best steel

[nell67]

Well, there was that rope and feather.....

Yea,but that is for Trax,not Rick!

[crashdive123]

ah....must leave the whip.....

[Gray Wolf]

This is probably the best "quick read" one page faq sheet on Knife steel. You'll find there are 3 different grades of 440 steel as well. It comes from the A.G. Russell site:
http://www.agrussell.com/knife_infor...les/steel.html

Sarge, Joe Talmadge was the author of that link too, the same guy who did the one I posted:
The Knife Steel FAQ by Joe Talmadge
http://www.knifeart.com/steelfaqbyjo.html

[Blood Groove]

I like 440C stainless steel. BAsically because it has a high carbon content so it keeps a better edge than other stainless steels and is more flexible, but it's also more prone to corrosion. The carbon content si 0.95% to 1.20%. Then Chromium is 16% to 18%.

[Sarge47]

I like 440C stainless steel. BAsically because it has a high carbon content so it keeps a better edge than other stainless steels and is more flexible, but it's also more prone to corrosion. The carbon content si 0.95% to 1.20%. Then Chromium is 16% to 18%.

The 1095 Carbon steel that Ka-Bar uses for their fighting knives is pretty tough stuff as well.

[Gray Wolf]

Here's a site that puts knives through destruction tests. They put a special statement up in response to the Chris Reeve's Green Beret knife FAILING the test!

http://www.knifetests.com/

[trax]

that's a neat site GW

[Gray Wolf]

Did you see where Chris Reeves says it was on the up and up, and was sending them a replacement!!!!

[trax]

Did you see where Chris Reeves says it was on the up and up, and was sending them a replacement!!!!

I was thinking that it's cool that they're backing their warranty and sent those guys a new knife too, but a warranty doesn't do you a heck of a lot of good if you're out in the bush with a broken knife. Still, those guys are a lot harder on a knife than I would be

[Gray Wolf]

For what that knife costs I hope so, for what that knife costs it shouldn't break!

[crashdive123]

Good site. Thanks. Maybe we should add it to the knife sticky.

[Gray Wolf]

Good site. Thanks. Maybe we should add it to the knife sticky.

They're getting (the site) more & more visitors, they're completely independent, and buy the knives they test, so they're not obligated to do any favors. They do the same tests with each knife, machete, axe etc.

[crashdive123]

I'm going to have to spend some more time on it as the vids are a bit long. Probably a great link for the next time the question is asked "What knife should I buy".

[Gray Wolf]

Check out how well the COLD STEEL BUSHMAN & the COLD STEEL BUSHMAN EXTREME SPEAR TEST did. That's the knife that's being passed around now, well......

[crashdive123]

Pretty sturdy little bugger. Liked the air cannon too.

[klkak]

I've been carrying a K-Bar D-2 Extreme for a couple of years now. I knew it was a tough knife but after watching that video I'm doubly convinced its a tough knife. However it is not one of my favorite knives.

[Gray Wolf]

I was a little surprised about how poorly the Ka-Bar USMC did.

Also surprised how well the Scrap Yard Scrapper 6 did. It's under $100 ($90), but still not sure about using that metal for a knife (SR-77). Must be hard to sharpen in the field.

[Capt.Canuck]

Fallkniven is a very well-respected knife maker that uses a laminate steel process that sandwiches VG10 carbon steel between 420J2 stainless steel.

[Capt.Canuck]

Here's a site that puts knives through destruction tests. They put a special statement up in response to the Chris Reeve's Green Beret knife FAILING the test!

http://www.knifetests.com/

That site is pretty unpopular amongst some knifemakers.

Mike Stewart, the head of Bark River Knives (considered by many to be one of the best makers out there) had this to say (I'll post a link to the thread if more appropriate). I found his comments interesting and informative:



Mike Stewart of Bark River Knives, from knifeforums.com

"The Responses here show how misleading and how wrong most people are in drawing Conclusions from those videos.

First--You are Confusing Strong with Tough.

The Stronger the knife--The FASTER is will break.

The Tougher the knife the longer it takes to break it.

That is Carved in Stone.

It does not require any test ..It is Fact.

Extra Strong knives have less flex and are usually harder--the harder blade holds it's edge longer.

A Softer Knife is Tougher--It will not hold it's edge as long but acts more like a Spring.

A Cheap - Soft Knife will take Far more silly abuse than a real knife that is made to take and hold an edge.

It is obvious to me that Most people truly don't have a grasp of this -- at all.

You can take a cheap--soft import knife and beat the heck out of it without breaking it.

It is a terrible knife but you can't break it.

That is because it has all of the attributes of a Truck Spring--not a knife.

Any good maker--that understands this-- can make a thing--shaped like a knife that the hockey mask guy can't break.

It will look like a knife but it will not cut like a knife.

You can even make it cut--for a short time--just long enough for the duration of the silly cutting things he does in the beginning of the videos.

If you don't know what I have just posted above--you will think that "Cheaper Than Dirt" thing is actually a better knife than other knives that Broke before it did.

Your responses have proven my point.

By you thinking that they have any validity or value you are showing how misleading this sort of thing is.

His tests are pointless.

When he broke the Reeve knife--it was 100% predictable.

Once the blade was firmly stuck in the wood--the continued hitting of the spine was causing a shock wave in both direction out the Blade from the point of impact.

If he was NOT holding the knife--the knife would have stayed together.

His Own hand--on the handle--was dampening the shockwave and not allowing the blade to flex freely from the impact.

The knife Broke right in front of the Dampener (his hand) that was preventing the blade from flexing to the end of the knife.

This is not something that is a great revelation.

It was NORMAL.

You probably didn't know what I just posted so..........You thought it was a problem with the knife.

Something You saw-- with Your own eyes --showed you what a BAD knife this was---When--In Fact--The knife was broken by gross abuse and a lack of any understanding of what he was doing from a Structural Basis.

If he had allowed the knife to full length Flex from the shockwave--it probably would not have broken.

Regardless--once he hit it with a metal hammmer--it was no longer a legitimate test.

I'm not going to go point by point through all of the things he has done to all of the knives but most of them are 100% predictable in final result.

Again--if you are a novice and don't know what you are looking at--you will assume that the knife is bad.

What he does is pointless.

Some of us work very hard--every day-- to make the very best products we can.

Seeing crap like this--and knowing it will be totally misunderstood by potential customers is very disconcerting.

You may find it amusing--A lot of us don't."

[crashdive123]

Hmmm. Learned another new thing today. Thank you.