*Cold Steel SRK*
I have always been a fan of "straight Blade Knives". In looking for a larger knife for use in the woods and any other "situation" I may need a larger, stronger blade. I carry 2 knives most of the time, a Swiss army pocket knife and variety of "pocket folders" that I own. Some of the folders are a larger, strong blade but more for utility and personal defense. I bought this particular knife about 10 years ago and it has always held an extremely sharp edge with little up keep needed even after hard use. The knife is not to big, not to small and for the price well worth the purchase. When looking around for a replacement, not that I needed one, just wanted something new, I have not found a knife in my opinion to be better for price and durability. Note my opinion is far from anything close to an expert on knives. I have used this knife to skin large games, utility work in the woods and some basic small brush clearing while hunting and or camping. Always cutting smooth and retaining a sharp edge throughout the work.
The SRK is extremely well built for tough use. The blade is six inches long and is 3/16" thick with a clip point. It’s very substantial. Cold Steel hand sharpens their knives to a near-razor edge, so if you buy one, be careful with it or you can cut yourself before you know it. The steel of the SRK is "Carbon V" which Cold Steel describes as alloyed carbon steel. The handle is ¾" long with a Kraton grip. The overall length is 10 ¾". The over all weight is about 8-9 ounces without the sheath.
From Cold Steel:
Survival/Rescue operations demand a versatile knife able to withstand extreme abuse. The SRK® was designed by Lynn Thompson with this in mind. No expense was spared in steel, heat treating and construction. Only expensive surface polishes have been eliminated.
Instead, the blade has a rich black epoxy powder coat to help protect the Carbon V® steel from the elements. The blade features a tremendously strong clip point that's fine enough for delicate work, yet possesses enough belly for efficient cutting, slashing and skinning strokes.
Carbon V
An exclusive carbon alloy steel, formulated and extensively treated to achieve exceptional properties. Carbon V® was developed and refined by using both metallurgical and performance testing. Blades were subjected to the "Cold Steel® Challenge" as a practical test, and then they were sectioned, so that their microstructure could be examined. In this way we arrived at the optimum steel AND the optimum heat treatment sequence to bring out the best in the steel. We buy large quantities of premium high carbon cutlery steel with small amounts of elemental alloys added in the smelting stage. These elements enhance the blade's performance in edge holding and elasticity. The steel is then rolled to our exact specifications to establish optimum grain refinement and blades are blanked to take full advantage of the grain direction in the steel.
The blanks are heated in molten salt, quenched in premium oil and tempered in controlled ovens. Then they are ground. The new blades are then subjected to expert heat treatment, involving rigidly controlled austenizing temperatures, precisely defined soak times, proper selection of quenching medium and carefully monitored tempering times and temperatures. This heat treatment sequence results in blades which duplicate and often exceed the properties of the most expensive custom forgings.
SO it looks like I will continue with what I have. A simple well built knife for what I need it for.
wvamedic
www.alpharubicon.com
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