COLD STEEL Master Hunter review

Hard steel is brittle. It will break like glass under enough tension. A good example of this is a metal file that will often shatter if you drop it on a concrete floor. So when you make a knife you first harden it up to the point where it is brittle. Then you bake it at around 400 degrees F for an hour or two to soften it slightly. At that point it is not as hard (will not resist wear as well) as a file, but it is much tougher (takes more force to crack). It is a tradeoff between hardness and toughness (softness).

A knife is under maximum stress when you pry with it (or otherwise put it under bending stress). Bending stress is maximum on the outermost surface of where you are doing the bending. If you put softer steel on the outside it will be maximally tough and not start to crack when you apply bending stress to the blade. The inner most layer of the blade will be under minimal stress therefor it can be much harder than normal and yet not crack. So this type of sandwich lets you have a hard edge and yet a blade that resists breaking.
 
Jeff Clark said:
Hard steel is brittle. It will break like glass under enough tension. A good example of this is a metal file that will often shatter if you drop it on a concrete floor. So when you make a knife you first harden it up to the point where it is brittle. Then you bake it at around 400 degrees F for an hour or two to soften it slightly. At that point it is not as hard (will not resist wear as well) as a file, but it is much tougher (takes more force to crack). It is a tradeoff between hardness and toughness (softness).

A knife is under maximum stress when you pry with it (or otherwise put it under bending stress). Bending stress is maximum on the outermost surface of where you are doing the bending. If you put softer steel on the outside it will be maximally tough and not start to crack when you apply bending stress to the blade. The inner most layer of the blade will be under minimal stress therefor it can be much harder than normal and yet not crack. So this type of sandwich lets you have a hard edge and yet a blade that resists breaking.
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We just don't understand each other. My question is why (except for commercial reasons ) is needed to using laminated steel made of modern stainless steels who are all ready tough, have durability against all kind of stress forces but have lower edge holding and resharpening capability. Knives like Master Hunter should be made of steel similar to high quality butcher and chef's knives not as a Japanese pure combat swords and daggers. Videos " Knife destruction test " on " You Tube " are not scientific approach to experiment but clearly shows how Cold Steel Kukhri machete is tough and durable. One thin layer of 1055 carbon steel is survived all kinds of destruction. After SK 5, i would like AUS - 8 on CSMH. I just don't see why laminated steel is needed beside so much premium steels ( ATS-34 for example ). 440C and 420 HC on 58 Hrc have excellent cutting and resharpening capabilities too. Hunting knives don't need to be so tough and strong on impact, after all you don't hunt with them.
 
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Modern stainless steels are NOT tough compared to SK5 or any other carbon steel. For example 440C and ATS-34 are designed to be abrasion resistant, not tough. They aren't even designed to sharpen well. They gain abrasion resistance by inclusion of large hard carbides at the sacrifice of taking the finest edge.

On the other hand I guess that I agree with you. A hunting knife (that is actually used for skinning and gutting game) does not need great toughness. Some people just have a notion that they need extreme toughness in a field knife. For them a "hunting knife" needs to handle the rigors of a Rambo survival knife. Personally I use a blade made of BG42 as my first choice. It passed my test of being tough enough to chop through bone and yet takes and holds a very fine edge. I want a knife that will hold its edge long enough to gut and skin an elk that weighs around 800 pounds without stopping to resharpen. I also want that knife to be shaving sharp.

For years the Master Hunter was sold with two blade options: either Carbon V (pretty close to SK5) or AUS-8. The problem is that they couldn't charge real high prices with such mundane materials. They use San Mai laminated stainless as a premium composition that allows them to charge much higher prices. It is a marketing gimmick as far as a hunting knife application goes.
 
Smash05 said:
I was referring to laminating steel, not stainless.
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Ach zo.
But...
you were quoting the OP who was talking about stainless.
Hence my comment.
:D
Laminated non-stainless has been around for hundreds of years as you stated.
:cool:

On the other hand I guess that I agree with you. A hunting knife (that is actually used for skinning and gutting game) does not need great toughness. Some people just have a notion that they need extreme toughness in a field knife. For them a "hunting knife" needs to handle the rigors of a Rambo survival knife.
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That about sums it up for me as well.
:thumbup:
 
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