Coatings on Blade: Durability & Other Questions

T

Trvlngnrs

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Oct 25, 2009
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How durable are the coatings that some makers put on their blades? Are they simply for aesthetics or do the coatings have a purpose?

esee-izula.jpg



Some coatings appear thicker than others esee (above) vs Swamp Rat (below). Is there a reason for this?

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Thanks,
Trvlngnrs
 
The coatings vary depending on the makers. Some are crinkle coating, powder coating, teflon coating, etc.

Coatings serve two main purposes on knives...

1- To protect from corrosion.
2- To reduce reflected light from the blade(mostly a pro for tactical applications).

Not all coatings are created equal. Some are more durable than others, but all will wear away with use. Hard use, such as wood processing, will have an immediate impact on the coating.

There are pros and cons to having coated blades. Some of mine have them, and some of them don't.
 
Coatings are applied to sell knives. Period. Pink works, Tactical works even more so.

- David

jgon said:
The coatings vary depending on the makers. Some are crinkle coating, powder coating, teflon coating, etc.

Coatings serve two main purposes on knives...

1- To protect from corrosion.
2- To reduce reflected light from the blade(mostly a pro for tactical applications).

Not all coatings are created equal. Some are more durable than others, but all will wear away with use. Hard use, such as wood processing, will have an immediate impact on the coating.

There are pros and cons to having coated blades. Some of mine have them, and some of them don't.
Click to expand...
 
the listed above is pretty much it,(as far as i know)
rust prevention
&
Some makers claim that it reduces friction on the meterial you are cutting. Also many people buy coated blades just for astethics wich is fine too.
 
first off i live in FL near the ocean..... but whatever my Cold Steel Spartan had as a coating made it rust faster! this sounds wierd but i swear it. i had rust spots starting all over so i took it apart and sanded the whole blade and now... i havent seen a spot. this is the only knife i have had this problem with... my understanding is that most non-stainless blades are coated for rust protection Aus-8(what the spartan is) is a stainless steel but some people say its "semi- stainless" im not to smart about these things tho
 
I'm not a big fan of coatings but my EDC M4 Benchmade Rift has one and it has held up surprisingly well. I use it to cut a lot of stuff and cardboard is probably the most rough on it. I don't whittle with it but that would probably also really take the coating off. The coating on the Benchmade is still pretty much intact although far from new looking. I have found some discoloration on the polished edge but the rest of the blade is doing good.

DLC is supposed to be the most wear resistant and the coating is supposed to be harder than the steel and most other materials so that it doesn't wear away. I have a DLC coated blade but haven't used it enough to tell how it wears.

A lot of it is for looks, which I don't care for, but on a carbon steel blade the coating helps prevent rust and allows less care than an uncoated blade. I'm glad my EDC has it even though I never planned on buying a coated blade.
 
jgon said:
The coatings vary depending on the makers. Some are crinkle coating, powder coating, teflon coating, etc.

Coatings serve two main purposes on knives...

1- To protect from corrosion.
2- To reduce reflected light from the blade(mostly a pro for tactical applications).

Not all coatings are created equal. Some are more durable than others, but all will wear away with use. Hard use, such as wood processing, will have an immediate impact on the coating.

There are pros and cons to having coated blades. Some of mine have them, and some of them don't.
Click to expand...
Good post. Sums it up well :thumbup:
 
Putting a spray coat on knives also helps to hide blemishes that would otherwise show on a exposed steel blade. This helps makers save time & money in not having to remove file marks and other imperfections in stock removal knives.
 
Thanks for the info guys.

Do the knife makers typically tell you what they coat their knives with?
 
Dornblaser said:
Coatings are applied to sell knives. Period. Pink works, Tactical works even more so.

- David
Click to expand...

That statement is untrue. For one thing, coatings are applied to prevent rust. If you've ever taken a 1095 blade (Like an ESEE) to the beach, you understand why they have a coating.
 
EMT_Lee said:
That statement is untrue. For one thing, coatings are applied to prevent rust. If you've ever taken a 1095 blade (Like an ESEE) to the beach, you understand why they have a coating.
Click to expand...

Lee is a 110% accurate on this topic, the coatings are a plus, 1095 on its own, no matter how well taken care of is a high carbon steel and prone to rust, same with the S7 (Sr77) shock steel, awesome stuff, super tough but it likes to rust.

Some finishes attract corrosion like a magnet imo as well, the finish on the AUS8a of Cold Steel (Bead Blast) is known for this.
:thumbup:
 
mrdavidross321 said:
first off i live in FL near the ocean..... but whatever my Cold Steel Spartan had as a coating made it rust faster! this sounds wierd but i swear it. i had rust spots starting all over so i took it apart and sanded the whole blade and now... i havent seen a spot. this is the only knife i have had this problem with... my understanding is that most non-stainless blades are coated for rust protection Aus-8(what the spartan is) is a stainless steel but some people say its "semi- stainless" im not to smart about these things tho
Click to expand...

Thats not actually a coating, thats called a bead blast, they blow sand at the blade to make it nonreflective, but it actually puts tiny pits in the metal which increases total surface area, which increases rust risk
 
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