Chinese Bucks with 420hc

[Flatlander1963]

Let me ask this again:
Do Chinese Buck knives have 420hc steel or is it Chinese steel?
It’s my understanding that Latrobe makes Buck's 420hc. I also found that Alleghany also make 420hc. Is 420hc a company propriotary name like 154cm/Crucible or ATS-34/Hitachi?

I cannot google up any Chinese manufacture of 420hc and I am resistant to believe that it is being imported to China specifically for use in Buck knives.

Any opinions about this??

 

[Flatlander1963]

This must be a prickly question.

 

[chickentrax]

334dave is the expert on foreign steel...

(I think all Chinese knife blades are made from melted down US Navy ships captured during Korean War and never returned...see "Manchurian Candidate" [the first one])...

 

[Flatlander1963]

334dave is the expert on foreign steel...

LOL!! I hadn't thought to ask Dave. I know foreign steel has been a concern of his for some time. I hear a rumor he favors ATS-34 now

 

[knarfeng]

Let me ask this again:
Do Chinese Buck knives have 420hc steel or is it Chinese steel?
It’s my understanding that Latrobe makes Buck's 420hc. I also found that Alleghany also make 420hc. Is 420hc a company propriotary name like 154cm/Crucible or ATS-34/Hitachi?

I cannot google up any Chinese manufacture of 420hc and I am resistant to believe that it is being imported to China specifically for use in Buck knives.

Any opinions about this??

There is an American Iron and Steel Institute alloy designation called 420.
C____0.15 (min)
Mn___1.00
Si____1.00
Cr__12.0-14.0
P____ 0.04
S_____0.03

Notice that the Carbon content is 0.15% Minimum

420HC is not an official AISI designation, but it is not proprietary either. So, anyone can make it, but exactly what you get depends on which steelmaker made it.

My guess is that knives made in China use Chinese alloys, rather than AISI alloys. My further guess is that the alloy used is 5Cr13MoV. It's reasonably close to the Latrobe version of 420HC.

 

[Flatlander1963]

This must be a prickly question

420HC is not an official AISI designation, but it is not proprietary either. So, anyone can make it, but exactly what you get depends on which steelmaker made it.

My guess is that knives made in China use Chinese alloys, rather than AISI alloys. My further guess is that the alloy used is 5Cr13MoV. It's reasonably close to the Latrobe version of 420HC.

Decaf you don't have anything at all to say about this??
Knarfeng, thanks for your comments and speculations. I find them most reasonable and likely.

Isn't 420J an Asian Stainless steel? Knarfeng, how similar is 420J to 420HC?

 

[Voltron]

How do these china made Bucks steel compare to the older, US made Bucks when it comes to edge retention. I know Buck is legendary for it's edge retention, but now ya'll have me doubting the china made ones?