Buck 420 HC steel

[Alberta Ed]

Since this thread has been revived, the budget market has changed a lot. Yes, Buck's 420HC is better than your average 420HC. It might be the best 420HC most of us will ever experience. However, it's still 420HC. It's performance is going to be eclipsed by steels like 14C28N and 9Cr18Mov.

Coincidentally, WE has done for 9Cr18Mov what the Bos heat treatment did for Buck's 420HC. Already starting from a better place, WE's 9Cr18Mov in the Civivi and Sencut knives is capable of edge retention a lot closer to mass-production knives in S30V or S35VN.

While Buck offers other options, I feel like Leatherman is stuck in the past on this one. They have a couple of models that use either 154CM or S30V but most of their multi-tools still use a 420HC knife blade. That's a deal-breaker for me in $100ish multi-tools.

Agree, Leatherman's blade steel is awful. Most of the other implements like saw and screwdriver are OK though.

 

[hank_rearden]

The 154CM in Leatherman are for the hard wire cutters. No knife blade in that steel.

 

[chalby]

The 154CM in Leatherman are for the hard wire cutters. No knife blade in that steel.

No. There is at least the skeletool cx with a knife blade in 154cm if not others

 

[mbkr]

The 154CM in Leatherman are for the hard wire cutters. No knife blade in that steel.

No. There is at least the skeletool cx with a knife blade in 154cm if not others

The Skeletool RX and Charge+ both have 154cm knife blades also.

 

[Chronovore]

Another approach to being let down by Leatherman's 420HC knife blades is to go bladeless. Since this is a knife forum and we are knife guys, the overwhelming majority of us are already carrying a knife in radically better steel.

I've been thinking about a Knifeless Rebar lately. Without having to care about a knife, they manage to pack a good selection of tools into a somewhat lighter and more compact multi-tool. A serrated blade might be handy in contrast to my 100% plain-edge EDC rotation but I think I could live with this combo.

 

[Murdamook]

Another approach to being let down by Leatherman's 420HC knife blades is to go bladeless. Since this is a knife forum and we are knife guys, the overwhelming majority of us are already carrying a knife in radically better steel.

I've been thinking about a Knifeless Rebar lately. Without having to care about a knife, they manage to pack a good selection of tools into a somewhat lighter and more compact multi-tool. A serrated blade might be handy in contrast to my 100% plain-edge EDC rotation but I think I could live with this combo.

Seems the knife blade doesn’t add significant weight, bulk, or cost to a Leatherman. So, not sure why you would make a blade-less Rebar when you could just have a multitool with a back up knife blade. If you’re going to carry a knife and a blade-less multitool, you’d probably be just as well-served by carrying a knife and a Rebar with a blade. As an aside, the last two seasons of Alone have had the majority of contestants carrying Leatherman Waves or Charges with no dedicated knife. None of the survivalists ever seemed to run into a scenario in which they had to leave because their knives just wouldn’t hold an edge.

 

[Chronovore]

Seems the knife blade doesn’t add significant weight, bulk, or cost to a Leatherman. So, not sure why you would make a blade-less Rebar when you could just have a multitool with a back up knife blade. If you’re going to carry a knife and a blade-less multitool, you’d probably be just as well-served by carrying a knife and a Rebar with a blade. As an aside, the last two seasons of Alone have had the majority of contestants carrying Leatherman Waves or Charges with no dedicated knife. None of the survivalists ever seemed to run into a scenario in which they had to leave because their knives just wouldn’t hold an edge.

I will always have a dedicated knife in addition to any multi-tool I carry because I like knives. Could I get by with only one blade in a subpar steel like 420HC, 440A, etc.? Sure, under protest. Do I absolutely need S30V or M390 on a knife? No, but I'm grateful for the opportunity. It's worth recognizing that EDC choices definitely have a psychological component. Beyond the practical contrast between good blade steel on my pocket knife and crappy blade steel on my multi-tool is a very real psychological contrast. It just feels lame and that's legit.

Cost is part of the equation too. The 9Cr18Mov on my Civivi Baklash or my Sencut Snap will cut circles around Buck's 420HC. (Forget about the 420HC blade on my Leatherman.) Those knives cost $40-something and have good action, build quality, etc. That makes a 420HC blade stick out like a sore thumb on something that costs $100. It's the same principle by which $50 knives in 8Cr13Mov are a bad deal in 2021.

As far as going bladeless on the mutli-tool, the knife doesn't take up a lot of space but it is a factor. I tend to think of multi-tools in terms of tool selection per size and weight. While the Knifeless Rebar loses two blades, it does pick up scissors. I really like the combination of scissors, saw, and file on a pliers-based multi-tool. Finding that in a more compact package can be a challenge.