Do you prefer black coated blades?

N

nonbox

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Why is there so many black coated blades? Do you prefer black coated blades? I think it is complimentary to olive green handled folders but it looks bad when it is scratched.
 
i like them, but i don't necessarily prefer them. i find them useful in situations where you don't want people notice you're using a knife.

i don't care if my black blades scratch up btw, gives it character
 
When I was "new" to knives I hated coated blades because I didn't want to see any scratches on my knives, but I don't mind a black coated blade anymore. I have a few and use them often. It's not my first choice as I would take a satin finish blade over a coated one in a heartbeat, but none of my knives are safe queens anyway and I use them all. If you carry a knife it's eventually going to get scratched and scuffed anyway so who cares? Like dennis 75 said, it gives the knife character. That said, some coatings are more durable than others. BT2 seems to be durable enough. I have an old BM CQC-7 that has some wear around the edges as well as a few scuffs marks the blade, but overall the coating on the blade is 99% intact. I have a few blades that are Black-T coated and they appear equally as durable to me. Ti-Ni coated blades seem to scratch easier as I have a Ti-Ni coated Gerber Covert Applegate as well as a Kershaw Avalanche that have been used casually on and off and have a few light scratches on the finish. For me, the least durable is that Teflon stuff used on less expensive knives like the Gerber AR 3 and the like. That stuff seems to flake off easily. It all really depends on what it is you're cutting and how often you use the knife. If you cut abrasive material like heavy cardboard, then the coating will get marred easily as opposed to cutting food items and light material.
 
I don't really like coatings on my knives because I really like to see the steel! Scratching a coating doesn't bother me either. My coating experience has been limited but here's what I've noticed. The epoxy powder coat on my CS SRK is pretty easy to mar, but it seems pretty thick so the steel isn't showing yet. Then on the other hand, I haven't even been able to put the smallest scratch on my MOD Tempest coated blade, even after lots of use. It has cut carpet, cut lots of cardboard, whittled on wood, cut meat, and even pryed out staples from the end of 2"x4"s. Still nothing! :eek:
 
I really like the BT blades. I have a Benchmade 880BT that I really like. The only thing that I do not like is what they look like scratched up. That's life. Knives are made to be used. Personally I like Plain/Polished blades about the same as BT coated ones. The do look cool when they are new :D

-Fisher of Men
 
I really, REALLY hate black coated knives :grumpy:
I get the fealling that some manufactures put black coating on their knives to make them look more "tactical" and appeal to mall ninjas, or put it on their higher carbon blades because they don't want to have to trust their users to keep them free of rust.

There are some knives that I was tempted to buy, but didn't because of them being black coated.

Can't beat a nice piece of clean steel ;)
 
I like black coated plainedge, but comboedge I won't bother with. My 806D2 AFCK is the only coated knife I have, in plainedge of course. The coated blade matches the look of the knife and protects the D2 from corrosion.
 
I prefer black coated blades because it is easier to use them in public without drawing attention.
 
Tactical-Shmactical

Coated AND combo blades stink. I'm a soldier, and lemme tell you: About .0001% of soldiers can honsestly say "I need a subduded blade so Hadji won't see me coming."

The rest of us are welcome to prefer coated blades, but I do not. The Army has a contract with benchmade for 9053SBTs. Identical to 9050SBK, but with the NSN printed on the blade instead of 154CM on the comercial blades. I have yet to see one of these come back from the desert without 20-30% bare metal showing thru the coating, and not many are lacking damage to the serrations. The same is true for almost all coated/combo blades, though I have seen a couple kershaws hold up well.

All in all, it is my opinion (and only an opinion) that coated/combo = marketing. Plain and simple.
 
I prefer them for my high carbon knives, and for stainless steel, it's a toss-up depending on the coating. I like them for the rust protection, as for looks, it doesn't matter to me one way or another. I view my knives as tools, not works of art. They get treated accordingly, hard, but with respect.
 
I do not especially like black coated blades. I think that it often looks like it is trying too hard to be hardcore. Some say that it is easier to take out a black bladed knife in public, but in my experiences the black blade only scares people more. I do like the black coating because I don't leave dirty fingerprints though. I'd like some type of coating that would not show finger prints and smudge marks, but still was relatively close to the original blade color.
 
I like a mirror finish when I can get it. I hardly ever have to take out sentries anymore. ;)
 
I like the looks of them when new, but only own 2 because I feel they look too crappy after very little use. I never buy a combo blade.
 
I think it really depends, on some knives I think that it really makes them stand out and look better. I think that te Emerson Commander is a great example of this, it just looks right when done up in all black. I also have a Combat Elite RRF that is done up in all black, and it looks prety good. I use it pretty hard, and the coating is scratched all to hell, but it still works great.

Generally though I don't really prefer a black blade. There really is no point to it, as some people tend to be more scared of a black blade while others won't notice it as easily. Besides I don't really decide what kind of knife I will carry based on how others might feel. I just don't really see how a coating would be necessary, and to me doesn't look much better than a plain blade.
 
I don't know about the Teflon type coatings, but does anyone know what sort of coating is on the TOPS knives? I have a Prairie Fox with a thick gray coating on it, it practically waterproofs the blade and it feels vaguely like plastic, only not...
 
I like tool steel blades to be coated, and will generally choose a tan coating rather than a black coating. Tan coating doesn't seem to look as bad when you begin to scratch/wear it off.
 
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