Bead Blasted vs DLC finish in regards to rust and longevity?

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dude0877

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Jun 13, 2011
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If you had a choice to buy a new knife and had to choose between a bead blasted finish or a black DLC finish...which one would you choose and why?

My understanding is that most of the time DLC is better for being rust resistant. However I have gotten confused lately over which is "better" for the longevity of the knife.

please discuss!
 
Most of the time I prefer uncoated blades, but for bead-blast finishes I'd make an exception and go with DLC. I don't like how bead-blast finishes look, and more importantly they make the blade more susceptible to corrosion compared to other types of finishes (or coatings).
 
My choice would be neither.

Longevity depends on how you take care of your knives.

Bead blasting has nothing to do with corrosion resistance, it is used to remove corrosion from metallic surfaces. While it does reduce glare, it also increases the surface area on your knife so that there is more metal exposed to corrosion. All that texture also helps to keep water contact to the surface.

I'm not a fan of coated blades either.
 
DLC does not inhibit rust, the only purpose it serves is for light discipline. Bead blasted & DLC finishes have been discussed very often, if you search the forums you can find about 3-4 dozen threads on the matter with substantial details.
 
thanks, i have read a few threads about DlC and Bead Blasted finishes but I never got an idea of which one is better if you were forced to choose between the two. i just don't want my new $700 (Microtech Jagdkommando) knife to EVER EVER rust. i do intend on using mineral oil and/or tuf-cloth during the life of the knife but wanted to see if there is a clear winner between DLC and Bead Blast regarding rust resistance.

thanks for the answers guys!
 
Did you need to start a second thread on the same thing though? As suggested in your original thread, hit the knife with wax and ther will not be a problem, the knife is not a "user" so unless you live in a place with 85%+ humidity everyday, you should be ok.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...icrotech-Jagdkommando-Bead-Blasted-knife-rust
Neither is good for preventing rust, one protects against reflected light, the other provides less glare, neither prevent rust. Bad blasting is similar to sandblasting. Those small craters will hold onto water as opposed to a satin finish or stonewashed. DLC is infact porous, no protection is realistically offered.
 
DLC coatings also tend to make the blade somewhat grippy and cause some 'binding' when performing slicing tasks as compared to uncoated blades. The bead blasted or tumbled treatments however, do help somewhat to hide small scratches and fingerprints compared to polished finishes. As mentioned above though, if you are diligent in keeping your knives clean and well-maintained, it all starts to boil down to a matter of preference.

As also mentioned in the other thread you started, the Jagdkommando is stainless. Since you are going to keep it for posterity and not going to use it much, just keep it wiped down with Tuf-cloth or apply a light coating of wax or oil, and you should be ok.
 
I've never seen a blade with a quaility coating (such as used by Benchmade, Spyderco, and Emerson) rust anywhere except at the very edge. I've had bead-blasted blades (stainless) rust fairly easily. As far as I'm concearned bead-blasted blades and coated blades are on opposite ends of the specrtum regarding likelyhood of rust. -The benifit of bead-blasted finishes is that if/when it does rust, you can just blast it again.
I don't know about DLC specifically, but I think it's unlikely that it's any more grippy than bead-blasted steel.
 
gooeytek said:
DLC coatings also tend to make the blade somewhat grippy and cause some 'binding' when performing slicing tasks as compared to uncoated blades. The bead blasted or tumbled treatments however, do help somewhat to hide small scratches and fingerprints compared to polished finishes. As mentioned above though, if you are diligent in keeping your knives clean and well-maintained, it all starts to boil down to a matter of preference.

As also mentioned in the other thread you started, the Jagdkommando is stainless. Since you are going to keep it for posterity and not going to use it much, just keep it wiped down with Tuf-cloth or apply a light coating of wax or oil, and you should be ok.
Click to expand...

Depends on the blast media and size. Some very coarse beadblasts will scratch very easily. Stonewashes hide scratches the best and offer nearly as much stain resistance as a satin finish.
 
I'd get DLC before I'd buy a bead-blasted blade, and I'm not into coated blades; the only one I own is an Ontario machete that was only available that way. A DLC blade also seems more in keeping with a spendy knife that has -kommando in the name. Still use the Tuf-cloth on it.
 
DLC is used for increased surface hardness and lubricity, it would make more sense on the cutting edge then on the blade flats. It also shines like new money if the steel is smoothly finished, so not much help in reducing light reflection.
 
I have never had a problem with corrosion on my bead blasted or DLC blades, but then I use a TufCloth on all my blades.
 
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