Case's Tru-Sharp vs. CV

Obsessed with Edges said:
I've noticed most of the dulling on the edges of my Case knives is more related to abrasive wear (edge dulling or rounding by abrasion), and not edge-rolling or chipping.
Click to expand...

I must respectfully disagree. I have lots of edge rolling issues with both Case's CV and stainless. I find that I often have to use a sharpening steel on the blades in order to realign the edges, rather than sharpening the blades. Simply cutting a cardboard box is often enough to completely throw the edge out of alignment.

I personally notice little performance difference between Case's CV and stainless. The hardness of the blades is too low for either to hold an edge well. The only real difference I notice, under than stainlessness is in sharpening. I can quickly strop the CV to bring back the occasional dull edge while Whittling. I often have a resort to a stone to bring back the stainless.
 
Jeff_R said:
Sounds like the edge on your Sodbuster has been sharpened at too acute an angle for cutting cardboard, bending from the force, which then straightens out again when stropped.
Click to expand...

Sharpened on the sharpmaker at 20 degrees each side. I don't have the ability to sharpen at any other angle. I use the same method with all my other knives. It cuts fruit and meat ok without going dull, paper no problem at all. Cut packaging with it and it's dull very quickly. I found pretty much the same thing with my Leatherman 420HC blade on my skeletool, not had the problem at all since I upgraded the blade to 154CM. Whether it's the burring or whatever, my other knives in D2, 1095, 440C & 154CM don't do it so I keep away from 420HC these days.
 
Prospect708 said:
So what angle do y'all sharpen your Tru-Sharp to on these knives? I think from the factory they recommend 15*


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Case's own FAQ page recommends setting the blade at 10°-15° from the stone, implying 20°-30° inclusive (see quote below). This is likely where all of my edges are, in this ballpark, and likely even skewed to the lower end of that range with some blades, like the very thin sheepsfoot on my '75-pattern stockman knives.

(quoted from site: http://www.wrcase.com/case_college/collector_advice/caring.php )
"Re-sharpening Your Knife

Hold the blade at a 10” to 15” angle from the surface of a sharpening stone. Maintain a constant angle and stroke the blade as if shaving a thin layer from the stone. Repeat the stroking motion along the entire edge of the blade starting at the blade heel and working to the tip. Turn the blade over and repeat the process. "
Click to expand...


David
 
Buzzbait said:
I must respectfully disagree. I have lots of edge rolling issues with both Case's CV and stainless. I find that I often have to use a sharpening steel on the blades in order to realign the edges, rather than sharpening the blades. Simply cutting a cardboard box is often enough to completely throw the edge out of alignment.

I personally notice little performance difference between Case's CV and stainless. The hardness of the blades is too low for either to hold an edge well. The only real difference I notice, under than stainlessness is in sharpening. I can quickly strop the CV to bring back the occasional dull edge while Whittling. I often have a resort to a stone to bring back the stainless.
Click to expand...

I've verified with my own edges, the wear is mostly due to abrasion, in both CV and Tru-Sharp (420HC); especially following heavy and 'dusty' cardboard cutting. I use a 10X or better lighted magnifier to inspect it, and it's easy to see this way. I've noticed the same tendency with other of my own knives in 420HC, including Buck (my 301 stockman) & Leatherman (SuperTool and Wave). This is why I say the difference in RC hardness has been less significant in my uses, and it's been more about the lack of wear-resistance in the steel itself.

How one uses the blade will make a difference in regards to rolling, though. If there's too much lateral stress (twisting) in cutting tough material, that can do it. But I don't generally subject my own blades to much of that. The little bit of rolling I have seen in my own uses, has almost always been at the very thin, pointy tip of my sheepsfoot blade, if it impacts anything hard in use. Most of that has been in using my CV '75-pattern stockman, of which the sheepsfoot is as thin as any blade I have (from the factory, and I've thinned it some more).


David
 
Last edited:
So we've had different experiences with Case's steel. I can live with that.

For the record, I run most of my utility knives at 30 degrees inclusive.
 
I don't tend to use my Case slipjoints for anything heavy duty, nor does my job or recreational pastimes really need a lot of knife use in the first place. So I can't really speak to edge retention during significant usage.

When I have cardboard boxes to break down around the house to go into the trash, the knives I use have 154CM or Elmax steel and are larger modern folders. I leave one in the kitchen just for that purpose.
 
Any folder that you carry often should have a blade that beautifully ages along with the rest of the knife , and you certainly don't get that with stainless all you get is a bunch of scratches.
So obviously I'll go with cv
 
Hickory n steel said:
Any folder that you carry often should have a blade that beautifully ages along with the rest of the knife , and you certainly don't get that with stainless all you get is a bunch of scratches.
So obviously I'll go with cv
Click to expand...

Oh I don't know, I prefer this to a bunch of discoloured blotches that change shape every time you cut an apple. :D I'm not a patina fan.

sb.jpg
 
Hickory n steel said:
Nothing wrong with that, we're all knife aficionados here 👍
Click to expand...

I have to also confess that my 1095 blades and D2 blade are kept pristine and shiny also, I flitz them if they show signs of patina due to the weeks usage. Naughty I know. :D
 
knarfeng said:
Likely so. I sharpen Tru-sharp at no more acute than 20° per side. And to my mind, it's actually better at the traditional angle of 22 1/2°. At the wider angle there is more steel supporting the edge, so it is not so likely to bend.
Click to expand...

I dunno... 20° per side seems crazy to me, unless the edge bevel is extremely thin. Like less than .005" thin. I have cheap paring knives that are sharpened to 10° or less, inclusive, zero grind, that don't dull all that easily. Nor are they particularly fragile.

I think lutejones explanation is more likely.
 
Depends on what you cut. I don't cut food or any kind of flesh with pocket knives. I mostly use them on plastic and cardboard. Harder materials requires more strength in the edge.
 
I used my SS Stockman, with hollow ground clip blade at ~20 DPS for three days in a row at work, opening boxes, trimming wood edges, slicing off old caulk, sharpening pencils, etc.
But i only used the clip blade those three days as a test for myself, and it was still good for whittling and shaving after. It is all about the grind for me, and i keep them on the wider side in terms of DPS even though I'm a fan of low angle grinds now.
YMMV

Connor
 
shecky said:
No noticeable difference in edge retention. CV, like carbon steel in general, is easier to sharpen, less prone to making a stubborn burr. I use both without reservations, but I'd like to see CV made an option in more lines.
Click to expand...

This. Why doesn't Case use CV more? I was looking at several varieties of the Trapper, and only two were in CV. Is the Tru-Sharp steel for collector types who will rarely, if ever, use their knives and want them to look pretty for the next owner? If so, does that mean that Tru-Sharp is not really designed to be used, let alone worked hard? Judging by the responses here, I'd say Tru-Sharp is usable, but nothing to write home about.
 
I think that Case makes more knives in Tru-Sharp simply because it's a better seller for them. It might seem the opposite on a knife forum such as this one but I think the general public most likely wants stainless steel for the most part. Just my opinion and I could be way off base.

CV steel can easily be kept pretty for the next owner if the knife is never used. I have some 70+ year old Case knives that don't appear to have ever been used and the carbon steel blades are still shiny. I can't tell they aren't stainless steel just by looking at them. If a knife is purchased with the intent of keeping it looking like new, it can easily be done regardless of the steel.

Whenever a manufacturer offers less of a particular option there will always people who want more of that option. Look at GEC, for example. Most of their knives are carbon steel yet there are plenty of folks nearly begging them to make more knives in stainless steel.
 
Pick stainless if you want your MOP case to look nice and pretty.
Pick carbon if you want your knife to look more rustic.
:D

You'll be just fine with both of them!
 
EDCanAdamas said:
...Is the Tru-Sharp steel for collector types who will rarely, if ever, use their knives and want them to look pretty for the next owner?...
Click to expand...

It's not "for collector types" at all. Tru-Sharp is like the majority of stainless cutlery steels. It has equivalent performance to the steel used in the ever popular Swiss Army knives which are certainly "user knives". I have no trouble using Tru-Sharp.

If you want a steel upgrade, Case offers damascus steel for several patterns as well at 154CM in their Case/Bose series. They even did one more modern folder in BG42.
 
EDCanAdamas said:
This. Why doesn't Case use CV more? I was looking at several varieties of the Trapper, and only two were in CV. Is the Tru-Sharp steel for collector types who will rarely, if ever, use their knives and want them to look pretty for the next owner? If so, does that mean that Tru-Sharp is not really designed to be used, let alone worked hard? Judging by the responses here, I'd say Tru-Sharp is usable, but nothing to write home about.
Click to expand...

Tru-Sharp is every bit as usable as any similarly-alloyed stainless steel. Compare to Victorinox's stainless, of which most will say is very good, in spite of the fact it's likely sometimes even a bit softer than Case's stainless steel. Case has fine-tuned Tru-Sharp to a level that easily takes very, very fine shaving edges on almost any sharpening media, and then holds those edges as well as would be expected of any of these basic stainless steels. Any steel in this class is essentially designed for 'usability', easy sharpening and corrosion resistance, and none of them are touted to be 'super steels' or anything approaching that status.

It's possibly true that many of Case's stainless knives will go to buyers just looking for displayable collection knives; they're looking for knives that'll stay shiny and won't rust. Case has brilliantly exploited that market by offering hundreds of pattern & style variations which are constantly updated, and it's likely why they're still in business in the U.S. after 100+ years, when most other comparable makers (Schrade USA, Camillus, etc) have been forced out of business by the economics of trying to remain here. But I think the 'collector-market only' perception of Case's stainless knives has likely skewed (and fooled) people's assumptions about the cutlery quality of the steel itself, which is still fine for normal non-abusive cutting tasks and no better or worse than any other steel of similar makeup.

As to why Case doesn't use CV more often, I suspect they're like most makers, in that most of their customers aren't like us 'knife nuts' and steel purists, and just want something that's reliable and easy to take care of. I think Case and many others have become tired of complaints and sometimes even warranty returns of non-stainless knives that rusted and therefore must've been 'defective' in some way because of that.


David
 
Last edited:
Obsessed with Edges said:
As to why Case doesn't use CV more often, I suspect they're like most makers, in that most of their customers aren't like us 'knife nuts' and steel purists, and just want something that's reliable and easy to take care of. I think Case and many others have become tired of complaints and sometimes even warranty returns of non-stainless knives that rusted and therefore must've been 'defective' in some way because of that.
Click to expand...

Yep. I agree wholeheartedly.
 
Indeed. For a lot of people the question is rather, "why do they even bother to make that CV carbon steel stuff?" After all, if it's only marginally better at edge-holding and slightly easier to sharpen, but has the (massive) drawback of rusting if it's used in any damp environment, or kept in a humid place, then the tru-sharp is obviously a better steel. The only reason they must keep the CV around is for those collectors, who maybe enjoy the grey color it gets. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top