Buck 5160 Steel?

zakjak221

zakjak221

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Apr 3, 2010
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Is the 5160 Buck steel worth the upgrade over 420HC?
5160 seems to be a larger knife chopper steel & I'm lookin at a 118 or 105.
Thanks!
 
I like the 5160. It seems to hold an edge better than the 420hc, in my opinion. Be careful though, the rust spots will sneak up on you.
 
Only you can decide if it's worth it.
if you're happy with the 420hc then there's no need to spend more on 5160.
If you're just curious then the only thing you can do is try it out and decide for yourself.
I've heard the 5160 may hold a slightly better edge, and it's obviously a carbon steel so you can have patina if you want.
 
5160 is about toughness over edge-holding. Sharpness is completely dependent on the sharpener. That be you. But for a hard use knife, I like 5160 over most any stainless.
 
If it was anything under 6 inches, it would be a no brainer 420HC with me. Anything over that, I would ask myself, is toughness or stainless more important with this knife I want...
420HC is quite tough. If you are looking for a cheap chopper, either get a Scrade SCHF55, SCHF35, or SCHF37. That is 3, 5, and 7 inch blade lengths, all at great prices. I beat the crap out of mine and it takes it like a champ.
OR an Ontario field knife or 12 inch machete.
There are lots of choices.
 
i prefer bucks 420hc myself, but for a larger blade the 5160 toughness is very useful in the right task.
 
Appreciate responses...& I agree for a smaller knife,420HC is a better choice.
 
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