else. In the case of the latter, various Cold Steel offerings had filled the bill. The AD-10 is my favorite but that SR-1 Lite does not give the pause that my beloved AD-10 does when something particularly dirty or tough presents itself.
Click to expand...
True, that FFG is amazing. Cold Steel needs to use full flat more often.
 
DocJD said:
Fine for "spreading mustard" but sketchy for any real hard use , IMO . :p

Compared to the Tri-ad lock , liner locks are just generally pretty structurally weak and failure prone . That's just a fact . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I agree that the Tri-ad lock is stronger and more reliable. It is probably the best lock for this type of knife.

I don't think quality liner locks are sketchy for hard use knife tasks though. Prying, hammering, scaling walls, stabbing cars, all sketchy with any knife.
 
MBG said:
I agree that the Tri-ad lock is stronger and more reliable. It is probably the best lock for this type of knife.

I don't think quality liner locks are sketchy for hard use knife tasks though. Prying, hammering, scaling walls, stabbing cars, all sketchy with any knife.
Click to expand...
I only have one liner lock knife, the Spyderco Resilience. It’s good enough for reasonable cutting tasks. The lock doesn’t feel flimsy at all. We wouldn’t see liner locks left and right from different knife brands if they had a high failure rate.

That said, I still prefer Tri-Ad locks and back locks.
 
Have a Rajah III in my pocket right now (so overlooked) and an SR1 Lite Tanto in the mail. For the $40 I paid new the kid in me couldn't not buy it .

Cold Steel has been my go to for fun, unique, hard use designs that actually live up to their hype. The Colossus is one of my favorite big blade folders of all time and the Bush Ranger is likely the best all around knife I own. Steel snobs plug your ears . Choice of steel aside CS has always done outstanding with their heat treatment on their blades so while 8CR13mov isn’t a stellar choice for most I’m certain it’ll be perfectly fine for what the SR1 Lite is made for...a grown man acting like a 12y/o in the woods or tinkering in his garage . I’m looking forward to trying this one out. I’ll report back once I do.
 
number41 said:
Like it or not, the triad lock is superior to any other lock on the market.
Click to expand...
Sure, if you don't mind a lock that is a bit more difficult to disengage sometimes requiring a wiggle in order to get it "let go" and takes up a sizeable amount of space in order to have all the room it needs to work to lock up. It's not A LOT, but the handles to seem to be a touch longer to fit in all that lock up.

We all get it. It's strong, but it isn't the be all, end all lock that every knife should have. The argument works both ways: Some one will post a video of a Triad knife surviving a whack test of several hundred pounds and exclaim, "See! Strong!"

Then someone will point to several hundred years of people generally not cutting their fingers off with every other lock or non-lock and exclaim, "See! Irrelevant!"

The long and the short of it, for me, is that the quality, aesthetic, and ergonomics of most Cold Steel knives sporting the Triad lock don't work in my hand or fit my needs. I'm one of those weirdos who packs a folding knife knowing that is a compromise by physical design when compared to a fixed blade, and most of the time my folding knife needs are not the same as what I require from the strength of a fixed blade.

I have never been put in a situation where the LOCK was going to be the defining factor whether pressing my folding knife into a abusive task was going to cause it to fail. I take a lot more issue with a folding knife of any design or maker being made out of a couple of slabs of material held together with pins and/or screws simply due to the nature of making something that folds. IMHO, it's like worrying how strong the door locks are on an old open top jeep. In a roll over, if the doors hold, it's just going to help contain all the gore and viscera in one spot instead of spreading you all over the pavement 😉

I'm all for lock innovation. I think we should, as a species, strive to not cut our fingers off with our tools. I just will never get into a tribal entrenchment over a lock style. I think the Benchmade Axis lock is overly complicated and more prone to fail in time when compared to the Triad. However, if I bugger my Adamas' frame batoning it or blow out an Omega spring after cycling it 10,000 times, I'm pretty sure I will be able to send it in and have it fixed. The Cold Steel Voyager I purchased before the company sold? Ehhhh. Given the thus far track record of the company who has purchased them, I'm not holding my breath if I strip a pin using my knife while I count on the indestructible lock.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Sure, if you don't mind a lock that is a bit more difficult to disengage sometimes requiring a wiggle in order to get it "let go" and takes up a sizeable amount of space in order to have all the room it needs to work to lock up. It's not A LOT, but the handles to seem to be a touch longer to fit in all that lock up.

We all get it. It's strong, but it isn't the be all, end all lock that every knife should have. The argument works both ways: Some one will post a video of a Triad knife surviving a whack test of several hundred pounds and exclaim, "See! Strong!"

Then someone will point to several hundred years of people generally not cutting their fingers off with every other lock or non-lock and exclaim, "See! Irrelevant!"

The long and the short of it, for me, is that the quality, aesthetic, and ergonomics of most Cold Steel knives sporting the Triad lock don't work in my hand or fit my needs. I'm one of those weirdos who packs a folding knife knowing that is a compromise by physical design when compared to a fixed blade, and most of the time my folding knife needs are not the same as what I require from the strength of a fixed blade.

I have never been put in a situation where the LOCK was going to be the defining factor whether pressing my folding knife into a abusive task was going to cause it to fail. I take a lot more issue with a folding knife of any design or maker being made out of a couple of slabs of material held together with pins and/or screws simply due to the nature of making something that folds. IMHO, it's like worrying how strong the door locks are on an old open top jeep. In a roll over, if the doors hold, it's just going to help contain all the gore and viscera in one spot instead of spreading you all over the pavement 😉

I'm all for lock innovation. I think we should, as a species, strive to not cut our fingers off with our tools. I just will never get into a tribal entrenchment over a lock style. I think the Benchmade Axis lock is overly complicated and more prone to fail in time when compared to the Triad. However, if I bugger my Adamas' frame batoning it or blow out an Omega spring after cycling it 10,000 times, I'm pretty sure I will be able to send it in and have it fixed. The Cold Steel Voyager I purchased before the company sold? Ehhhh. Given the thus far track record of the company who has purchased them, I'm not holding my breath if I strip a pin using my knife while I count on the indestructible lock.
Click to expand...
Well said.

Had a member post a couple of years ago requesting a replacement pivot bolt/screw head for an SR1, claimed theirs had sheared off.

For some, lock strength is the end all for a folder. I’ll counter that materials used in the construction and overall design of the folder should be considered as well, ultimately this is what supports the lock.
 
I like the TriAD lock and think that the SR1 is a very good knife; the SR1 Lite (I have two of them) provides very good value for the money.

That being said, the world is a very big place - with lots and lots of knives on it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top