Ninja Gear Review: Cold Steel SRK “Survival Rescue Knife”

One of the first knife brands that really caught my attention was Cold Steel with their Carbon V lineup.  They were affordable enough for me to get a few different models, and they were more heavy duty than the lower end knives that I had always had and lost or broke in the past. My first knife from this lineup was my SRK or Survival Rescue Knife.  It seemed at the time to be the right mix of size and manageability. After using it on lots and lots of trips I still find it to be one of my “go-to” blades. I have actually bought two more of them because I like them so much. I keep one ready for camping and backpacking, I have one in my “go” bag, and I keep one in my hunting kit (the one featured in this video with the camouflage paint job). The first two are in the Carbon V steel and the one that I reviewed is in the new SK5 steel.  

The knife is a little over 10 inches long with a 6 inch black coated clip point blade. It currently comes with a black “Secure-Ex” sheath.

In this review I put the knife to the test by attempting to make a “bow drill” or friction fire kit.  Construction of this kit required me to split some wood by batoning it, to carve a “spindle”, to cut in a notch into my “fire board”, to chop down a small green sapling to make a bow, and to carve a groove into the bow to hold my string in place.  The SRK performed all of these tasks effortlessly. Though not as big as a traditional “chopper” the blade is big enough for what I normally use it for and nimble enough for fine tasks like making feather sticks.

When I harvested my first deer the knife that I used to field dress, skin, and butcher it was the SRK.  I won’t lie and say that I use it for that still ( I have a smaller more nimble blade that I will review later) but it certainly is up to the task.

I give this knife two enthusiastic “thumbs up” as a piece of Ninja adventure gear.  I have loved mine for years and regularly recommend it to anyone who asks me about an affordable knife that you aren’t afraid to count on and use hard.  If you need a medium sized survival/bushcraft/tactical knife the SRK deserves a look.

NinjaEveryday.