<![CDATA[BladeForums.com - Knife Reviews & Testing]]> http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/ The place to come for actual first hand information on specific knives and how they perform. Your own personal Consumer Reports of Knives. en Sat, 18 May 2013 18:13:45 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/images/misc/rss.png <![CDATA[BladeForums.com - Knife Reviews & Testing]]> http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/ <![CDATA[Recommendation? Best Folding 3" Pocket Knife]]> http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069503-Best-Folding-3-quot-Pocket-Knife?goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 14:37:46 GMT I am about to start college next year and have been looking for a good folding pocket knife to carry around on most days.

Here's what I'm looking for as far as specs are concerned.
About a 3" blade, it can be no longer than 3 1/2"
Non-Assisted blade opening
dual thumb studs
pocket clip, I don't really care if its reversible or not
straight edge, no partially-serrated
no tanto blades
I'm not a big fan of spyderco, i just really dont like the look of their knives

Other than that I'm up for anything so please let me know of a few good knives out there. I dont really want to spend more than $100 as this is my first knife, and obviously I dont really know what I'm looking for. ]]> Invancible http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069503-Best-Folding-3-quot-Pocket-Knife Review Emerson Mini-Commander vs Mini-CQC 15 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069138-Emerson-Mini-Commander-vs-Mini-CQC-15?goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 05:36:38 GMT I really only wanted to get one or the other. I look, researched, debated, and well, ended up with both... Both are equally great knives. I know a lot of others debate between the 2 so I made a little vid comparing them. http://youtu.be/43bNd463Quw I really only wanted to get one or the other. I look, researched, debated, and well, ended up with both... Both are equally great knives. I know a lot of others debate between the 2 so I made a little vid comparing them.

]]> Snareman http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069138-Emerson-Mini-Commander-vs-Mini-CQC-15 Ozark Tradition Knifeworks DC Slicer Review. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068955-Ozark-Tradition-Knifeworks-DC-Slicer-Review?goto=newpost Thu, 16 May 2013 19:06:19 GMT I have had this knife for a good while now, and figured it was high time to do a review. I would like to try doing more written reviews. I do video reviews as well. However I realize plenty of people enjoy written reviews over a video styled one. To start out David Williamson is the man behind... I have had this knife for a good while now, and figured it was high time to do a review. I would like to try doing more written reviews. I do video reviews as well. However I realize plenty of people enjoy written reviews over a video styled one.

To start out David Williamson is the man behind Ozark Tradition Knifeworks. He is one of the nicest guys I have had the pleasure to work with, and I have more work on the way.

Basic Specs: Overall length: 8 inches
Blade Length: 3.75 inches
Blade Steel: M390 at 61RC
Stock: around 5/32" thick
Thickness behind edge: Around .010
Handle Material: Blue G-10 with Black Liners
Price: $250
Weight: ??? not sure on this one honestly

So lets start with the ergonomics. I have larger hands, so when I first contacted David last summer I requested that he stretch the handle a little bit so that the birds beak would not be squishing my fingers into the grip. I prefer enough handle, generally, so that a little bit of the handle sticks out of my palm during a hammer grip.


As you can see the handle has, as some call it, an oversized choil within the handle.

Sabre grip. High level of comfort and well thought out ergonomics.

The handle is also nicely contoured near the base to accommodate the "meat" of your palm.

Close up of the birds beak and coffin handled bowie pommel (at least that is what it reminds me of).


The overall comfort of the handle is excellent. Balance point is just behind the choil. This makes the blade lively in hand without feeling handle heavy.
Fit and finish is so good that I can barely make out any of the transitions from g-10 to blade steel ect, even with a fingernail. The only note I have is; when I first received the knife the edges of the pommel were a tad sharp, through use though they are now not an issue. However I have ordered Davids similar model, the EDC, which has a rounded pommel to compare.


The jimping is well done. For the most part I am neutral on jimping. If it has it, good, if not, I do not really care. David's jimping is the kind I like however. Not aggressive until some pressure it applied, where it then grabs on excellently.


Finish and grind.

David did an very nice hand rubbed finish on the blade. I really do like the look of a nicely done hand rubbed finish. I think it is my favorite finish overall. I also really like Davids logo. Not sure the process he uses, again very clean.


The blade is full flat ground. I specifically asked David to take it thin for performance. As noted in the specs he took it down to around .010 behind the edge.


M390 Edge Retention. The test I did was cutting cardboard across the corrugations. I made 400 cuts along the full length of the blade. After this the blade could cleanly push cut notebook paper.




Overall Davids work is some of the finest I have had. It has performed excellently in the wide range of tasks I have used it for. Anything from outdoor use on wood. It does well in the Kitchen as well, making short work of vegetables. Fit and finish wise I think he is nearly on par with Tom Krein (just used for reference point) and the like. His communication is excellent and he really works to figure out what you want. He also works with alot of the new super steels. I have more work on the way from David and plan on more in the future. He is also a member here under the username OTK. Take a look at more of his work here: http://www.ozarktradition.com/ ]]> Steel130 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068955-Ozark-Tradition-Knifeworks-DC-Slicer-Review Review Spyderco Chaparral http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068794-Spyderco-Chaparral?goto=newpost Thu, 16 May 2013 03:07:59 GMT *_Introduction_* Once more I had the opportunity to participate in a passaround; many thanks to j.h. for orchestrating the passaround and to Spyderco for donating knives for us to sample. If you haven’t joined a passaround, I’d highly recommend you give one a look. It’s really great to try out... Introduction

Once more I had the opportunity to participate in a passaround; many thanks to j.h. for orchestrating the passaround and to Spyderco for donating knives for us to sample. If you haven’t joined a passaround, I’d highly recommend you give one a look. It’s really great to try out a knife without having to actually purchase it—the only thing you pay for is shipping to the next person in chain.

Here’s a link to the passaround thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...n-Fiber-C152CF

I first saw the Chaparral in a thread posted by The Deacon in early 2011, and I’ve been vacillating between getting one ever since. It appeared so similar in shape to the Sage series – which I’ve tried to like, but they just don’t fit my hand – that I’ve been hesitant to pick one up.



The measurements, from Spyderco’s website, are as follows:

Overall length: 6.375”(162 mm)
Close length: 3.625” (92 mm)
Blade length: 2.812” (71 mm)
Blade thickness: .078” (2mm)
Cutting edge: 2.281” (58 mm)
Weight: 2.5 oz (70 g)

One of the first things that you might note is significant about the Chaparral, apart from its small size, is how thin the blade is relative to most knives we see here on Bladeforums. More on this subject later.




]]> Cynic2701 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068794-Spyderco-Chaparral Photos Terrio Custom (pic heavy) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068718-Terrio-Custom-(pic-heavy)?goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 22:54:14 GMT Today was a good day as my birthday is this weekend and two knives I purchased arrived today. I wanted to take a few minutes to write about the Terrio Custom that arrived. It is my first truly custom knife. Back in November I first contacted James and showed him a Hossum knife that I admired,... Today was a good day as my birthday is this weekend and two knives I purchased arrived today. I wanted to take a few minutes to write about the Terrio Custom that arrived. It is my first truly custom knife. Back in November I first contacted James and showed him a Hossum knife that I admired, but was looking for more of a camp knife. After a couple of drawings we managed to agree on a design and the waiting began.

The specific requests were that the blade be a recurve, have a choil, jimping and an exposed tang. I also asked James to make it as light as possible within the other constraints since I would like to take it hiking with me. I decided on a convex edge and 3v steel after talking witI think he did an excellent job blending those elements into a knife that was everything I wanted.

The waiting came to a conclusion today as the below pictures will show. The knive is 3v @58 rockwell with a spine thickness of 3/16". The blade length is 7.25" and the weight is 10.6oz. James also made the sheath and the fire steel for me.



Here is a view of the spine (with jimping).



Here is a view of the handle. Fit and finish is superb. It easily matches the other knives in my collection and is wonderful in th



Here is a comparison photo with my other knives to give an idea of the relative size.



Here is a comparison to my other "customs" that I acquired off of this site. They are wonderful, but I bought them already made or in the case of the mule with cuscadi scales only had input on part of the knife. (Elmax mule with cuscadi scales, RyanW SPK, Wildertool 4.5" Guppy).



Finally, a view of the sheath that James made for me compared to my other two favorites.



I hope to take it out for some testing this weekend and will provide an update to see if it is as good outdoors as in the pictures.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy the pics. ]]> sclawshark http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068718-Terrio-Custom-(pic-heavy) Black Bear Knives Intimidator CPMS30V http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068507-Black-Bear-Knives-Intimidator-CPMS30V?goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 02:59:00 GMT First off, I've had this knife for not quite 2 years.. It might be my favorite all around knife and on our property and on trails it is supah dupah. If you don't know about it yet, it is a folder with a blade of 7 3/4in long from tip to scales. OAL it is 15 1/2in long. Closed it is 8 3/4in long. It can fit in front jeans pocket or ride high and clipped in rear pocket...

When open it can be a chopper or act like a short jungle knife. I use it from hacking 1/2 in thick black berries and other hard wood saplings with one swing. It has remained very sharp with little stropping my whole time using it. This knife came SHARP, as all the BBKs I've owned (6 total).

So I wasn't sure if this should go in general or review, as this is part just a WOW discussion and a partial review.. so... meh.

Sometimes I do stupid crap...

We recycle bottles.. mostly beer bottles in a paper grocery bag. Well, the bags were swapped by my wife. I had the Intimidator in my back pocket as usual and walking by the bag I decided to just slice down through the bag.. Why not? Well, there was a sixer in the bag... and not knowing this I took a nice full swing at the bag (sitting on it's little table) and WHAM!

Sliced down the bag nicely until... bottle..

P1030647_resize.jpg

and look at the right side, it sliced glass O_O

P1030645_resize.jpg

And the knife suffered a chip 3/32in wide and about 1/32in deep...

P1030651_resize.jpg

I'm impressed. I emailed them and the response was something to the effect of , "COOL, we'll fix it for free. It'd be cool to show some pictures of that on our site to show its toughness." (not a direct/exact quote, but close enough).

Enjoy!
Attached Images
]]> sloth357 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068507-Black-Bear-Knives-Intimidator-CPMS30V <![CDATA[Review Katz Knives: Gentleman's Knife (Ivory Micarta) and Bob Kat (Cherrywood)]]> http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068095-Katz-Knives-Gentleman-s-Knife-(Ivory-Micarta)-and-Bob-Kat-(Cherrywood)?goto=newpost Mon, 13 May 2013 21:04:27 GMT Double review of two gentleman's folders



Stefan ]]> schmalhaus http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068095-Katz-Knives-Gentleman-s-Knife-(Ivory-Micarta)-and-Bob-Kat-(Cherrywood) Bark River Knife and Tool Ultra Light Bushcrafter Review http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068076-Bark-River-Knife-and-Tool-Ultra-Light-Bushcrafter-Review?goto=newpost Mon, 13 May 2013 19:51:46 GMT Image: http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z36/K_Estela/Review%20Photos/IMG_0464_zps023dabc1.jpg (http://s192.photobucket.com/user/K_Estela/media/Review%20Photos/IMG_0464_zps023dabc1.jpg.html) Ultra Light Bushcrafter Knife Review by: Kevin Estela, Head Instructor/Owner of Estela Wilderness...

Ultra Light Bushcrafter Knife
Review by: Kevin Estela, Head Instructor/Owner of Estela Wilderness Education

Ultra light knives are peculiar animals. Generally, they are considered light enough for neck carry and light-duty use. They are also sometimes considered relatively too light for main belt carry as the blade stock is too thin and the handles are insignificant for extended use without blistering. These knives are well suited as back-ups to larger blades if said larger blade should fail, end up lost or be inaccessible. I normally do not consider an ultra light blade substantial enough for larger tasks and always recommend a full-size belt knife instead. Recently though, a new offering by Bark River Knife and Tool caught my eye and changed my perspective. The new blade, the Ultra Light Bushcrafter, would challenge traditional views of what an ultra light knife could do and redefine the genre all-together.


In February 2013, I received a sample of a Bark River Knife and Tool Ultra Light Bushcrafter (ULB) to use. Mine came with a Great Lakes Leather Works Sheath and Matte Green and Black Micarta Handle.





As with most of my knives, I made my own leather sheath for it that has a firesteel loop and a deep pouch for maximum protection while carrying it. Once I had my knife, sheath and firesteel combination set up, I began the testing process. I refuse to write a review for a knife I do not put ample time in working it out. This knife was carried regularly for approximately 3 months at the point this review was written and has been used in place of my usual folding knife carried around the clock. It was carried while teaching a weekend long emergency overnight survival course in winter conditions. It was carried in my car for occasional tasks and while on short hikes in the woods with my camera.
Unlike the larger Bushcrafter (previously reviewed), this knife was not intended to perform the same tasks equally as well. It will perform tasks relative to its size equally well though. As I view it, this knife is a companion to a larger blade. It is meant to be carried when a larger blade is inaccessible (under a heavy coat) in a manner that keeps it right at hand (neck carry is perfect). I used this blade for many tasks and found it to live up to the rave reviews from BRKT Owner Mike Stewart himself, “This is the finest knife we have ever created.”



I’ve been asked how this knife compares to other popular knives meant for light and ultra light use. I can’t place the ULB and a Mora Clipper (perhaps one of the most popular models of this brand and extremely common in Bushcrafting/Outdoor community circles) in the same category but I can make comparisons between them. One is full exposed tang and the other is hidden partial tang and one has the BRKT “Scandivex” grind and the other the Scandi flat grind. The ULB has a deceptively light feel to it much like many of the Mora models. This is accomplished through skeletonizing of the handle. It is a scant handful of ounces but retains the strength of a full-exposed tang knife. While teaching survival courses and while attending seminars, I’ve seen many Mora knives break at the tang through the composite handle when improperly used. I put more confidence in using a full-exposed tang knife like the ULB over a hidden tang. Both can be destroyed with improper use but one is more resistant to accidental or negligent abuse. The ULB has a head up on the competition with the incorporation of 3V steel that is proving to be much more wear resistant than A2 or any of the steels in the Mora lineup.
During the testing phase of this knife, I used it for cutting leather when my normal leather cutting blades and Exacto knives weren’t handy.




I used it for food prep on the occasional hike and for fire steel scraping with the nice near 90 degree spine. I must say the 3V steel throws a great spark and especially on my preferred SOLKOA ferro rods.



During the spring months, I used the knife while fishing. I found my hemostats clipped nicely to the neck lanyard and it took no time to remove the blade, clip a line and resheath it.




I also performed some very traditional tests with this knife such as manila rope press cutting and paper slicing to see how well the edge held up. From visiting the BRKT factory during the last ICE IN, I watched Jim Stewart take one of my newly resharpened knives and remove the letters from a printed piece of paper. This knife accomplished that as well. The thin blade stock didn’t bind in many of the materials sliced and the Scandivex edge was convexed sufficiently to help prevent the edge bevel from sticking.
The knife is considered “Ultra light” but it is certainly capable of larger blade tasks. With proper technique, I’ve used Mora knives without critical failure. I knew this little blade could be used for some tasks being limited only by the length of the blade. The whole knife is well proportioned and even though it does not have the same robust specs as the larger Bushcrafter it isn’t a lightweight in the ability sense.




I used it for batoning cross grain in wood as well as with the grain. Splitting wood with tip first batoning was also no problem as micarta is harder than the baton I was using and at no risk of being damaged. Generally speaking, this knife is capable of 99.9% of the tasks out there. The last .1% are the tasks basement bushcrafters are going to claim should be possible. I haven’t seen too many metal vices or concrete blocks in the woods so I’ll just dismiss these so called tests…again.
An added bonus of this little blade is the ease of sharpening it. Let’s face it, big knives are fun to use but a pain to bring back up to a good edge with a field sharpening kit. With a smaller blade and thinner stock, there is less material to remove to achieve the desired sharpness.



I was able to use the BRKT pocket hone with some wet/dry sandpaper (800/1000/1500/2000 grit) then finish the edge with the black and green compound.



It went from working edge to hair popping edge quickly. I know a review of a knife will be thorough when I need to sharpen it and hone it regularly. This knife was a real treat to use and the pocket honing kit was just the right size to keep it running flawlessly.



Rounding out my test of the knife was general kitchen use. Rather than reaching for my Global Knives, I used this little guy for cutting up avocados, pears, apples, lettuce and various meats. CPM 3V takes a nice patina with use and my ULB is now a light battleship gray color from contact with acidic foods. Of course at less than 3.5”, the knife worked better as a paring blade than a main kitchen knife. The blade’s attributes contributed to the pleasure in using it. I found the handle comfortable in extended use and the generous belly of the blade allowed for my hand to be out of the way when slicing through food.
In sum, this little knife is one that breaks the boundaries of the ultra light knife category. It can be used as a standalone knife although I personally still like a larger blade and handle combination. I see this knife used in combination with a larger blade as a necker (the way I used it most) or as a primary blade for women and children or for those with smaller hands. It is a knife that will surprise you and will practically sell itself if you handle it. Don’t believe me? Ask my friend Lt. Mike or Big John who called me an expletive or two once they handled it and simply knew it was too nice not to own as well. This knife does live up to the claim Mike S. made. Handle one and you’ll know why. ]]> k_estela http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068076-Bark-River-Knife-and-Tool-Ultra-Light-Bushcrafter-Review A Knife review with a touch of class http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067834-A-Knife-review-with-a-touch-of-class?goto=newpost Sun, 12 May 2013 22:41:39 GMT This is a pretty sweet looking knife in my opinion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgIn2vUVKL0 This is a pretty sweet looking knife in my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgIn2vUVKL0 ]]> valkyrie10 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067834-A-Knife-review-with-a-touch-of-class Review Emerson Mini-CQC 15 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067804-Emerson-Mini-CQC-15?goto=newpost Sun, 12 May 2013 21:06:21 GMT I've been carrying my Emerson Mini-CQC 15 for about 5 months now and love its mean, menacing blade. Its also a great size for EDC.

]]> Snareman http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067804-Emerson-Mini-CQC-15 JK Ultralite Hunter http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067715-JK-Ultralite-Hunter?goto=newpost Sun, 12 May 2013 15:19:32 GMT Specifications:
JK Ultralite Hunter

Length-8 1/4"
Blade length- 4"
Blade thickness- 1/16"
Handle- canvas micarta
Steel- O1
Weight-4 oz

I had this knife in my possession as part of a pass around offered by JK Knives, here is a link to the passaround thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...tralite-Hunter

The knife has a nice utilitarian look. The handle is a great shape for a wide variety of hand sizes. Both my wife and my daughter used the knife and thought it felt great. I really like the use of the all-thread for the pins in the handle. Great idea and seems like it would make it near impossible to end up with a loosened scale. The blade shape with its deep belly makes slicing and chopping an easy task.

My first day using the knife I chopped, sliced and diced over 10 pounds of fresh veggies making a large batch of salsa. I usually use a much larger blade for this task, so it did take me a bit longer than usual. It took me 90 minutes of quickly working. I developed no hot spots from the handle or back of blade. The blade had the edges of the spine softened making it very user friendly. Sadly my photographer (14 year old daughter) was not present to take photos.

Luckily she was ready to take some photos the night I smoked/roasted a small deer roast. I cut the roast into slices and then chucks for a red chili stew. Man was it good. The knife easily and quickly plowed through the cooked meat:






She was also available to get some pics of the knife parting out a chicken. Again the knife had no difficulties with this task. I actually feel this size knife excels at this sort of thing:






If it were fall, I could have used it on a deer or pig. I do not think it would have any problem with either. The heat treat on the steel seems good. I only touched up the blade a few times with an old hard stone. I wasn't sure of the protocol on dealing with a patina on a borrowed knife, so I used a little polish to clean it up before sending it out. ]]> Don W http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067715-JK-Ultralite-Hunter Nilte Quiete Review http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067673-Nilte-Quiete-Review?goto=newpost Sun, 12 May 2013 07:15:31 GMT Hi all,

just received this knife and I thought I would post a review. I also did one on YouTube.
At any rate, in my opinion it's a great two hand knife for everyday carry.

If you are interested in purchasing the knife I suggest you look around at some of the European
knife distributors. If your buying it from the US you can save the VAT money (sales tax), which can be substantial. I saved 19.5 % buying it from Germany.

Specs:
Manufacturer: Nilte (Massimo Fantoni)
Blade length: 2.95 inches
Total length: 7 inches
Blade thickness: 3 mm or .11 inches
Scale thickness: .38 inches
Scale material: White G-10
Stahl: 14C28N, 60 HRC with a Stone Wash finish
Washers: Bronze
Weight: 2.11 oz !!!!
Clip: None

As of me writing this, there are several limited variants of this knife in production:

White G10 with stonewash blade: 66 each
Black G10 with stonewash blade: 63 each
White G10 with mirror polish: 20 each
Black G10 with mirror polish: 20 each
Darkside (one scale white the other black): 10 each






Innovative design features that drew me to thinks knife where several. First off the knife basically consists of only 6 parts! Talk about simplicity of design. Best of all this knife is so light you will forget it's in your pocket.
Talking about pockets, the knife fits perfectly into the lighter/zippo pocket of your jeans. No pocket clip needed.

The three innovations that impressed me the most were:

- WINGED PIVOT HOLE system that holds the blade. The "wings" in the pivot systems are designed to be filled with lubricant/grease in order to minimize friction.

- Pure Back Lock system. It's a new take on the traditional back lock systems in use by knife manufactures. With this new design the back lock system is basically reduced to one part. Yes that's right. The entire back lock system consists of only one spring and two screws/pivots. It's really easy to operate, and best of all lock-up is solid! Sorry I would have uploaded some pictures, but I couldn't figure out how to do so. The above link is from the company, and they explain it really well.

- No liners, which keeps down the weight of the knife. With the new Pure Back Lock system and the improved pivot design which allow the knife to be made without the use of liners. At first I was concerned the handles would flex with usage. That however turned out to be no concern at all. The knife feels solid and there is not flex or give in any directions. Furthermore there is absolutely zero play on the blade.

For such a thin knife, ergonomics are excellent. The knife feels natural in my hands, and is really light! Best of all with my M/L hands, I can get a full 4 finger grip on the handle. The white G10 that came with my knife is grippy and has a color tint of off-white or bone. It's not a brilliant white as some of the pictures on the net seem to indicate. I'll have to see how the color holds up to usage and how I can keep it clean so the knife doesn't look dingy. Suggestions welcome here.

There are only really two grip positions on the knife. You can a) choke up on the blade or b) hold it in a "normal" grip.

Overall, I have to say the knife is worth it. If you shop around you can pick up the knife anywhere from 220 to 300 USD. The biggest selling point to me were just how light the knife was coupled with the new Pure Back Lock system. The knife also has a very "sheeple" friendly design, which for me is a concern in my jurisdiction. I.e. sub 3 inch blade and two-hand opening knife. This knife will be a great light to medium duty EDC knife. ]]> quigleyavtn http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067673-Nilte-Quiete-Review 5160 camp knife testing new heat treat! http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067619-5160-camp-knife-testing-new-heat-treat!?goto=newpost Sun, 12 May 2013 02:27:07 GMT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etHz...e_gdata_player
This is my second test on this blade , I broke the tip because I wanted to see how thin I could go on a bigger blade with this new heat treat.

So I have been using 5160 for a couple of years now and never had these results with it, I can not get enough of this knife, I go out every day and baton, chop, carve, and cut cardboard and this blade keeps slicing paper and shaving hair with minimal stropping. I dont think I will use another steel, maybe 52100 for smaller blades.

I will post more testing on this blade after I take it camping! :D ]]> chad2 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067619-5160-camp-knife-testing-new-heat-treat! Review From North of the Arctic Circle: Karesuando Hunter http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067407-From-North-of-the-Arctic-Circle-Karesuando-Hunter?goto=newpost Sat, 11 May 2013 06:20:41 GMT If you enjoy traditional Nordic fixed blades this one could be for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b11VuIb3a0U Stefan If you enjoy traditional Nordic fixed blades this one could be for you.



Stefan ]]> schmalhaus http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067407-From-North-of-the-Arctic-Circle-Karesuando-Hunter Toughness - Expansion on Charpy C-Notch Values http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067237-Toughness-Expansion-on-Charpy-C-Notch-Values?goto=newpost Fri, 10 May 2013 20:41:10 GMT Okay guys, for everyone who always asks about toughness, I was doing some searching today and found this thread (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/260874-Charpy-C-Notch-Impact-Test) from 2003 that details some research this user did on Charpy numbers of a number of tool steels. As... Okay guys, for everyone who always asks about toughness, I was doing some searching today and found this thread from 2003 that details some research this user did on Charpy numbers of a number of tool steels. As soon as I saw it, I was amazed it wasn't made a sticky back then, and so instead of doing the whole resurrection thing, I figured I would add some numbers from some other threads I'd happened across and beef the list up a little. I hope this helps someone!

Note: All of these numbers come from this forum, from various threads I've found. I can't verify these since I have no access to a Charpy machine at present.

Tool Steels:

Steel-----Hardness-----Charpy C Ft. Lbs.

CPM-15V......@Rc60..........10
CPM-10V......@Rc60..........20
CPM-3V.......@Rc58..........85
CPM-3V.......@Rc60..........60
CPM-3V.......@Rc62..........40
CPM-M4.......@Rc65.5.......20
CPM-M4.......@Rc63.5.......28
CPM-M4.......@Rc62.........32
CPM-M48......@Rc64.........16
CPM-T15......@Rc65.........20
M2..............@Rc62.........20
D2..............@Rc60.........20
A2..............@Rc60.........40
S7..............@Rc58........120
S7..............@Rc57........125
L6..............@Rc60.........40
O1..............@Rc60........30
H13.............@Rc47.......125
A11.............@Rc61........20
Z-Wear PM.......@Rc60......65
Vanadis 4.......@Rc60........50

Stainless:

Steel-------Hardness-----Charpy C Ft. Lbs.
CPM-S90V......@Rc56..........20
CPM-S90V.....@Rc58...........19
CPM-S60V.....@Rc56...........16
CPM-S30V.....@Rc58...........28
CPM-S35VN....@58Rc...........32
CPM-154......@60Rc............30
154CM..........@Rc58...........28
440C............@Rc56...........26
440C............@Rc58...........16
420HC...........@Rc58...........24
M390............@Rc60...........22


Note: I've cross-referenced these with Simply Tool Steel and Crucible to try and bring the numbers in line, doing this has cleared up a few inconsistencies I had noticed here on the forum. It also allowed me to add a few more Stainless grades. Now, when someone asks about 3V's toughness, for example, instead of statements like "it's about triple D2", you can prescribe a number to the statement to get both verification and a more exact idea.

This is still not a very comprehensive list. If anyone has more numbers or a good reference to expand this list further, please post here or let me know and I will add the figures. ]]> cm_bushman http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067237-Toughness-Expansion-on-Charpy-C-Notch-Values