- Joined
- Aug 26, 2005
- Messages
- 1,180
According to what I have read about ZDP-189, there is a good possibility of staining if the blade's not cleaned and oiled after every use.
ZDP-189's 3% carbon and 20% chromium etc content does render higher edge-holding capability. To be honest, I never had any first-hand experience with ZDP-189 or high-speed or tool steel bladed folders.
Living in the tropics with high ambient humidity and the fact I don't oil my stainless steel blades after every use brought me into a comfort zone I am loath to leave.
My folders are all in stainless (154CM, VG-10, AUS-8, SG2 laminated with VG-2) and they are used to perform light food preparation tasks (peanut butter/jam/chocolate spread sandwiches) etc. I value stain resistance a lot at the expense of edge-holding and ease of sharpening.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=766977&page=2
I hope what I have written so far can clarify what was left unsaid in my previous post.
I've EDC'd the Acies every day since it arrived and I haven't babied it at all nor taken any special care of the blade (haven't oiled it) beyond wiping it off after use. I live in Florida and our climate during the summer is like Vietnam but without the charm with very high humidity. You can just feel the all that moisture in the air and the weight of around you plus I'm often down near the beach to see friends whenever possible (we often cookout on their dock) so then the Acies is being exposed to salty sea air and sometimes spray and all I've done to protect the Acies is to wash it under tap water and wipe it dry.
To be honest, I'd read about the edge holding ability of the ZDP-189 and my hope was that it was also tough enough to use just as I have all of my S30V steel folders without any problems and it has done that perfectly. I've read on these and other forums that the ZDP can stain but I've treated my Acies just as I would any of my higher quality folders and the blade hasn't stained at all but what it has done is hold an edge better and slice easier/better than ANY folder I own. I have many titanium framelock folders and several of them are thicker and heavier than the Acies but done of them "cut" or "carry" better than my Acies.