Another steel question...

J

jonnyt16

Joined
Jul 17, 2007
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Okay so what do you guys know about N690 Cobalt Vanadium steel? A knife I just purchased is made of this stuff. Thanks for any info, I've never heard of this steel before.
 
Modified 440C with cobalt and a hint of vanadium, it's high quality steel.
 
Thanks Larrin. Here's the knife with the N690. Its a SigTac Pterodactyl made by SigArms. I haven't yet received the knife but when I do I will post a review of its performance after a few weeks of use.
2detail-sigtac-pterodactyl-green.jpg
 
Nimravus Nut said:
Since it's modified with cobalt and vanadium, it should perform like VG-10 right?
Click to expand...
They're two different steels, I wouldn't say that it would perform like VG-10. Not necessarily better or worse, but like VG-10, no.
 
Interesting comment... Why not? Seems a like a logical assumption. I really would like to know how they are the same and how different.... Thanks
 
________VG-10_________440C________N690
Carbon__0.95-1.05_____0.95 - 1.20_____1.05
Chrom__14.50-15.50____16.00-18.00____17
Moly___0.90-1.20_______0.75__________1.1
Van____0.10-0.30________—__________0.1
Cobalt___1.30-1.50________—_________1.5

On their website, Benchmade likens the performance of N690 to that of 440C.
"N690: An Austrian made stainless steel, which is comparable to 440C in performance and value. Keen edge qualities with great corrosion resistance. "

The Chrome content of N690 is closer to that of 440C than that of VG-10.

But to tell the truth, in my everyday use I have a hard time telling the performance of 440C from that of VG-10. So to me, N690 sounds to be in the ballpark of either.
 
Larrin said:
Modified 440C with cobalt and a hint of vanadium, it's high quality steel.
Click to expand...

Do you know if they heat treat it the same? Generally cobalt steels have raised austenization temperatures. I would wonder if this steel then gets harder and has maybe a slightly reduced carbide volume than 440C. I would be interested in seeing the micrographs. In addition to this cobalt is a solid solution matrix strengthener so has been advocated for reducing carbide tearout. Thus there seems to be an arguement, in theory anyway, that it should have a higher edge stability than 440C. Have they ever been compared? Is anyone using this actually by choice and not just because it is what is available where the knives are being manufacturer?

-Cliff
 
You guys: I say they act differently because of carbon/chromium ratio. Granted, they're not WAY off from each other, but it's definitely enough for different carbide volumes and sizes. As an example, 52100 plus cobalt and vanadium does not make VG-10.

Cliff, I have only heard of one or maybe two makers trying out N690 on their own, and I can't remember the heat treat they told me they were using. Bohler itself recommends a higher austenitizing temperature than 440C (1030-1080C).
 
Even then though, while there is an arguement for it over 440C a more appropriate comparison would be vs 154CM which is far more common a knife steel now and has a higher edge stability than 440C. Has anyone compared the two? Speaking of comparisons, how is the work going on the AEB-L / 154CM project you mentioned awhile back?

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Even then though, while there is an arguement for it over 440C a more appropriate comparison would be vs 154CM which is far more common a knife steel now and has a higher edge stability than 440C. Has anyone compared the two? Speaking of comparisons, how is the work going on the AEB-L / 154CM project you mentioned awhile back?

-Cliff
Click to expand...
I haven't read any comparisons.

It's at a standstill right now.
 
I'm curious who manufactures the knives for SIG. It's probably a safe assumption that they don't manufacture in-house, so I'd imagine it must be one of the more popular knife manufacturers, though I've never seen any information regarding them.
 
Probably Fox Cutlery in Italy. They are the biggest manufacturer of knives made from N690.
 
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