CRKT Ryan Plan B

[Death's Head]

What's the idea, I wonder, about using the crappy steel? Why would any knife company use 420J2 for anything but cheap linerlock metal? CRKT and Gerber both are using it (and hiding it). Cold Steel uses 420 for its Peacekeeper knives as well as some tiny knives that really do cut well. But I don't like 420 overall, especially when manufacturers switch to it and other inferior steels without notice.

As for designing knives, it would be interesting to see what type of designs we'd come up with with just our own preferences and a clean sheet of paper. I don't know what Daywalker would think of Boker using his design and a crappy steel.

-Confed

Daywalker is so stoked about having his knife made that it didn't faze him one bit that the knife was 420. It sold so well that Boker upped the steel to AUS8 and agreed to make a fixed blade.
Daywalker is now on a role with Spyderco and the new Lava. If you guys can spot a theme, you can see that Daywalker likes to design small ergonomic fighting knives.

 

[rifon2]

As for heat treatment, it isn't like Buck is the only one who knows what they are doing.-Cliff

I didn't mention Buck in my post.

I certainly agree with you, though, that there are companies other than Buck who know what they're doing with respect to heat treatment.

 

[Confederate]

Yes, but everyone agrees pretty much that AUS 6M blades by CRKT just don't retain an edge very well. But if it's a combat knife, I suppose it doesn't really need to. Or there could be batch variance. One thing that really gripes me is that we have to trust the manufacturer. As far as I know, there's no way to tell between blade hardness of two knives of the same model and maker. If I buy a M16-13Z, how do I know if I have the AUS 6 or the AUS 4 blade? How long has CRKT been making that knife with AUS 4? Does the catalog in the bottom mean anything?

What does cheapening the steel say about CRKT or Gerber, if anything? Anyone tried a Gerber Paraframe lately? Damn things won't cut butter.

--Confed

 

[matthewb5016]

I own a Subcom folder designed by Chad Los Banos in 420 . I only use it as a back up blade . but i really like the design it`s comfortable for its size and the F&F is quite good . I also have a Ryan Plan B partially serrated in AUS6 and although it looks alright it is too large to be a neck knife and too small for any decent cutting or EDC . But sits comfortably in my glovebox , can`t really comment on the steel used as it hasn`t seen much use yet . But definately value for money !

 

[BluesStringer]

Well, this is a good place to make my first post. I just bought both the plain and serrated versions of the Plan B in a two-fer lot off eBay for a "Buy It Now" price of $12 and change each.

I'm not in law enforcement or the military, don't hunt or camp anymore, am not allowed to wear a knife on my belt at work, and prefer guns to knives for self-defense, so my impressions are based mostly on aesthetics. In that regard, I LOVE the knives. I am also a Model Seven fan, which appears to put me in the minority on this site, but to each his own, so that might explain why I like the Plan B so much.

The sheath for the Plan B is total junk IMO. On one, the knife goes in smooth as silk, but comes out only after pulling on my belt so hard as to give me a nuclear wedgie! The other one is exactly the opposite, I really have to push the knife hard to seat it, but it draws very smoothly. It's poor QC on the sheath manufacturing though, as it doesn't matter which blade is in the sheath, it still acts as described respectively.

While I find the discussion of different steels interesting, I'd be surprised to find out that the average "Joe" out here has a clue what their EDC is made of. My guess is that this is a lot more interesting to knifesmiths, collectors and enthusiasts like can be found here than "regular" users. I probably fall in between collector/enthusiast and "regular," but for my purposes, if one steel needs a few strokes on the ceramic steel to touch up the edge before the higher-priced, more exotic/high-tech steel, I'll go for the cheaper one every time, so regardless of anyone's opinions, or even factual knowledge about higher grade steels, I am very happy with both my Plan Bs for what they are and would recommend them to anyone whose needs are other than for life and death situations.

BTW, this is a very cool forum and I've learned a lot from this and other threads I've read so far. There's a real brain-trust here. Thanks for reading.

Tom S.

 

[Confederate]

Well, I think you did okay for $12 apiece. The Plan Bs are made from AUS 6 steel, which is certainly okay for the purposes they were designed for. What many of us don't like is the Ryan Plan Seven. This is a knife made from junk 420j2 steel (the type of steel most companies make liners from). And though some knowledgable folks defend 420HC (which Buck makes its legendary 110 from), almost everyone agrees that 420j2 just isn't suitable for blade material unless you have a very junky letter opener.

CRKT is going down a shaky road here. Gerber, once a fine knife manufacturer, is beginning to leave steel grade off of their knife packaging entirely. You get things like "surgical stainless steel" or "400-series stainless," both of which are code phrases for "low carbon junk" (which companies found doesn't sell products quite as well).

The CRKT Ryan Seven has both a junky blade and junky grips -- someone called 'em "serrated," which I thought was hilarious because he was right. The Plan B is a nice little cutter and I have three or four of them lying around somewhere. They're good for toolboxes, glove compartments, first aid kits, and for carrying around doing odd jobs. The Ryan Seven, though, has neat thumbstuds and that's about the only good thing I can say.