bucks 420HC

[skitertank]

i have a 105(pathfinder) in 420hc i bought about 10 months ago for an all purpose fixed blade. i used it a couple times and then stored it in its sheath in a back pack behind the seat in my truck for about 5 days. there was a canteen in there with that i had forgotten to empty and some how it had all leaked out in the pack soaking everything. when i got to the knife i was surprised to see a few small spots of rust on the blade. it came right off however and have been using it ever since with no problems whatsoever(i might add that it does hold a very good edge for a $50 knife)

you have to remember its stain-less not stain proof. the hc does stand for high carbon which i believe is somewhere around a half percent in the 420hc, which is not alot but a fair amount.

also, standard steels dont always have uniform carbides throughout the steel(like powder made steels) which can sometimes leave a higher amount of some alloys more exposed, and if it happens to be carbon, then those spots will rust easier.

 

[Knife Outlet]

umm..."stainless" is a misnomer. The proper term is "Corrosion Resistant". Any "stainless" alloy can rust, given the proper set of conditions. Saying that a "stainless" blade must never rust is probably overoptimistic.

No question about that. However, 420 is one of the more corrosion resistant steels, noticeably better in that department than almost all steels used in making knives. Only a few specialty products like H1 or some of the Ti alloys do a better job in the corrosion resistance department. If the OP had problems with 420 corroding, then he will have problems with other steels as well.