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420V or Talonite?

dePaul

dePaul

Joined
Aug 8, 2000
Messages
1,044
What pros and cons. Plz your opinion. I am about to buy a little camp knife and don´t know what kind of steel would be the optimate for this kind of knife. . Money - NP. Maybe neither or is good enough and there is another candidate? Just wish to buy the best there is.
PS. I prefer the flatground version. No stag. Any suggestions on knife choice?
 
I'd go Talonite for the stain resistance, long lasting edge, and easy sharpening.

------------------
AKTI Member #A000832

"Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes, the bear eats you."
 
Actually, I didn´t know that Talonite was that easy to sharpen. Hm, something to consider
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A 'little' camp knife? Usually when you say 'camp' knife you are referring to relatively large (6 to 10 inch) blades optimized for kitchen duties and wood chopping. I would prefer such a knife in something very shock resistant like 5160, but talonite would probably work very well too, and be stain resistant. 420V will make a great hunter (guarded fixed blade in the 3 to 5 inch range), as these knives are usually optimized for edge holding at the expense of toughness. It may be to brittle for the uses the word 'camp' knife implies.

Do you want a chopper, or a smaller knife for slicing?

Paracelsus
 
Paracelsus you´re right. Most of the tasks for the knife would be like: Cooking and slicing and only sometimes chopping wooden sticks. I belive that considerring those facts, edge holdning would be most important.
 
I feel your pain. I couldn't decide, so I had to get both
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Seriously, both alloys *really* excel in smaller blades, and in the chores you've listed. The "corrosion factor" difference between the two is almost purely theoretical, IMHO: I don't recall hearing/reading any instances of 420V starting to rust, even in salt water environments, during actual use.

One thing to consider is that 420V can take a keener edge than Talonite. And it's less expensive. Also, any quality maker can adjust their heat treat for 420V (or any steel, obviously) to meet your needs/wants.

That said, again, both alloys are great. In a bigger knife, and/or if extremely high corrosion resistance is not a primary concern, 3V is also worth checking out.

Good to keep them all in mind. This isn't really going to be your last knife, is it?
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Glen
 
Brian nailed it pretty good.

I have a small Stellite knife and also one made of 420V and would prefer the Stellite (in your case Talonite) for the tasks you described. CPM 420V is MUCH harder (mine is at RC61) than the Stellite, but it is also much more difficult to sharpen and it DOES stain rather easily. The advantage of the 420V is (besides the price) that your knife could be made with a thinner blade, which will perform better for cutting veggies. My suggestion is, take a close look at the Camillus Talon, that should fulfill your demands.
 
Both are great materials. Talonite holds an edge forever, and it is stain proof. How can you beat that?

Well there has to be some bitter with the sweet, and in the case of Talonite, it is strength. Steel is stronger. This is not an issue with most knives and most knife users because you can make a great knife out of Talonite. I have a Camilus Talonite Talon. It is very strong, and it cuts very well. But what it means to me is that, in principle, if you grind two knives identically, one out of Talonite, and one out of CPM420V, and then one day have to put the knives through knife hell, the CPM420V knife will come through it with less damage. It also means I can grind the edge of the 420V knife thinner, for more efficient cutting, and it will still be as strong. My favorite knife is a David Boye hunter, with a very fine edge. You wouldn't want to put an edge like that on a Talonite blade.

It has not yet been determined to my satisfaction that Talonite will hold an edge better than CPM420V. There are a lot of issues like edge thickness and toughness that cloud that issue. I've got a Talonite blade now, and I am going to get around to figuring that out one of these days.

The other thing that attracts me to steel over Talonite is the legacy of steel. Steel has to be quenched and tempered. It has a soul created by the magic of molecular crystals being formed and transformed through fire. Talonite doesn't have that. You just grind it and glue a handle to on it. But that's just my personal taste.

[This message has been edited by Steve Harvey (edited 09-28-2000).]
 
If you can live with a little more maintenace and perhaps some staining, CPM 3V may be the best choice. I tend to think CPM 420V would be the second choice for the reasons mentioned above. However, Talonite blades in the Camillus Talon and Allen Blade MEUK class are sure good options, especially if your look for a knife that will see little harsh use and lots of normal use.

Stay Sharp,
Sid

p.s. You may want to checkout the Allen Blade Tadpole as a good way to test Talonite without breaking the bank.
 
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