Thoughts on the Cold Steel SR-1

Wolverine666

Wolverine666

Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Messages
6,642
I have never owned a Cold Steel knife. Spyderco , CRK , ZT (non-flippers) and BM seem to attract me more.

But I’m very interested in the CS Demko AD-10. Looks great all the way around. Unfortunately, it’s sold out everywhere that I’ve been looking. So , for now , I’m looking for something that is comparably beefy. I’ve been checking out the ZT 0640 and CS SR-1 lately.

So what do you think about the CS SR-1? I like that thick tanto blade.
 
The stuff I have seen on it make it look way too big for my tastes. I learned that with the 4max as well, but didn't realize just how massive the 4max is until I got it in hand.

Probably tougher than it ever would need to be, however the 4max will take the cake in terms of toughness. That said, if you're interested in something along those lines, just remember to always wear a belt and be prepared to dedicate a full pocket to it. The 4max is probably your closest bet to the AD-10 however (but it is a fair bit larger)
 
Agith said:
The stuff I have seen on it make it look way too big for my tastes. I learned that with the 4max as well, but didn't realize just how massive the 4max is until I got it in hand.

Probably tougher than it ever would need to be, however the 4max will take the cake in terms of toughness. That said, if you're interested in something along those lines, just remember to always wear a belt and be prepared to dedicate a full pocket to it. The 4max is probably your closest bet to the AD-10 however (but it is a fair bit larger)
Click to expand...
Yes , I’ve checked out the 4-Max. It looks decent. But I’m not sure how I’d remove the pocket clip since it looks pinned instead of screwed on. I hate clips. And what’s the difference between the Italian made 4-Max and USA made 4-Max? Is one better?
 
I have a CS AD-10 and a CS SR-1 with tanto blade.

For me the AD-10 handle is more comfortable. It's rounded and my hand fill perfectly the space between the two "beaks" (guard and rear guard).

kjOFK7r.jpg


The SR-1 is more blocky with flat G10 heavily textured compared to the AD-10. And for my hand the handle is a little bit too large.
The finger choil is usable contrary to the one on the AD-10 which is too small.

Ge41Yl6.jpg


Initially I really disliked this SR-1 handle but I reprofiled a bit the rear with a sand paper. Now it's better because (for my hand) you can grip it very hard without having a hot spot.
The hand sanding is rough and ugly but I don't care because this knife is a beater (same for the ugly sanding of the blade to remove the CS branding).

j3BfIFg.jpg


In term of construction the SR-1 only has half height steel liners and the rest of the handle is a very thick G10. You can see this on this photo :

OcJIN0U.jpg


The AD-10 has full height aluminum liners and they are a little bit thicker than the steel liners of the SR-1.
The blade of the SR-1 is really thick compared to the already substantial blade of the AD-10 (4,8 mm vs 3,9 mm). It's clearly too thick for a folding knife and the slicing performance is not very good. Obviously the lock of the SR-1 is also thicker than the one on the AD-10.
The SR-1 is heavier but not much (203g vs 194g).

All in all I think I prefer the AD-10 but the SR-1 is still an incredible piece for a avid collector of "hard use" knives like me. Except the 4-Max it's certainly the toughest production knife on the market. And it's still a "semi rational" knife compared to the insane and way too large and crazy heavy 4-Max.

sSdjYfb.jpg
 
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Wolverine666 said:
Yes , I’ve checked out the 4-Max. It looks decent. But I’m not sure how I’d remove the pocket clip since it looks pinned instead of screwed on. I hate clips. And what’s the difference between the Italian made 4-Max and USA made 4-Max? Is one better?
Click to expand...

The clip isn't pinned, the opposite end of all the Chicago screws are just closed off. That said I have heard that overall the italian 4maxes seem to be better in general. More consistent grinding on the blades. However there is very little real difference besides the coloration of the G10 and the origin of production

THe 4max also has full titanium liners, which is why I will assume it is likely tougher than the SR1 when one takes into account that the lockbar is also thicker. THat said the 4max does cut well enough due to the height of the blade.
 
Agith said:
The clip isn't pinned, the opposite end of all the Chicago screws are just closed off. That said I have heard that overall the italian 4maxes seem to be better in general. More consistent grinding on the blades. However there is very little real difference besides the coloration of the G10 and the origin of production
Click to expand...
Oh nice. So I’d be able to remove the clip? Thanks for the info :thumbsup:
 
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patrickguignot said:
I have a CS AD-10 and a CS SR-1 with tanto blade.

For me the AD-10 handle is more comfortable. It's rounded and my hand fill perfectly the space between the two "beaks" (guard and rear guard).

kjOFK7r.jpg


The SR-1 is more blocky with flat G10 heavily textured compared to the AD-10. And for my hand the handle is a little bit too large.
The finger choil is usable contrary to the one on the AD-10 which is too small.

Ge41Yl6.jpg


Initially I really disliked this SR-1 handle but I reprofiled a bit the rear with a sand paper. Now it's better because (for my hand) you can grip it very hard without having a hot spot.
The hand sanding is rough and ugly but I don't care because this knife is a beater (same for the ugly sanding of the blade to remove the CS branding).

j3BfIFg.jpg


In term of construction the SR-1 only has half height steel liners and the rest of the handle is a very thick G10. You can see this on this photo :

OcJIN0U.jpg


The AD-10 has full height aluminum liners and they are a little bit thicker than the steel liners of the SR-1.
The blade of the SR-1 is really thick compared to the already substantial blade of the AD-10 (4,8 mm vs 3,9 mm). It's clearly too thick for a folding knife and the slicing performance is not very good. Obviously the lock of the SR-1 is also thicker than the one on the AD-10.
The SR-1 is heavier but not much (203g vs 194g).

All in all I think I prefer the AD-10 but the SR-1 is still an incredible piece for a avid collector of "hard use" knives like me. Except the 4-Max it's certainly the toughest production knife on the market. And it's still a "semi rational" knife compared to the insane and way too large and crazy heavy 4-Max.

sSdjYfb.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks for the great pics and comparison. That AD-10 looks so nice. If I can figure out how to remove the clip from the 4-Max then I may try that one out too.
 
I owned an SR1, I really liked it. I had to sell it out of necessity, but I'm hoping to buy another. I liked how it felt in hand, and the weight didn't bother me.
 
patrickguignot said:
I have a CS AD-10 and a CS SR-1 with tanto blade.

For me the AD-10 handle is more comfortable. It's rounded and my hand fill perfectly the space between the two "beaks" (guard and rear guard).

kjOFK7r.jpg


The SR-1 is more blocky with flat G10 heavily textured compared to the AD-10. And for my hand the handle is a little bit too large.
The finger choil is usable contrary to the one on the AD-10 which is too small.

Ge41Yl6.jpg


Initially I really disliked this SR-1 handle but I reprofiled a bit the rear with a sand paper. Now it's better because (for my hand) you can grip it very hard without having a hot spot.
The hand sanding is rough and ugly but I don't care because this knife is a beater (same for the ugly sanding of the blade to remove the CS branding).

j3BfIFg.jpg


In term of construction the SR-1 only has half height steel liners and the rest of the handle is a very thick G10. You can see this on this photo :

OcJIN0U.jpg


The AD-10 has full height aluminum liners and they are a little bit thicker than the steel liners of the SR-1.
The blade of the SR-1 is really thick compared to the already substantial blade of the AD-10 (4,8 mm vs 3,9 mm). It's clearly too thick for a folding knife and the slicing performance is not very good. Obviously the lock of the SR-1 is also thicker than the one on the AD-10.
The SR-1 is heavier but not much (203g vs 194g).

All in all I think I prefer the AD-10 but the SR-1 is still an incredible piece for a avid collector of "hard use" knives like me. Except the 4-Max it's certainly the toughest production knife on the market. And it's still a "semi rational" knife compared to the insane and way too large and crazy heavy 4-Max.

sSdjYfb.jpg
Click to expand...
Is the pocket clip removable on the 4-Max?
 
Wolverine666 said:
Is the pocket clip removable on the 4-Max?
Click to expand...

Like I said earlier, they are single ended chicago screws. You can tell from the picture Patrick posted. Meaning the clip can be taken off. I actually did a very involved teardown of a 4max which I have posted the link for.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/italian-coldsteel-4max-detailed-teardown.1571684/

I had it locked due to a complete derailment from the focus, but the info and pictures are there if you'd like to get a view on them. I have some things I'd change looking back but for now it is what it is!
 
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The SR1 is a beast,a bit bulky to carry,and like the AD10 the pocket clip needs to be slightly bent out .Love that massive lockbar on the back.
 
Agith said:
Like I said earlier, they are single ended chicago screws. You can tell from the picture Patrick posted. Meaning the clip can be taken off. I actually did a very involved teardown of a 4max which I have posted the link for.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/italian-coldsteel-4max-detailed-teardown.1571684/

I had it locked due to a complete derailment from the focus, but the info and pictures are there if you'd like to get a view on them. I have some things I'd change looking back but for now it is what it is!
Click to expand...
That’s a great thread there. Nice to see the inner workings of the 4-Max.
 
Sr1 is great for what it's made for heavy duty tactical knife and it will cut but it's not gonna be an eds option for most not as heavily built as the 4max dlt trading had some ad 10s left
 
clearkevin said:
Sr1 is great for what it's made for heavy duty tactical knife and it will cut but it's not gonna be an eds option for most not as heavily built as the 4max dlt trading had some ad 10s left
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, DLT is sold out currently. So an SR-1 or 4-Max will tide me over until I find a place with AD-10’s in stock.

How has the fit and finish been (from your experience) with the SR-1 and 4-Max?
 
Cold steel makes a great knife. I own a Recon 1 spear, Code 4 spear, and Ultimate hunter.

One complaint about the SR1 is what patrick pointed out. The two ridges on the handle (he sanded off the rear one) didn't sit well with my hand. If I bought a SR1, I would sand both of those off. The CS I have fit my hand well.

If you like tantos, I'm guessing you looked at the Code 4 and Recon 1 right? Both with S35VN blades of 3.5 and 4 inches. If you don't mind metal handles (I'm not a fan really) the Code 4 series is great and Recon 1 is a great value imo.
 
jill jackson said:
Mine had a slight bit of up and down play in the blade. Someone on the CS forum here said loosen the screw behind the back lock. I discovered it needed tightening instead. Now it's solid locked open.
r0118g.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice. So aside from that , no real complaints?
 
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