ATS-34, ATS-55, 440C or 154CM ???

depends on what this knife will be used for and whats important to you, edge holding or rust resistence. if i have to choose from this steels i would go for ats34 or 154cm (the same steels) because edge holding is good when properly heated and rust resistence is ok too.
but if i can i would go for talonite for small blades followed by cpm420 and bg42.
thats my opinion only..

Ray

ps: welcome to the forums
Ray
 
BG-42, CPM-420V, or CPM-440V would be my number one choices. Very good edge retention, very good corrosion resistance, very strong, not brittle.

154CM or ATS-55 would be my number 2 choices for just about the same reasons but not as good of steels as the above three.

ATS-34, only on Tanto Style blades. Why?
I have found ATS-34 to be somewhat on the brittle side. On a Tanto Blade, the tip is thicker and heavier which makes up for the brittleness of ATS-34. 154CM is the American Version of ATS-34 but there are a few subtle differences in the compostion make up of the blades, I have found 154CM isn't as brittle as ATS-34. There are various steel charts which gives you the make ups of each steel, Spyderco has an excellent steel chart at their web site.
AST-55 stays just as sharp as ATS-34 from my experiences and isn't as brittle either.

Just my opinions on what I prefer and why!

Mark

WELCOME ABOARD FLAVA!
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[This message has been edited by Mark W Douglas (edited 03-20-2000).]
 
ATS-34 and 154CM are the same steel, same formula. Hitachi (ATS-34) copied Crucible Steel (154-CM) exactly. BG-42 adds Vanadium to the same basic formula for better wear resistance.

------------------
Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
http://www.spyderco.com/spyderco_products.cfm#steelchart

Check out this link to Spyderco's Steel chart. 154-CM and ATS-34 are not exactly alike! Very close, but not exact.
ATS-34 has two elements in the steel that 154-CM does not and two other elements the percentages are a little different. These combinations are what seperates the two apart and makes ATS-34 more brittle.

Thanks,
Mark
 
For the concerned: Here is another steel chart, but not near as detailed as Spyderco's. Again, the percentages of two of the elements ARE different, therfor 154-CM and ATS-34 are not exact. It only takes a small difference in percentages and element added to change the steels characteristics.

http://www.agrussell.com/steel/index.html

 
I think you'll find that the differences in components are a matter of what elements are tested and are not necessarily those which contribute to the steels' qualities. Sulfur for example is an impurity. The 0.1% difference in Manganese (higher in 154-CM) is considered by most to be a positive contribution. Any differences in brittleness of the two steels is easily attributed to the quality of the heat treating.

While I have always admired Spyderco knives for a number of reasons, I would not be inclined to use them as the definitive reference on steels, though I think that chart is accurate. Their reasons for using ATS-34 might be that at present ATS-34 is about 30% cheaper than 154-CM.

Having used both steels with the same blades and heat treating schedules, I am in the process of moving over to 154CM in my knives despite the cost difference, but only because it is a cleaner steel than the ATS-34 I've gotten lately.

------------------
Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com

[This message has been edited by GaKnife (edited 03-20-2000).]
 
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