D.Ralph-Camillus EDC (and/or Arclite) steel comparison?

S

Steelwolf

Joined
Jul 19, 1999
Messages
443
There are now, AFAIK, 4 different blade steels used in the EDC. 420HC, 154CM, Talonite, D2. (and 420HC and D2 in the Arclite?)

Anyways, was wondering if anyone:
1. has thoughts on which steel might be the best EDC steel. (weight vs. corrosion resistance vs. edge holding vs. re-sharpening time after serious use).

2. has pitted them in a head to head cutting comparison. (best comparison of steel's edge-holding ability so far since all knives have similar geometries).

3. knows what the hardness is for each steel used.

4. has an opinion on which is the best value for money.

Also, is there any point in putting a talonite blade on a 420HC handle?

On one hand, the blade would not corrode at the cutting edge as fast as 154CM or D2, so preserving a usable sharp edge for longer, but on the other hand, the handle is not 316 stainless or titanium (like the Mayo TNT), which means that sooner or later, your EDC becomes unusable because something (other than the talonite blade) corrodes.

Is 420HC corrosion resistant enough (for say... dive use/abuse) or was it used merely because it is cheaper to just keep using the same handles?
 
I vote 154CM.

Probably the best balanced of the steels (except for Talonite, which is jawdroppingly awesome) and plenty hard/sharp enough for almost any EDC applications, at $75 I believe this to be the best bang for the buck - since the D2 and especially Talonite versions costs considerably more.
 
Has nobody got more than one version of the EDC???

I find that really hard to believe, considering the crowd I'm with and the price of the knife in all its various versions.

Come on... anyone got any impression at all, nevermind about proper tests (which I'm sure not many people have the resources or time to test out properly anyways)?

Should I have this question moved to the review and testing section?
 
Steelwolf,
I make custom versions of the edc in 3,3.5,and 4 in blades with talonite with ti frames if corrosion is your concern.
The stainless frame is a good frame . It was designed to be more economical and as a price point feature so that more folks could afford the knife.
They all work good . There also strong and reliable.
 
Darrel: Thanks. I know that a designer of your calibre would have thought through the corrosion problem and realised that offering a titanium handle would be the logical choice.

Since we are so priviledged to have the designer of the EDC here in our midst, I want to take advantage of that and ask some other questions about the EDC.

What about aluminium as a handle material? From what I read, Al is not as susceptible to being scratched by keys, but Ti is tougher. Can Al perform the same function as the Ti handle (special attention to wear around the pivot and contact point, and fatigue at the frame-lock bending region)? It might be a good pricepoint advantage.


For this thread though, I am more interested in the Camillus range. They are obviously designed both with price and functionality in mind, hence the use of 420HC in the original version, since most of our daily cutting would barely require anything harder and the 420HC is easier to sharpen than say D2.

I was, however, thinking about the different steels being offered and wondering if they were offered for the steel snobs or whether there was a real outcry for better steels. Does the knife in the other steels still offer the same price point advantage that the 420HC offers? ie cheap for its size, steel type, design, functionality, fit and finish?
 
The best EDC blade material is Talonite. The reason I say that is that in a knife this size, for every day carry, Talonites advantages are emphasized and its disadvantages are not an issue. In a small knife like the EDC you don't have to worry about the impact toughness of the blade. Talonite will hold an edge practically forever in light use, it is corrosion proof, and cleans easily.

I have compared Talonite to ATS-34, M-2, D-2, and CPM S90V. It holds an edge marginally longer than any of these steels on light stress cutting materials like cardboard and rope. The margin is not huge, but it does cut longer. 420HC takes a nice fine edge for low carbon stainless, and it is one of the most stain resistant blade steels worthy of use in knives, but the other more premium steels will hold an edge five or ten times longer under normal cutting chores in low corrosion conditions.

Don't know about the hardness. Don't really care as it doesn't necessarily relate directly to cutting edge performance. Talonite isa perfect illustration of that. It has the lowest hardness, testing out in the upper 40 RcH range, I believe, and holds an edge the longest under light cutting conditions such as one would expect for a 3" EDC. The 154CM EDC blade I have holds an edge very well, and sharpens to a very fine edge, indicating that the heat treat is close to optimum.

My opinion is that the 154CM knives are the best value. For around $75, you get a great knife with premium blade steel, vs. getting a fair blade for $50 with the 420HC. The D-2 blade will most likely be indistinguishable from the 154CM blade in performance. The Talonite blade would be the optimum, and has some advantages over the 154CM/D2 blades, but they are not worth the extra $100 in my opinion. If, however, you just wanted to have a Talonite blade, the Talonite EDC would be the best value in Talonite that I know of.
 
No one has done a head to head test?

I'm really tempted to get all the types, but not sure if my finances can handle it, or whether I really have need for so many knifes of the same design.

So far 2 votes for 154CM with a preference vote for Talonite.

Someone refresh me on this... D2 vs 154CM, which is capable of taking a higher hardness without getting too brittle? Which is more wear resistant? D2 was made for stamping dies right?
 
I didn't make it clear in my first post, I guess, but I have directly compared the ATS-34 EDC to the 420HC and D-2 ARCLITEs. The familiarity with the other steels comes from a variety of other knives.

I repeat, you won't be able to tell the difference between the 154CM blade and the D-2 blade. They both rust in sea water, both will give no corrosion problems at all if cared for properly. The 154CM may be a little more corrosion resistant than D-2, but the difference is not significant. Same with hardness. Both have a typical application hardness of 60-62 RcH, and I am sure that Camillus will be shooting for the bottom end of that range, about 60 RcH for both steels. D-2 should be finer grained and tougher at 60 RcH than 154CM, but in the actual knife blades, at their particular hardnesses, you won't be able to tell the difference. Both the 154CM and D-2 blades take a very fine edge reasonably easily. They will both snap if you over stress the tips, and will both chip if you cut things that are too hard. D-2 is the better steel on the spec sheets, but you could only demonstrate it through careful testing, also known as hair-splitting. In the real world where you cut this, that and the other thing, willy-nilly, you won't be able to discern the difference. Buying them all would be unnecessary unless you wanted to compare the steels yourself.

I was wrong, by the way, the Camillus Mini Talon would be the least expensive way to own a Talonite blade.
 
I don't think 154CM is at all easy to sharpen. It is a particular pain in the A when you have a recurve blade like the EDC. I bought a diamond rod-style sharpener just to work on mine. It was a challenge to get the sucker to shave decently. I have generally had much better luck with D2 on other knives. I expect to get my D2 EDC next week and I hope that it will give me a superior edge.
 
Steve: Thanks. I guess the EDC is the cheapest way to own a Talonite folder. I think the Mayo TNTs cost about $400?

Jeff Clark: Cool... Do you think you could write a few lines comparing your D2 and 154CM blades when you get them?

I've bought the 420HC version already and was wondering which, if any, of the others would be overall a better knife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top