BRKT steels: A-2 vs. 50-100

C

Creepo

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Dec 16, 2008
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Hiya!

I've been recently eyeing at some Bark River knives but I have no experience in the steels they use, I've heard their A-2 is really good but don't know how it compares to the other steels they use, especially the 50-100. And I couldn't really find anything conclusive in the Steel FAQ either.

So a little comparison of the two would be really appreciated. :D
And maybe some info on the other steels they use, thanks.
 
Either steel will do. I like a-2 and cant find a reason to switch other than poops & giggles. If you know your poop you can survive with most any steel just fine, the endless comparisons is a form of mental illness.
 
both carbon steels have exceptional edge holding .with tweaked heat treating they can stand with about anything out there.i've heard that a2 with nitro.process goes crazy on edge durability.maker in garden grove, calif.in 80s & 90s was ledgendary for his a2. his knives could cut thru 6in.poly mooring lines in the harbor.
 
sorry about my ignorance, please inform myself on the specs for 50 100. i am new to that one .phil hartsfield was the wiz with a2 about 20 yrs. ago.guess his stuff is highly collected these days.thanks for informing me as to 50 100 as different than 52100.
 
This is according to Mike Stewart from Bark River Knives:

Keep in mind that 50-110B is one of the Few Steels that was specifically designed for knives.

It was developed by the now Gone - Sharon Steel in Sharon Pa.

Take 1095 - add a little Chromium for hardening - A trace of Nickel for added Toughness - A little Moly to add a hair more edge Holding than 1095 and a little Vanadium for uniformity of grain structure.

All in all it was the super steel of the 1950s and 1960s.

It is difficult to Heat Treat and Temper for people that are not Familiar with it and it wants to walk right and left in the same blade in temper.

Ka-Bar calls it 1095 Cro-Van and they DO know how to Heat Treat it.

They put it out softer than we do - more like 56rc.

That is why the knives like the Beckers are So Tough.
 
varg lobos thanks for the info, it's no wonder that i've never heard of it. used to get custom hunters made from o6. have'nt heard of that for a long time either. i.y.o. what is a decent rockwell on this stuff. thanks dennis. i have knives of super alloys but prefer the carbon steels.
 
Varg Lobos said:
Keep in mind that 50-110B is one of the Few Steels that was specifically
...
Ka-Bar calls it 1095 Cro-Van and they DO know how to Heat Treat it.
Click to expand...
I've added 50-110B as an alternate name for the 1095Cro-Van in the Knife Steel Chart

If anybody knows any other "renamed" steels like that or any other knife steel for that matter not in the charts please help and share the data.
 
Can't recall where I got it, but in my blade steel notes it says that 50-100B is the same as Case CV. Percentages listed as .93-1.00 C, .25-.45 Mn, .40-.65 Cr, .03 Ni, .20-.30 V, but no moly. Very similar to 1095 Cro-Van and 50-110B. 52100 has enough more Cr (about 1.5%) to allow it a couple points higher on the RC with proper heat treat. 1984nitro, one of our BF custom makers, gets 61 Rc with his 52100 blades.
 
I own a brkt mini canadian in A2 and a classic lite hunter in 12C27. Although I have no personal experience with their 50-100, I can say that I was greatly impressed with both steels. The mini canadian was used once to carve out, literally carve out, a piece of a hardwood door frame. Later in the week, without sharpening in between, I used it for food prep no problem. BTW the A2 mini canadian developed a sweet patina after slicing through some hot steak and then a couple of limes. Almost looked like a Ti coating. The classic lite hunter has been able to filet fish on the beach and whittle down pieces of wood. Most impressive was when it fell off the boat and four days later I went diving and found the damn thing 6" down in the mud of a brackish river. The orange g10 scales were no help in finding it... but, they still had their original luster and the blade was taken care of with some 400grit paper to get some minor rust spots off. I mention all of this because bar none brkt steels have never stopped impressing me. I still have not quite warmed up to the convex edges... but that is another story.
 
What I've noticed is that the A2 is a better stain resistor than the 50-100 which seems to darken,patina(possibly rust...)a lot faster.

Bark River Sandvik is a really excellent stainless that performs as well as the A2 in my view.
 
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