Cold Steel SRK Review
Cold Steel, Incorporated was founded in 1980, a company dedicated to making the strongest, sharpest knives in the world.
Over the last three decades, Cold Steel has been at the forefront of the many innovations that have helped to define the knife industry as a whole. Progressive accomplishment, including the introduction of the checked Kraton® handles, and the tanto point blade styles have gone from curiously interesting features to industry-wide hallmarks of quality and sophistication.
New ground was also broken with the introduction of unique new blade steels like San Mai III® and Tri-Ad™ Lock& locking mechanism for folding knives. Tri-Ad™ Lock for example, has never been equaled by any of Cold Steel’s competitors and nothing they have produced yet has been proven to outperform it.
Of course Cold Steel will always look to the future, constantly striving to make the world’s strongest, sharpest knives. That goal as elusive and difficult to achieve as it is, has been the same for the past thirty years.
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Cold Steel SRK Pros
Many consumers commented that the Cold Steel SRK survival knife was extremely sharp right out of the box. It usually is the other way around when you get a knife. Consumers liked how the Cold Steel SRK survival knife felt in their hands and said it had a good balance and was well proportioned. Consumers also stated that the blade was strong and can hold its edge. Many said they had beat on this knife and it still held up.
Cold Steel SRK Cons
One common complaint about the Cold Steel SRK survival knife was the sheath. The sheath is made of plastic and doesn’t hold the knife very well when the strap isn’t buttoned. Consumers contacted Cold Steel by email about the sheath and never received an answer to their questions. Some consumers said they ordered this product and received a knock off of the knife so be aware of who you purchase the knife from.
Conclusion
There were a few issues with the Cold Steel SRK survival knife but nothing too serious. It seems that knife is durable, sharp, and can withstand abuse. This is what we look for in a good survival knife. If there are any drawbacks of the Cold Steel SRK survival knife it’s the sheath. Consumers complained that the sheath didn’t hold the knife very well. This can be a problem for some. We feel that this is a great survival knife with a sub par sheath. Based on the consumer reviews we feel that this survival knife is a good buy with the exception of the sheath. Consumers that didn’t like the sheath still gave the Cold Steel SRK survival knife either four or five star ratings. That speaks volumes about the Cold Steel SRK survival knife.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Rating
One of the best values out there for the money. I have had mine for several years and it has never let me down; it replaced my K-bar as my all purpose fixed blade knife. Perfect size — not too small for a varity of jobs, when you need more than a folding knife; not too large for easy carrrying and handling.
Rating
I called cold steel and they assured me that this is not what I thought it was going to be. I ordered this knife with the understanding that I was getting a carbon V blade steel. What I was told by Cold Steel is in fact, this knife is AUS8 steel. I do like the knife, but will never order from this vendor, because they either do not know what it is they are selling, or they know that it is just too much of a hardship to send it all back. I am going to keep this knife, but will be attending the parking lot sale for Cold Steel in May of this year. They (Cold Steel) requested that I do so, because they want to look at it and the box it came in. But based on what I had told them and what I described to them, they assured me that this knife is in fact NOT CARBON V. I am disappointed in the vendor for not giving me what I paid for, but knowing that after returning it and all the cost and time, makes it not worth it to keep doing business with them. I guess “Buyer Beware” applies here. PLEASE SEE ALL NEW POSTS BELOW FOR MORE INFO. Thanks a bunch. DanL
Rating
Just by comparing the pictures of this knife with the actual one on the Cold Steel website, you can tell that this one is not the real thing. Please do not purchase as it only degrades the credibility of the true product and gives their company a bad name. Another factor to think about is how could Amazon possibly sell this item to you for about half the cost on the already down-marked real SRK? I have seen many CS replicas on the net and it is sad to see them on Amazon as well.
Rating
I’ve read many a reviews about knives from this specialist and that. I’m not a survivalist, military, or a fanatic. I’m a woman that just wanted to get a knife that fit into my hand comfortably, came with a sheath, and could stand the abuse of me doing jobs around the house. This thing has survived all sorts of stuff! I’m pretty handy around the house and I’ve been able to cut wiring, start cut drywall, open any packaging, carve plastic anything, chop wood (2 x 4), split small fire wood, mis-behaving appliance recombobulation…. Oh, and all my male friends are totally jealous! The thing is just a good looking knife. The handle has no molded grips so it fits into my little hand just fine (unlike most fixed blade knives that come with molded finger holds). This knife is light and I feel like I have control over it when I hold it. Finally, it comes with a handy plastic sheath that is easy to get the knife in and out of. And yes ladies, the thing *is* too big to fit into your purse!
Rating
This is an excellent blade for outdoors, survival and self-defense. Very strong blade, super sharp and holds its’ edge. One of the thickest blades on the market. If it’s good enough for the Navy SEALS to depend on, then it’s good enough for me! Amazon had the best price around for this blade.
Rating
I’ve been hiking and camping since I was 7(I’m 45). I also hunt, fish and am interested in survivalist stuff. Last year I served in Iraq as a medic with an infantry unit, this knife was one of the ones that I kept in a very handy place for close up encounters with the locals. It is a tough reliable blade. I loved it so much that I bought the cold steel Tanto, and I was never a fan of that style of blade.
Rating
I’ve never been a huge Cold Steel fan (cheap China made stuff, marketing hype, etc.) but I bought this to compliment a few USMC Ka-Bars I’ve had over the years. I’m sad to report that in a lot of ways, it might just be better than the Ka-Bar.
Firstly, the sheath is a little cheesier than I had assumed from internet reviews and such but for $60 you can’t have it all I guess. My main issue is the fit around the handle at the mouth of the sheath is not secure enough to hold the knife in place if inverted. Not that I really need that capability as some other people might, but the sheath is definitely not a tight fit around the handle. You’ll need the button-fasten strap to hold it in place under even moderate movement. I’m contemplating getting a custom sheath made however since I like the knife itself so much. Talk to Robert at [...]; it’s my next stop after typing this up.
Secondly, the steel is AUS8 and the knife shows made in Japan, so it’s really quite decent for the price especially compared to some of the other craptastic China-made stuff from CS and other makers. I’ve had AUS8 Spydercos for years and always found that steel perfectly fine for my uses. I stropped it lightly after opening the package and it was literally shaving sharp right out of the box.
Finally, it’s nice and stout at the spine and squared off for flint rod striking. It feels nice in the hand (good balance and proportions) and the handle is grippy without feeling sticky or greasy or cheap.
I haven’t worked it hard yet, but barring anything catastrophic I think it’s a great general use utility blade. You’d really have to work hard to do worse than this for the price. My SRK was kind of an impulse buy since I’ve always had Ka-Bars and such but it’ll always have a home in my toolkit of working knives. Heck, for the price I think I’ll pick up another real soon for a spare.