Chrome (silver satin) vs. Black Ti

J

James Y

Joined
Feb 18, 1999
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I have been using a CQC7A plain-edge recently and I had at one time thought it was just a type of bead blast, but I called the Emerson company and was told it is very tough and the finish is designed to be highly rust-resistant. So far it seems to be very true.

I was reading the thread about how does the black ti hold up; what I'd like to know is, how does the hard chrome(?)/silver satin finish hold up under hard use? Does it continue to protect the steel even after it's been scratched off, due to impregnating the steel's pores, as some other finishes do? Also, how does your hard chrome(?)/silver satin finish behave in corrosive (i.e., sea spray, etc.) environs? The reason I ask is because I am considering purchasing another Emerson, maybe a P-SARK, and am not sure which finish I would rather have.
Thanks for any comments.
Jim
 
Jim

The "Satin" (Hard Chrome) holds up extremely well.

Matter of fact, I'll go out on a limb and say your not going to wear it off.

We've had folks try to remove it with sand paper, just to give up trying. It'll scuff, but it holds up very, very well.

I carry just about nothing but "Satin" Emersons now. I will occasionally get a little surface oxidation on the cutting edge of the blade (easily removed with a swipe of Scotchbrite), but never have I had rust on the Hard Chromed surface.

As to which is "better", unlike (it seems) a lot of people here, my daily routine doesn't include a lot of night operations and Sentry Removal. The Hard Chrome works very well for me. :D

John
 
I agree with John. All of the knives that I've had in the HC finish have held up extremely well. It is definitely more durable that the BT, but the HC also seems to have a tendency to chip. I first noticed this on my Mini CQC7-B all along the tip of the tanto edge. I had been cutting down some cardboard boxes and I must have knicked some staples because right afterwards, the tip had a few little areas with no finish.
Thanks,
Matt
 
Originally posted by John Hollister
As to which is "better", unlike (it seems) a lot of people here, my daily routine doesn't include a lot of night operations and Sentry Removal. The Hard Chrome works very well for me. :D John
Click to expand...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww......... come on now! you really don't??? :eek:

Weird... ;)
 
Jazzman:
Hmm... interesting about the chipping. I guess it will be a tough decision when I check out the P-SARK's this weekend. I guess I will go first-off, with the one I feel has the best lockup, edge grind, etc., whether it be black ti or HC. Although I'm leaning to the HC.
Thanks!
Jim
 
James- I would lean towards the HC too...from experience, it will hold up better. Let us know what you decide upon and how much you love your PSARK! Also, I'm curious of the blade length of the PSARK, is it really shorter than the SARK like it says on the EKI site?

good luck,
Matt
 
Jazzman:
Thanks.
I went to the gun show but ended up not getting any knife. I specifically looked around for a PSARK and only found one dealer with them, they were black ti coated and although one had everything else right (i.e., lock engaged perfectly, fit/finish were very good), the edges on these particular ones were very steep/coarse, so I passed (that and I was looking for the HC version, which nobody had).

Oddly, I find sometimes that the HC versions are sharpened to a bit thinner edges than many of the new black ti ones. Anyhoo, I decided to wait until the particular version I want is available instead of impulse buying another knife. (I did buy The SPyderco Story book). :)

Jim
 
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