440C Steel... What Do You Think??

C

Chris B

Joined
Sep 17, 2004
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91
I found a knife that I think I might like, but it has 440C steel. I have heard that this is a less than desireable material for a EDC knife. What do you think???



Thanks
 
It depends on the company. 440C has been around a while, and any company that knows how to heat treat it has a good steel there. I wouldn't avoid the purchase just on that basis.
 
440 C is an OK steel, but I personally would rather have 154CM, ATS-34, Aus-6/8A, CPM-440V or S30-V. Most of these aren't as rust resistant as 440C but will hold an edge better if taken care of, which really isn't too hard, just wipe it with oil now and then. Happy Knife Hunting.
 
Not disagreeing with any one....ATS-34 is a very hard and good steel. In my experience, it doesnt rust easily at all, and lots of makers use it!

Tyler
 
Sure it's no S30v or BG-42, but I would still consider it quite a competent knife steel.
I rate it much higher than AUS-6, which I also consider a comptent steel (just), and it should in no way be confussued with 420 steel, which I would only consider for a display only knife.

Unless you are going to use the knife really hard, I see no reason not to consider 440C.
 
The 805 tsek is an excellent knife its been my edc for the last couple of months. 440C wont hold an edge as long as some other steels but it is by no means a bad steel especially when done by Benchmade.
 
440C is a quite decent steel indeed. Quality-wise it all depends on the brand. I'd give it an 8/10.
 
I like 440c for an edc. for what I beleive most people are doing with their knives it is more than adequate. In my experience it wont hold an edge quite as long as some other high end stainless steels, but it is more corrosion resistant, and is easy to sharpen. If any decent steel is heat treated well, it should make a great knife.
Kyle FUglesten
 
440c is no great edge holder or tough as s30v for example. It's stain resistant, but not stainless. It looks real nice though, if you're not planning to "use" your knife for others than opening letters the shiny look is great. :(

Take a look at the BM 806 instead, with d2 steel. :)
 
Hey listen. There is nothing at all wrong with 440C. Many deer camps are full of that steel every season and it works out fine. Many of the finest knife makers use it because it offers so much.

You can bring 440c up to polish so fine that it can be a mirror. In fact mirrors are made of it just for that reason.

You can bring it up to a shaving sharp razor edge and knives are made of it for this reason.

Granted it may not hang on to that razor edge for quite as many slices as a D2 or ATS 34 blade but it can be close depending on heat treatments.

Some of the Case/Germany/Soligen collaboration knives I have in my collection are as good as anything else availbale and I don't care what you compare them to . These German made Case products are all 440C blades and they are literally flawless in function, performance and quality of workmanship.
 
440C is a "premium" steel with many very good properties -- it just happens to have been around longer than ATS34, S30V, etc.
 
From A. G. Russell's webpage:

440A, 440B, 440C: The carbon content (and hardenability) of this stainless steel goes up in order from A (.75%) to B (.9%) to C (1.2%). 440C is an excellent, high-end stainless steel, usually hardened to around 56-58 Rc. All three resist rust well, with 440A being the most rust resistant, and 440C the least. The SOG Seal 2000 is 440A, and Randall uses 440B for their stainless knives. 440C is fairly ubiquitous, and is generally considered the penultimate general-use stainless (with ATS-34 being the ultimate). If your knife is marked with just "440", it is probably the less expensive 440A; if a manufacturer had used the more expensive 440C, he'd want to advertise that. The general feeling is that 440A (and similar steels, see below) is just good enough for everyday use, especially with a good heat treat (we've heard good reports on the heat treat of SOG's 440A blades, don't know who does the work for them). 440-B is a very solid performer and 440-C is excellent.

AUS-6, AUS-8, AUS-10: Japanese stainless steels, roughly comparable to 440A (AUS-6, .65% carbon) and 440B (AUS-8, .75% carbon) and 440C (AUS-10, 1.1% carbon). AUS-6 is used by Al Mar. Cold Steel's use of AUS-8 has made it pretty popular, as heat treated by CS it won't hold an edge like ATS-34, but is a bit softer and may be a bit tougher. AUS-10 has roughly the same carbon content as 440C but with slightly less chromium, so it should be a bit less rust resistant but perhaps a bit tougher than 440C. All 3 steels have some vanadium added (which the 440 series lacks), which will improve wear resistance.
Click to expand...

(source)

I personally like AUS8 (440B) and up. If the knife has a good heat treatment they can be really good work horse knives and great EDC knives. The Cold Steel knives I have are AUS8 and I been really happy with their performance. Get the knife Chris, you won't be sorry.
 
If you're looking at a TSEK, it is well worth it. I own one and use all the time. Holds a great edge, easy enough to sharpen. But one; you'll like it.
 
I think 440c can range in quality quit a bit. it requers a zub zero quench to be done properly at least from what i heard. i have a smith and wesson phantom in 440c and it holds a good edge but it is hard to sharpen though.
BTW does anyone know how to use the spellcheck i cand figure out how to :confused:
 
No I always type using the Quick Reply. But I keep SpellCheck.net bookmarked and I just copy & paste on their page. Quicker then opening up MS Word if your using a tabbed browser (e.g Mozilla, FireFox, Opera, etc).
 
I gave my dad an old Bolt action Gerber in 440C that had lying around in November, he opens cardboard boxes all day with it and says he hasnt had a need to sharpen it. Of course its not popping hair but I put a 25 deg grind on it. I was surprised when he told me it was still going strong.

I think most of it boils down to who does the Heat Treat.
 
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