Chinese knife steel

cabdmd

cabdmd

Joined
Dec 17, 2010
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New EDC for me, the Kershaw Cryo-1555BW. I love the blackwash; the blade was centered and sharp. I do like flippers, and the speedsafe is OK. I looked at this year’s ago, and now after multiple purchases of Spidercos and Beckers it is my new EDC. I have knives with S30V, D2, AUS8 and 3cr18mov. I know there are a lot of different opinions about Chinese knives and Chinese steel. One question I have about the cryo, and some of you may be able to clear up. The blade is not printed 3cr18mov. It only says china. So is this still 3cr18mov?
 
My bad on transposing the numbers. All the blades I’d seen has that code on the blade this one only says China. I love this knife. I just wondered if it was still 8cr13mov.
 
cabdmd said:
My bad on transposing the numbers. All the blades I’d seen has that code on the blade this one only says China. I love this knife. I just wondered if it was still 8cr13mov.
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Yep, the Cryo uses the 8Cr. There are much worse steels to be found on budget folders. 8Cr isn’t great by any means, but it’s not terrible.
 
The cryo and cryo 2 are amazing knives for the price. I tend to carry my zt 0566cf more lately, but if Kershaw made a cryo 2 with a G10 handle I would be all over it!

8cr isn't that bad. It sharpens easily and holds the edge for a respectable amount of time. I'm carrying my spyderco persistence today, with 8cr steel. Does everything I need it to do, and if I need to touch it up I just hit it on my lansky turn box a few times and I'm good to go!

Enjoy the cryo!
 
I will certainly enjoy it. I have a spiderco Efficient with 8cr13mov, which I think is fine. I also have a Spyderco PM3 in s30v which I also like.
 
I’m not a fan of 8cr13mov aka (alphabet steel) but it does get the job done. It is about like a less stain resistant version of 420hc.
 
I've not seen a spec for the hardness of Kershaw's Chinese-made knives.
8Cr13MoV has a very similar composition to AUS8 and can reach the same hardness range.

The alloy takes a nice fine edge. I've seen both 8Cr13MoV and AUS 8 with hardness specs ranging from 57 to 60. If hardened to the high end it gives respectable performance and will hold an edge noticeably better than 420HC, but won't hold it as well as 440C.

For most folks, it's more than good enough for their every day usage.
 
TheEdge01 said:
I’m not a fan of 8cr13mov aka (alphabet steel) but it does get the job done. It is about like a less stain resistant version of 420hc.
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actually 420hc has the same 13% chrome as does 8cr13mov... just less carbon in 420hc, so it's tougher & probably run a bit softer
 
TheEdge01 said:
I’m not a fan of 8cr13mov aka (alphabet steel) but it does get the job done. It is about like a less stain resistant version of 420hc.
Click to expand...

Nah something more akin to 420HC on the Chinese steels would be something like 4Cr14MoV or 5Cr13MoV.
 
I would arguably say that Kershaw does 8cr13mov better than Spyderco. It's an amazing everyday steel that is very rust resistant and easy to get back to hair popping sharp.

Not a lot of carbides but the combination in 8cr is great for no fuss edc'ing.
 
Ive owned both cryo models and will be adding them back soon. The 2 i had held an edge very well. I destroyed boxes plastic ties used in shipping etc. From what ive seen ,as much as it pains me to say it,it outperforms the steel on most case onives i have owned and holds an edge just a little bit less time than bucks 420.
Buck and case have always been my favorites with kershaw 3rd. Kershaw dies great stuff with that chinese steel, at least imho
 
I think for steel qualities we are better to rely on the hardness testing. There may be some differences with a manufacturers hardening process. There will certainly be subjective differences with a blade grind and geometry. This forum has a wealth of information with very knowledgeable members. The choices of designs are endless.
 
I've had my Cryo for almost 10 yrs. I grab it if I need a small pocket knife for the day. I like it so much that I bought a few and gifted it to friends and family. I have a few other knives for camping and other stuff so it doesn't really get hard use but it's a great edc if you live in a city.
 
The three finger grip on the Cryo is a negative for my hand size. Although the less than 3 inch blade is a plus for EDC. I keep pondering whether to get the D2 version. I feel a D2 version of the Cryo 2 with a G-10 scale would be a purchase b/c of the steel, grip and weight.
 
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cabdmd said:
The three finger grip on the Cryo is a negative for my hand size. Although the less than 3 inch blade is a plus for EDC. I keep pondering whether to get the D2 version. I feel a D2 version of the Cryo 2 with a G-10 scale would be a purchase b/c of the steel, grip and weight.
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I'd pick up a G10 handled cryo 2 in a heartbeat. I like my cryo, but the 2 is much more comfortable to handle. Someone get blade hq to do an exclusive!
 
Love the Cryos / Cryo 2s. Recently grabbed 4 of the G10-D2s when they went on sale for cheap.
Had to send one of the four back for intolerable lock stick/poor function.
Love them though! The only knives that see more pocket time are my 0566s.
 
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