Best general production folder with Damascus steel for EDC

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Pawmudduck

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Feb 19, 2015
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Looking to purchase an EDC folder with good Damascus steel with a hardness comparable to CPM154 but I don't want to go to the cost of a Chris Reeves for an EDC. Any suggestions?
 
Seeing that you've mentioned Chris Reeves, that aren't traditional knives, I think this one will do better in General Knife Discussion.
 
Hardness is not inherent to the type of steel so not the best word to use FYI. 154CM is good stuff and you're not likely to find any folder with a Damascus blade under CRK prices that will have properties as good as 154CM regardless of heat treatment.

The Kershaw Skyline with Alabama Damascus is nice and there is one available on a popular site that's name I won't mention since I'm not sure if they're a sponsor here.

The Spyderco Delica 4 with Damascus can be found easily as well. This knife has a VG 10 core with Damascus lamination so will probably cut better than other Damascus knives in its price range, it will be similar to if not better than the average production knife in 154CM.

There are also a few other Spyderco knives like the Endura which have Damascus variants that are not hard to find too.

I have neither owned nor used these knives but have seen both in person. They both were alright but I personally would not pay the premium for them over their plain-steel counterparts. If I were looking to spend under $350 and were to increase my budget on a knife by $120 (diff between plain and Damascus Delica) I would definitely spend that $120 on something besides Damascus.

Spend your money how you want but for what my opinion is worth: Damascus steel is for appearances and there are lots of other areas you can add money for better appearance (for that matter, better things to increase budget for than looks). Also, inexpensive Damascus doesn't look that great, to really make a knife look better by using Damascus instead of homogeneous steel you have to have some really nice Damascus, which Alabama is certainly not and to my eye neither was that on the Spydie.

I've also handled many fixed blade and slip joint knives made with mid-range Damascus and have been left cold by all of them.

The Damascus made by Devin Thomas that CRK uses is on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVEL than Alabama Damascus or anything else you could find for "under CRK prices" and is truly beautiful.

I say buy the Kershaw because the cost is low and it will familiarize you with the ups and downs of Damascus. Also because Alabama Damascus is somewhat unique whereas the stuff Spyderco uses is, meh.

Then buy a small Sebenza or Mnandi with s30v. If the Kershaw hasn't turned you off of Damascus and you find that you appreciate CRK then you can buy one with Damascus. It's especially fun trying to hunt down some of the discontinued CRK Damascus patterns like river of fire, navajo, snakeskin, etc.

I have a large sebenza 21 in raindrop damascus and while it is beautiful and performs equally to my other CRKs with s30v, I went with s30v on all my other crk purchases.

If I were to buy another knife with damascus it would be a small sebenza with wood inlays (specifically an older Regular seb since I like the inlay style better than the 21) or a Mnandi because I feel the 'dressiness' is consistent.

I would not recommend Damascus for a workhorse knife, not because it can't perform or anything like that but because the premium you pay for damascus is for the aesthetics, which are secondary on a workhorse knife. Whether EDC=workhorse varies person to person though...
 
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My best experiences with damascus for use has been with Devin Thomas stainless raindrop damascus, with Mike Norris gatorskin in second. They are good looking steels that cut well and hold an edge decently. I'm not aware of a lot of manufacturers offering those steels at sub CRK prices however.
 
If you are interested in traditional knives, Case just came out with a series with the Thomas raindrop damascus. I have the #47 stockman (3⅞" closed length) and love it! Paid $92 shipped CONUS. Other patterns are available as well. Google "Case burnt cream".

Dam47OpenShort_zpsa66d9608.jpg~original
 
Those Case knives with Devin Thomas Damascus are really sweet, if you are in fact looking for a slipjoint. Would supersede my recommendation for the Kershaw.
 
The Leek comes in Damascus. I'm not sure what steel is used but its a cool little knife. I picked up a composite Leek that has a Sandvik 14c28n Blade with a D2 core. I went with the Blackwash finish but it comes in plain. The transition between the two steels leaves a very unique pattern on the blade.

My cell cam didn't really capture the detail very well. It looks much better in person.
 
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Try the Spyderco Delica 4 Titanium Damascus. The dimensions on this knife are close to the Leek and if you remove the pocket clip it disappears in the pocket. Sweet.
It is actually VG10 (similar to the above metioned ATS-34/154CM but clad in a layered shell. Good stuff.
 
Peregrin said:
Seeing that you've mentioned Chris Reeves, that aren't traditional knives, I think this one will do better in General Knife Discussion.
Click to expand...
Okay, thanks, being new to the group I was not certain the best place to post but the group provided some excellent information ... All though I may breakdown and go with a CRK folder ... I just always have this concern of misplacing something valuable so easily ...I'm considered highly ADHD. LOL
 
justsomedude said:
Hardness is not inherent to the type of steel so not the best word to use FYI. 154CM is good stuff and you're not likely to find any folder with a Damascus blade under CRK prices that will have properties as good as 154CM regardless of heat treatment.

The Kershaw Skyline with Alabama Damascus is nice and there is one available on a popular site that's name I won't mention since I'm not sure if they're a sponsor here.

The Spyderco Delica 4 with Damascus can be found easily as well. This knife has a VG 10 core with Damascus lamination so will probably cut better than other Damascus knives in its price range, it will be similar to if not better than the average production knife in 154CM.

There are also a few other Spyderco knives like the Endura which have Damascus variants that are not hard to find too.

I have neither owned nor used these knives but have seen both in person. They both were alright but I personally would not pay the premium for them over their plain-steel counterparts. If I were looking to spend under $350 and were to increase my budget on a knife by $120 (diff between plain and Damascus Delica) I would definitely spend that $120 on something besides Damascus.

Spend your money how you want but for what my opinion is worth: Damascus steel is for appearances and there are lots of other areas you can add money for better appearance (for that matter, better things to increase budget for than looks). Also, inexpensive Damascus doesn't look that great, to really make a knife look better by using Damascus instead of homogeneous steel you have to have some really nice Damascus, which Alabama is certainly not and to my eye neither was that on the Spydie.

I've also handled many fixed blade and slip joint knives made with mid-range Damascus and have been left cold by all of them.

The Damascus made by Devin Thomas that CRK uses is on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVEL than Alabama Damascus or anything else you could find for "under CRK prices" and is truly beautiful.

I say buy the Kershaw because the cost is low and it will familiarize you with the ups and downs of Damascus. Also because Alabama Damascus is somewhat unique whereas the stuff Spyderco uses is, meh.

Then buy a small Sebenza or Mnandi with s30v. If the Kershaw hasn't turned you off of Damascus and you find that you appreciate CRK then you can buy one with Damascus. It's especially fun trying to hunt down some of the discontinued CRK Damascus patterns like river of fire, navajo, snakeskin, etc.

I have a large sebenza 21 in raindrop damascus and while it is beautiful and performs equally to my other CRKs with s30v, I went with s30v on all my other crk purchases.

If I were to buy another knife with damascus it would be a small sebenza with wood inlays (specifically an older Regular seb since I like the inlay style better than the 21) or a Mnandi because I feel the 'dressiness' is consistent.

I would not recommend Damascus for a workhorse knife, not because it can't perform or anything like that but because the premium you pay for damascus is for the aesthetics, which are secondary on a workhorse knife. Whether EDC=workhorse varies person to person though...
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!
I'm looking at a Skyline right now which may serve the purpose for a fancy EDC, Great to use to open my office mail and all the easy stuff .... But I suspect a Chrus Reeve small Sebenza in Damascus will be part of my quest in the near future . All my other EDCs are CPM154 or S30V and one D2 heat treated Alaskan round blade Skinner which I have not had to sharpen and don't think I will attempt it
 
Wrapped up a deal on a Kershaw Damascus Skyline as an EDC. Now IM keeping my eyes open for a small Sebenza in Damascus steel .. Sigh ... It never stops does it :(
 
black mamba said:
If you are interested in traditional knives, Case just came out with a series with the Thomas raindrop damascus. I have the #47 stockman (3⅞" closed length) and love it! Paid $92 shipped CONUS. Other patterns are available as well. Google "Case burnt cream".

Dam47OpenShort_zpsa66d9608.jpg~original
Click to expand...

Now that is nice looking ... But my fingers swore off slip joint folders a number of years ago after I forgot the one I was using was a slip joint .. And almost removed a joint. Lol. But thanks for the info!
 
Okay , so now that I've got my Kershaw Skyline in Damascus .. It's a nice EDC but now I've decided I NEED a classy/fancy EDC .. You know ...... for use at special functions or places .. Like the office when I open mail ... thus the SMALL VS Large Sebenza. I think pulling out the large one in the office would raise some eyebrows.
So now I'm on a learning quest to decide which "unique" design I like and which Damascus steel pattern.

Is there any place where they have one picture of the different patterns of Damascus steel CRK uses all lines up together so I can compare ....

While I don't live far from the US border where I can have things shipped I really hope the Canadian US exchange rate gets better again, cause thus is killing me :(
 
I don't believe there is a definitive resource that shows Damascus CRKs side-by-side but Devin Thomas's site has some great comparisons of the different patterns and almost all Damascus CRKs use his stuff.

From CRKs site, "Although there are many patterns and types of damascus available, to aid logistics we choose to limit the options to Raindrop, Ladder and Basketweave."

I've found that the Raindrop pattern can vary between either very tight 'drops' and a much looser pattern. I recommend only buying Damascus CRKs from a site that shows pictures of the specific knife you are buying.

I know they offered Spirograph within the last couple of years and replaced it with Basketweave, so you can probably find Spiro at a reasonable price. Any other pattern you should plan to pay a huge premium for 'rarity'.

Sorry for the lack of links, I just don't ever post links on Bladeforums because the rules are rather strict.

I'm glad you like the Skyline, but yea, as you've found out just because it's Damascus doesn't mean it's a 'fancy' knife.

Here's a 'tighter' variation:
maxresdefault.jpg


And a 'looser' one:
sebenza-1.jpg
 
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