440c??? thoughts??

J

jason2891

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Sep 28, 2010
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i was just looking at a BM 5225S Presidio...does anyone own one or have any opinions on the 440c steel? ive never had any experience with it. thanks guys and gals
 
Hi. Benchmade does 440c Great! My favorite knife of all time is my old mini TSEK, it has great 440c steel. hold a nice sharp edge and is easy to sharpen.
 
One of the classics and still best steels.

Benchmade does a great job with it. I've got one of the Presidio Ultra's in 440C, great folder.
 
jason2891 said:
better than the griptillian in 154cm?
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I've got a "few" :) Griptilians as well, and to be honest I doubt there's much difference as far as everyday use.

It's a tough call for me between these two folders, both are solid EDC knives.
 
The specs tell the story: Check out the BM Mini Presidio Ultra 527, with a 440C hollow ground blade that's just under 3-inches long, a total weight just over 3 oz., and a street price in the $60s. Sweet.
 
Man... Good, old, 440C must have some magic to it. Keeps coming back again and again. I remember arguing in half a dozen threads about it this year alone :)
 
jason2891 said:
i was just looking at a BM 5225S Presidio...does anyone own one or have any opinions on the 440c steel? ive never had any experience with it. thanks guys and gals
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What you think of 440C is going to depend on your user habits. I know one fella that says he doesn't like 440C because he likes to go out hunting in the boonies for a couple of weeks at a time and does not want to sharpen his knife the entire time he is out. 440C won't do that. He goes for D2.

I know a lot of other fellas, myself included, who think 440C is just dandy for their needs. I don't cut stacks and stacks of cardboard on a daily basis and I don't go out in the boonies for weeks at a time. (If I did, I'd likely go to a PM alloy.) I just like a knife that I can use a bunch before sharpening it. For that level of use, 440C works fine for me.

YMMV
 
440C is a great steel. It gets overlooked by a lot of people.
 
The only problem I've ever had with 440c is getting it sharp. I've been working on a custom in 440c longer than I have ever worked on a blade and have used nearly every method and abrasive I can with only meager results. Granted it 1/4in thick with a very small hollow grind so the edge is pretty thick but I can hardly get it to shave cleanly. I think 440c just doesn't like me :(
 
kodiak said:
Benchmade does 440c Great!
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I must agree. I have a drop poin BM Rant in 440C that I abused the heck out of today (slicing and chopping branches off small downed trees), and it held up very well. And when I got home, it sharpened up nicely on a 250-grit, 400-grit, 600-grit, and then a 1000-grit diamond stone . . . Good as new!
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I've got a COAST Cutlery bowie, in 440c that is probably one of the sharpest fixed blades I have ever owned. Just incredibly sharp, very scary edge. Haven't used it yet though. But this is going to be my early in the a.m. fishing knife in a rural location. keepem sharp
 
440C is quite popular among German knife manufacturers. E.g. Puma makes some increadible blades from 440C (whitehunter series, skinner series,...). Their performance is highly appreciated by hunters and forest rangers all around the globe.
 
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jason2891 said:
better than the griptillian in 154cm?
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I prefer BM's 440C to BM's 154CM. I don't see any difference in edge holding, and the 440C seems to me to get a sharper, "toothier" edge, that works better for me than 154CM.
 
rockspyder said:
I prefer BM's 440C to BM's 154CM. I don't see any difference in edge holding, and the 440C seems to me to get a sharper, "toothier" edge, that works better for me than 154CM.
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They are in the same group edge holding wise, both are good steels.
 
One benefit of 440C is it is a stainless steel, where D2 is not quite a stainless steel. 440C should resharpen more easily than the D2 tool steel - but my experience, admittedly just with a basic Spyderco Sharpmaker, is contrary - the D2 BM's I have seem more straightforward. I know D2 can be harder - typically 60-62 HRc, while 440C is 58-60 - at least from BM's chart. Also, the Austrian Boehler N690 is supposedly equivalent to 440C, but seems to keep it's edge longer in my use as well as resharpen more quickly - Boker examples here. The use of 440C in a Boker knife I liked, the Titan Worker, was a deal killer for me. I am still considering the similar Boker Titan Defender Lightweight - because it uses Boehler N690! My most recent 440C was this autumn's CLB Subcom Titan. The little guy came dull - and remains that way, despite an hour or more at the Sharpmaker. No, 440C holds no magic for me!

When were Puma White Hunters made of 440C?

Stainz
 
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