440C drying up or being phased out for knife making?

Why pay the price for 440c, when you can get AEB-L for half the cost and equal, if not better performance?
 
Chromium content is similar between A, B, and C, so it's tempting to think that the C refers to Carbon, but I'll bet anything it's just a convenient designation.
It's one of those steels that are as good as they ever were but aren't as good in some ways as newer steels.
Kind of like my grandma's bread knife- very thin flexible carbon steel, if it ever had serrations they're long gone, it's got a beautiful "smile" from Grampa sharpening it so many times... currently my do-everything knife in the kitchen. It holds an extremely keen edge and it's a whiz to touch up. Probably made in the 'thirties. It's not that I couldn't make a "better" knife, but for all practical purposes it's as good as any.
 
I always thought the "C" designations was for "Cutlery"

Naw... That would make to much sense...lol
 
scott.livesey said:
try Niagrara Specialty Metals http://www.nsm-ny.com/index.cfm/category/3/440-c.cfm 440C is a high performance bearing and component steel and will be around for a long time.
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This is where I purchase 440C and it is still used quite alot for knives here in the USA and it equivalents abroad.

If 440C was to come out today at the price point it's current at, it would be the talk of all the knife rags and forums for a excellent working knife stainless steel.

For the gentleman that is a little confused about the meaning of C in 440C Stainless Steel,
It has two sister steels of 440A & 440B you can look at it's composition and many others on this site from Boker knives and there is much more information on it available on the wed.

http://www.boker.de/us/blade-steel.html
 
I have a few old Buck kinves in 440C. They have been very good knives over the years I have had them. ;)
 
scott.livesey said:
try Niagrara Specialty Metals http://www.nsm-ny.com/index.cfm/category/3/440-c.cfm 440C is a high performance bearing and component steel and will be around for a long time.
Click to expand...

I checked out Niagara, but their pricing is through the roof. Their pricing is about three times what Aldo is charging. They wholesale to many of the above mentioned vendors, I think they are trying to move away from direct sales.
 
chavez556 said:
Why pay the price for 440c, when you can get AEB-L for half the cost and equal, if not better performance?
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I haven't seen any major price difference, besides I have a bunch of 440C blanks already made, want the same steel for the batch.
 
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I've been wanting to try AEB-L for a while, but (at least from Alpha) the price difference is slight, and I'm comfortable with 440c, so saving a buck or so a knife isn't really meaningful. Someday...
 
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