I'm planning on getting a custom Griptilian, and I was thinking about getting N680 as the blade steel. Does anyone have any experience with it? I like S30V, and 154CM isn't bad, but I'm curious as to how N680 does in terms of edge holding and if there's that big of a difference between it and 154CM.
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Any experience with N680 steel?
- Thread starter hayes31
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Ive found that its in the same league as VG10, 154CM, etc. Its a good working steel and extremely corrosion resistant to boot.
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It's claim to fame is corrosion resistance without sactificing edge retention. It performs a little better than quality 440c at the edge with very excellent corrosion resistance. It is an extremely fine grained steel and can take a very, very fine edge. It woun 't hold it as long as S30V but is actually more corrosion resistant. I find it hold an edge similar to 154-CM but not quite as well as CPM-154. I enjoy it a lot. My Triage is one of my go to blades
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i've got a mini-grip in n680. i happily overpaid on the BM website to get what i wanted - forest grn handles, silver hardware, n680 blade, sheepsfoot with spydie hole. great knife for me
i've had it for about 8-9 months now, took it out on the boat a bunch, had it in my pack for flyfishing (where it got soaked a lot).
kept it's edge well. i've touched it up just because, didn't really need to. and i haven't had to sharpen it yet, but i didn't beat on it. regular slicing/cutting stuff.
and zero corrosion spots. i got it to get wet. not sure it's way way better than 154cm for that, i don't really get any corrosion spots on that steel either, but i figured i'd do n680 just because, and i've been perfectly happy with it.
disclaimers - i live in eastern WA, pretty dry climate - so wet to me = not for very long, and not sitting in saltwater or anything like that. i have taken it to the coast, to the beach and purposefully not done anything other than rinse it in fresh water at the end of the day, still zero corrosion spots.
i've been happy with it, steel and corrosion -wise
ETA - i also put an STR low-rider clip on it to get it to sit lower in my pocket. like that a lot also, if you decide to go crazy with it....
i've had it for about 8-9 months now, took it out on the boat a bunch, had it in my pack for flyfishing (where it got soaked a lot).
kept it's edge well. i've touched it up just because, didn't really need to. and i haven't had to sharpen it yet, but i didn't beat on it. regular slicing/cutting stuff.
and zero corrosion spots. i got it to get wet. not sure it's way way better than 154cm for that, i don't really get any corrosion spots on that steel either, but i figured i'd do n680 just because, and i've been perfectly happy with it.
disclaimers - i live in eastern WA, pretty dry climate - so wet to me = not for very long, and not sitting in saltwater or anything like that. i have taken it to the coast, to the beach and purposefully not done anything other than rinse it in fresh water at the end of the day, still zero corrosion spots.
i've been happy with it, steel and corrosion -wise
ETA - i also put an STR low-rider clip on it to get it to sit lower in my pocket. like that a lot also, if you decide to go crazy with it....
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Awesome... this knife is for my father, and since this will be his first nice folder and he'll be using it while cooking and barbecuing as much as other cutting chores, I wanted to get a steel with minimal upkeep with both resisting rust and keeping an edge, and from what you guys say it'll be perfect for that.
I only have a benchmade triage with this steel but I like it. Ive found it easy to maintain and I also like how aggressive it is but some people dont care for toothy edges. Ankerson has it ahead of vg10 and 154cm in the same category as s30v in his rankings for edge holding but I cant confirm based on my own experience since I rarely use pocket knifes long enough to totally dull them and Im a bit obsessive about touching them up when they start losing their edge. I can say that it will cut up several boxes or enough fruit/vegetables for a meal then strop right back very easily.