Cold steel SRK sk5 pros and cons....

Bayou Bill said:
There's a video that Gideonstactical posted that reviews the 3v version. In the review, he mentions that he called Cold Steel and spoke to someone that said the sk5 will most likely be changed to a flat grind in the future. That was about 8 months ago. Curious to know if this ever happened as it seems like it would be one of those quiet changes companies make to a product.
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Well, my Recon Tanto is still hollow-grind.
 
Bayou Bill said:
There's a video that Gideonstactical posted that reviews the 3v version. In the review, he mentions that he called Cold Steel and spoke to someone that said the sk5 will most likely be changed to a flat grind in the future. That was about 8 months ago. Curious to know if this ever happened as it seems like it would be one of those quiet changes companies make to a product.
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Out of curiosity, I recently purchased an SK5 model SRK. It has a hollow grind.
 
I very recently bought a second hand, but unused Srk in Aus8. I'm not sure but it appears to be a flat sabre grind rather than hollow grind. And the coating is smooth.
I've seen a couple of videos showing this exact version taking ridiculous treatment and surviving. Though many look down on Aus8 it seems a very serviceable steel, relatively tough, stainless and easy to sharpen.
 
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Ok. The Cold Steel SRK has been one of my favorite knife designs ever. My old, beat up, 20 something Carbon V SRK was the first “expensive” knife I bought. In my youth, it was my grail knife, and I saved up many a dollar to finally purchase it. Quite a step up from my 5 dollar flea market knives! That knife became my adventure companion, and never, ever failed me.

Many years later I’ve owned a lot of high end knives, $500 Randall’s, custom Bushcraft knives, $300 BHK survival knives, and that old SRK still holds a special place for me.

So I have recently picked up a SK5 SRK and proceeded to test it out and beat the crap out of it. My general thoughts? If ONE thing was changed (back) the SK5 SRK would hands down be the best buy in survival knives. Better than the Mora Bushcraft Black, and knocking on the heals of the Carbon Garberg (I own both).

I love ALMOST everything about the new SK5 SRK. The steel is tough, holds a good edge, and sharpens very easily. The spine is sharp enough to strike a fero rod, or scrape bark, even without stripping the paint. The balance and ergonomics are unparalleled. A knife that is comfortable to use all day is a glorious thing!

It is not a full tang BUT, the tang IS very stout, and will take a hell of a lot of abuse.

And now the bad...

I feel that ALL of the new SRKs problems stem from the new hollow grind. If the new SK5 SRK had a saber grind (like my Carbon V version) it would be perfection! I lOVE the way the new grind brings the edge closer to the handle...WIN! But there is NO QUESTION that the hollow grind weakens the tip...
I have pics to add, but I can’t figure out how to add them haha!
 
Bad Wolf Bushcraft said:
Ok. The Cold Steel SRK has been one of my favorite knife designs ever. My old, beat up, 20 something Carbon V SRK was the first “expensive” knife I bought. In my youth, it was my grail knife, and I saved up many a dollar to finally purchase it. Quite a step up from my 5 dollar flea market knives! That knife became my adventure companion, and never, ever failed me.

Many years later I’ve owned a lot of high end knives, $500 Randall’s, custom Bushcraft knives, $300 BHK survival knives, and that old SRK still holds a special place for me.

So I have recently picked up a SK5 SRK and proceeded to test it out and beat the crap out of it. My general thoughts? If ONE thing was changed (back) the SK5 SRK would hands down be the best buy in survival knives. Better than the Mora Bushcraft Black, and knocking on the heals of the Carbon Garberg (I own both).

I love ALMOST everything about the new SK5 SRK. The steel is tough, holds a good edge, and sharpens very easily. The spine is sharp enough to strike a fero rod, or scrape bark, even without stripping the paint. The balance and ergonomics are unparalleled. A knife that is comfortable to use all day is a glorious thing!

It is not a full tang BUT, the tang IS very stout, and will take a hell of a lot of abuse.

And now the bad...

I feel that ALL of the new SRKs problems stem from the new hollow grind. If the new SK5 SRK had a saber grind (like my Carbon V version) it would be perfection! I lOVE the way the new grind brings the edge closer to the handle...WIN! But there is NO QUESTION that the hollow grind weakens the tip...
I have pics to add, but I can’t figure out how to add them haha!
Click to expand...
The SRK compact has a saber grind with flat sides, not hollow.
 
I can confirm that SRK Compact has saber grind. I unpacked it yesterday ;).
SRK san mai (VG10) has hollow grind (i returned it a week ago).
Any info on SRK SK5 "normal" size? Is it still hollow or it has saber grind?
 
fielder said:
I very recently bought a second hand, but unused Srk in Aus8. I'm not sure but it appears to be a flat sabre grind rather than hollow grind. And the coating is smooth.
I've seen a couple of videos showing this exact version taking ridiculous treatment and surviving. Though many look down on Aus8 it seems a very serviceable steel, relatively tough, stainless and easy to sharpen.
Click to expand...

knarfeng said:
I hold a similar opinion.
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Agreed on the AUS8. I do not share the commonly expressed disdain for the steel. It is very tough and perhaps the easiest to sharpen commonly used stainless I've ever experienced. It's really easy to get a very, very sharp, thin edge.

I never considered an SAK in AUS8, but the combination has a lot of merit.
 
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