420 steel?

[yepimonfire]

Not talking about 420HC or 420j2, just plain ole 420. How bad of a steel is it? I've always heard its not good for knives, however at a shop I was at the other day I looked at a knife made from 420 and it was crazy hair splitting sharp. I'm aware it wouldn't hold that sharpness as long as harder steel but obviously it'd be very easily resharpened, most of my knives are like that because I'd rather have quick and easy resharpening then the opposite traded for edge holding. Any characteristics of this steel aside for poor retention? I've turned down many knives made from this simply because of the negative lore surrounding it.

 

[amg137]

It's possible to put a very sharp edge on just about anything. The problem with 420 is that as soon as you use it, it goes dull almost immediately (in my experience). I've only had one knife in 420, and that was back when I was a kid. It started out sharp but I had to touch it up constantly (after just a handful of cuts) just to keep a working edge. There are plenty of low edge retention steels that do alright in knives - 8Cr13, AUS-8, 440A, etc. But 420 is just way, way too soft in my experience. Once you get down to a certain level of softness it's not even easy to put an edge on it, because the steel always wants to roll and deform rather than letting the stone shave it off. I'd steer clear if I were you.

 

[not2sharp]

420J is a corrosion resistant cutlery grade steel and can be used as such, especially for dive knives and other knives exposed to harsh environments. It does tend to be soft and it is also frequently used by low end manufacturers who care little about proper construction, design or heat treat.

n2s