420HC vrs 420J & 420v

yog

yog

Joined
Mar 30, 2001
Messages
423
All these 420 steels is confusing :confused:
At one end of the scale we have 420J which would roll over if you tried to cut butter with it, and at the other end we have 420V which is meant to have better edge holding than 440V (not had any to try though).
But where does 420HC come on the scale ? What other steels could it be said to be comparable to ?

Ta.
 
It depends on either personal experience or how much you believe the companies that use 420HC.

My experience with 420 has been bad enough, that I avoid anything in 420HC. Usually those are lower end knives anyway so that's not too hard to do
 
420J2 is pure crap. 420HC is adequate when heat treated properly, but far from great. 420V is as wear resistant as a steel needs to be, and probably more so than people need for a knife steel. I don't particularly care for 420V, after owning a few knives with it. Can't seem to get the same super fine edge I like, and 420V is way too hard to sharpen, even using diamond hones.
 
If you have used a Buck knife manufactured in the last few years you have used 420HC. That might be your most useful comparison point. I would rate it around AUS-6 or 440A in composition. It can be hardened up to 56 to 58 RC. At the top end it starts to compare with AUS-8 in edge holding. It takes a fine edge pretty easy like a member of the AUS family.
 
Properly hardened (by Paul Bos!!) 420HC is a suitable knife steel.


Properly hardened 420V holds an edge like you wouldnt believe and is one of the best steels in the world for a hunting knife.
 
420HC's performance is similar to that of 440A, maybe a bit worse. It's definitely a better steel than 420J2.
420V is much better than the other two above-mentioned steels, especially when it comes to holding an edge for a long time. However, it's much more expensive and difficult to grind.
 
I think 420J, 420HC and 420V are very different from each other, As Jeff mentions, I consider 420HC comparable to AUS6 and 440A (and also the 425M that Buck used for a while), I have two Buck knives in 420HC and they are fine, though I liked the old ones in 440C better.
 
Originally posted by Danbo
I don't particularly care for 420V, after owning a few knives with it. Can't seem to get the same super fine edge I like, and 420V is way too hard to sharpen, even using diamond hones.
Click to expand...

I own one knife in 420V and I can't get a super fine edge on it, either. However, I've found that I can get a really great slicing edge using a fine diamond hone, followed by just one or two strokes on fine ceramic.
 
My understanding is that 420V was misnamed, since it is not a member of the same family of steels. That may be one reason why it has been renamed as S90V, putting it in the same family as S60V (440V) and S30V.

--Bob Q
 
My experience shows that 420HC by Buck (8 knives) is much superior to AUS6 by Kershaw (4 knives) in edge taking and holding, and it is also harder. Paul Bos treated 420HC is very comparable in use to AUS 8 by KaBar/Dozier, Kershaw and others in all respects. All my knives in 440C seem even better. This isn't based on how it is supposed to be due to its' metal content, rather the way these steels as treated perform for me. Subjective to be sure, and maybe I just don't know cut. 420J (wanna buy 5 knives?) is inferior in use to all of the above whereas 420V is supposed to be better and harder, but with the previously mentioned problems. 420J doesn't cut it for me, and AUS6 (as I know it) is barely acceptable.
 
I'll second stich's and Tom Mayo's comments. The heat treat is everything in these materials. Buck does a great job, and their 420HC is definitely better than the AUS 6 and 440A you see from other manufacturers.
 
420HC can run the range between crappy and being a pretty darn good knife steel. As others have stated, it is all in the heat treat.
 
Thank's guys, the comparison to AUS-6 was a useful point of reference, although I'm a little daunted by the apparent variation in quality.

Oh well, more reason to argue for a custom on my next purchase :D
 
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