8Cr13MoV sucks!

My Manly Wasp In Sandvik 12.. is a good s;I;Cher and holds a decent edge.
 
Kershaw D2 has worked out well for me recently, and way within the 100 price point.
 
NativeCraft said:
I've got two different Kershaw knives, a Volt II and an Oso-Sweet, each with 8Cr13MoV steel. I love the ergonomics of both of them, but they dull just by looking at them.

What are some tougher steels that I should be looking for? I use my knives hard, doing carpentry work and other things like plumbing and auto repair.
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You need ZT, not Kershaw 😁 the 0203 will kick butt on the job site!
 
Maybe because I don’t really “hard use” my knives, but two of my budget favorites are both 8Cr. The Spyderco Resilience and the Cold Steel Mini Leatherneck. 8Cr can achieve a pretty mean edge (surprising for the price point), no chipping issues so far, and stain resistance is decent (it will rust if knife is left wet).

What it lacks in edge retention, it makes up for in easy sharpening IMO. I think the logical upgrade from 8Cr would be S30V or S35VN.
 
NativeCraft said:
My budget is $100 or less. I can afford more, but I can't see spending a lot on a hard-user.
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That’s actually opposed to my thinking. If it’s something that will be used hard and frequently, I want it to perform.
It doesn’t have to be a $1800 show piece.. but a Spyderco PM2 in any of several great steels would be a lifelong companion for around $200.
 
DangerZone98 said:
Maybe because I don’t really “hard use” my knives, but two of my budget favorites are both 8Cr. The Spyderco Resilience and the Cold Steel Mini Leatherneck. 8Cr can achieve a pretty mean edge (surprising for the price point), no chipping issues so far, and stain resistance is decent (it will rust if knife is left wet).

What it lacks in edge retention, it makes up for in easy sharpening IMO. I think the logical upgrade from 8Cr would be S30V or S35VN.
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I probably already discussed it but my main issues with 8Cr13Mov are (1) edge quality over time and (2) it has felt increasingly obsolete (and increasingly overpriced) versus what else is increasingly being used on budget knives for a long time now.

On the first point, lots of talk about "edge retention" really just focuses on total edge life. It doesn't look at the quality of the edge over that time. In the benefits category, people talk about how easy it is to put a "screaming sharp edge" on 8Cr13Mov and that's true. The problem is that said screaming sharp edge rapidly dwindles down to a ho-hum working edge that just doesn't feel as good to use. This is where I liked the edge-testing from Outpost 76, as he demarcated the transition from "fine edge" to "working edge" and it mirrors my experiences. So while 8Cr13Mov might be comparable to better steels like 14C28N on total edge life, it falls far short on edge quality over that total edge life.
 
BluegrassBrian said:
That’s actually opposed to my thinking. If it’s something that will be used hard and frequently, I want it to perform.
It doesn’t have to be a $1800 show piece.. but a Spyderco PM2 in any of several great steels would be a lifelong companion for around $200.
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And if it gonna be a work knife, why not go with a fixed blade ☺️
 
David Mary said:
Larrin has weighed in on 8Cr13MoV and his verdict was not that it sucked.
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IIRC Cedric and Ada had similar findings too. 8Cr performed decently in number of rope cuts before dulling compared to higher end steels like S35VN.

For the average Joe who only uses his folding knife occasionally, it’s really not too bad.

To use a crude analogy, I don’t think 8Cr gets the prom queen, but it does okay on the dance floor.
 
I’m a fan of it overall. I’ve used it in my Byrd Tern for years now. If you want to get the most out of it, sharpen it at as low an angle as it will withstand during whatever you use it to do. At the same time, finish with as coarse a stone as will give the sharpness you want. If you want arm shaving, finish on something like a Norton Coarse India stone or a DMT Black or Blue x-coarse or coarse respectively. Run that finish at 10 degrees per side for normal daily cutting and you’ll be astounded. No scraping or side loading of any kind though.
 
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