Anyone know about G1 steel?

bladeprince

bladeprince

Joined
Jun 12, 2006
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Anyone know if this steel is any good? Any info on the Rockwell hardness scale? There is a very nice Japanese knife that I'm considering buying and it says it's made of G1 steel but I can't find anything about it.

Regards and thank you
 
I am not a blade steel guru like others here who are VERY knowledgable...so I may need some correction from the "experts".....but here is what I know :
I believe what you are refering to is GIN-1, which is also called G2.....and I think I have heard it called Gingami ( or something similar ). It is a Japanese steel, or at least primarily so; I don't know anyone outside of Japan who manufactures it, although there may be some done elsewhere in South East Asia. It is a very good stainless cutlery steel akin to ATS-34 but with slightly less Carbon and slightly more Chromium, and much less molybdenum than ATS-34......and that fact pretty much defines the characteristics of the steel; my experience bears out that it is highly rust resistant (a "fair bit" of chromium) and yet doesn't get quite as fine as edge or hold it as long as ATS-34 ( less carbon makes it a "tad" more difficult to get a VERY sharp edge on the blade.). While not considered to be a "super premium stainless", it has always been well regarded as highly servicable...and personally, while it is not my first choice in a stainless blade, it will do 99.99% of everything I could ask of it.......with perfectly acceptable results. Rockwell will vary depending upon heat treat, however if you were to guess around 57, I believe you would be close. It's a very "tough" steel.
It has often been used by Spyderco and Seki City knife makers in their blade steel. So...chances are the Japanese knife you are considering is well made...but I have no certainty without knowing who manufactured the knife.

Hope that helps !

...and steel experts and knifemakers.....please weigh-in and correct any mistakes I might have passed on !

-Regards
 
Gramps said:
G1 is also called GIN-1
Click to expand...

You would think that would make the most sense, but the early Spydercos made with GIN-1 were also labelled with "G-2 Stainless". So I'm not sure whether the G-1 is the new shorthand for an old steel (GIN-1) or something different.
 
Great info Gramps and thanks to you both.

The knife is a Glen Waters design and made by "Seki Cut" so the quality is there. They are on sale so I'm grabbing one. From what you said, Gramps, I'm guessing the steel is somewhere between AUS8-A and ATS-34 in performance and for the price, it's well worth it.

Many thanks,
Gary
 
If you wanted to know more about the characteristics of the steel you could jump over to the Spyderco forum and likely Sal from Spyderco will step in and provide you with more information than you had hoped for.

I have owned for quite some time, one of Spydercos early model Enduras with a G2 steel blade....and found it "perked along just fine" for many a year, laboring in ignorance that there were "better" premium stainless knives available.
Once I became "edjumacted" however, immediately the blade began to cut less efficiently and wouldn't hold an edge for long. Ah....well....we all know ignorance is bliss..right ? ;)

-My best regards to all !
 
Could you tell us what knife it is?

It could also possibly be Super G1, also know as SGPS or Super Gold Powder Steel. Made by the same company as VG-10. The composition is similar to S30V, with 2% vanadium instead of 4%, 2.8% molybdenum instead of 2%, and 15% chromium. The composition is listed in the Fallkniven website.
 
Gin-1 is G2. If that's not what you're referring to, my apologies.

I really liked the stuff. Had a G2 Native for about a year of EDC hard use (well hard for a Spyderco) back when those were current and I really liked the edge I could put on it. In terms of edge holding versus sharpening and slicing etc, it was one of my favourites. I don't miss the steel now or anything (liking the S30V, usually), but G2 is one of the few steels I would buy a knife with.

EDIT: just checked, and my beat-to-hell Navigator money clip is "Gin-1 stainless" and it still holds a great edge. I'd love to get a new money clip but this one still works so well. My Gin-1 Native was sadly lost during a move after it had been retired years back.
 
bladeprince said:
Here she is....
http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/Page58.html
Click to expand...
For the price I would assume some left over Gin-1 from somewhere in Japan...

bladeprince said:
Did you say "money clip" ??? Not in G1 but AUS-8A and they look very nice.

http://www.savsonswordsandknives.com/mckase.html
Click to expand...

They look like money clips with novelty blades. I'll stick with a one-hand open and close quality Spyderco that I got for 20 bucks new back when they were common. Thanks though.
 
bladeprince said:
Here she is....
http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/Page58.html
Click to expand...
...after you told us the knife in question was a Walters design made By Seki-Cut, I did some research and looked this knife over. I have a feeling this is a GREAT little knife. We want to know EVERYTHING about it once it arrives....pictures please. I think you will like this knife; it seems pretty unique...certainly not a knife many of us are familiar with or might consider buying at "first take." But you know if it's a Seki-Cut, it's gonna be well made......they only do top shelf stuff ! :thumbup: I'll bet it's elegant as all-get-out too, Seki made knives, I think, always have a certain style that lifts them above the "crowd".......sleek......the word elegant keeps coming to mind.

-Best
 
Gramps said:
...after you told us the knife in question was a Walters design made By Seki-Cut, I did some research and looked this knife over. I have a feeling this is a GREAT little knife. We want to know EVERYTHING about it once it arrives....pictures please. I think you will like this knife; it seems pretty unique...certainly not a knife many of us are familiar with or might consider buying at "first take." But you know if it's a Seki-Cut, it's gonna be well made......they only do top shelf stuff ! :thumbup: I'll bet it's elegant as all-get-out too, Seki made knives, I think, always have a certain style that lifts them above the "crowd".......sleek......the word elegant keeps coming to mind.

-Best
Click to expand...

I'll post a little something after I get it. I've bought a couple of Mcusta's from them and delivery takes about 5 days. Looks like a nice "all-around" knife. From hunting (can get one with a gut hook but didn't want that) to food preperation to even SD, if needed. Could even break a car window with that point on the handle (an additional SD feature).

Thanks for the info about the steel. I'd just never heard of it before. There are a lot of beautiful knives on this website. Many, they say, are hard to get. Especially the Hatori knives. Some have me drooling so it's probably good they are out of stock. If you are interested at all, the link is:

http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/products.html

Not all of the artist's inventory is available yet.

Regards
 
Yes, I received the knife and I like it quit a lot. It's heavier then I thought it would be. Quite a "hefty" blade at 3/16" thick and full tang. The G1 steel is super. Fairly easy to sharpen (and it came sharp) and holds an edge quit well. I've only used it in the kitchen, so far. It has comfortable grooves on the spine for the thumb in saber grip. The Cocobolo handle is a very nice surprise. The checkering makes for a non-slip grip, even when wet with whatever. Has a "thumb rest" for a secure hammer grip. So it's a "righty", not a "lefty" handle. The balance is perfect.The blade shape is different, sort of a "cleaver" shape. But that's what makes it a great camping knife. Its design and weight also make it possible to easily chop through chicken, bone, etc. The pointed end on the handle adds to this knife's ability to also be used for self defense. In hammer or reverse grip it would be quite a formidable weapon. The handle point can also be used for other chores like breaking up ice, etc.

My only complaint is with the sheath and I'm fixing that. Because of the weight of the knife and the sheath design, it wants to sort of "swing" in at the bottom and rub on my leg. Not a problem unless I want to take it on a hike. I'm going to just punch a couple of holes in the sheath near the top and get a piece of leather to tie it in place. Problem solved. As with all new leather, the sheath was very stiff. I "worked" it with my hands during a movie (not the full time, of course) and now it's much softer, more comfortable, and even a little darker shade.

So, do I recommend this knife? Heck yes! It's more than I expected. It's a quality product and the price is great and I can promise anyone they they will not be disappointed with this knife. I can honestly say it's one of my favorites and I have quite a few knives. Here's a pic of mine and the link for a nice closeup.

See review for pic of my knife (Seki Cut Knives).

http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/Page58.html

Thanks for asking. Hope you try one.

Regards
 
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