Aldo's 1084 vs. Kelly's 1080

J

Jason Fry

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Jun 5, 2008
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Aldo and Kelly are both well known and respected steel suppliers, and I've ordered from them both before. I don't want this to be an Aldo v. Kelly thread. Aldo sells 1084. Kelly sells 1080. Their prices are within a couple of dollars on a four bar order.

Have any of you worked with both of these steels from these guys, so that you could make a comparison? They're theoretically equivalent, but I'm hunting to see if there are any real world differences. Areas of difference could be alloy content, scale toughness, quality of anneal/drillability. What else?
 
Not sure the average person could tell the difference; but, Aldo's does contain a smidge of Vanadium. Should make a little difference.
 
I really like kelly's cold rolled 1080 but his hot rolled stuff requires more work. Aldo's stuff that is hot rolled gets cleaned up quite a bit before it comes to us.
I also feel that Aldo's stuff comes softer than Kelly's. They're both ready to work, but I've noticed that my stuff from Aldo grinds faster and bends more easily if I'm not careful. Since I was comparing 1" wide 1/8" stock it's pretty easy to flex and accidentally put a bend in it. With aldo's it's almost too easy while the piece is full length.

I'd just like to point out that every 3/16" knife I've done so far has been Kelly's hot rolled stock, so despite requiring a bit more work to be ready it's still serving me quite well. I haven't tried any of Aldo's 3/16 yet since I've still got another bar plus a couple rough cut blades left of my 3/16 stuff from Kelly.

Either of them have it all over the big steel supply companies.
 
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Like Remy, I have noticed that Aldo's steel is softer and cleaner but it does bend easier. Kelly's takes a bit of work to clean up the scale and will dull your drill bits fast because it is not completely soft.
Jason
 
I haven't noticed the drill bit issue, but I only use cobalt bits and drill very slowly with a lot of cutting fluid, so I'm not sure I'd notice short of the steel actually being hardened.

Keep in mind, Kelly offers both hot and cold rolled, depending on the size, his cold rolled is very clean while the hot rolled is normal. Aldo just takes things another step by doing much of the cleanup for us.
 
All things being equal the 1084 has a smidge more carbon too.. plus all of Aldo's shining recommendations for customer service.
 
Aldo's ears burn when people talk about him so he will be along shortly, but in the meantime, I will say this.:D. IIRC, when Aldo first started searching for steel, he found a really good batch of thick 1095 that was labeled FG for fine grain. When he came up with his secret Colonel Sanders type recipe for his 1084, he went the same fine grain route, which involved adding a touch of vanadium. Many will say that it doesn't have enough V to seriously improve wear resistance. I don't know about that, BUT it does have fine grain as advertised.
 
I've gotta agree with Mr. Dwyer on this point. I've ordered from Kelley almost exclusively for a long time, and will continue to do so. However, I'm going to order some of Aldo's 1084 sometime within the next few months because he seems to be very well-regarded, as far as steel tycoons go:D I'm also intrigued by the idea of the addition of vanadium to the 1084 - it can't be a "bad thing". Based on what I know, either dealer and either steel would be a good choice. Just my 2 cents...
 
Thanks for the input, fellas. I've used probably 75 ft of 1080 bar stock from Kelly, and probably 15 ft of stainless from Aldo. Both live up to their quality reputations. This time I'm going with Aldo, but only because he also has 416 stock for bolsters.
 
I've used both Kelly's 1080 and Aldo's 1084 while both make fine knives I prefer Aldo's 1084FG. It is easier to work with with less clean up and the finished blades are sweet. They take a ultra-sharp edge and hold it very well for 1084 steel. Here is a pic of one I just sold that was made with Aldo'd 1084FG, the spine measures around .200 thick.

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