I hate asking steel questions but here you go. How is 5160 as a cutter/slicer. It seems like it is used as a hard use knife steel. If say the stock were 3/16 with a full flat grind, would it perform similarly to 1095? If not what is its closest relative in the 10xx series. If you must know I am thinking of a RD series and wondering if I should go custom or not.
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5160 v. 1095
- Thread starter Smash05
- Start date
The geometry of a knife is what cuts, not the steel. Steel defines the limits of geometry. A 1095 blade and a 5160 blade will cut the same if the blades are the same shape. There are trade offs for either of these steels vs. the other, but I would think a thinly ground knife like you describe in 5160 would cut fine, and the edge holding would be adequate, especially the higher hardnesses that 5160 is capable of, 60 HRc or more. Also, be aware that 5160 will be tougher and more impact resistant than 1095 at the same hardness, provided the blades are quenched and tempered.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 1999
- Messages
- 6,117
5160 has lower carbon than 1095 which makes it tougher (good for hard use blade), but you can't run it as hard as 1095. I would look at 1084 or 1085 if you want a 10xx steel that is tough and still gets pretty hard. The other option that is convenient with 5160 and 1084 is differential hardening (hard edge and softer spine).