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Do any reputable manufacturers still use 440C?

Just my personal opinion from years of sharpening knives, for most knife users any 440 steel is okay with 440-C being the best because of the higher carbon content. 420 steel is used in many knives very sucessfully. I'll bet 99% of knife users don't even come close to pushing their knives hard enough to recognize any difference in the type of steel in their blade. Here is a good link from a guy who builds and knows knives, Mr. Joe Talmadge, that I thought may be of interest.

http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml
 
Creaky Bones said:
I have an Entrek Javalina that I think is an awesome knife. Watch one of the youtube videos where Ray Ennis makes a Badger. Pretty impressive, and his warranty is as good as anyones
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Agreed. I own three Entrek knives now, and watching him make that Badger from start to finish was what convinced me to buy one. Seeing him grind the blade from hardened stock in 2-3 minutes is really impressive.

I've gotta think that if a guy with that kind of skill thought there was a reason to abandon 44C he would have done it long ago. I've never needed a better knife than what he produces. Plus, he just seems like the sort of humble straightforward guy that deserves the support of the knife buying community.
 
Didn't our supply of 44C suffer some of the same quality control problems at some point that we had with a number of other steels in the past?
 
I think one user said it too, no one has mentioned Puma knives from Germany.
I have a Gold class Bowie in 440c, great stuff, de limbed fallen trees, battoned, and general camp maintenance. It also has that beautiful stag handles. Great user blade. The 440c puma puts out is tuff as nails and my dmt diamond rod med-fine puts an outstanding edge on it.
 
not2sharp said:
It was the premium goto stainless at one point, until it's reputation was harmed by a lot of cheap imported junk marked "440".
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Absolutely, there was a time when it was regarded as the absolute 'bee's knees'. Still an excellent steel IMO too.
 
Hey Squashfan,
This is an old thread, but I am curious - what was the purpose of the original question?

I think as a home knifemaker it is an excellent steel because it is great for heat treating in a low tech/low cost garage/barn setup, and is readily sharpened after heat treating/in the field, but ... is there a particular reason why you are looking for production knives in 440c?

Just curious

Thanks,
Gus
 
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