Does the name of this steel as marked on the blade affect your decision to buy?

What Knife are you more likely to buy out of these?

  • 1. A knife labeled LC200N.

    Votes: 21 40.4%

  • 2. A knife labeled Cronidur-30.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 3. A knife labeled Z-Finit.

    Votes: 3 5.8%

  • 4. They are functionally the same, so it doesn't matter.

    Votes: 20 38.5%

  • 5. None of the above because I don't like that steel.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 6. Other (please explain in a post)

    Votes: 8 15.4%
  • Total voters
    52
David Mary

David Mary

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I'm just curious about this. The poll question is about a knife made from, and labeled as LC200N, aka Z-Finit, aka Cronidur-30, and assumes all other aspects of the knife are identical. Thanks.

ETA: Only one selection asks to explain, but feel free to share your thoughts regardless of what you vote.
 
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I'd be just as inclined to buy any of 'em if the properties were what I sought. The name would not be the determining factor in either direction.
 
My vote is "other", because something about the word Cronidur-30 looks weird to me, and I wouldn't want it on my knife. I know I feel that way, but not exactly why. Go figure. Otherwise I would vote 4.
 
Interesting question. I definitely think the names of steel can be useful in marketing. Maxamet, Nitro V, Elmax, Z Finit, these all sound really cool to me. But it seems one of the most preferred steels is M390/20CV so who knows. I think if a steel performs well, word will get around and people will want it regardless of name.
 
If there are multiple names for a steel, use the most common one.

I like corrosion resistant properties so LC200N on a blade gets my attention. It took me a long time to find out that Z-Finit was the same thing; if I'd seen it wouldn't have grabbed me. This thread is the first time I recall hearing the name Cronidur-30; if I'd seen it on a blade it would've been in the 'bucket of names I don't recognize' and I might've dismissed it unless some other attribute of the knife grabbed my attention.
 
I don't have an immediate issue with any of the steels listed. Also, I have to say that I'm probably an odd duck in that I wouldn't mind what steel was marked on the knife, especially if it were a custom. Well, provided it was a small stamp (or lasered on). I have so many knives and some of them aren't marked, and if I need to be reminded what steel they are, I have to consult my records because it's not marked on the knife anywhere. So, yeah, I wouldn't mind it personally.
 
Makes no difference. Functionally the same, made by German companies (Zapp and Krupp), both fined for stainless steel price fixing at the same time (2018). :)

That being said, I don’t work on a boat, so I’d prefer many other steels before any of the three.
 
If you're going to call it anything, call it LC200N. It's the most pleasing to the eye. I can deal with numbers, I can deal with letters, but things that sound like trade names bother me for some reason. It's silly, but 🤷.

​

 
Cronidur 30 sounds like someplace Superman's family would have lived. I'd be afraid not to use a steel that exotic. You kidding me? Unobtainium indeed.
 
I'd have to Google Cronidur-30, and then I'd Google to confirm my memory that Z-Finit and LC200N are basically the same...and then I wouldn't care which one it was. 😁
 
In the end, I don't really care what you call it...it's all about the performance.

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If this is for a knife you are making, I'd want you to mark it with the one you used - they may be functionally the same, but the supply chain, etc. is different. I wouldn't want a knife made with 20CV to be marked M390, for example - they may be functionally the same, but 20CV comes from Crucible, M390 comes from Bohler-Uddeholm. Maybe it doesn't matter functionally (I've owned knives with both, they were all great), but I'd be suspicious of everything else about a maker if I found out that they were changing the steel type markings to a different tradename than what they used.

-Tyson
 
I'm not familiar with what those steels are...?
I like knowing which steel my knives are, but I don't Need to see them labeled on my blades.... The only way I see that useful is if you make the same knife with multiple versions of different steel. Then maybe an abbreviation or it's first letter if possible only to help the buyer know which one they have if they have multiples from you
 
Tyson A Wright said:
, I'd want you to mark it with the one you used - they may be functionally the same, but the supply chain, etc. is different.
Click to expand...

Great point. Yes, Z-Finit and Cronidur 30 are manufactured by different companies. As far as I have been able to tell, LC200N is just another name for Zapp's steel. So in the end, it comes down to whether I continue to label them as LC200N, as I have been, or switch to Z-Finit, or rather Z-FiNit, the name it is sold under at my supplier. So far, it looks like it makes sense to continue labeling them as LC200N.
 
I remember reading about cronadur-30 and how it was made for and used on the.space shuttle!!!! I thought that was neat and it kinda peaked my interest!!! Then I saw Shirogorov using it and was doubly interested!!!
So if I had $600 plus burning a hole I'd go for that.over the others..
 
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