7Cr14Mov Steel?

N

NMK85

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Nov 10, 2015
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Not sure if this has been posted before, but I bought a Benchmade "Vex" many years ago when the Red series was still available. I think I got mine in 2005. On the site, the blade steel is supposedly 8Cr13Mov, but mine says it's a 7Cr14Mov steel. When I look this steel up, the results are basically other people trying to figure out the same thing I am - is this a typo, or is this the actual steel type?
The only thing I've seen is that the first production Vex's are labeled this way.

I love my Vex, regardless, and I still carry it from time to time. But I'm curious....

Anyone know about this steel?
Is it an actual steel type, or just a typo printed on the side of the blade?
Is the 7Cr14Mov softer/harder than the 8Cr13Mov?

7cr14mov by Omar Flickick, on Flickr

7cr14mov by Omar Flickick, on Flickr

Thanks for any feedback/info.

-NMK
 
I'm no expert on steel but a Googling shows many believe 7Cr14Mov to be a Chinese version of US 440, most likely 440A. Nothing more specific could I find. I'm sure an expert on the subject will come through after bumping up. Or might want to post in the General forum to get a wider range of views.
 
It looks like the First Production Run were marked 7Cr14Mov. I was able to find several examples, including one sold here on the exchange back in 2006:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...st-Production-Numbered-Benchmade-Vex-PE-blade

At first I was skeptical because I'd read several reports of Vex fakes being sold on ebay. My Vex that I bought new from KW is marked 8Cr14Mov and BM's discontinued models page (Before it was deleted) listed the Vex as having 8Cr14Mov and I couldn't recall BM ever using 7Cr14Mov.

Maybe BM used 7Cr14Mov on the First Production Run and then changed the steel. If it were me I'd give BM customer service a call on Monday and run it by them and see what they say.

As mentioned above 7Cr14Mov is a real steel used in knives and is "similar" to 440a. FWIW I have a Sog Fielder with 7Cr17 steel and for the most part it's held up better then expected for a budget steel. My BM Ascender with 9Cr13Mov has really impressed me though. Takes and holds a very keen edge.Pretty tough too. I guess if you nail the HT many of these lower end steels will perform better then expected.

Anyway, Hope this helps and all the best!

Edited to add: I also love the Vex. Great little knife. Stout, strong and well made. Feels great in hand. Wouldn't mind if they brought it back with an updated steel. The Vex and Ascender are my favorites of the Red Class proper.
 
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Lee48 said:
I'm no expert on steel but a Googling shows many believe 7Cr14Mov to be a Chinese version of US 440, most likely 440A. Nothing more specific could I find. I'm sure an expert on the subject will come through after bumping up. Or might want to post in the General forum to get a wider range of views.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's basically what I'd seen as well. My results were pretty vague too, although I didn't look too incredibly deeply. Thanks for the feedback.

-NMK
 
pbcg said:
It looks like the First Production Run were marked 7Cr14Mov. I was able to find several examples, including one sold here on the exchange back in 2006:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...st-Production-Numbered-Benchmade-Vex-PE-blade

At first I was skeptical because I'd read several reports of Vex fakes being sold on ebay. My Vex that I bought new from KW is marked 8Cr14Mov and BM's discontinued models page (Before it was deleted) listed the Vex as having 8Cr14Mov and I couldn't recall BM ever using 7Cr14Mov.

Maybe BM used 7Cr14Mov on the First Production Run and then changed the steel. If it were me I'd give BM customer service a call on Monday and run it by them and see what they say.

As mentioned above 7Cr14Mov is a real steel used in knives and is "similar" to 440a. FWIW I have a Sog Fielder with 7Cr17 steel and for the most part it's held up better then expected for a budget steel. My BM Ascender with 9Cr13Mov has really impressed me though. Takes and holds a very keen edge.Pretty tough too. I guess if you nail the HT many of these lower end steels will perform better then expected.

Anyway, Hope this helps and all the best!
Click to expand...

I was wondering if I'd gotten a fake, although I ordered mine through Blade HQ. From what I've seen/heard/experienced, they're a pretty reputable site, but I guess it's not impossible for them to sell a fake. I'm wondering if, as you said, the first run was a test with the 7Cr14Mov, then they decided to change up to the 8Cr13Mov.
Regardless, I love my Vex. The steel has done everything I've needed it to do as an EDC, and more. Doesn't hold an edge for incredibly long but it's pretty easy to sharpen, feels great in the hand, cleans easy, and looks cool. No complaints lol.

Thanks for all the info you found on that steel, though. Now I'll just look up steel characteristics of 440A to really understand what it is I have.

-NMK
 
NMK85 said:
I was wondering if I'd gotten a fake, although I ordered mine through Blade HQ. From what I've seen/heard/experienced, they're a pretty reputable site, but I guess it's not impossible for them to sell a fake. I'm wondering if, as you said, the first run was a test with the 7Cr14Mov, then they decided to change up to the 8Cr13Mov.
Regardless, I love my Vex. The steel has done everything I've needed it to do as an EDC, and more. Doesn't hold an edge for incredibly long but it's pretty easy to sharpen, feels great in the hand, cleans easy, and looks cool. No complaints lol.

Thanks for all the info you found on that steel, though. Now I'll just look up steel characteristics of 440A to really understand what it is I have.

-NMK
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I'm pretty sure your knife is legit. Like I said I've found several examples of the First Production Run and they were all marked 7Cr14Mov. And like you said I doubt you'd get a fake from BHQ. It's on ebay that fakes were being sold. None of the legit dealers will sell you a fake.

I'd still give BM a call just to nail it down. Its always interesting to call them and see what they have to say. I've learned quite a bit doing that. If anything it makes it rarer or unique from the knives made after the first run. You don't see that very often. As far as steel though I'd prefer the 8Cr14Mov but again, if they nail the HT these budget steels can perform better then expected.

All the best!
 
bld522 said:
Not knowingly they wouldn't. But could it happen? You tell me:

www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1220121

Make no mistake about it . . . fakes are getting harder and harder to spot. If someone buys a knife from an authorized dealer and they think it's a fake, they should do as you suggest and contact the manufacturer.
Click to expand...

I have to agree completely, not knowingly they wouldn't. That said, I still believe the chances of being sold a fake from a reputable knife dealer like BHQ or KW is pretty low as they get their stock directly from the manufacture. I haven't heard of any fakes being sold by them, have you? Doesn't mean it couldn't happen though, just not as likely I think.

It really is a shame the lengths people will go to scam and cheat others. Like you said, if you have any concerns the first thing to do is contact the manufacture directly.
 
pbcg said:
I have to agree completely, not knowingly they wouldn't. That said, I still believe the chances of being sold a fake from a reputable knife dealer like BHQ or KW is pretty low as they get their stock directly from the manufacture. I haven't heard of any fakes being sold by them, have you?
Click to expand...
No, I haven't. I hope to hell I never do. But it's getting to the point where some fakes are so good only the manufacturers themselves can tell them apart from originals. So where do you draw the line between due diligence and paranoia? I have no idea. Like you, however, I tend to trust the products I receive from authorized dealers. And the dealers you mentioned are two of the most trustworthy.
 
Yeah, I'll probably give them a call tomorrow (Monday) and just ask about the steel and the plausibility of a fake. I'm actually not too incredibly concerned about it in regard to the functionality of the knife. Like I said, it's been a great EDC all these years. But I AM curious about it. Hopefully, they can shed some light on it.

I'll keep ya posted.

-NMK
 
I wouldn't worry about the fake thing too much. When I was doing a search I did find a posting on another knife forum that reviewed the Vex and the use of 7Cr14Mov steel was mentioned as being different from Benchmade's website description of 8Cr13. Sometimes I think the person writing descriptions on Benchmade's site doesn't always do the necessary homework. I own a couple of the HK Pika II models that Benchmade's site describes as having 8Cr13 blades when they actually have 9Cr13 blades.
 
OP,

I called BM this morning. The rep I spoke to wasn't sure and their resident "historical expert" was in a meeting.

Per their request I sent them pic's of your knife and examples of First Production Run's that I found where the blades was marked 7Cr14Mov.

They said they were going to research the matter and get back to me with an answer. As soon as I hear back I will post it here.

I'm fairly certain your knife is legit. It will be interesting to find out though if the first run blades were either misprints or as I suspect they changed the steel.

Either way I'll let you know as soon as I hear back.
 
pbcg said:
OP,

I called BM this morning. The rep I spoke to wasn't sure and their resident "historical expert" was in a meeting.

Per their request I sent them pic's of your knife and examples of First Production Run's that I found where the blades was marked 7Cr14Mov.

They said they were going to research the matter and get back to me with an answer. As soon as I hear back I will post it here.

I'm fairly certain your knife is legit. It will be interesting to find out though if the first run blades were either misprints or as I suspect they changed the steel.

Either way I'll let you know as soon as I hear back.
Click to expand...


Hey, thanks for making that call.
It's funny because when I made MY call, the guy I talked to said he'd spoken with someone earlier the same day regarding the exact same thing. I'm wondering if you were the person he was referring to lol (He said that a call about that in the same day was rare and really interesting to him). I'm also guessing he still hadn't accumulated much info on the mater just yet because he couldn't tell me a whole lot about the steel and the markings on the blade. He DID tell me it was a Chinese version of 440 steel, but that was about a far as we got.
I look forward to hearing what they tell you when they follow up with you.

-NMK
 
Still haven't heard back yet but when I do I'll post it right up.

Guess they are having to do some real digging on this one. Makes it even more interesting to see what we'll find out.
 
Update:

I just heard back from BM. They confirmed that the First Production Run was indeed 7Cr14Mov and changed to 8Cr14Mov for the standard production run.
 
That's a real Vex, one of the best Red label folders to this day. Rounded spine, a little heavy, but great knife. Mine came in the 8Cr14Mov blade steel and kept a good edge.
 
pbcg said:
Update:

I just heard back from BM. They confirmed that the First Production Run was indeed 7Cr14Mov and changed to 8Cr14Mov for the standard production run.
Click to expand...

Interesting.
I wonder what made them make that little change in the blade steel (Blade characteristics? Cost?)
Either way, it's good to know I didn't get a knockoff lol.
And thanks again for sharing the update/information. Much appreciated.

-NMK
 
jkarp_53 said:
That's a real Vex, one of the best Red label folders to this day. Rounded spine, a little heavy, but great knife. Mine came in the 8Cr14Mov blade steel and kept a good edge.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It got discounted by many, simply because it was in the Red Class but it really is a great knife. Especially at the price point. Even barring price, it's a great folder. And I actually prefer hefty knives, so that weight is a big ol plus in my eyes. Never selling mine as it was my first "real", quality knife.

-NMK
 
NMK85 said:
Interesting.
I wonder what made them make that little change in the blade steel (Blade characteristics? Cost?)
Either way, it's good to know I didn't get a knockoff lol.
And thanks again for sharing the update/information. Much appreciated.

-NMK
Click to expand...

Not sure why they changed the steel but I'd guess 8Cr14MOV is arguably a slightly "better" steel, and or they were able to get the 8Cr at a better price as you suggest. Your guess is as good as mine. Either way at least you know your knife is not only legit but also even rarer then the regular run. Definitely a cool factor there!

I remember posting in a thread a while back about the Vex. Don't remember if it was here or in general but the Vex has a bunch of fans. One of the many BM"s over the years that standout in it's class. The Red class had a few gems in it for sure.

Anyway, glad it turned out well and enjoy!
 
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