Best knife steel for prying and toughness/hardness?

[marcoruhland]

...

That one looks pretty tough though! It looks like they know how to heat treat their steels.

yes this is very important and one reason i don't buy custom knifes could work better than other yes but if not you have a 1000$ **** of steel - so industrial steel production has no (or less than 0.1%) variance and in general 3v is one the toughest blade steel

i try the coldsteel 3v-srk a (good) fällkniven clone but for me does not work (corrosion is a big problem and also edge retention) so elmax or m390 is better also better than s35vn but s35vn is better to resharp outdoor

mr

 

[TLM]

This article will tell you everything you need to know about steels to make an informed decisision.

A lot of work and nice results presented in easily readable format but I bring it up again, what test method for toughness figures? No mention of temperature or thickness, there really is a big difference in plane strain or plane stress figures. Plane stress being better, meaning that if something is good in plane strain it is even better in plane stress (meaning thin), the difference can be 3*.

Edge retention and easily sharpened are somewhat contrary features, very seldom are both observed.

Also the old numbers of yield and breaking stresses are still meaningful. So far I have never seen a good knife have low yield stress steel. The one historical example to the contrary being wootz but they never took those blades up here ... nice in warm climate.

 

[WittyUsername]

@Billy-o did the pics of the F1 work, mate? I was chuffed to get it, they released a test run of just 56 knives (strange number), and I managed to grab one before they sold out. It’s my first convex as well, I haven’t got a clue how I’ll sharpen it. I’ll have to watch some Youtube vids first.

 

[Billy-o]

It did, and thanks for letting us have a look at your F1x. It is a very interesting looking thing. With its belly and the convex/scandi grind it has some of the qualities of the H1, and that sweged point looks very useful for poking with. What do you make of the scales?

 

[WittyUsername]

It did, and thanks for letting us have a look at your F1x. It is a very interesting looking thing. With its belly and the convex/scandi grind it has some of the qualities of the H1, and that sweged point looks very useful for poking with. What do you make of the scales?

I actually find the scales uncomfortable compared to my other knives. I suppose that’s the trouble buying over the internet and not being able to feel them in a shop.

I imagine it’s not built for comfort though, so the ultra grippy scales aren’t really an issue. I’d just wear gloves with it if I was doing any serious graft.

Even though it’s Elmax, with that grind and the thickness of the blade, I think it’d take something pretty apocalyptic to chip/break it.

 

[Murat_Cyp]

He described the test method in another article somewhere in his internet sire. You might want to take a look at it.

 

[TLM]

He described the test method in another article somewhere in his internet sire. You might want to take a look at it.

OK, I'll have a look.

Did have a look, at least on some steels he is testing 2.5*10 mm cross sections which sounds good to me.

 

[WittyUsername]

Is WD40 OK for knife maintenance? Just to stop any rusting while they’re left in their sheath?

 

[marcoruhland]

WD40

is ok like ballistol better wd40specialist but only for cleaning and after this cleaning with alcohol and water if you cut food! for preserve oxygen/ acid/ leach and electric current are the problems so put it in a large vacuum or second more practical in non rancid eatable grease

mr

 

[Murat_Cyp]

Is WD40 OK for knife maintenance? Just to stop any rusting while they’re left in their sheath?

I am using camellia oil for my carbon blades. You can also use food-grade mineral oil. But your knife will not rust in the sheath. Elmax core and outer layer in your F1X is pretty rust resistant!

 

[WittyUsername]

is ok like ballistol better wd40specialist but only for cleaning and after this cleaning with alcohol and water if you cut food! for preserve oxygen/ acid/ leach and electric current are the problems so put it in a large vacuum or second more practical in non rancid eatable grease

mr

Ballistol’s not expensive, I’ll buy a can of that if it’s good for knife maintenance. Cheers.

 

[WittyUsername]

I am using camellia oil for my carbon blades. You can also use food-grade mineral oil. But your knife will not rust in the sheath. Elmax core and outer layer in your F1X is pretty rust resistant!

Yeah I hope not. I just wouldn’t want any rust spots if I used the blade/sheath in the wet and missed some moisture before I stored it.

I’ll have a look at camellia oil and ballistol. Thanks.

 

[Murat_Cyp]

Yes prolonged storage of any (excluding few) knife in a wet/moist sheath may cause rust! It is best to store the knife separately or make sure the sheath is dry. I have been storing my F1 in sheath for more than 10 years and not a single rust on it! Nevertheless my F1 never left the home

 

[demographic]

For my money, knives for cutting and a prybar for prying.
I have the 12" version of this at work every day and beat it to hell.
Assuming the one I have is slightly too big this is the 10" version.
Thats not a knife...

 

[WittyUsername]

For my money, knives for cutting and a prybar for prying.
I have the 12" version of this at work every day and beat it to hell.
Assuming the one I have is slightly too big this is the 10" version.
Thats not a knife...

Yeah, I probably worded it badly. I just want a big knife from a tougher steel than Elmax. At the moment I’m thinking 3V is the answer.

 

[Billy-o]

Just for info .. a friend of mine bought a BRKT Canadian in 3V when they first appeared .. edge crumbled right off shaving a bit of bamboo. It is true, you do get brittle edges if the blade heats up when being ground, which turn out be OK when you put the edge back on. He sent it back and didn't bother checking to see if another one would be OK.

 

[WittyUsername]

Just for info .. a friend of mine bought a BRKT Canadian in 3V when they first appeared .. edge crumbled right off shaving a bit of bamboo. It is true, you do get brittle edges if the blade heats up when being ground, which turn out be OK when you put the edge back on. He sent it back and didn't bother checking to see if another one would be OK.

Haha, jesus. That’s a strange one.

 

[Billy-o]

I think it is a familiar if not universal story.

Just fer example:

3V disappointment

Here is a pic of my current edc. Just recently started carrying it daily. Cut a few things but no abuse at all. It was very sharp. Needed to cut the top out of an aluminum can so I used my knife and look what it did to the edge. Are my expectations too high for this steel?

bushcraftusa.com

Though to be frank, there is as much BS as soundness out there when it comes to opinions of steel.

 

[WittyUsername]

I think it is a familiar if not universal story.

Just fer example:

3V disappointment

Here is a pic of my current edc. Just recently started carrying it daily. Cut a few things but no abuse at all. It was very sharp. Needed to cut the top out of an aluminum can so I used my knife and look what it did to the edge. Are my expectations too high for this steel?

bushcraftusa.com

Though to be frank, there is as much BS as soundness out there when it comes to opinions of steel.

Yeah, there will always be anomalies. From what I’ve read across several forums and youtube videos now, if you used the same size/thickness testing blanks and heat treated each steel properly, 3V would always come out as one of the toughest under test conditions, if not THE toughest.

 

[Billy-o]

There's this word I picked up at school Haecceity ... sort of means thisness.

So, the 3V recipe and instructions for use might make it the toughest thing, but the one you get might not be, is all. And, in the past, it has been possible, by keeping an eye on reviews and reports of actual world experiences, to track who might be making the errors.