Knife Steels
| |
Steel Type |
|
Characteristics |
|
Approximate Rockwell
Hardness |
| |
17-7 PH |
|
Good corrosion resistance, excellent for
water sports applications. This alloy is a chromium-nickel-aluminum
precipitation hardening stainless steel with good edge retention. Great
corrosion resistance generally means a high chromium content, and this means
knives made with this steel will be a little harder to sharpen than blades
with a lower chromium content. |
|
54-56 |
| |
154 CM |
|
Originally designed for jet engine fan
blades, it is the precursor to the Japanese made ATS-34. In recent years,
this steel has made a resurgence in the knife industry, offering good blade
toughness, edge holding capability and corrosion resistance. Fairly easy to
resharpen. |
|
58-62 |
| |
420 |
|
A hard, strong blade steel. This stainless
steel is commonly used in knife blades, and offers good corrosion resistance
at a low cost. Decent edge holding capabilities and fairly easy to resharpen,
this steel is a good balance of the most desirable traits for knife steel. |
|
49-53 |
| |
420 HC |
|
A high carbon version of 420 steel, this
steel combines the excellent wear resistance of high carbon alloys with the
corrosion resistance of chromium stainless steels. The high carbon content
makes this steel harder to resharpen, but the tradeoff is better edge
holding properties. |
|
58 |
| |
440 A |
|
A high carbon stainless steel, used in many
production knives. A good balance of edge retention, easy resharpening and
corrosion resistance. |
|
55-57 |
| |
440 C |
|
A high chromium stainless steel which exibits
an excellent balance of hardness and corrosion resistance. This steel takes
a nice edge, and is fairly easy to sharpen even for a novice. |
|
58-60 |
| |
1095 |
|
This is a plain carbon steel, which means it
has low resistance to corrosion, and low to medium edge retention. The
benefit of this steel is it's easy to sharpen, will take an extremely sharp
edge and is generally available at a low cost. |
|
56-58 |
| |
5150 |
|
A medium carbon, low alloy steel that hardens
well. This steel is ideally suited to blades with a very thick cross-section
such as tomahawks and axes. Extremely tough and impact resistant, this steel
is most often used on blades which are hafted and/or thrown. |
|
55-60 |
| |
ATS-34 |
|
A very high carbon, chromium stainless steel
with additional amounts of molybdenum. This steel has good edge holding
properties and high corossion resistance, but is more difficult to resharpen
than lower chromium steels. |
|
60-61 |
| |
AUS 6A |
|
A medium to high carbon stainless steel, this
steel holds a good edge and is particularly well suited for heavy, long
blades that are subjected to a lot of stress while chopping and hacking. It
has good edge retention, and is fairly easy to resharpen with decent
corrosion resistance. |
|
55-57 |
| |
AUS 8 |
|
A Japanese stainless steel, with surperb
toughness and good edge holding capabilities. This steel is fairly easy to
sharpen and generally low cost with great corrosion resistance. |
|
57-58 |
| |
AUS 8A |
|
A high carbon, low chromium stainless steel
which has proven itself to be the ultimate compromise between toughness and
strength, edge holding and resistance to corrosion. |
|
57-59 |
| |
BG-42 |
|
A high quality, bearing grade alloy with
significantly increased amounts of carbon and molybdenum content plus
vanadium for improved edge retention and strength. Easy to sharpen, with
decent corrosion resistance. |
|
61-62 |
| |
Carbon V® |
|
This low alloy, cutlery grade steel is
superior to most other steels due to its chemistry. Decent corossion
resistance with superior edge retention make this a premium steel for knife
blades. This steel is exceptionally tough, and therefore harder to sharpen
than most stainless steels. |
|
59 |
| |
CPM S30V® |
|
This American made and engineered steel was
created especially for the knife industry. It is a powder made steel with
uniform structure and great corrosion resistance. Excellent edge retention
and first rate toughness make this steel one of the best all-around knife
steels, striking a balance between corrosion resistance, edge retention and
sharpenability. |
|
58-60 |
| |
D2 |
|
This air hardened tool steel is sometimes
called a "semi-stainless" steel, because it contains 12% chromium. It offers
decent corrosion resistance with exceptional edge retention. It is harder to
sharpen than most, but can be finished to a high-polish shine. |
|
59-60 |
| |
Damascus |
|
This steel is made from dissimilar steels
folded or fused together with heat. It is often acid etched, which brings
out the different steels in a striped pattern. Excellent toughness and edge
holding capabilities make it a great blade, but the cost of production is
high. Damascus is most often used in special applications like decorative
blades. |
|
Layers vary from 53-62 |
| |
M2 |
|
This high-speed, tool grade steel is used
primarily in cutting tools in industrial applications. This is metal used to
cut metal. With excellent strength, enduring toughness and tremendous wear
resistance, this is some of the toughest steel used to make knife blades.
The tradeoff for all this toughness is that this steel is hard to sharpen,
and it is highly susceptable to corrosion. All blades made from this steel
will have a corrosion resistant coating applied, to give good corrosion
resistance with such a tough steel. |
|
62 |
| |
N690 |
|
An Austrian made stainless steel, it is
comparable to 440C in performance. It offers good edge holding qualities
with excellent corrosion resistance, and fairly easy sharpening. |
|
58-60 |
| |
S30V |
|
This steel contains carbon along with high
amounts of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium. This steel is double tempered
for hardness and edge retention.It has excellent corrosion resistance, but
is slightly more difficult to sharpen. |
|
59.5-61 |
| |
Sandvik 12C27 |
|
This stainless steel is made in Sweden. It is
generally known as a premium steel for knife blades, offering a good balance
of corrosion resistance, sharpenability and edge retention. |
|
57-59 |
| |
San Mai III |
|
San Mai means "three layers". It is a term
used when talking about traditional Japanese swords and daggers. The
laminated construction is important because it allows the blade maker to
combine different grades of steel in a single blade. A high carbon center
layer provides the strength and edge holding qualities, while the outer
layers are lower carbon steels, providing flexibility. |
|
Center layer= 59 Outer
layers= 57 |
| |
X-15 T.N |
|
Developed for the aircraft industry for jet
ball bearings, and used in the medical industry for scalpels, this steel
resists rust in the worst of conditions while maintaining ample edge
retention. Offering an easy to maintain edge and excellent corrosion
resistance, this steel is ideal in knives used for watersports. |
|
56-58 |
Handle Materials
| |
Material |
|
Characteristics |
| |
Carbon Fiber |
|
This material is a woven composite of
graphite fibers fused together with an epoxy resin. Providing ultra light
weight and extreme tensile strength, it most often has a visible weave-like
pattern. The weave pattern can be varied, as can the color of the epoxy
used. |
| |
Delrin® |
|
This lightweight and durable polymer was
engineered for excellent long-term wear characteristics. It can be molded to
form, and is used in many industries. |
| |
G-10 |
|
G-10 is an epoxy filled woven "E" glass
composite, reinforced with glass fibers for strength. Originally designed
for circuit boards, it offers the knife industry a handle which is
impervious to most elements like oils, water and acids. It can be made in
many colors, and finished in a variety of ways, offering different amounts
of texture matched to different end uses. |
| |
Kraton® |
|
This black thermoplastic elastomer offers
superb flexibility and memory elasticity even under harsh conditions. Most
often molded onto a harder sub-structure, Kraton® offers excellent grip and
comfort. |
| |
Micarta |
|
Technically described as "fabric reinforced
phenolic laminate", micarta is created by pouring a resin into a flat pan,
then laying down a strip of linen or paper fabric, which gets saturated with
the resin. This process is repeated until the desired thickness is achieved.
It can be made in lots of colors, is lightweight and and can be finished in
many ways including polishing to a high luster. |
| |
Noryl® GTX |
|
A modern, engineered plastic offering extreme
durability. It is impervious to harsh environments and chemicals and is very
strong. It offers no flexibility, but can be molded to any shape and in any
color. |
| |
Phenolic |
|
This hard, ebony-colored compound is almost
impervious to heat cold and shock, making it practically indestructible. |
| |
Valox® |
|
A reinforced resin with exceptional
stiffness, Valox® offers strength and dimensional stability. It has
outstanding chemical and flame resistance, and is molded to form.
|
| |
Zytel® |
|
Zytel® is a material made up of fiberglass
and nylon. The two are combined and heated to near 600°F and then injection
molded to the desired form. Strong and lightweight, it offers excellent
surface grip. |
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