BG-42 Military? Is it a grail?

kidcongo

kidcongo

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Spydiefans. I spend a lot of my time in the CRK sub-forum, where a very big deal is made about the early BG-42 Sebenza blades. These are rare and expensive these days, so I am not sure how much "real world" use they get, and there is not a lot of opportunity for comparison to modern offerings.

My question: how many out there own the BG42 Military and how does it perform compared to other models of the military? Is BG42 really an amazing steel worthy of the hype, or is it's appeal it's rarity in a CRK? I seem to recall reading that Chris Reeve himself thought S30V was a major improvement.

Just wondering if the BG42 Military is also a grail knife, or is it a 'meh' offering in comparison to what is out there now?
 
That was a ball bearing steel so not sure it would be a amazing or grail steel compared to what the Millie is now currently available in..S90V..S110V? Heck I think I'd take a Cruwear Millie over any of those..its not exactly the same but Cruwear is very similar to 3V..which is known for toughness..and that toughness really shows in use.

For collecting the BG42 Millie would be cool to have as it doesn't come up for sale very often.

If you want to try a ball bearing steel get a 52100 Millie.

Here's some good info about BG42: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1184462-BG42-steel
 
It is very good, but imho BG42 isn't a big improvement over S30V. I think the issue with CRK might have been them running BG42 pretty hard and S30V pretty soft making the difference in performance bigger than with Spyderco.
My well used one:
 
I like BG-42. I'm sick of EVERYTHING being targeted for high wear resistance.

I don't abuse or pry with my knives. But I use them for real tasks, where a stray nail or staple is a real possibility.

I wish more knife companies would offer simpler, softer blade steels for those of us that don't consider wear resistance the only priority.
 
NoFair said:
It is very good, but imho BG42 isn't a big improvement over S30V. I think the issue with CRK might have been them running BG42 pretty hard and S30V pretty soft making the difference in performance bigger than with Spyderco.
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I've always thought the same.
 
Jamesh Bond said:
I like BG-42. I'm sick of EVERYTHING being targeted for high wear resistance.

I don't abuse or pry with my knives. But I use them for real tasks, where a stray nail or staple is a real possibility.

I wish more knife companies would offer simpler, softer blade steels for those of us that don't consider wear resistance the only priority.
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I'm confused with your logic... If you never abuse your knife then a harder steel would be better for your task since it will hold an edge longer.

Keep in mind harder is not the same as higher wear resistance. Some steel can be harden to high HRC and still sharpen easily due to the fine grain and less big chunky carbide... BG-42 is one of them.

Softer and tougher steel is for people who use their knife hard. Its will be less prone to chipping and sharpen back easily when the edge is dulled.
 
I have 2 Sebenzas in BG-42, a drop point and a tanto. Both have seen real use. The same is true of my Spydercos: both companies have always made great knives of great steels.

"Grail" is overused. Newer steels are introduced so frequently now, we see them brought on line as something wonderful. They may be incremental improvements. That's often hard to say, unless you follow a Spyderco design through a series of different steels. That way, you could decide which steel excels at which task.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I have 2 Sebenzas in BG-42, a drop point and a tanto. Both have seen real use. The same is true of my Spydercos: both companies have always made great knives of great steels.

"Grail" is overused. Newer steels are introduced so frequently now, we see them brought on line as something wonderful. They may be incremental improvements. That's often hard to say, unless you follow a Spyderco design through a series of different steels. That way, you could decide which steel excels at which task.
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That is the reason why I am interested in the BG42 Military, in reference to whether BG42 is a premium steel for cutlery, or something that worked at the time. The military is a knife that has seen many different steels used, and is relatively available, affordable, and popular compared to the early Sebenzas. It should be a subject a few people have an experienced opinion on when it comes to whether BG42 is worth seeking out.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in so far!
 
I have 3 of them. This reground one is my favorite knife. I don't always subscribe to the "butter zone steel" doctrine but it is at least a tangible thing in my observation.

bg42-1.jpg
 
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Knibes said:
I have 3 of them. This reground one is my favorite knife. I don't always subscribe to the "butter zone steel" doctrine but it is at least a tangible thing in my observation.

bg42-1.jpg
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Holy Smokes. That is a beautiful blade!
 
Been eyeballin' the millie lately. I too am having trouble with which steel type I want to try out. There was a M390 on the exchange for a couple of minutes the other day..

I haven't owned a knife in BG42 so I can't help you on that one OP. I've heard good things about spyderco's S110V though. Tempted to take the plunge on that one.
 
My grail Millie? That will/would be a Maxamet Millie..

The same stone grey color used on the LW M2 would be cool too.
 
In my opinion, to a collector, the only versions of the Military truly worthy of being called a "grail knife" would be the 2000 Spyderco Forum Military and the original S30V Carbon Fiber version of which only 300 were made.
The BG-42 version would only be a grail to a collector who had every other version of the Military and needed it to make his collection complete. From a user standpoint, it's a question of whether you have a fondness for BG-42. As with most steels, I'm sure there are folks who love it and others who find it uninspiring.
 
Chris "Anagarika";17056070 said:
What is butter zone steel? :confused:
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A lot of forum members have praised CPM-154 and CPM-Cruwear and other steels in that spectrum of carbide content.
 
IIRC there were about 1200 BG42 millies made. I like BG42 steel but think it isn't as wear resistant as S30V. I don't subscribe to the higher wear resistance = better steel like some and I like a balanced steel. BG42 was one of the first real high performing premium stainless steels that not only gave greater wear resistance than 440c but better grain structure and certainly handled higher hardness better than 440C. Even now it's fairly expensive and hard to get. At one time there was a 1 year backlog on the steel so it's reputation came mostly from higher end custom makers who charged extra for it.

I wouldn't pay too high a price for that millie but it's certainly a very nice using edc steel on that knife. It would be a shame to let it sit unused. I still think of it as one of the better sprints.

Joe
 
The Deacon said:
In my opinion, to a collector, the only versions of the Military truly worthy of being called a "grail knife" would be the 2000 Spyderco Forum Military and the original S30V Carbon Fiber version of which only 300 were made.
The BG-42 version would only be a grail to a collector who had every other version of the Military and needed it to make his collection complete. From a user standpoint, it's a question of whether you have a fondness for BG-42. As with most steels, I'm sure there are folks who love it and others who find it uninspiring.
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I agree with Paul that the first CF run in S30V is a bit more special. Missed out on the forum one, but since I use all of mine it doesn't matter much.
 
I have a Buck 301 and a Buck 110, both in BG42 that I dearly love and wouldn't trade for nothing. Both redone in black Micarta. Well, unless somebody with a Classic Sebenza knocked on my door. :)
BTW, I also have 2 Sage I's and a Sage II that I love.
 
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