Cold Steel San Mai III Stainless Steel

Rocinante

Rocinante

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Anybody have any idea what San Mai III Stainless Steel is????

Cold steel has it in their large tantos.

They say the blade has three layers for strength and flexibility.

Is this just hype and marketing hoopla or is this gonna be a good steel?

This kind of reminds me of Case Surgical Steel ....... which sounds nice, but what does it mean?

I'm getting the impression that Case Surgical Steel is something like a 440A.......so how does that compare with the San Mai III steel?
 
You guys are both pretty fast.....

So are both the Case and Cold Steel blade materials fairly poor at edge-holding?

Is one better than the other?
 
AUS-8 isnt bad at all IMO- it is superior to case Tru Sharp, in any case (no pun intended)
EDIT: I think AUS-8 is the same as 440B
 
If you do a search, you might find some recent discussions about Case Steels-

generally when someone calls something "surgical stainless", it is a fancy way of saying it is junk.
 
It is the same exact concept and design as the new ZDP189 steel that is gaining popularity.

A laminated steel with a high carbon hard inner core at 64 or 65 on the Rockwell scale for better edge holding surrounded by a softer low carbon outer core for toughness, corrosion resistance and flexibility . It offers appx. 25% greater strength to the blade to laminate it in this way according to some in the know.

AUS8 is a tough durable steel that I'd take hands down over 440A or B.
 
Isn't 440B inferior to A? I also heard that B is no longer being manufactured. Is this true?
 
Not outside of Germany anyway.

An AUS-8 layer sandwiched between 2 layers of 420J IMO doesn't even remotely warrent the price CS wants for their San Mai knives. But seeing as how so many of their knives are now 420J, AUS-8 must be their "premium" steel. A 420J sandwiched Carbon V blade would make far more sense.
 
I've used a Cold Steel Tanto with "San Mai" steel quite extensively for a variety of cutting chores. Although I've not been thrilled with CS customer service (long story), I do like the knife. It was amazingly (wicked, scary, etc.) sharp when I received it, and it has remained so. Whoever made that knife knew what he or she was doing.
 
Yes, the price is high.......but, I don't see many other similar knives on the market as competition......especially the 12 inch blade model.

So who else would one buy such a knife from?

Next......it IS a very good looking knife.
 
It seems that there have been a couple generations of this knife... and as is frequently the case, the first generation is said to be the 'one to get'... :confused:
 
Well, it looks like a good one.....and I have one good report from a person who has purchased one.

I guess if there are no published tests available....one just gambles.

:cool:
 
STR said:
It offers appx. 25% greater strength to the blade to laminate it in this way according to some in the know.
Click to expand...

Fallkniven says this about their laminates. This refers to the force required to crack the blade off. Note however the force required to actually put a bend in the blade is reduced with the laminate.

-Cliff
 
You can get a lower end hand-made with excellent materials, and great fit and finnish for the same, or little more money. Throw in differential heat treat, and san mai is a moot point. :D
 
Laminates can offer abilites similar to differential hardening but with steels it would be difficult to actually differentially harden, ZDP-189 for example. Though I agree that for the prices of some of CS laminates you would be better off going custom.

-Cliff
 
Planterz said:
A 420J sandwiched Carbon V blade would make far more sense.
Click to expand...

You nailed it.

But maybe they give their AUS-8 core an unusually high hardness and leave the outer 420 layers really soft (around 50° RC or something). That would make it an extremely rust-resistant, tough blade that takes a fine edge and holds it for quite a while. But that's just a guess.

Generally speaking, AUS-8 is a very good choice for a large fixed blade that is going to see heavy duty work and little maintenance.
 
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