Case CV steel

K

klattman

Joined
May 5, 2004
Messages
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I know Case Tru-Sharp(Tm) steel is crap, but what about their CV steel?
How does it compare to 1095 in performance?
How does it compare to 440C in performace/corrosion resistance?
Looking for a "pretty" knife for edc...

Thanks,
 
The last couple of days I've left the Benchmade 800 at home and dropped a Case Sodbuster in my pocket. I like the CV. In my eyes it's not too far off from 1095. It does stain, though. I like the look of a good patina but I don't know if you'd call it pretty. You might take a look at Queens D2 pocketknives. They come highly recommended. Good luck.

Frank
 
I have a queen D2 stockman, it's a real pain to sharpen, but it performs well.
I was looking to get a case (Never owned or even handled one - grew up on Schrade).

Bonus question: How does TruSharp stainless compare to 440C and/or SAK steel? Case doesn't unfortnately offer many in CV...
 
Mine has stained easily. Not rust, but stain. Doesn't affect usability, just looks.
 
If you want a Case as a user get CV steel.

How does their "Tru-Sharp" :rolleyes: SS compare to 440C and SAKs? There is no comparison. :barf:

Paul
 
That bad huh? Do you know what it is? 90% nickel? :p

I guess it is very very stainless.. so ...good for collecting? (No maintenence?)
 
Well, so much for that.. they don't offer the nice orange G-10 handles (or many others either) with CV steel.. I'll have to find a non-case solution ;-)

Thanks for steering me clear...
 
Case CV is 1095 with chrome and vanadium added, probably very similar to Carbon V and 0170-6C.



- Frank
 
I like CV a lot. It sharpens well without a lot of effort and holds it pretty well. I use a stockman I have in it for whittling often. It does stain readily but I love the patina look. I wish Case offered more knives in it, like a whittler or congress, with more choices in scales too.
 
If you want more selections in Carbon Steel, try Moore MAker...they have a premium line with bone handles (made by Queen) and a "working" series in yellow delrin or buffalo horn (made by Camillus)

All are well made and with properly heat treated 1095
 
Bull Dog Brand has a good line of high carbon steel bladed knives. I like the Bulldog Wharncliff Whittler. 3 7/8" closed. And plan to obtain one in the near future. It is very comparable to the Seahorse but been around a lot longer. I'm hoping that it will be my next everyday carry pocket knife.

Also, speaking of the Seahorse Whittler by Case. I had an initial complaint about the edge of every blade on this knife new right out of the box. But I have since sharpened them all and corrected that.

My primary knife for carving faces into walking sticks is a hand made Wharncliff blade I made for myself out of 1095. Here lately though I've been using one of the Seahorse Whittlers by Case that I traded for. I've done three sticks here in the last few days using that little whittler and I can't say that I'm dissappointed in the Surgical Stainless steel's edge holding ability.

It isn't like I'm running out to the wheels in my shop to bring it up to snuff everytime I turn around. I think the Case Tru-Sharp steel is holding it's own pretty impressively to be honest with you. Granted the smaller blades have gotten dull and I will need to retouch them here soon but I see no reason to complain about a tiny little thin blade making it through three hard wood walking stick faces before needing the edge brought back.

Some of these claims of other steels being better and Tru-Sharp stainless not being up to par are just comments off the cuff without really giving the knives a chance to speak for themselves I think. From my stand point the Tru Sharp steel Case is using is no better or worse than Kershaw,or Buck knives. I can't say I've noticed any big difference in the edge holding ability of any of them either. I think 420C is in more knives out there than people may realize, and regardless of heat treatment it seems to fit the bill and please people more than it disappoints them.

I will say this though. I like the Seahorse Whittler by Case better than the Queen D2 Whittler I have. Mainly because the shape of the blades on the Seahorse is better for carving and whittling jobs but also because once the D2 of the Queen knife dulls if you don't have a set of pro sharpening wheels you aren't going to be too happy when it comes time to touch it up for whittling again. At least with the Case I can use the old fashioned way of a hand stone and oil or water to get the edge back. You'd be on that stone all day long with the D2 though.

I am hoping that the Bull Dog I mentioned above has the character and aging qualities I like to see in an everyday carry and that the edge holding ability is as good as the 1095 I made for myself. If so, I'll certainly let the world know about it. But in truth I doubt it will set the world on fire anymore than any of the other knives mentioned above do.
 
STR said:
Some of these claims of other steels being better and Tru-Sharp stainless not being up to par are just comments off the cuff without really giving the knives a chance to speak for themselves I think. From my stand point the Tru Sharp steel Case is using is no better or worse than Kershaw,or Buck knives. I can't say I've noticed any big difference in the edge holding ability of any of them either. I think 420C is in more knives out there than people may realize, and regardless of heat treatment it seems to fit the bill and please people more than it disappoints them.
Click to expand...

I've carried Case SS for a while, 4 years on and off to be precise. As a work knife, I loathe it. I dropped one in my pocket last summer, and it got the usual working man's beating- cutting about anything that needed it, scraping when required, stripping wires, shaving shims- and I regretted it in days. I really wanted that Copperlock to do the job- great fit and finish, good feel- but the steel just didn't git'r done. I gave it a summer to prove itself, and while it never really chipped out or dinged significantly, it needed daily sharpening- something my Bucks or Queens never did.

It may be 420HC, same as Buck, but my Buck knives tend to hold an edge significantly longer, and are a bit easier to bring back when they start to fade. As a formal knife, it's just fine. However, I've put it through its paces, and as a work knife, it fails. When I can buy a Queen in D2 for the same money, I see no reason to buy Case SS for a work knife.

Now, onto a different story- Case CV. That stuff, I like. Basic carbon steel, sharpens easy, holds an edge far longer than its SS brother
 
My Case Copperlock came with the CV steel you like so much, with a special warning on the box to alert the owner that it will not resist staining as well as SS. I tried using that Copperlock CV blade for some whittling jobs and it is ok but the blade is too long to give me the kind of control I like, but I really like that knife's looks.

I have no complaints about the CV steel at all. I think the SS is better than people give it credit for though and that is all I was saying. I have many Buck knives in 425M, and some newer ones in 420HC and like the 420 better but mainly for taking an edge really. I find that it is hard to get the 425M steel in my old Buck 112 to really get all that sharp at all. That on top of the blade thickness make it very hard to cut anything with.

For really discerning customers Case offers some ATS 34 offerings in limited numbers. I know the Seahorse Whittler is one of them.
 
I have only one Case knife and it's in CrV steel - one of the main reasons I bought this knife was because a long established and well respected* member of rec.knives regards the Case CrV steel very highly and actually carries and uses a Case CrV model.

This person who shall remain
Alvin Johnston
does a lot with steels including tempering and experimentation in treatments - he considers Case CrV steel to be one of the best steels used in a production knife.

Of course he regards all stainless steels as "junk" steels -
told you he is *well.... respected :)

(just in case (pun) of any misunderstandings I regard Alvin as a good friend -
and am unceasingly impressed by the way
his head gets stuck to a bone magnet :D )

I do believe Alvin about his opinion on the Case CrV steel -
I just prefer to use a steel that has low maintenance and I know I can get real sharp ie: Victorinox SAK (INOX) steel.

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
I have had much better performance out of the carbon steel, 1095 I guess, in Schrade old Timers and the Camillus carbon blades than I have with Case's CV.

I ordered a yellow large Sodbuster a while back in CV, and it doesn't hold an edge as well as most of my other carbon steel blades.
 
I have heard that the Cr-V is 50100B. I have two examples, and one has a good heat treat and really holds a good edge, the other one is not as good. There seems to be a consistency problem with their heat treat.
 
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