I've always loved good knives but am woefully ignorant of the different metals. S30V, 440HC or 8Cr13MoV, etc. What do they mean, which is hardest?
883049
This site will give you all you need on knife blades: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_blade_materials
883050
All three of these are stainless steels. To keep things simple, the harder the steel the harder it will be to sharpen, the softer the steel the more often it will need to be sharpened. 440HC and 8CR13MoV are approximately equivalent higher carbon SS, with the 8CR being from China. They will dull faster than S30V but are easier to sharpen. S30V is, being harder and holding an edge better, considered a better choice for knife blades. The softer steels are not bad choices however; they may dull faster but are relatively easy to sharpen, and that's what you get in return for a lower price point for the knives. All three of these are stainless steels. To keep things simple, the harder the steel the harder it will be to sharpen, the softer the steel the more often it will need to be sharpened. 440HC and 8CR13MoV are approximately equivalent higher carbon SS, with the 8CR being from China. They will dull faster than S30V but are easier to sharpen. S30V is, being harder and holding an edge better, considered a better choice for knife blades. The softer steels are not bad choices however; they may dull faster but are relatively easy to sharpen, and that's what you get in return for a lower price point... » Read More All three of these are stainless steels. To keep things simple, the harder the steel the harder it will be to sharpen, the softer the steel the more often it will need to be sharpened. 440HC and 8CR13MoV are approximately equivalent higher carbon SS, with the 8CR being from China. They will dull faster than S30V but are easier to sharpen. S30V is, being harder and holding an edge better, considered a better choice for knife blades. The softer steels are not bad choices however; they may dull faster but are relatively easy to sharpen, and that's what you get in return for a lower price point for the knives. « Show Less
883051
All three of these are stainless steels. To keep things simple, the harder the steel the harder it will be to sharpen, the softer the steel the more often it will need to be sharpened. 440HC and 8CR13MoV are approximately equivalent higher carbon SS, with the 8CR being from China. They will dull faster than S30V but are easier to sharpen. S30V is, being harder and holding an edge better, considered a better choice for knife blades. The softer steels are not bad choices however; they may dull faster but are relatively easy to sharpen, and that's what you get in return for a lower price point for the knives.
883052
I'm sorry to say that I can't answer your question. I bought the knife for the speed safe opener. I have big hands and it makes opening a smaller knife easier. I don't know about the metals used or what they mean. It does hold an edge fairly well. The blade says made in China on it , if that helps .
1144528
It's a low-grade (440A) stainless steel with poor heat treat, which means it most likely will come dull and stay dull, and if you try to sharpen it, you most likely will fail. Most cheap knives come in 440A or 420 stainless steel blades. After using both, I prefer the lower grade 420 because it's easier to sharpen and at least you can get it sharp. The only decent knives that have had really good 440A stainless steel blades have been produced by Cold Steel, which has outstanding heat treatment in all its products. It no longer uses 440A, but I still have a few of those knives and I can tell almost no difference between Cold Steel's 440A and it's AUS8A. It's a low-grade (440A) stainless steel with poor heat treat, which means it most likely will come dull and stay dull, and if you try to sharpen it, you most likely will fail. Most cheap knives come in 440A or 420 stainless steel blades. After using both, I prefer the lower grade 420 because it's easier to sharpen and at least you can get it sharp. The only decent knives that have had really good 440A stainless steel blades have been produced by Cold Steel, which has outstanding heat treatment in all its products. It no longer uses 440A, but I still have a few of those knives and I can tell... » Read More It's a low-grade (440A) stainless steel with poor heat treat, which means it most likely will come dull and stay dull, and if you try to sharpen it, you most likely will fail. Most cheap knives come in 440A or 420 stainless steel blades. After using both, I prefer the lower grade 420 because it's easier to sharpen and at least you can get it sharp. The only decent knives that have had really good 440A stainless steel blades have been produced by Cold Steel, which has outstanding heat treatment in all its products. It no longer uses 440A, but I still have a few of those knives and I can tell almost no difference between Cold Steel's 440A and it's AUS8A. « Show Less
1017210
AUS4 has a compisition of: C - 0.4 to .45 % Mn - 1 % Cr - 13 to 14 % Ni - .49 % V - .10 to .26 % Mo - .10 to .30 % Bottom line is it's a decent, non-high carbon steel. It's marginally better than 440C, which is what most knives in this class are made of. I've been using this knife for a while now, and it's kept a very nice edge. Not perfect, but nice.
1672870
Actually Buck's standard knife steel is 420HC, not 440HC. This is used in their SELECT series. Most, but not always, of their mid-grade AVID series knives use 12C27 and their top of the line knives use S30V, which is a powdered metal steel. Basically each step up is a better grade of steel as far as maintaining an edge. Along with this comes the negative fact that each step up is a little more difficult to get the blade back to "shaving" sharp if you dull it really bad. To get more opinions on the subject visit Blade Forum. Lots of good info and opinios there.
2130682
It is a slightly enhanced 440C steel which has Vanadium and slightly more Chromium. More importantly, it is available in Taiwan where the knife was made. It said to out perform 154CM and 440C steels. I really like this knife. It is light and very sturdy with an impressively machined Titanium handle and the blade can be made very sharp with a long lasting edge.
83631
Check out this midway page for descriptions:http://www.midwayusa.com/TechnicalNotes/application_pages/knife_steel_and_handle_material_chart.htmAlso check out Spyderco on Wikipedia. 8Cr13MoV appears to be the softest, a chinese stainless steel. 440 is next hardest and S30v is the hardest. S30V is also apparently the hardest to sharpen - haven't needed to sharpen it yet, but have no problem spending the needed time with a wet stone. Seems to retain an edge very well. Good Luck.
1017208
According to CRKT, 8Cr15MoV is "AUS 4 high-carbon stainless steel." It's their "brand" I suppose. The knife won't come incredibly sharp but it's quick to get it to your liking and holds an edge moderately well. The M16-10's are SMALL. If you have big hands or plan on using it often I suggest something in the M##-14 range. I've owned many variations of these, and given many as gifts. A good balance of value and quality. I can't justify spending top dollar for a knife which is, in my opinion, a tool that in its nature wears out and needs to be replaced.
343788
Its 8cr13mov. Comes ridiculously sharp. I actually bought it for my sister and the fit and finish of it is on par with my benchmades. And sharper than my 940. I couldnt believe how this 40$ knife outpreformed my 200$ knives.
510060
The Ontario knife is one big hunk of steel, thick and heavy. It would take a extreme amount of abuse. I own several cold steel knifes, but not the one mentioned. The cold steel knifes seemed to be built of finer Materals but not as heavy
511337
The best carbon steel will always beat out the best stainless steel for edge holding and ease of sharpening, but if you work around salt water it's a good idea to go with stainless despite that. Stainless will take an acceptable edge, just not quite as good as good carbon. There is no such thing as the perfect, all purpose steel alloy. If there was then all knives would be made from it. That being said, I will nearly always select carbon steel for all of my knives simply because I enjoy knife maintenance. I've never had a carbon steel blade get so rusty that it was ruined. A little surface rust doesn't hurt anyway, as long as it's not on the edge. The best carbon steel will always beat out the best stainless steel for edge holding and ease of sharpening, but if you work around salt water it's a good idea to go with stainless despite that. Stainless will take an acceptable edge, just not quite as good as good carbon. There is no such thing as the perfect, all purpose steel alloy. If there was then all knives would be made from it. That being said, I will nearly always select carbon steel for all of my knives simply because I enjoy knife maintenance. I've never had a carbon steel blade get so rusty that it was ruined. A little surface... » Read More The best carbon steel will always beat out the best stainless steel for edge holding and ease of sharpening, but if you work around salt water it's a good idea to go with stainless despite that. Stainless will take an acceptable edge, just not quite as good as good carbon. There is no such thing as the perfect, all purpose steel alloy. If there was then all knives would be made from it. That being said, I will nearly always select carbon steel for all of my knives simply because I enjoy knife maintenance. I've never had a carbon steel blade get so rusty that it was ruined. A little surface rust doesn't hurt anyway, as long as it's not on the edge. « Show Less
185067
7Cr17, cheap Chinese steel, equivalent to 440A. Better off buying a quality kitchen knife made of normal steel. This knife is a joke.
474721
Hello Ryan, The Ontario Rat II with the black handle comes in two blade styles. A satin finish (OK8860) and the black finish (OK88601). The geometry of the blade is less important on how it holds an edge than what kind of steel it is made of. They are both made of AUS 8 steel. The AUS series stainless steel contains vanadium, unlike the 440 series steel, which increases its wear resistance and edge retention. The vanadium allows a sharper edge to be put on the blade. The hardness of the steel in the Rat II is HRC 55-56. I believe the description on Amazon is wrong. It says the hardness is 58-60. There is a tradeoff (inverse proportion) between hardness and toughness. The harder a blade is, the more brittle (less tough) it will be. A hard blade will hold an edge longer, but will be more susceptible to breaking. A blade with an Rc hardness less than 52 is considered soft. A blade with an Rc hardness greater than 60 is considered very hard (brittle). So the Rat II with a hardness of Rc 56-58 is a good mix of toughness and edge retention. You can checkout my article on knife blade steel at www.glenscampingtips.com/?page_id=42. The clip is pretty standard as far as folders with clips. I believe it sticks out about an eighth of an inch. Thanks, Glen from CampingStuff
579
The box says made in Taiwan and the blade has 4034 steel marked on it. 420 or 4034 stainless steels are the softest and least expensive. The presence of these steels usually means the knife is mass produced and imported from China. These steels are not brittle, but they do not stay sharp for long either. if you want a good edge try VG-10, it is stainless steel with a high percentage of vanadium content, which can hold an extremely sharp edge for a long time. 1095 carbon steel has a high degree of carbon in it for increased hardness; the legendary Ka-Bar fighting knives are made from this steel. H1 steel which is made with nitrogen instead of carbon, making it virtually rust proof. These knives are intended for extremely hard use by people doing stuff like salt-water sea diving. As with most things the better the material the higher the cost.
577178
Check Morakniv's website they have a lot of really cool information about the differences in steel types. I'm no expert myself.
1136905
I emailed Cold Steel and they explained about the gring,flat vs hollow.I never really noticed before,now it's easy to spot but it still does not stop sellers from listing both and or using a picture different than what their actoally selling. I already have a SK-5 knife and was thinking about buying another for a present.I will be in contact with the seller before I make a purchase to be sure what I am getting. Frankly I would not want the stainless version.
2200554
I'll address the steel question since I saw it brought up in another answer. The 8Cr13MoV that the Thermite blade is made of is a budget Chinese steel. AUS-8 which the Rat I is made of is a fairly comparable steel. Affordable, holds a decent edge (not the best) BUT it is very easily resharpened. It should be very easy to keep these blades touched up with minimal effort.
59922
The different numbers relate to the size of the knife. You can get them in carbon steel ( it will say carbone on the blade) or stainless steel ( the blade will be marked inox). Personally, I like the No. 8 size wise.