COLD STEEL SRK Compact 5" SK-5 Clip Point Razor-Sharp Blade 4.5" Durable Kray-Ex Handle Tactical Fixed Blade Knife w/Secure-Ex Sheath

I wanted a utility knife to mount to my LBV. I wear my knife upside down on the weak side. The knife needs to be strong, but not so large as to hog too much space on the vest. My current knife is an original Gerber Mk I in a custom kydex sheath, connected to the vest with a Malice Clip. The Gerber is a fighting knife, and is too rare and expensive to be using day to day. The SRK C is just about the same size, is sturdier, and useful for more tasks.The Secure-Ex sheath is meh. It has a rep for dulling the blade,, though I haven't tested this, and won't. It does not have the retention strength required for wearing the knife upside down. I will make my own kydex sheath and mount it with a Malice clip.The knife came sharp, but not razor sharp, which is just how I like it. Too sharp, and it dulls quickly with work. Too dull and you fight the knife in bushcrafty tasks. I wanted a knife that I don't need to coddle, and that's what I believe I got. Out of the box, it slices paper cleanly, and the SK-5 steel has a rep for being quite tough, though I haven't tested it in the field.The handle is very grippy, and I couldn't ask for more.. My only real complaint is the sheath, but I have yet to find a production sheath that I was happy with, so I didn't expect perfection.This is a survival/bushcraft/utility knife like it's cousins, the full sized SRKs. I have a couple of those, and have been very happy with them.Out of the box, the knife seems great, and the price is REALLY reasonable. I think I hit the jackpot with this one.

Having stumbled upon the Cold Steel SRK Compact knife and thought, "You know what my life is missing? A fixed-blade knife that looks like it could survive being run over by a tank." My impulse control took a short vacation, and suddenly, it was on its way.When this bad boy arrived, I was immediately impressed. It's compact, sure, but it feels incredibly solid. The SK-5 steel blade with the black Tuff-Ex finish looks menacing in the best possible way. The Kray-Ex handle provides a grip that feels like it would stick to your hand even if you were covered in butter and running from a bear. It just feels capable.Now, my daily life doesn't typically involve survival scenarios (unless you count navigating rush hour traffic). But I've found surprisingly many uses for this little beast. Opening those ridiculously over-packaged items that Amazon sometimes sends? This knife laughs at them. Cutting through thick rope or stubborn zip ties? Effortless. It's become my go-to tool for anything that requires more than a gentle slice. It's like having a miniature, highly effective lumberjack in my pocket (or, more realistically, on my belt in the Secure-Ex sheath).The sheath itself is worth mentioning. It holds the knife securely with a satisfying click, so I don't worry about it falling out while I'm, you know, aggressively opening a bag of chips. It's well-designed and feels just as durable as the knife.Is this knife overkill for most of my daily tasks? Absolutely. Do I care? Not one bit. There's a certain confidence that comes with knowing you have a tool this robust at your disposal. It's sharp, it's tough, and it feels like it could handle anything I throw at it (or, more likely, anything I need to cut with it).If you appreciate a well-made, incredibly sturdy fixed-blade knife that's surprisingly compact and makes you feel just a little bit more ready for anything, this is a fantastic choice. It's a seriously good knife that punches well above its weight (and size). I'm thoroughly happy with this purchase.

The actual steel may be slightly less than the following measurements due to the black coating applied to the steel. Blade is .179 thick with a primary level .627 deep and leaving a .038 thickness before the edge grind all for a 6.5 degree primary bevel.The blade is a one inch wide Flat saber grind .69" deep toward the spine. Ricosso is .29" long w a small circle and the swedge is 2.125 " long with a false edge cut very steep and left about as thick as a nickel. No danger of cutting yourself on the swedge but makes a good piercing point on the blade. The edge bevels are uniform and equally cut on both sides. The grind marks on that edge are very fine so it was either cut with a fine grit belt or polished afterwards. Very sharp. No need to touch it before use.4.5" long handle that is pretty much as wide as the blade and runs even until the last half inch that protrudes about a quarter inch to the front. See any stock photo of the knife. The profile looking down from the spine shows it swells in the middle for a comfy contoured grip. It has a molded in finger guard that's all rubber and very flexible. Will not protect the hand but dose let you feel where the handle ends. Knife weight is 5.2 oz alone and 7.5 with the sheath.When I fully open and stretch out my fingers it's 9-1/4 inches from the top of my thumb to the tip of my little finger. The handle seems just big enough for me. The handle seems to slide over the tang and be held on by a brass tube running thru the end of the handle and flared on both sides to secure it and provide a lanyard hole. I think it would be very easy to remove the handle and replace it with a more traditional brass guard and wood or antler handle if desired. But the stock handle is completely adequate and light weight.The sheath is form fitted plastic type that holds it secured wo any snap even though the nylon cloth belt loop includes one to keep it secure against the belt. This belt loop can be opened by one metal snap and Velcro to make taking it off and putting it on possible without unbuckling your belt.I find the knife w included sheath very comfortable to carry. So light I rarely notice it. I've been whittling a lot of oak and maple and the edge and black coating is holding up well. I've read this SK-5 steel is a 1080 equivalent steel. 1080 may be considered a low end steel by steel snobs but if heat treated well it makes a good tuff easy to sharpen knife. In fact the heat treatment of the steel is so important that a well heat treated 1080 steel knife will be better than a poorly heat treated "super" steel one. I haven't tried to drive the knife into an oak tree and bend it over or to chop through a cinder block because I don't consider that a task I'd do with any knife. I can say it cuts wood, string, leather, and packing tape well. I haven't done any food prep because IDK if the Tuff-ex coating is food safe. But based on the blade geometry I expect it would manage fine in camp or on a deer. I've contacted cold steel and asked about the Tuff-ex coating but haven't heard back yet. The purpose of these coatings on carbon steel knives is presumably rust proofing. I don't understand this because the cutting edge bevels on all these coated knives is sharpened off so you'll need to dry and oil it anyway. In fact the bare metal edge arrived with a heavy oil coating on it. Personally I prefer food grade mineral oil. It coats thin and doesn't impart any taste to food I cut. My suspicion is it's more cost effective to paint them than to polish the bare steel.