View Single Post
  #3  
Old 04-19-2018, 11:15 AM
samuraistuart samuraistuart is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: San Antonio Texas
Posts: 163
I agree with Ed, 99% of it.

On the knife maker who was using structural steel, they are actually carburizing it, giving it a hardened "shell" if you will. But still.....why?

To me a high performance blade is a custom knife that is tuned to the task it is meant to handle. What I mean by "tuned" is that the thickness of the blade is right, the overall grind is dialed in, the edge geometry is correct, and the heat treatment is not "industry standard", but rather changed for edged tools (and not bearings, for example, like with 52100. Or dies and stamps with D2 for example). The handle isn't too short, too long, doesn't rotate in the hand if/when chopping, etc etc

You can buy a nice hunting knife from a well known and respected knife company. It will have great steel, and probably a good HT too, but it always goes back to the geometry. I will not name the company, but I have a 3.5" hunter that is a full 3/16" thick. It does have a hollow grind, thank goodness, but even with the hollow grind, the edge is too thick, and 3/16" is WAAAY too thick for what I would call a "high performance hunter". I myself make what I would term a "high performance hunter" (same with kitchen knives), but I don't call them that....ever. They just.....are.
Reply With Quote