Damascus vs. Stainless Blades

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sagan47

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May 17, 2005
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:confused: Does anyone know if there is a difference in durability and strength in a Damascus blade vs. a Stainless Steel Blade?
I've purchased a couple custom knives with Damascus blades and I'm wondering if I can use them just like I would a knife with a Stainless Blade.
 
Well, of course a damascus blade is more likely to rust than a stainless one, so unless we're talking about Damasteel, taking a little extra care would be a good idea. Wipe it down after it got wet and oil it regularly.

As far as toughness is concerned, AFAIK the layers may come lose if you use it for heavy chopping. I'm not sure if this really applies to high-end damascus too, but it's obviously not as homogeneous as regular steel.

By the way, the search engine will provide you with lots of threads on the subject. Here's an example.

Search engine FAQ
 
About the only way to know this would be to get two knives that are identical except for the steel type.

Sharpen them both good and start cuttting some very heavy rope or stacks of cardboard, and see which dulls first.

Then put them in a vice, bend them 10 degrees and then back straight. See what happens. Then 20 degrees, 30 degrees, etc. See which fails first. Then put the pieces out in a box in the back yard for a year and take a peek every couple of weeks to see how they are doing rust wise.

I think any of steels used in a knife made by someone good will work fine for 99% of anything a knife user could want to do.
 
sagan47 said:
Does anyone know if there is a difference in durability and strength in a Damascus blade vs. a Stainless Steel Blade?
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Who made the damascus? What is the composition? What type of stainless steel?
 
Asking this is kind of like asking whats better: A ford or a chevy?

There are tons of different kinds of both, its not a question that anyone can give you a good answer for. Not without more info anyway.
 
ginshun said:
Asking this is kind of like asking whats better: A ford or a chevy?
Click to expand...
As far as body design, thats totally personal taste. As for engines and engineering, both can make power, but the Chevy is far superior.
 
It's like the stainless vs. carbon steel discussion. Of course S30V will compare more favorably to 1095 than 420J2 to M2, but that's beside the point. The general guideline is that carbon steel usually sharpens up with less effort and takes a finer edge due to reduced grain size, while stainless steel, well, doesn't rust as readily. Many carbon steels are tougher, many of the high-end stainless steels are more resistant to abrasion (hard carbides).

So there are some fairly generalizable differences.
 
I would add to talk to the custom makers and get thier opinion of their damascus- that way you will know if it was intended as a wall hanger or actually use. Then if you use it and it is of less than acceptable you can go back to the maker and inform them. Any reputable maker will stand by their word and product. It would be especially useful if you got the info in writing- be it letter or e-mail. That way you have proof of corespondence.
 
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