Carbon Steel Folder

E

ErikD

Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Messages
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I have been toying with the idea of geting a carbon steel folder, just to play around with and experiemtn with the differences between carbon and stainless steels. Mainly I am interested in having a blade of known steel, rather than just plain high carbon steel as marketed on some knives.

At the moment my only carbon steel knife is a KaBar USMC, which doesn't really see enough use for me to do a fair comparison. The only requirements for me would be that the type of steel be known, and that the price be reasonable, NYCKS has pretty much wiped me out for cash.

So before anyone else suggests it, what steel is used in opinels?

Thanks.
 
Most of the opinels have INOX, which is stainless. Schrade OTs have a 1095 option, but since Scrade went belly-up, you'll have to look. Tops has a ton of carbon offerings, as does camillus and its subsidiaries. Good luck.
 
I have several Cold Steel pieces- Trail Guide Large and several Twistmasters. You do need to take care of the blades with oil, tuff cloth or another rust inhibitor, but mine are all sharp as a razor. They're cheap, too!
 
Well I think I will just order an Opinel or two, and maybe some Cold Steel or other cheaper slipjoint type folder with a carbon blade to experiment with. I ended up spend more at NYCKS than I really wanted to, now I really need to start saving my pennies to buy myself a car when I graduate around May/June.

Oh, and that knife I have on order with Darrel Ralph, couldn't live without that beauty now could I? :confused: :D
 
It is very hard to know what specifically any particular knife manufacturer uses, but you can be safe assuming it is 1095 or something similar for the traditional makers. Schrades worked well. The Case CV steel works very well, but only after several years of resharpening. I have a Case Copper Lock I have carried for several years, always liked it, but I swear, after 6 years of sharpening, and honing and fooling around with it, has it just now all of a sudden turned miraculoulsy sharp! I make knives, and sharpen them, and have a pretty food feel for the nuances of what goes into a good edge. but I dont understand the Case CV steel. Now,I have become very careful using it.
My real advice is that if you like Carbon steel blades, as I do, hunt up the single blade knives to love. Use will keep the rust off the blade and polish it to a patina. My multiple blade knives, like a stockman for instance, always end up with one often used, and just fine blade, with two other rusty dull blades. It is a lot of foolin around to keep 'em all sharp and oily. German Eye Brand knives are my favorite, and they make some dandy single blade knives. All the German stuff is good in my book.
 
I second the German EYE Brand. I have a large sodbuster thats just awsome. I dont kno the steel type though. If you can find a folder in 0-1 I would snatch it up. 0- will hold a better edge than 1095 but I dont think you will find 0-1. My guess is that eye brand is 1095 or 5160 but no one knows without emailing the company....I'll see if I can find info on them.
 
I would also like to get a carbon steel folder, but most of them are slipjoints. I have nothing against carbon steel slipjoints IMO they are great knives that are easy to resharpen and get a very sharp edge.I EDC one. I would still like to have locking carbonsteel folder. Most folders are made of stainless steel(I don't know why). IMO very many folders would be better if they had blades made of carbon steel instead of some crappy stainless steel like AUS-6.To me Carbon steel blade would make many folders worth buying for.
 
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