Hey, everyone.
David C. Andersen here coming at you from the KnifeCenter, and today we’re pitting
a pair of hard use tactical folding knives against each other.
It’s the Cold Steel SR1 versus the SOG SEAL XR.
Let’s do this.
Both of these knives feature big blades with aggressive handles and overbuilt construction,
and each one is something of a spinoff from fixed blades in their respective lineups.
The SR1, of course is the folding knife offshoot of Cold Steel’s popular SRK Survival Rescue
Knife, while the SEAL XR pulls some design heritage from their SEAL fixed blades, particularly
with the shape of the spine of the blade and the finger grooves on the handle.
I’d say the definitely both share a very similar mission.
They’re meant to be good options for combat or survival knife, a hard working knife; they’re
basically meant for the toughest jobs out there where you would reach for a knife.
The steel is S35VN, and we’ve got nearly four inches of reach on both of these knives.
They also both share a clip point profile, although the SR1 is also available as a tanto
if you wish.
Keeping up with the similarities, both also feature flat grinds and a swedge.
Where they diverge a little bit, the Cold Steel comes with a satin finish, which you
can see, with some contrasting grain direction, whereas the SOG is coated black.
In this case, it’s a titanium nitride coating.
Both are good all around utility blade shapes, in addition to their excellent combat credentials,
and each one of them is pretty thick, too, so that they can stand up to the abuse that
these knives are billed to be able to handle.
Each is a full 3/16” thick, which is territory normally reserved for burly fixed blades,
and with construction like that, the locks need to be strong enough to back things up
with the security that you’re gonna need to explore the limits of these blades.
The SR1 features Cold Steel’s excellent Triad lock, which has been time proven to
be one of the strongest folding knife locks in the industry, boasting internal improvements
over a traditional lockback that increase the strength and longevity of the design.
With that kind of pedigree, I’d have no qualms about pushing this knife very hard.
The SEAL XR features SOG’s new XR lock, which is their take on the cross bar style
lock pioneered by the AXIS Lock.
Although theirs is new to the market, this style of lock has long been shown to be very
durable.
It also adds the advantage of blade flickability.
Hold the bar back, and the action is effortless, especially since SOG’s execution of this
lock stages the blade out as soon as you pull the cross bar back, and you get a ball bearing
pivot as part of the deal, too, which makes things very smooth and effortless.
In addition, if you don’t want to open it that way, you also have the flipper tab, which
works well, and also a thumb cutout for more deliberate one-handed opening with your thumb.
Being of lockback lineage, the SR1 is understandably a more deliberate opener by its very nature.
It has a pair of nice large thumb studs for easy opening, and although it can be made
to flick, I do need to apply a little bit of wrist action to get it to work well, but
you can tell that it’s happier with the slow and steady route.
Speaking of the inherent natures of both of these locks, both of them actually provide
for very good ambidextrous use.
Because neither of them are biased to either hand, both lefties and righties can use them
equally well.
Both of these locks are actually biased towards closure, as well, which is a nice touch for
keeping things buttoned up in your pocket, or if you’re carrying them loose in a bag.
When it comes to the grip, both of these knives feature aggressive handles that are designed
to ensure that you never lose your grip on the knife.
Consequently, though, you may want to use gloves if you’re putting either of these
blades to serious work.
The SEAL XR features glass reinforced nylon handles, and they’re contoured and have
a diamond texture on the sides.
Like some of their SEAL fixed blades, we also get four full finger grooves, and we’ve
got jimping on this knife that starts at the flipper tab, goes back, wraps around, and
doesn’t really end until you get halfway up the spine of the blade.
The flipper tab also acts as a forward finger guard that’s going to keep you from sliding
forward.
Overall, it’s a large handle that can fit even larger hands, and you get an impressive
amount of grip with this knife.
The SR1 features roughly the same amount of effective handle length, but it features G10
slabs without the contouring of the SOG.
It also doesn’t have a flipper, so it has to rely on a guard made from the G10 itself.
Now, due to the handle shape, you do get a bit more reach overall with the Cold Steel
because of this area in front of the pivot that extends the blade out a little bit further
if you’re holding the two up side by side.
That area also gives you a spot where you can choke up on with your index finger to
control the blade more easily.
Overall, the texture on the side of the G10 is a little bit stronger than the SOG’s
texturing, but it lacks those dedicated finger grooves, which some people may prefer, but
you do loose the contouring of the handle in the process.
Now, both of these knives on the handles feature a reversible pocket clip.
These are tip up designs that work in the left or the right, and both of them are nice
and broad, too.
They give you a good contact patch with your pants for good retention.
The SEAL XR actually adds in one extra feature over the Cold Steel.
They’ve got a protruding metal pommel they are calling a “Persuader Tool,” if you
know what I mean.
It’s a good point for striking, and it’s actually part of the metal backspacer.
That bit of metal and the broader blade contribute to this being roughly an ounce heavier than
the Cold Steel.
That said, neither of them is a lightweight.
The SR1 comes in at about 7.3 ounces while the SEAL XR, 8.2 ounces.
But along with that weight comes an excellent build quality and attention to detail that’s
executed very well, and honestly it’s hard pressed to pick a winner between the two,
at least on that front.
Both are put together nicely, tolerances are good, the grinds are nicely done, and they
both should give you years and years of reliable service.
So which knife would you choose?
Would you go for the proven Triad Lock of the Cold Steel SR1, or the faster-operating
newcomer in the SOG SEAL XR?
Be sure to let us know in the comments which knife would get your pick, and let us know
if you’ve got a preferred alternative to these two great knives, too.
In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe, and to get your hands on either of these blades,
you can click the links in the description to head over to KnifeCenter.com.
I’m David C. Andersen from the KnifeCenter, signing off.
See you next time.