8cr13mov, why so much hate?

I think it's a good layman knife user steel. Sharpens easy, which matters a lot when you're just some guy with a pocket stone. If you're not set up to sharpen at all then you need something higher end that will hold an edge 10x as long since you'll be buying a new one or finding a sharpening pro when it dulls.

I can see the hate since it's the only steel I've used that seemed to dull before my eyes. I carried a GIN-1 SE Spyderco for like 10 years before I finally got a new knife since it had dulled. I have since tooled up and touching up an 8Cr blade once in a while is no biggie.
 
zhyla said:
I think it's a good layman knife user steel. Sharpens easy, which matters a lot when you're just some guy with a pocket stone. If you're not set up to sharpen at all then you need something higher end that will hold an edge 10x as long since you'll be buying a new one or finding a sharpening pro when it dulls.

I can see the hate since it's the only steel I've used that seemed to dull before my eyes. I carried a GIN-1 SE Spyderco for like 10 years before I finally got a new knife since it had dulled. I have since tooled up and touching up an 8Cr blade once in a while is no biggie.
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Don't really get why someone wouldn't get sharpening supplies and learn to sharpen if they're gonna have a knife. A cheap norton combo crystolon and cheap lansky hard arkansas can put a screaming edge on a knife for under $30.
 
mr_anderson said:
lol, yeah because they use such high quality materials.
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kind of hard to knock victorinox... why would they change anything? it's one of the most least complained about knife companies in the world. people (we are all guilty of this) get so wrapped up on the latest "uber steel" that sometimes we think anything else is just junk and it simply isn't the case. Puma, Victorinox, Mora etc, all use great steels for the purpose and have great reputations... and all of those steels are older than I am.
 
For a high sharpness edge, I've found 8Cr13MoV to be in a dead tie with S30V. This was cutting cardboard, measuring sharpness by push cutting thread on a scale. Byrd Cara Cara and Benchmade Griptillian.
 
me2 said:
For a high sharpness edge, I've found 8Cr13MoV to be in a dead tie with S30V. This was cutting cardboard, measuring sharpness by push cutting thread on a scale. Byrd Cara Cara and Benchmade Griptillian.
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Right, but I don't think anyone's knocking 8cr13mov's ability to be sharp - edge retention should definitely be 2nd place to S30V.
 
Thats the point. They were in a dead tie. The above was not really clear. I cut cardboard and periodically tested for sharpness by push cutting thread on a scale.
 
8cr13mov in a satin finish (like a Tenacious or Persistence) is sufficient for many users, probably even most. My experience with a Kershaw Clash has soured me on the bead blasted finish they use for it. The Clash developed rust spotting relatively quickly, although use tends to rub some away. While 8cr13mov doesn't hold an edge well, it takes one very quickly. A Sharpmaker turned my Persistence into a fantastic light use option.

Unfortunately for me, it's not uncommon for me to have mini marathons breaking down large cardboard panels to fit them into an undersized compactor, or to have 20-30 zip ties to cut plus cardboard to break down in a single session. In order to avoid having to touch up edges multiple times each week to maintain efficiency, I need better edge retention. I'm mostly using a ZT 0566 for work, and it does a great job of holding up against work.
 
The bead blast finish is something I' ve always frowned upon. Only knife makers use a blasted finish as a final finish. Any other industry I know of uses it as a preperatory step for the final coating/treatment.
 
Well I agree with an earlier post that its the country of origin, China has become the biggest copier of mainstream products, if you look on ebay for any name brand knife and change the search to lowest-highest price you will find pages of knock off knives for $10-$25 dollars for knives that are much higher for the REAL VERSION. China also does this with golf gear, stereo equipment, you name it they fake it. China gets away with this because they do not follow copyrights or patents on merchandise because we can't arrest a chinese person for breaking American law, its a disgrace to American design and production, and to the young men and women who intentionally buy these because money is tight please wake up and quit supporting an economy that doesn't support ours. Another little fact because they are made in China they do not have to be honest about specs so if they say 58-60 rockwell yet it sharpens with 3 strokes, or you see a stereo amp saying 10,000 watts and it weighs the same as the cardboard box it came in, I don't think so.
So if you buy the 8cr13mov thats your choice, but it sounds like some people want support for their purchase. I would say have some patience, save up and buy an American, German, or Japanese knife for example Kershaw Skyline $30, last I saw was American made. Not trying to offend anyone but you get what you pay for.
 
My spyderco resilience is 8cr13mov, and I use it around the house on cardboard, wire cutting, making feather sticks, even batoning kindling. Yea it doesn't hold and edge well, but it's strong for what I need from it, and re sharpening on 8cr13 is so easy and quick. And it gets shaving sharp every time. I have a tenacious for food prep so obviously it rarely needs a resharpening. So I really have no problem with it. You just can't abuse it using it for super heavy duty tasks. Which is what I use my other knives for (kabar bk7 for heavy duty camp tasks, esee 4 for work, ontario rat 1 for edc, sak Fieldmaster II for secondary edc)

My next purchase is going to be kershaw blur in elmax or might look for a knife in 154cm
 
I have a BM PikaII that I believe is made of that steel(don't have it with me now, I'm out of town). Sure it's no super steel but I like it fine. It sharpens up really nicely and seems to hold an edge on par with any and all of my non custom stuff...even the zero tolerance s30v, but easier to put an edge on. Seems a lot like 440 grade steel to me, which does fine in a folder.
 
Fascinating thread to me, since this sexy AG Russell stacked leather American-Style Hunter in 8Cr13MoV has caught my eye of late.

RU-T523L-k10_zpse86f17dd.jpg


Any owners?
 
China has no choice but to support the US, because they have such a large reserve of US dollars.

If the US collapses those dollars will be worthless, and while China doesn't care much for the US they do like money.
 
rustyrazor said:
kind of hard to knock victorinox... why would they change anything? it's one of the most least complained about knife companies in the world. people (we are all guilty of this) get so wrapped up on the latest "uber steel" that sometimes we think anything else is just junk and it simply isn't the case. Puma, Victorinox, Mora etc, all use great steels for the purpose and have great reputations... and all of those steels are older than I am.
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It was more the way he said it, as if victorinox used really good stuff, the use a steel that is between 420 and 440 and I would bet it isn't very hard on the Rc because most people don't bother or don't know how to sharpen a knife. I wasn't knocking them, I mean they know something I don't, look how long they have been in business.
 
There is not a darn thing wrong with 8Cr if purchased through a reputable maker such as Spyderco, who strictly enforce their steel specs and ride herd on their foreign manufacturers. In practical use, Spyderco's 8Cr seems to fall somewhere between AUS-8 and 440c. It may require a daily strop to keep it in top form or at worst, a couple of strokes on a fine stone. Are there harder more wear resistant steels? Sure, if you are willing to pay the premium, but notice that I didn't say 'better steels'. The 'best' steel is whatever fits your requirements and budget at the time and not necessarily a steel that takes a month of Sundays to profile.

Right now, I am using a ZDP-189 Stretch as my EDC and an 8Cr Tenacious in the kitchen. The 8Cr does a famous job for kitchen chores and is easy to maintain the edge. Win/win in my book.
 
8cr13mov and AUS-8 might be better for some people because they're easier to sharpen in the field faster.

my Kershaw Tremor 8cr steel held a better edge than my Ontario Rat 1 with AUS-8, but I also noticed that my Cold Steel knives with AUS-8 are better than any 8cr13mov.
 
My work edc for the past two months.
Holds a serviceable edge for a decent amount of time and a quick strop maintains it.
Of course, I would love this knife in any steel, but 8cr is fine with me. I do find it interesting that it is starting to develop a patina of sorts but then again it gets exposed to different chemicals and stuff.



 
Personally I dont care for it because of the fact I like higher end knives myself. I think the "lowest" end steel I have in my collection is 154CM from EKI currently. That being said for what it is 8CR is not that bad but my friends who move up to say 154 or S30 can tell the difference and they dont even know knives really well.
 
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