Blade Show 2006 Sneak Peek (cool pics!)

ivan51 said:
Interesting, SR77 in scrap yard knives. I wonder how it compares to SR101?

Its like comparing 420 to D2. SR77 is crap. You don't want it, can't use it, and shouldn't buy it.

Let me deal with Scrap Yard knives. I'll make sure no one suffers by buying up all the SR77. You can thank me later...


:D :p
 
ivan51 said:
Interesting, SR77 in scrap yard knives. I wonder how it compares to SR101?

Good question. I think SR77 or enchanced S7 will be an overkill in smaller blades but I suspect it will hold edge very closely to SR101 with a tad less of stain resistance. On the longer blades, this shock steel is a very good choice. It will be up there with INFI in toughness department.
 
ivan51 said:
Interesting, SR77 in scrap yard knives. I wonder how it compares to SR101?

it is basically S7, which means it will be even tougher than SR101 but probably won't hold as good an edge and it's general wear resistance may not be as good. So overall performance will be close with the edge going to the Rat. But if you want a mini sharpened prybar S7 is the way to go.. S7 is a shock steel. Steels don't get much tougher than S7.
 
Hmm thats interesting info, thanks COBALT. Im not familiar with S7 steel.
 
I`m pretty late but I have to say those are some purdy knives. Also, I`ve heard S7 was used for jackhammer bits.
 
Cobalt said:
it is basically S7, which means it will be even tougher than SR101 but probably won't hold as good an edge and it's general wear resistance may not be as good. So overall performance will be close with the edge going to the Rat. But if you want a mini sharpened prybar S7 is the way to go.. S7 is a shock steel. Steels don't get much tougher than S7.

That is correct. As is the Jackhammer bit statement. It is also used in some ball-peen hammers and such.


Warning, the following is an opinion based on experience. Experiences have been known to vary, so take with a grain of salt, and consider the source.

Soldiers in combat carrying big fighting/combat knives are using folders to open their MREs and leatherman tools to work wire and fix things. Personal hand-to-hand combat is extremely rare. So all those big knives are either being left at camp, or being used way outside the range most knives were produced for. To address that phenomenon, some makers have resorted to the "sharpened prybar", which then gets subjected to the scorn of armchair commandos who've never seen a combat zone, let alone combat. They buy the "sharpened prybar" (that the troops have discovered works exceedingly well), and then raise hell all over the internet because the tool doesn't slice cardboard off their barbie doll boxes as well as another brand. Never mind that cutting things wasn't the first consideration when designing the knife, and never mind that the makers/manufacturers spent many hours and hundreds if not thousands of dollars making sure the knife met the needs of the soldiers who would use them, without regard for the non-servicemember masses who would eventually make their names commonplace...
Another option is to produce a knife that looks and works like a regular knife but holds up under combat usage. These are awesome, but costly even when noble attempts are made to keep them within reason.
The next option is to produce what will look and generally work like a conventional knife for the mass market, while satisfying the troops budget and need for a destructive tool. This is some brilliant work. With SRKW either out of production, or over $175, the only options lately were Ontario and Cold Steel. I am looking forward to the new SRKW and SYKC offerings to even the playing field in a spectacular and economical way. The troops get what they need, and the non-SMs get something that works within the parameters that they're used to. Woohoo!!!
I'd expect SR-77 to hold an edge about like 440-a or b, while giving the lateral strength of a much thicker knife or purpose designed prying knife. EDIT FOR POTENTIAL CORRECTION: From the indications on this website http://www.timken.com/products/spec..._Files/air_melt/ColdWorkToolSteels/TLS S7.pdf it is possible that I may have underestimated the potential of extensively heat-treated and cryo-treated S-7. Here it appears that S-7 can hold an edge as well as O-1, and anybody who has used a MadDog knife knows that O-1 can be made to hold an edge that you wouldn't expect. Hopefully that can also be the case with S-7. Keep in mind that the info on the website isn't an exact edgeholding comparison, and that S-7 needs to be kept around 56-59, whereas MadDogs edges are treated up to about 62 Rc.
My experience with S-7 in a combat axe with a strong edge bevel is that it will chop several feet of automotive steel without needing to be sharpened. Full power impacts into hardened steel (nader pin anyone?) resulted in a very small edge roll that would have come out with a few swipes of a DMT bar, which I passed on at the time as it wouldn't have made a difference in the tool's capability.
So excluding INFI, we are looking at a series of compromises. The "sharpened prybars" that some makers/manufacturers make are usually offered with premium stainless steel, which requires a brutal design to stand up to combat conditions, but command premium prices which are almost always justifiable in relation to the market. The SRRipper and other Scrap Yard SR-77 knives are expected (currently, future testing may prove otherwise) to give up a lot of edge holding ability (compared to some other steels), but should hold up under combat usage like you wouldn't readily expect, at a price that ought to make you a firm believer in this company's philosophy/values/direction.
Finally, there is the concept of expectation management. If you think your SR-77 knife will out slice/cut any given Cold Steel Carbon-V or Ontario RAT D-2 knife you will be slightly if not grossly mistaken. If you are buying it because you think one name-brand knife is better than another regardless of any other factor, same deal. But if you want a knife that will out perform any other knife in its dimensional category for every other knife/tactical/combat usage other than direct edge holding capability you will be well served with one of these knives.
That's why I want one.
I just hope they weren't a one time Blade Show deal.

Edited to add: I blame any and all mis-spellings, technical inacuracies, presumtions/assumptions and other none-such on my good uncle, Evan Williams. Good night!
 
Hey Guys...

Nice...

Progunner....

Yaaa I'm with you on that brother..

That Warncliff is Sweet....

ttyle

Eric...
 
Excuse my ignorance, but it seems the new line has micarta handles. Does this mean that the res. C is out? What do you guys think of this?
 
Gimme dat new HR. I think that would make a great gift-knife for outdoorsy folks. Dang it's purdy.
 
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