I want a 40-inch katana...
I find a community where there are tons of people like me.
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A !VERY! detailed review of Huntsman knives
- Thread starter Moorik
- Start date
I find a community where there are tons of people like me.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2018
- Messages
- 8,315
I want a 40-inch katana...
I find a community where there are tons of people like me.
Haha.... I don't understand the question....
ALL of Us here want a 40" katana of some sort......
Alright, one of my tests on 3V steel with the Tyrant.
I struck various hard materials, comparing the 3V steel on the Tyrant with another blade made of the same 3V steel. Let me say right away, this is one of the top 3V steels currently available, and I’m very confident in its quality. For ethical reasons, I won’t disclose whose steel it is—I think that’s the right approach.
Both blades were sharpened at 22 degrees. The Tyrant’s BTE (behind-the-edge thickness) is significantly thinner than that of the other blade.
Honestly, I initially conducted this test for a different purpose: to try out my new exposed abrasives after silicon carbide.
So, I struck bone, wood, and then a concrete cinder block.
Here are the results:
The most severe damage was to the Tyrant. Let me clarify upfront: I know what I’m doing, and I applied a fairly consistent load to the same part of the blade.
Due to its design, the Tyrant, being larger and heavier than the other blade in the comparison, ends up taking on a greater load.
I’m not claiming to be an authority—after all, these are my tests—but I find them interesting. Plus, I’m extremely meticulous in my approach, constantly checking my actions under a microscope.
I’m not the type to just recklessly break a blade. I’m confident in what I do, my sharpening skills, and all the other details.
I repeat, these are the most significant damages sustained by the Tyrant.
On average, the damage looks like this—that is, this is what I get on average with a more normalized load.
After testing on bone, concrete, and very hard wood, I observed no chipping whatsoever and only one very minor dent.
The load, if you're curious, includes both impact and what I call "viscous" stress—I simply press the blade against various materials.
Additionally, I strike at about half strength on the materials I mentioned earlier.
(I don’t hit too hard, as there’s no point; under extreme loads, you’ll never get clear or meaningful microscopy results.)
Here’s how the other blade, which I compared to the Tyrant, performed under the same load, head-to-head (honestly, I put the Tyrant through more stress).
I repeat!
Both blades were sharpened at a 22-degree angle.
The BTE (behind-the-edge thickness) of the Tyrant is about 40% thinner.
What you see under the microscope here is at 400x magnification throughout.
This steel also performed EXTREMELY well for the load I subjected it to.
Both blades performed admirably.
Here are the average damages.
You can see here, too, a uniform bend.
Both variants recover very quickly and easily.
Here, I’ve already repaired the Tyrant. The following shots just show how I restored and polished it.
Nothing too exciting.
I simply used an abrasive belt with diamond paste to show you a beautiful blade.
Here, it might seem like the surface isn’t as beautiful as in previous microscopy images, but my microscope is fairly basic. With better lighting and framing, it would actually look prettier. Well, at least we can see the carbides
Here's how it looks in real life.
And here I caught the right shine.
What was I trying to say with all this?
As you can see, the 3V steel on the Tyrant can compete with the best, and in certain tasks, especially those involving heavy loads, it may even perform better.
Honestly, this is remarkable and probably useful for anyone potentially interested in Huntsman blades. Typically, the quality of heat treatment can only be seen in such tasks, under very close examination, and through the kind of tests I conduct for myself.
I think it’s incredibly cool that the relatively new Tyrant, in 3V steel (and Z-Tuff, which I’ll get to test later), can compete with the best. When you get this blade, you’re AT LEAST getting something that, in terms of performance, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the BEST steels. And by chance, in my specific tests, the Tyrant actually outperformed the other, which is curious, especially considering its slightly thinner geometry, even though the sharpening angle was the same.
So, for anyone wondering how good the steel from Huntsman is, you can see it for yourself. Honestly, I feel like I’ve stumbled upon a hidden gem. I’m confident that the Tyrant, Fell Beast, and other blades will, in time, get the attention they deserve—and then some.
Keep it up, Huntsman!
P.S
I’ve handled an incredible number of 3V steels in all sorts of heat treatments, and you know what? I’d place the quality of this one not just in an S+ tier, but in a league of its own—it’s even better than that.
As for Z-Tuff, I specifically need a Tyrant to compare the same geometry, but I’m confident I’ll be thrilled, as the Fell Beast is already performing amazingly.
Honestly, I didn’t expect this level of performance. I thought the steel would just be good, but what I see here is incredibly meticulous and impressive work.
On top of that, it’s very noticeable that the craftsmanship is top-notch. You’d be surprised, but this matters a lot more than you might think when it comes to blade durability.
I hope my reviews help if you’ve recently come across the Tyrant or Fell Beast and are wondering about things like, “What’s the quality of the steel’s heat treatment and durability?”
I struck various hard materials, comparing the 3V steel on the Tyrant with another blade made of the same 3V steel. Let me say right away, this is one of the top 3V steels currently available, and I’m very confident in its quality. For ethical reasons, I won’t disclose whose steel it is—I think that’s the right approach.
Both blades were sharpened at 22 degrees. The Tyrant’s BTE (behind-the-edge thickness) is significantly thinner than that of the other blade.
Honestly, I initially conducted this test for a different purpose: to try out my new exposed abrasives after silicon carbide.
So, I struck bone, wood, and then a concrete cinder block.
Here are the results:
The most severe damage was to the Tyrant. Let me clarify upfront: I know what I’m doing, and I applied a fairly consistent load to the same part of the blade.
Due to its design, the Tyrant, being larger and heavier than the other blade in the comparison, ends up taking on a greater load.
I’m not claiming to be an authority—after all, these are my tests—but I find them interesting. Plus, I’m extremely meticulous in my approach, constantly checking my actions under a microscope.
I’m not the type to just recklessly break a blade. I’m confident in what I do, my sharpening skills, and all the other details.
I repeat, these are the most significant damages sustained by the Tyrant.
On average, the damage looks like this—that is, this is what I get on average with a more normalized load.
After testing on bone, concrete, and very hard wood, I observed no chipping whatsoever and only one very minor dent.
The load, if you're curious, includes both impact and what I call "viscous" stress—I simply press the blade against various materials.
Additionally, I strike at about half strength on the materials I mentioned earlier.
(I don’t hit too hard, as there’s no point; under extreme loads, you’ll never get clear or meaningful microscopy results.)
Here’s how the other blade, which I compared to the Tyrant, performed under the same load, head-to-head (honestly, I put the Tyrant through more stress).
I repeat!
Both blades were sharpened at a 22-degree angle.
The BTE (behind-the-edge thickness) of the Tyrant is about 40% thinner.
What you see under the microscope here is at 400x magnification throughout.
This steel also performed EXTREMELY well for the load I subjected it to.
Both blades performed admirably.
Here are the average damages.
You can see here, too, a uniform bend.
Both variants recover very quickly and easily.
Here, I’ve already repaired the Tyrant. The following shots just show how I restored and polished it.
Nothing too exciting.
I simply used an abrasive belt with diamond paste to show you a beautiful blade.
Here, it might seem like the surface isn’t as beautiful as in previous microscopy images, but my microscope is fairly basic. With better lighting and framing, it would actually look prettier. Well, at least we can see the carbides
Here's how it looks in real life.
And here I caught the right shine.
What was I trying to say with all this?
As you can see, the 3V steel on the Tyrant can compete with the best, and in certain tasks, especially those involving heavy loads, it may even perform better.
Honestly, this is remarkable and probably useful for anyone potentially interested in Huntsman blades. Typically, the quality of heat treatment can only be seen in such tasks, under very close examination, and through the kind of tests I conduct for myself.
I think it’s incredibly cool that the relatively new Tyrant, in 3V steel (and Z-Tuff, which I’ll get to test later), can compete with the best. When you get this blade, you’re AT LEAST getting something that, in terms of performance, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the BEST steels. And by chance, in my specific tests, the Tyrant actually outperformed the other, which is curious, especially considering its slightly thinner geometry, even though the sharpening angle was the same.
So, for anyone wondering how good the steel from Huntsman is, you can see it for yourself. Honestly, I feel like I’ve stumbled upon a hidden gem. I’m confident that the Tyrant, Fell Beast, and other blades will, in time, get the attention they deserve—and then some.
Keep it up, Huntsman!
P.S
I’ve handled an incredible number of 3V steels in all sorts of heat treatments, and you know what? I’d place the quality of this one not just in an S+ tier, but in a league of its own—it’s even better than that.
As for Z-Tuff, I specifically need a Tyrant to compare the same geometry, but I’m confident I’ll be thrilled, as the Fell Beast is already performing amazingly.
Honestly, I didn’t expect this level of performance. I thought the steel would just be good, but what I see here is incredibly meticulous and impressive work.
On top of that, it’s very noticeable that the craftsmanship is top-notch. You’d be surprised, but this matters a lot more than you might think when it comes to blade durability.
I hope my reviews help if you’ve recently come across the Tyrant or Fell Beast and are wondering about things like, “What’s the quality of the steel’s heat treatment and durability?”
Wow! Thank you for sharing that
M
Moorik
!! It's incredible how little deformation there is even after striking it on a concrete block! 
I can say that after an hour of chopping through super dense buckthorn bushes (trees at this point), I just wash it, wipe it off and it's good as new! (for both 3V and ZTuff)
I can say that after an hour of chopping through super dense buckthorn bushes (trees at this point), I just wash it, wipe it off and it's good as new! (for both 3V and ZTuff)
I agree, I notice literally the same thing.Wow! Thank you for sharing that M Moorik !! It's incredible how little deformation there is even after striking it on a concrete block!
I can say that after an hour of chopping through super dense buckthorn bushes (trees at this point), I just wash it, wipe it off and it's good as new! (for both 3V and ZTuff)
And you know, don’t hit your blades against blocks or anything like that. In a way, I do these tests, essentially like crash tests, so other people don’t have to.
With my other blades, I don’t think I’d put them through as much as I do with the 3V Tyrant and Fell Beast, in the context of “unreasonable stress,” of course. Because hitting thick beef bones, concrete, steel, metal, or nails can hardly be called reasonable use, and I get that!
I just find it incredibly interesting to do these tests, plus I gain certain sharpening skills, you know. By constantly repairing such damage back to a perfect cutting edge, you start to understand a lot about geometry, steel, and sharpening!
And as Hunter said, my 24K Tyrant, after going through so many trials, is now kind of legendary, haha, you know. I can already imagine, years from now, this design of my battle-scarred Tyrant with gold Cerakote being replicated, called something like the “Battle 24K Edition” (just kidding, but still).
Honestly, the Fell Beast and Tyrant almost seem to ask to be put through these trials. Like, when I feel that a blade or something clearly won’t pass a test or would take too much damage, I don’t do it. I’m not foolish enough to risk losing part of my collection.
P.S.
And here’s another thing, or at least I hope so!
This could potentially help not only people but also those who make knives.
Because such microscopy, tests, and multiple knife sharpenings might reveal additional insights. It could provide some kind of help, perhaps with information. Or at the very least, show the craftsman that they’re doing everything right, for example.
Very often, people use their blades in a limited way or, for instance, don’t know what to expect from a blade. It seems to me that these tests of mine fully demonstrate what you can expect from a blade.
And that’s extremely important for both the consumer and the manufacturer.
In addition, you know, the tests conducted by someone who makes knives—literally any tests—are limited.
Like bending the blade, chopping a nail, or something like that.
But, for example, how often do you come across a review from someone who, say, uses their blade 2-3 times a week for two hours extremely intensely?
How often have you seen a review from someone who, for instance, has sharpened their knife for the 50th time after damage, and the blade is still alive, in perfect condition, and has retained its geometry?
It seems to me that what we’re doing now is extremely important, like a diary of the knives that Hunter makes.
I conduct these tests and provide the kind of information I felt was missing when choosing anything.
I’m not so much interested in how much a blade can bend or withstand a single load.
I’m interested in whether it can endure 10,000 iterations of that load, got it?
And you can expect and predict, for example, what a Tyrant or Fell Beast can handle, based on my experience!
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M
Moorik
now you just need to record and document the testing process also, so everyone gets to see just how tough Huntsman knives are in reality, and then the restoration sharpening and slicing kitchen towel ASMR 
As part of your video diary of them being used, tested and restored, perfect cycle of life. (maybe leave the death part out 
)
To be honest, I find your testing much more helpful than straight up destruction tests. Everyone knows that it doesn't matter how tough something is, destruction is always possible. If there's a will, there's a way But yes, pushing these knives to the absolute limit of proper usage and maintenance, with the goal of keeping it alive for generations to come. That is something new and unique and don't see anywhere else! 
As part of your video diary of them being used, tested and restored, perfect cycle of life. (maybe leave the death part out )To be honest, I find your testing much more helpful than straight up destruction tests. Everyone knows that it doesn't matter how tough something is, destruction is always possible. If there's a will, there's a way
But yes, pushing these knives to the absolute limit of proper usage and maintenance, with the goal of keeping it alive for generations to come. That is something new and unique and don't see anywhere else!
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Well, that's pretty much what I'm planning to do, but I need some time to figure out how to properly record such a video. You know, I'm thinking about doing them without editing, at least for the tests, but with sharpening and restoration, with editing, because it's long and boring to watch me just sitting and sharpening a knife for two hours.M Moorik now you just need to record the testing process so everyone gets to see just how tough Huntsman knives are in reality, and then the restoration sharpening and slicing kitchen towel ASMR
To be honest, I find your testing much more helpful than straight up destruction tests. Everyone knows that it doesn't matter how tough something is, destruction is always possible. If there's a will, there's a way
You could always do a no-edit time lapse video, or just speed up the playback. Or just a no-edit real time hour long sharpening sound video for the ASMR factor. It's kind of like watching a sun set. I'd totally be mesmerized by a video of Tyrant Bowie chopping through wood, bone, nails, concrete blocks etc, and then watching the motion of sharpening and enjoying the sounds etc.
It's like having those hour long cat purring or rain forest audio in the background. I'd put hour long knife sharpening and slicing paper sounds in the background to sooth my nervous system!
It's like having those hour long cat purring or rain forest audio in the background. I'd put hour long knife sharpening and slicing paper sounds in the background to sooth my nervous system!
Cat purring, the sound of a rainforest, the sound of restoring the Tyrant's cutting edge with a very coarse abrasive.You could always do a no-edit time lapse video, or just speed up the playback. Or just a no-edit real time hour long sharpening sound video for the ASMR factor. It's kind of like watching a sun set. I'd totally be mesmerized by a video of Tyrant Bowie chopping through wood, bone, nails, concrete blocks etc, and then watching the motion of sharpening and enjoying the sounds etc.
It's like having those hour long cat purring or rain forest audio in the background. I'd put hour long knife sharpening and slicing paper sounds in the background to sooth my nervous system!
I'll jot down this ASMR idea.
As planned, upon receiving the new diamond abrasives with a new bond of titanium, bronze, and diamond stones, I returned to sharpening.
Finally, the Z-Tuff Tyrant Bowie is in my hands—essentially the same beauty as the 3V Tyrant, only new, and I think I like it even more. I noticed that Huntsman really put some interesting work into it; its new balance and handle configuration are significantly better. The blades literally look identical, but the Z-Tuff seems to have bulked up a bit and dried out—cool, I love it!
You know, my Tyrant has been through a hell of a lot—I mean, an *extreme* amount.
It chopped down 5 fairly large trees—not too thick, but not small either—all hard, dry wood, like you're hacking at stone.
There were also bones, cinder blocks, and other joys of life that I usually subjected all my Huntsman knives to—you know, extremely predictably, I already literally knew that Z-Tuff would outperform 3V, and I got a result even slightly better than expected.
This is how it looked after a long "session" with it (Knife abuse is work, right?)
As you can see, the steel holds up perfectly—I set it at 23 degrees. Yes, I know the standard is usually 20, or 21-22.
But I subjected my blade to massive damage—I mean, *really* massive—and not just driving through one nail, no: for example, multiple strikes into hard wood, totaling about 6 hours of continuous work.
Impacts on cinder block, and so on.
I promise, I'll improve my presentation with the new microscope! I promise—for now, I'm looking for features.
Here are the usual shots with regular microscopy, except I'm putting the lens from my more expensive one on the old microscope, so the view is sort of better—at least, I think you deserve the best!
Let me say right away: Z-Tuff has somehow become my favorite steel for my LOOOONG sharpening sessions up to high grit counts—or low micron sizes
Because the steel is strong and tough, I think it really soaks up all the work I put in with the stone.
This is a 100/80 stone, which equates to 150 grit—my abrasives are, at the moment, the best that exist overall: extremely, *extremely* aggressive diamond. I won’t go into details since you’re interested in the blade, but in short, I’m getting the best sharpening possible, plus you’re seeing better microscopy quality thanks to the depth of field.
Here’s the 50/40, 300 grit. What do I like about Z-Tuff steel?
It has fewer carbides in its structure than CPM 3V—and what does that mean for me?
I can sharpen much more aggressively and extensively on soft stones because it’s easier to polish. Plus, it’s extremely interesting to me that Z-Tuff DOESN’T CHIP AT ALL. And you know, that’s a huge surprise for me, because it’s the first steel that doesn’t get eaten up by my ultra-aggressive 1-micron abrasive—I’ll show you further on.
Here’s the 40/28 abrasive, 550 grit.
An interesting point: I’m getting parasitic scratches due to the extremely coarse diamonds with titanium bonding, but thanks to Z-Tuff’s toughness, these parasitic scratches end up being almost minimal in number—and I’ll be able to polish the steel to **PERFECTION**!
Abrasive 20/14, around 1000 grit.
Here, I’m getting a more uniform structure, and once again, Z-Tuff doesn’t chip at all even on these steel-eating monsters. Because of that, it’s essentially a very fast and convenient process for me—honestly, I can even press the abrasive a bit harder on the steel with no consequences.
14/10 and its 1500 grit
As I said, thanks to Z-Tuff’s toughness—this is, overall, my biggest fascination: the **most resilient steel**. Why? Because I can demonstrate and prove my research on the fact that the tougher and more ductile the steel, the better I can sharpen it—probably better than any high-end steel, even those with 65-68 HRC hardness.
At an **extremely, unbelievably high level of toughness**. It surpasses even 3V in toughness…!
Do you see the structure?
The steel—I don’t know, maybe I’ve just seen way too many—but it looks solidly different from CPM 3V.
Because there are fewer carbides, it seems that’s exactly why it’s tougher.
7/5, and here we’re at 3000 grit with the same extremely aggressive diamonds as always!
Here, I’m opening up and polishing the surface—just look at how good it looks.
Every time I do the same process, it gets more and more fascinating to me!
Abrasive 5/3—this is 4000 grit.
With such a small number of microns, not a ton of grit, but you'll understand later why I need this!
The photo is a bit blurry, but it’s still clearly visible—overall, truly the quality we all deserve...!
Finally, the Z-Tuff Tyrant Bowie is in my hands—essentially the same beauty as the 3V Tyrant, only new, and I think I like it even more. I noticed that Huntsman really put some interesting work into it; its new balance and handle configuration are significantly better. The blades literally look identical, but the Z-Tuff seems to have bulked up a bit and dried out—cool, I love it!
You know, my Tyrant has been through a hell of a lot—I mean, an *extreme* amount.
It chopped down 5 fairly large trees—not too thick, but not small either—all hard, dry wood, like you're hacking at stone.
There were also bones, cinder blocks, and other joys of life that I usually subjected all my Huntsman knives to—you know, extremely predictably, I already literally knew that Z-Tuff would outperform 3V, and I got a result even slightly better than expected.
This is how it looked after a long "session" with it (Knife abuse is work, right?)
As you can see, the steel holds up perfectly—I set it at 23 degrees. Yes, I know the standard is usually 20, or 21-22.
But I subjected my blade to massive damage—I mean, *really* massive—and not just driving through one nail, no: for example, multiple strikes into hard wood, totaling about 6 hours of continuous work.
Impacts on cinder block, and so on.
I promise, I'll improve my presentation with the new microscope! I promise—for now, I'm looking for features.
Here are the usual shots with regular microscopy, except I'm putting the lens from my more expensive one on the old microscope, so the view is sort of better—at least, I think you deserve the best!
Let me say right away: Z-Tuff has somehow become my favorite steel for my LOOOONG sharpening sessions up to high grit counts—or low micron sizes
Because the steel is strong and tough, I think it really soaks up all the work I put in with the stone.
This is a 100/80 stone, which equates to 150 grit—my abrasives are, at the moment, the best that exist overall: extremely, *extremely* aggressive diamond. I won’t go into details since you’re interested in the blade, but in short, I’m getting the best sharpening possible, plus you’re seeing better microscopy quality thanks to the depth of field.
Here’s the 50/40, 300 grit. What do I like about Z-Tuff steel?
It has fewer carbides in its structure than CPM 3V—and what does that mean for me?
I can sharpen much more aggressively and extensively on soft stones because it’s easier to polish. Plus, it’s extremely interesting to me that Z-Tuff DOESN’T CHIP AT ALL. And you know, that’s a huge surprise for me, because it’s the first steel that doesn’t get eaten up by my ultra-aggressive 1-micron abrasive—I’ll show you further on.
Here’s the 40/28 abrasive, 550 grit.
An interesting point: I’m getting parasitic scratches due to the extremely coarse diamonds with titanium bonding, but thanks to Z-Tuff’s toughness, these parasitic scratches end up being almost minimal in number—and I’ll be able to polish the steel to **PERFECTION**!
Abrasive 20/14, around 1000 grit.
Here, I’m getting a more uniform structure, and once again, Z-Tuff doesn’t chip at all even on these steel-eating monsters. Because of that, it’s essentially a very fast and convenient process for me—honestly, I can even press the abrasive a bit harder on the steel with no consequences.
14/10 and its 1500 grit
As I said, thanks to Z-Tuff’s toughness—this is, overall, my biggest fascination: the **most resilient steel**. Why? Because I can demonstrate and prove my research on the fact that the tougher and more ductile the steel, the better I can sharpen it—probably better than any high-end steel, even those with 65-68 HRC hardness.
At an **extremely, unbelievably high level of toughness**. It surpasses even 3V in toughness…!
Do you see the structure?
The steel—I don’t know, maybe I’ve just seen way too many—but it looks solidly different from CPM 3V.
Because there are fewer carbides, it seems that’s exactly why it’s tougher.
7/5, and here we’re at 3000 grit with the same extremely aggressive diamonds as always!
Here, I’m opening up and polishing the surface—just look at how good it looks.
Every time I do the same process, it gets more and more fascinating to me!
Abrasive 5/3—this is 4000 grit.
With such a small number of microns, not a ton of grit, but you'll understand later why I need this!
The photo is a bit blurry, but it’s still clearly visible—overall, truly the quality we all deserve...!
3/2, and this is 5000 grit.
The photo is a bit blurry, but I swear, when I looked at the photo quality, it seemed excellent to me—I think it’s because I was constantly looking through the microscope and getting distracted by the lamp.
Now its close to the mirror polished
2/1 micron, and this is 10,000 grit.
Here I’m getting a perfect mirror, and everything looks almost flawless.
1 micron and 15,000 grit.This is what we're here for.Just look—honestly, I think the last 2 sharpenings of this Z-Tuff Tyrant, in combination with my new abrasives, are currently my best result that I've reliably learned to achieve consistently.
And now, I'll show you how it looks under my new microscope. I could have set it up better, but for now, I'm giving the best I can.
Well, in the classic way, here's the result of how it's sharpened. To be honest, overall, it looks the same as in the previous video; I was just curious to get exactly the same result—actually, even a bit better.
What can I say now, after live comparisons, sharpening, a huge number of tests, and microscopy?
For a chopper, in my opinion, Z-Tuff steel is even more suitable than 3V.
At the very least, I can clearly see that it's tougher—I'd say by about 40%. It's probably not entirely accurate to put it in terms of pure numbers, but overall, other tests (not just mine) confirm this.
In reality, for such large blades where you'll be chopping and subjecting them to loads that aren't standard—and sometimes not even intended—Z-Tuff steel is an extremely good choice. And it seems to me that if we develop this idea, it could become something like a new branch.
What fascinates me most is how incredibly well it machines.
For the purpose this blade is designed for, Z-Tuff steel has no equal.
I repeat: I've tested both, under a massive amount of stress and trials.
I really liked—and still like—3V, but Z-Tuff, in my view, could become a new branch for big blades. It was extremely interesting and exciting for me to work on this, and I hope my review—or should I call it a study? Not too pretentious, I hope? In any case, I'm glad to be helpful!
The photo is a bit blurry, but I swear, when I looked at the photo quality, it seemed excellent to me—I think it’s because I was constantly looking through the microscope and getting distracted by the lamp.
Now its close to the mirror polished
2/1 micron, and this is 10,000 grit.
Here I’m getting a perfect mirror, and everything looks almost flawless.
1 micron and 15,000 grit.This is what we're here for.Just look—honestly, I think the last 2 sharpenings of this Z-Tuff Tyrant, in combination with my new abrasives, are currently my best result that I've reliably learned to achieve consistently.
And now, I'll show you how it looks under my new microscope. I could have set it up better, but for now, I'm giving the best I can.
Well, in the classic way, here's the result of how it's sharpened. To be honest, overall, it looks the same as in the previous video; I was just curious to get exactly the same result—actually, even a bit better.
What can I say now, after live comparisons, sharpening, a huge number of tests, and microscopy?
For a chopper, in my opinion, Z-Tuff steel is even more suitable than 3V.
At the very least, I can clearly see that it's tougher—I'd say by about 40%. It's probably not entirely accurate to put it in terms of pure numbers, but overall, other tests (not just mine) confirm this.
In reality, for such large blades where you'll be chopping and subjecting them to loads that aren't standard—and sometimes not even intended—Z-Tuff steel is an extremely good choice. And it seems to me that if we develop this idea, it could become something like a new branch.
What fascinates me most is how incredibly well it machines.
For the purpose this blade is designed for, Z-Tuff steel has no equal.
I repeat: I've tested both, under a massive amount of stress and trials.
I really liked—and still like—3V, but Z-Tuff, in my view, could become a new branch for big blades. It was extremely interesting and exciting for me to work on this, and I hope my review—or should I call it a study? Not too pretentious, I hope? In any case, I'm glad to be helpful!
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Are you still offering the fell beast legacy prime z tuff steel machete?
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- Apr 12, 2024
- Messages
- 23
Are you still selling the cell beast legacy stuff steel machete?So, what can I say about the Fell Beast in Z-Tuff steel?
It handled all the tests wonderfully. I re-sharpened it to my own liking, the way I prefer, BUT — the factory edge was extremely good. I used it for the first week without touching it, and it held up great.
As for the blade itself — the balance, the grind, and, most importantly for me, the steel. It’s excellent. The Fell Beast went through a lot: chopped down plenty of trees, I bent it, struck metal with it, and so on — and everything can still be resharpened by hand. On top of that, the steel is very easy to realign on a honing rod in the field. Z-Tuff is really great in that sense: you can touch up your blade even outdoors, and it will keep cutting.
As for the Fell Beast itself — even when the edge gets dull, it still cuts thanks to its geometry and excellent balance. As someone said on the forum, the blades Huntsman makes are “the 1% of the top 1%,” and you can literally see that even under a microscope.
P.S
I wrote part of this with the help of a translator, and the full text didn’t fit, so I had to shorten it a bit.
I hope the information I shared helps you understand just how awesome Huntsman’s work really is.
I did everything the same, and twice as much with Tyrant, as you saw from my posts sharpening at 0.25 microns
I will definitely do a review under the microscope about Tyrant too
There's twice as much information
Ah bro,I am just regular forum folk,who just making some sharpening content and microscopy/videos of sharpness,sometime just showing some interesting researches
I am not doing blades
Huntsman Knife Co. LLC.
he is the maker!
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2010
- Messages
- 3,861
Brother! I love seeing stuff like this. Thanks so much for taking the time to generate all this data. I don't have a microscope or the skillset or tools to sharpen to 15K, so its incredible to see what happens when the steel gets there!
I after a year of personal use and abuse, Z tuff is my go to for big blades hands down. It cuts aggressively, has pretty good edge holding all things considered, and is easy to sharpen. Oh, and its insanely tough. Whats not to love?
Perhaps my favorite thing from my personal experience is that despite its low carbide content, this stuff does NOT wear smooth when it gets dull. Even with a highly degraded edge, you can still cut. Something like 52100 or AEBL goes smooth quick and will lose all cutting capacity in rapid fashion (even though they can start with a screaming sharp edge). Z Tuff has a much more gradual loss in cutting ability over time and cuts more aggressively over the entire life of the edge.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2010
- Messages
- 3,861
I still have a couple available, but they are coated or have stonewashed flats with satin bevels. I also have one factory second thats fully stonewashed. Let me know if you are interested.
Yeah, I've noticed the same thing—even after long sessions cutting through hard wood, Z-Tuff still slices paper, and yeah, it stays aggressive. I don’t know the exact reason, but it’s insanely aggressive in terms of cutting performance. I really love that about it.
Huge thanks to you for these blades, and overall, for the opportunity to share this stuff. Plus, as I can see, everyone loves it.
I think over time, this will turn into something like a journal of your blades—and it turns out I’m the one keeping it!
Well, guys.
The time has come.
I promised real-world tests to show the Tyrant in Z-Tuff steel in action.
I did the tests that, in the context of this being my knife—and it’s extremely valuable and important to me—are still INCREDIBLY brutal.
At the same time, I try to approach this with a proof-based mindset, with evidence, and on top of that, use microscopy and something like a systematic approach.
Honestly, in these videos you’ll generally see how surprised I am myself.
This is edc setup for Tyrant Bowie
Its 22DPS
I decided to do this in the Shorts video format, since it's easier for me right now, and I think it's even better that way!
So,this is first test with just hitting super hard and dry wood.
I call this piece of wood a blade killer, because once, while hitting it, I broke a knife—it literally cracked. Here's how the Tyrant handles it while still maintaining its strength!
The second test, which I consider the most brutal—I know it could be made even harsher, but you know, in my opinion, when you're striking a piece of steel with such blows, not just, say, pressing or hitting the spine of the blade, but really swinging and hitting it full force, without an aluminum backing, just as is, on a stump—that's a very good indicator of what the steel and the blade as a whole can handle.
In the third video, I want to show that even after all those strikes on materials in the videos, it's still a tank and can easily chop wood—as I see it, that's what it's made for: chopping!
A little later, I found an even tougher cinder block—this one is even stronger—and you know, the Z-Tuff steel literally screams, squeals, yells, but at the same time, it takes no damage at all. Honestly, I was pretty scared to do this to the blade, but the result is what you see!
And I wanted to show tests on the tip—you know, I even got a bit carried away; it seems I managed to slightly bend the Tyrant, but it fully returned to its original shape. Honestly, considering that the tip on the Tyrant Bowie is sharp—it’s not one of those rounded tips; here it’s almost like a weapon-grade one—and it’s still EXTREMELY tough. Damn, for this geometry, it’s unbelievable, in my opinion.
And my FAVORITE PART! This is the microscopy and a close-up examination of the blade—how it survived this damage at 200x magnification!
Look at the edge,its super clean,and without microscope you cant even see the damage
and another few photos
I love showing everything as it is and being as honest as possible, so I take photos of the ENTIRE cutting edge so there’s no doubt.
The tip is perfect
And now, the most interesting part—this is the microscopy. I specifically found the parts of the blade where I inflicted the MOST damage I could manage, and you know, guys, I don’t see any chipping of the steel, even from full-swing strikes into metal—just perfect rolls. And you know, I think sharpening out all this damage will take me maybe 15–20 minutes at most, which is extremely cool.
I’m really surprised!
Just look at how perfect the rolls are and how the geometry looks under the microscope!
And this is my favorite photo, because here you can see even more clearly and in higher quality how it looks under such detailed examination.
It’s really cool to see the nature of the roll on the microscopy—you know, this is the reason why Z-Tuff has literally become my favorite for blades like this, big choppers and the like.
The rolls are literally at 90 degrees—damn, the steel still holds up.
And the coolest part is, I don’t need to explain anything; you can all see it for yourselves!
The time has come.
I promised real-world tests to show the Tyrant in Z-Tuff steel in action.
I did the tests that, in the context of this being my knife—and it’s extremely valuable and important to me—are still INCREDIBLY brutal.
At the same time, I try to approach this with a proof-based mindset, with evidence, and on top of that, use microscopy and something like a systematic approach.
Honestly, in these videos you’ll generally see how surprised I am myself.
This is edc setup for Tyrant Bowie
Its 22DPS
I decided to do this in the Shorts video format, since it's easier for me right now, and I think it's even better that way!
So,this is first test with just hitting super hard and dry wood.
I call this piece of wood a blade killer, because once, while hitting it, I broke a knife—it literally cracked. Here's how the Tyrant handles it while still maintaining its strength!
The second test, which I consider the most brutal—I know it could be made even harsher, but you know, in my opinion, when you're striking a piece of steel with such blows, not just, say, pressing or hitting the spine of the blade, but really swinging and hitting it full force, without an aluminum backing, just as is, on a stump—that's a very good indicator of what the steel and the blade as a whole can handle.
In the third video, I want to show that even after all those strikes on materials in the videos, it's still a tank and can easily chop wood—as I see it, that's what it's made for: chopping!
A little later, I found an even tougher cinder block—this one is even stronger—and you know, the Z-Tuff steel literally screams, squeals, yells, but at the same time, it takes no damage at all. Honestly, I was pretty scared to do this to the blade, but the result is what you see!
And I wanted to show tests on the tip—you know, I even got a bit carried away; it seems I managed to slightly bend the Tyrant, but it fully returned to its original shape. Honestly, considering that the tip on the Tyrant Bowie is sharp—it’s not one of those rounded tips; here it’s almost like a weapon-grade one—and it’s still EXTREMELY tough. Damn, for this geometry, it’s unbelievable, in my opinion.
And my FAVORITE PART! This is the microscopy and a close-up examination of the blade—how it survived this damage at 200x magnification!
Look at the edge,its super clean,and without microscope you cant even see the damage
and another few photos
I love showing everything as it is and being as honest as possible, so I take photos of the ENTIRE cutting edge so there’s no doubt.
The tip is perfect
And now, the most interesting part—this is the microscopy. I specifically found the parts of the blade where I inflicted the MOST damage I could manage, and you know, guys, I don’t see any chipping of the steel, even from full-swing strikes into metal—just perfect rolls. And you know, I think sharpening out all this damage will take me maybe 15–20 minutes at most, which is extremely cool.
I’m really surprised!
Just look at how perfect the rolls are and how the geometry looks under the microscope!
And this is my favorite photo, because here you can see even more clearly and in higher quality how it looks under such detailed examination.
It’s really cool to see the nature of the roll on the microscopy—you know, this is the reason why Z-Tuff has literally become my favorite for blades like this, big choppers and the like.
The rolls are literally at 90 degrees—damn, the steel still holds up.
And the coolest part is, I don’t need to explain anything; you can all see it for yourselves!
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2010
- Messages
- 3,861
Thanks so much for taking the time to film this and share it! I always love to see what the blades are capable of. My personal belief is that nothing outside of a rock should ever damage your edge. A good blade should hold up to wood, antler, bone, or any natural material and keep cutting.
As for the tip test... the tip is the weak point on the Tyrant, but I wanted it to have a nasty tip that could penetrate well. I figured guys would use them for things like putting down hogs or processing game, where the tip really matters.
I tired to break the tip of my test Tyrant a while back by clamping it in a vice between 2x4 scraps and flexing it until the tip snapped.
Well, the tip didn't snap. It bent and then I cranked it in the vice the other way to bend it back. Still looks good as new.
But, moral of the story, it is totally possible to bend or damage the tip of a Tyrant if you really try.
As for the tip test... the tip is the weak point on the Tyrant, but I wanted it to have a nasty tip that could penetrate well. I figured guys would use them for things like putting down hogs or processing game, where the tip really matters.
I tired to break the tip of my test Tyrant a while back by clamping it in a vice between 2x4 scraps and flexing it until the tip snapped.
Well, the tip didn't snap. It bent and then I cranked it in the vice the other way to bend it back. Still looks good as new.
But, moral of the story, it is totally possible to bend or damage the tip of a Tyrant if you really try.
Last edited:
M
Moorik
that's incredible! Thank you for posting the testing videos and microscopy results! It's pretty amazing that you can't really tell the edge damage without a microscope!!
I want to add that I'm really surprised by how stain resistant z-tuff is. I finally got a chance to clean off the tree resin / stains and chunks from my Tyrant Bowie, and with just some dish soap, it's back to looking brand spanking new! There wasn't any hint of stains or specks or anything, and that's after 2 weeks of green tree residue sitting on it. I mean, I wouldn't leave it sitting in salt water for days, but from just normal use it's practically stainless!
I want to add that I'm really surprised by how stain resistant z-tuff is. I finally got a chance to clean off the tree resin / stains and chunks from my Tyrant Bowie, and with just some dish soap, it's back to looking brand spanking new! There wasn't any hint of stains or specks or anything, and that's after 2 weeks of green tree residue sitting on it.
I mean, I wouldn't leave it sitting in salt water for days, but from just normal use it's practically stainless!