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.

I bought this knife for only one reason. I wanted to see for myself if a knife costing less than a crappy lunch for two at some fast food joint lives up to its numerous, positive pieces of feedback. The SRK-C (meaning Compact) is issued to Navy SEAL candidates during BUD/S training, and I now understand why. First, the lines, angles, and cutting edge are as close to perfect as one could hope for. The tip is extremely pointed and sharp, and is backed up by enough steel that it should hold up quite well. Additionally, the knife came to me shaving sharp. Amazing. The knife is very light in weight, making it extremely fast and easy to maneuver. The rubberized handle is equally nice. It feels very good in my rather large hands, and the guard is just large enough to provide adequate protection while not being obtrusive. SK-5 is a high carbon Japanese steel that is very easy to sharpen. If you are not good at sharpening, I recommend using the KaBar sharpener. It does a great job. While not a high-end metal, SK-5 is good nonetheless. Being high carbon, it will be a tad more prone to corrosion than stainless steels, but an occasional wipe down with gun oil or some WD40, will do the trick. The knife's finish will wear somewhat easily, but who cares? This is a working tool, not a show piece. Although the sheath itself is good, I do not like the nylon strap that connects it to one's belt. If you wear this on your belt and draw the knife, the strap will ride upward with your pull and make the knife harder to remove. I'm one of those guys who has been there and done that, so it takes a lot to impress me, and this knife certainly does. This piece seems every bit as nice as my Gerber Strongarm costing roughly 60% less. I like the SRK-C so much that I sold the Gerber. In fact, I have owned and used knives costing as much as twenty times this amount that were not made any better. There is no such thing as any one knife that can handle every possibility one might encounter in the field, but this knife is a great place to begin. Remember, the key to survival is always being prepared. When I hit the field, I'll be wearing the SRK-C, have a bowie knife attached to my backpack and a hand axe inside. Value is the sum of an item's characteristics, quality, and price. The SRK-C is an amazing value in every respect. God Bless America and our troops!

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.

This is a great knife at its price point. Feels very stout, the handle has good weight to it, and is nice and grippy. The sheath is very sturdy, has firm retention, and is easy to configure to various mounting methods. And this thing arrives SHARP. Like single pass shave hair off sharp. The compact is like you'd expect- a slightly scaled down SRK. Good for users with smaller hands, or for instances where the full size is just kind of too much. If you're looking for a knife to do work with, but that you won't cry in your beer if you manage to break it, get an SRK.

I haven’t put this knife to work yet but it’s the perfect size. Not too big or small. Fairly sharp out of the box, and definitely greased up. This knife is much lighter than I expected but I’m sure it’ll hold up to some light tasks. A good comparison, which I own, would be the SOG Seal Pup. However, I think that knife is of better quality (seems more firm). Overall, for the price, this was a great buy. I’m a big fan of Cold Steel. Also, for any one just reading this, the most widely available knife sharpener (that’s free), is a vehicle’s window. Just roll it down and take a few swipes on each side, the length of the blade. You could even use the bottom of a coffee mug (preferably a ceramic mug that has the little circular lip on the bottom).

Excellent quality for the price. It feels very comfortable in the hand and very well balanced weight. The blade is a nice length and shape, perfect for cutting a wide variety of materials. So far the blade has stayed nice and sharp without chipping or going blunt. For the price, it’s an extremely solid choice for a fixed blade knife.

This is good quality for the price. Feels quality, sharp. Good thickness. What you see in the photos on the blade is oil to keep it sharp. It comes this way, nothing is wrong with it. It does a good job.

Thick metal, well made, this is my favorite hunting knife. It's just the perfect size. My favorite field dressing "gutting" knife. Razor sharp right out of the box.