3G steel or A2???

S

SpyJ

Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
85
Hello!

Im buying a new knife, I´m choosing between the Fallkniven TK2 (3G steel) and Chris Reeve mountaineer I (A2 tool steel).

I really like the Chris Reeve knive for it looks, but Im not sure which one to chose, I might chose the one with the best steel. So any suggestion to which knife I should buy?

All input on either of this knife are appreciated!
 
No experience with Fallkniven, but I am guessing that A2 is the better steel. It is a tool steel, but unlike D2 it is very malleable, so it is a lot better in fixed blades, especially larger ones. I meet Chris Reeve's wife, a very nice person, so on top of that you have a family owned company which typically results better customer service, and people who actually care about what they are putting out, again I cant speak for Fallkniven.
 
The TK-1 [which I have] and TK-2 have a laminate [3G] but the core is SGPS which is a real super steel closer to S30V. If you want carbon steel then A-2 is a great steel and is used by Reeve and BRKT . SGPS is stainless and even at the high hardness is tough and of course very wear resistant .SGPS is very impressive !!
 
why you don't consider ZDP-189.
there are some knives made of ats-34/zdp-189 or solid zdp-189.
I have a kitano made of zdp-189 & a folder made of ats34/189.
A2 is not a stainless steel ,if use non-staninless steel,i prefer using M2 [high speed steel].
 
I whittled green wood ,dry bamboo with CR A2 knives and not impressed at all.They held the edge no longer than my SAK.For whittling,carving,harder blades are better choices.
 
The reason I choose between the Chris Reeve are because it really is a looker! And I have heard good things about the A2 steel, but have never used it myself. Have no clue how well it will retain the edge.

Reason for the TK2 Fallkniven is because I have owned a few of their other knives and the specs seems to be right. But never one with a 3G steel, and the company is a Swedish company (I live here :) ) and they have really great customer service!

Maybe I should mention that my criteria for the knife are;

Length of blade: 10cm (4") no less no more
Thickness of blad: max 4,5mm, was hoping to find a 4mm one
Distance from edge to back of blade: no less than 24mm max 30mm

The knife are going to be my utility knife, and are gonna use the knife for cutting food, carving wood, making small splinter from wood to make fire.
No hard use like bending the blade or shop it or stab it in stuff.
I might even use it when (don´t know the word) taking care of a game, (like a deer), so edge retention are very much wanted!

The main question here are which steel of the two suits me the best, but if anyone have a suggestion for another knife that fits my criteria please dont hesitate to enlighten me :)
 
SpyJ said:
The knife are going to be my utility knife, and are gonna use the knife for cutting food, carving wood, making small splinter from wood to make fire.
No hard use like bending the blade or shop it or stab it in stuff.
I might even use it when (don´t know the word) taking care of a game, (like a deer), so edge retention are very much wanted!

The main question here are which steel of the two suits me the best, but if anyone have a suggestion for another knife that fits my criteria please dont hesitate to enlighten me :)
Click to expand...

For that stuff, I'd go with the 3G Fällkniven. It will hold its edge much better than the A2 Reeve, and it's also stainless. I also find the Fällkniven ergonomically far better than the Mountaineer with awkward all-metal handles. No contest, really, in my opinion.

As for customer service, I find Fällkniven's to be good. And they're also a family company, while their blades are indeed made in Japan, due to their choice of steel.
 
I would go with the Fallkniven.If I remember correctly the Reeve is more of a survival design.I think the hardness is much lower than the Fallkniven and lower even than most A2. Low hardness makes sense in a survival knife but may not be what you want for what you are doing .
 
mete said:
The TK-1 [which I have] and TK-2 have a laminate [3G] but the core is SGPS which is a real super steel closer to S30V. If you want carbon steel then A-2 is a great steel and is used by Reeve and BRKT . SGPS is stainless and even at the high hardness is tough and of course very wear resistant .SGPS is very impressive !!
Click to expand...

Hi! Thanks for writing your opinion! Im leaning on the TK2 because the steel seems to be way better than the A2!
I wanted to ask you if you could take some pictures of the blade on your TK1, I cant find any good ones, and dont have a store who have the knife. Would be very much appreciated!
/Johan
 
I have a Cold Steel Trailmaster for chopping and are now wanting a smaller knife to do everything else. It seems like 3G steel are the best choice for best edge retention.
Thanks for the link, I dont think I get a clear picture of the blade form in that picture. I would want a pic from a different angle.
 
Here's my TK-1, but the knife has been modified [not the blade] The story of the mods are on the Fallkniven forum.
 

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Thanks for the photo!
Nice job on the handle! Cant seem to find your thread on knifeforums. Just got registered
 
Better isn't a very good term to apply to a comparison between two steels. Different is more accurate. You are comparing a tool steel to a laminated stainless with a very, very hard core. Personally I'm not fond of steels that are hardened as far as the Fallkniven 3G but the soft stainless wrapper of the laminate will provide a good deal of stability. Tool steel is tool steel. Not as corrosion resistant. Not as hard. Probably more abrasion resistant, probably tougher but not necessarily.
 
Knife Outlet said:
Better isn't a very good term to apply to a comparison between two steels. Different is more accurate. You are comparing a tool steel to a laminated stainless with a very, very hard core. Personally I'm not fond of steels that are hardened as far as the Fallkniven 3G but the soft stainless wrapper of the laminate will provide a good deal of stability. Tool steel is tool steel. Not as corrosion resistant. Not as hard. Probably more abrasion resistant, probably tougher but not necessarily.
Click to expand...
Tool steels can be hardened to a harder level than any stainless steel is capable of, while still remaining tough enough.
 
Ok I agree that "better" isnt a suitable term. What I mean is which of the two are better for my needs.

Since I might use the knife on a game I want the best edge retention. But mostly I will be using this knife whittling and carving wood and food preparation mostly meat.

What I have read is that the A2 tool steel might not be the best choice for this, and that the 3G steel are, the 3G fallkniven steel is supposed to hold the edge four times better than the VG10 steel they have been using a lot, atleast that what they told me. I have been very pleased with the VG10 steel so far, I havent tried out a S30V steel yet, but I havent found a fixed blade with that steel that matches my criterias yet.
 
SpyJ said:
Ok I agree that "better" isnt a suitable term. What I mean is which of the two are better for my needs.

Since I might use the knife on a game I want the best edge retention. But mostly I will be using this knife whittling and carving wood and food preparation mostly meat.

What I have read is that the A2 tool steel might not be the best choice for this, and that the 3G steel are, the 3G fallkniven steel is supposed to hold the edge four times better than the VG10 steel they have been using a lot, atleast that what they told me. I have been very pleased with the VG10 steel so far, I havent tried out a S30V steel yet, but I havent found a fixed blade with that steel that matches my criterias yet.
Click to expand...
To be very honest with you, you won't really notice any difference in edge retention between regular VG-10 and this "super duper" 3G. You need to step up to a higher level to really notice it... And this means something like ZDP-189, INFI, CPM-S90V, CPM-10V, CPM-15V etc...

In my experince, the production knife with the highest edge retention straight from the factory, is the Zero Tolerance 0100 in CPM-3V Tool Steel. I highly doubt that any Chris Reeve or Falkniven comes close of that...
 
mete said:
Here's my TK-1, but the knife has been modified [not the blade] The story of the mods are on the Fallkniven forum.
Click to expand...

Im Intend to use the knife with a firestarter, but I wonder if you could use the back of the blade on the Tk knife?

I have a WM1 and the back is rather sharp, so it makes sparks with no problem!



I also wonder if the CR knife back could be used in the same way?
 
mete said:
Here's my TK-1, but the knife has been modified [not the blade] The story of the mods are on the Fallkniven forum.
Click to expand...

Oh boy, that's a beauty. I have looked at these on the internet, and they are really nice.
 
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