Anything else on the market you would recommend that similar ? Im in the market for a solid survival/tactical fixed blade Basically i just want something that will last my lifetime even if the price is a bit high because these days price reflects quality
@@solideogloria2298 True a little excessive and I do still have it and great price, especially 22 years ago. But still disappointed to see it break after thinking it would hold up better. He did do another review with the higher quality version which held up great.
@@untermensch731 Ordinarily you wouldn't be wrong, copkielevener. But with the particular ways that the knife failed and the quality issues those failures revealed, it made the beautiful design of the knife less attractive when considering that S.R.K. knives should traditionally be able to handle some fairly intense abuse. I can account that the tried and true "sideways smack test" can emulate what could happen if one were to trip or stumble into a tree (or, in my case, a large rock) at just the right angle. Breaking a belt knife on your own hip like that is infuriating. For my purposes, I may spend the same amount of money on an ESEE knife. Or groceries, or the mortgage. We'll see.
They're cheap though lol I'm not hitting it in the middle with a freaking log lmao, but i do use the one he has as a throwing knife and its holding up pretty nice. But damn i thought the tang would be a little hardier...
@@solideogloria2298 True on all points, I don't hit my knives with logs either. At least, not on purpose. The test isn't to see if you can hit it like that without breaking it. The test is to emulate the impact force of either an accident or an emergency hard-use scenario.
The SRK is still an absolutely awesome knife, and for just 30-40 bucks for the sk5 version you really can't go wrong. I did a pretty serious torture test on one myself and was very impressed, I did manage to bend and then break the tip, but it broke in the dumbest way imaginable (tried bending it straight with a crescent wrench, I knew better but did it anyway). I would highly recommend it. Puts the kabar fighting knife to shame.
GMS OUTDOORS is who owns Cold Steel now. We all figured that the knives would go down hill afterwards A investment company owns GMS. So it’s a matter of time before all of cold steel products Succumb to the been counters and will cheapen up every product cold Steel has
Been batoning my SK5 SRK for years, I take it on every camping trip I go on and never had any issues… I don’t hit it on the side between two logs though - very strong front to back. The SRK is also extremely easy to sharpen which is nice.
Yaaa i bought this bc it was claimed navy seals swore by it lol i had it a week before I destroyed it and cold steel sent me another so I promptly destroyed it doing normal bush craft shit then sent it back with a letter on what and how to fix it…glad to see they didnt read or gaf
The Navy Seals dont carry that Cheap SK-5 Model lol , it's their Base Model and still worth $35 ... The Seals B.U.D.S. Team carries the SanMai version . That and the CPM-3V Models are Pretty Damm Tough .....👍🖖
@@brianf9619 in germany the sk5 model cost like 80€ thats way too much for this piece of shit. I like the look of it but just for decoration this is too expensive as we saw in the video the knife is good for nothing than decoration
Honestly I haven't had much experience with their fixed blades, I usually stick to the folders that have the triad lock. Thanks for this, probably saved me some money
Thanks for making these reviews of knives I can actually afford. I appreciate your enthusiasm and truthfulness of these videos you make. Thank you for the effort.
Broke my heart too. I have had two of these. I also have the Ultimate Survival knife in green that is identical to the Bear Grylls knife you tested. Somebody’s comment about SRK brought me here. :( Nice review! Thanks
I was a Cold Steel fanboy during the Carbon V days. Recon tanto and Kobun were my EDC in the Marines back then. Got the first Recon One Tanto and a rivet snapped (they were polymer rivets!!!) which was last time I used Cold Steel. Tops knives have been my jam for a while now with my EDC a C.A.T. Tanto.
I loved my honda civic, but for some reason it had minor roughness once I off-roaded with it. It took minor damage when I did bump-into-wall testing, just paint and front lights. I'm actually a honda fan so its pissing me off right now. And goddamn, my heart broke when I filled it with diesel instead of gas. I've never done that gas test before but i think ill start doing it with all my test sedans.
Sucks to see the quality of this tool go down the drain. I used to own the carbon v steel version back in the day and that was a beast of a knife, it seems that after cold steel was bought out the quality control just isn’t there anymore.
Gerber Prodigy and Strongarm are awesome blades. Yes inflation has hit Gerber hard but $79 is still a good deal. I trust my Prodigy over all my knives and would grab it over them all in a crisis.
These tests are great. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems the Gerber Strongarm is the current most highly rated survival knife you’ve tested so far.
My Falkniven A1 VG10 laminated blade has never, ever, failed me. Arctic, High Desert, swamplands, salt water scuba diving, mountain forests, and P.I. Jungles. Even let my daughter’s boyfriend chop with it, a few strops and it’s back to hair-shaving edge. I have never pounded it into a tree to stand on 😊 though. At $140.00 a while back, it consistently outperforms many of my knives costing three to four times as much. The older model came with a very well-made Kydex and canvas sheath. Mission MPK Ti. Prototype with no added steel jn Zytel handle-$450.00. Al Mar SERE- $325.00 back in the 80s, Chris Reeves Tanto-$450.00, Jimmy Lyle, Timberline, Cold Steel Trail master San Mai-$400.00 and the list keeps getting longer.
Well s*** that broke my heart too got the exact same knife and I love it and I love Cold steel man like I was hoping that was a damn more of a full-time thank you for sharing the truth with us
Still a Good Deal for $35 , and the other 2 more expensive models Are a Hell of Alot Tougher , you won't get the same result with the CPM-3V model .....👍🖖
I have the older AUS8 A version made in Japan and that blade has taken me to the edge of bad juju and back a few times’ I picked up one of the newer compact versions on a whim and i wouldn’t trust that model for anything other than a belt knife for normal type stuff like slicing and preparing traps and food’ I wouldn’t attempt to ever baton it’ I also have a few others from years back including a master hunter in San Mai and a Recon Scout in SK5 when it first went to that steel, even have a discontinued ODA which is absolutely my favorite blade profile and that one is in KRUUP stainless but still one hell of a wicked fighter! Plus others like a Mini Bushman which was one of the best knives they ever made but they dropped it and continued with the way oversized version instead that we still have today’ the old ColdSteel was great.
The old carbon V steel ones are the top tier ones. I’m still using one that is every bit of 30 years old. Still straight as an arrow. I wish they still made knives with the carbon V steel. I don’t buy their knives anymore because they don’t use it anymore.
I have a love-hate relationship with this knife. The handle gets loosened very easily. It looks cool, and feels great in the hand, but it seems to have a limited scope of usefulness.
I wonder if there’s also a design flaw. This SRK and the USMC KABAR have the same kind of tang forming a T where it meets the blade and both brake at this junction point. A tapering tang seems to better dissipate the vibrations and energy. I don’t know if my assumption is right but would like to hear your thoughts.
Still buy one for the price it's an excellent blade and if you really like it but the more expensive version with better steel. Either way I don't regret dropping 40 bucks on a srk it's been solid for years
This is why I grabbed 2 of the 3V SRKs when they were on sale. Paid I think a little under $100 each, which is well worth it imo. The steel upgrade makes all the difference. I'd never trust an SRK in SK-5.
I think one that needs to be tested is made by M-Tech USA extreme It's a titanium carbide blade it's called stealth strike has a kydex sheath the tang is a couple millimeters thick very heavy duty knife but small and compact I like to see a review done on it
I have mixed feelings on them since they were bought out. It's like I want to support the established brand, but I'm seeing more inconsistencies on quality control from my purchases from 2014 to as recent as 2024. I've also seen a video of another guy posting results of one of their newer designs having different hardness on different sections of the same blade. I think it was the Mayhem or something, but it's something that has me cautious when approaching the brand on top of them charging more I'm expected to receive less.
I have been a Cold Steel fanboy my entire life. Just recently picked up their Gladius machete. Sent it back and they replaced it with another terrible blade that doesnt even look like the ad pictures. I gave up after two disappointments with me having to pay shipping. Got a brand new Leatherneck from them and it has guard wobble out of the box. They have really let their quality slide these last few years. I have several SRKs and will be replacing them with other brands as they fail.
Yeah CS quality has gone down in some aspects. That’s part of why I stopped buying from them 10 years ago because they outsourced labor. I prefer made in USA 🇺🇸 if at all possible.
I have both the old carbon v srk and the new sk5 version. I'm very hard on my knives. The sk5 broke within a few months of buying it, however the carbon v is still as good as new after all this time. I do believe the company got bought out a few years ago and I've noticed a drastic decline in quality. The originals get harder to find and more expensive as time goes on. Very sad that they are losing their once great reputation.
Please do a shrade fixed blade, full tang survival knife. They are about 20-50 bucks depending on the knife and I'd love to see them tested because I want to get a 50 dollar one. I have a 20 dollar one and it chops, batons, and slices effortlessly.
Ive been wanting a Cold Steel knife for about twenty years and I finally got an SRK San Mai version so i decided to stab a tree and the very tiny point of the tip broke off! It wasnt even that hard of a stabbing motion. Still looks awesome and i dont even use it but that was not what i expected to happen. Still gonna get another Cold Steel lol.
Even tho you mostly test low end knives, I find it refreshing nonetheless because it is not a “rock solid “ folder with “super smooth” opening, and pry bar with a challenge coin. BTW, I like your designs.
Cold steel sheaths ruin he factory out of the box edge. If the apex is touching the inside of the sheath it gives it that rough spot. That's why I make my own sheaths for them. Can't beat leather any way. Recommend the 3V SRK instead of the Sk5
I think it's kind of weird that the knife broke. Srk stands for search and rescue knife. A rescue knife in my opinion could be used for prying something open. So it's kind of odd that it actually snapped in 2. Don't use this knife to pry I guess
Damn thats really disappointing from cold steel!! The quality has dropped so much since the company was bought over. Back in the day you could stake your life on their knives, now its a back up of a back up and just sits in the pack or the car..
I love cold steel knives. The srk is one of my favorites. I had it in Iraq and unfortunately it got "lost" there. Any one who's been in the military knows why I put quotations. So recently I wanted one and these were the only ones I could find. Did some research on the steel and realized why it was so cheap. Here's to hoping tgis isn't the new cold steel trend
Idk, man. Mine was dull as a butter knife OOTB. I'm having a hell of a time sharpening it, which indicates to me that it is extremely hard, which would explain why is snapped in half.
