Esee 3 Folder

Lol, Jeff,

You give me too much credit. I know precisely dick about steel. All I know is that I've been using this knife for weeks on everything from cardboard to plastic and I've yet to even think about sharpening it. That's why I say I like it. I figured if ZT chose it for their knife they must of had a good reason.

So please don't take my post the wrong way. I didn't mean to imply I am trying to tell you how to do your job. I'm sure you'll use whatever you deem best. I'm merely posting as a consumer who would like to see this thing in one of these wonder steels; if nothing else just for the bragging rights.

I'll be the last idiot to even suggest I know enough about the subject to say anymore than that.

I do like the edge retention on my 0551 though. :o:thumbup:
 
Elmax is a great steel. Holds its edge well, yet easy to sharpen. Performs like a carbon steel, but is corrosion/stain resistant stainless.

It was designed for the plastics industry, and takes an absolute wicked edge.

Carbon:1.70%
Chromium:18.00%
Manganese:0.30%
Molybdenum:1.00%
Silicon:0.80%
Vanadium:3.00%
 
elmax is a gen 3 powder steel. very corrosion resistant, holds an edge very well, and is relatively easy to sharpen. its good stuff. :thumbup:
 
What are the "downsides" of this Elmax steel? Is it outrageously expensive?
 
BP, didn't take your post the wrong way. Merely asking a question and asking for more input. Didn't mean to sound like an asshole;)
 
No problem Jeff. Didn't think you did. Go get that knife done, I think you've got a real winner there. . . :thumbup:
 
One vote from me for cts-xhp! American made 440 micro melt and my favorite steel ,so far.
 
I work at a plant nursery and get laid off for jan .and feb.. SO my knives aren't getting much use right now. Jeff if you have never tried xhp I can mail you my manix 2 in xhp and you can try it out for the rest of month.
 
Appreciate the offer but we've got a long way to go before we start choosing steels. Thanks though.
 
My last post on subject, I apoligize I couldn't resist.
Gress said:
Few quotes:


From Carpenter’s webpage:
Carpenter CTS XHP Alloy
(Nominal Analysis)
1.60 C, 0.50 Mn, 0.40 Si, 16.00 Cr, 0.35 Ni, 0.80 Mo, 0.45 V, Bal. Fe

Air hardening, high carbon, high chromium, corrosion resistant alloy which can be described as either a high hardness Type 440C stainless steel or a corrosion resistant D2 tool steel. Possesses corrosion resistance equivalent to Type 440C stainless but can attain a maximum hardness of 64 HRC, approaching that of D2 tool steel. Now available in strip product form.
This proprietary alloy is in the Carpenter CTS™ family of alloys that offer superior edge retention and surface finish, an ability to be machined to a fine edge, and consistent heat-treatability from lot to lot. Consider CTS alloys for many blade applications including commercial food processing, paper processing, textile, packaging, recycling/refuse, kitchen knives, hand tools, scissors/shears, shaving razors, sport/hunting knives, ice skates, military/defense, law enforcement, salon blades and various surgical/medical applications.

From Tactical Life http://www.tactical-life.com/online/tactical-knives/space-age-xhp-blasts-off/
Space Age XHP Blasts Off!
Written by Tactical-Life.com. Author Archive »
Veteran Carpenter Steel has entered the knife-making arena with new blade steel that Bob Dozier calls “440C stainless on steroids.”

This Dozier Personal Knife features a Wharncliff pattern blade made from Carpenter XHP stainless. Independent testing of the steel revealed that it easily out-cut many other premium blade steels, including S30V.
There’s an old tradition connected to marriage that recommends providing the bride with “something old and something new.” Well, the Carpenter Steel Company has been around for 120 years and that qualifies as “something old.” And they’ve recently introduced a blade steel alloy bearing the name CTS-XHP; that fits the designation “something new.”
Carpenter Steel is a huge facility consisting of several buildings spread over some 300 acres in Reading, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1889 and has been continuously producing various steel products ever since. They are a leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of cast/wrought and powder metal stainless steel and specialty alloys. At the present time, the company has 14 different types of steel designed especially for the cutlery industry.
Signature Steel

The CTS (CTS is the Carpenter trademark) XHP steel is an air-hardened, high carbon, high chromium and corrosion-resistant steel that is comparable to 440C stainless steel. The chemical formulation of the steel is as follows: Carbon 1.60%, Chromium 16.00%, Magnesium 0.50%, Molybdenum 0.80%, Nickel 0.35%, Silicon 0.40% and Vanadium 0.45%. While 440C has a similar Chromium content, the formulation only has 0.95-1.20% Carbon in its makeup.
As evidenced above, the major difference between XHP and 440C lies in the added Carbon content of XHP. The addition of both Nickel and Vanadium, which are absent in 440C, is also a component that contributes to enhanced edge retention. When compared to 440C, XHP offers superior edge durability, outstanding surface finishing and consistent heat-treatability from steel lot-to-lot.
Of course, XHP is a powder steel produced by Metal Injection Molding (MIM), a manufacturing technique we’ve covered in this column previously. Basically, the primary material is physically powdered. Afterwards, the powdered steel is passed through a die and then heat and pressure self-weld the individual particles together.
"'When compared to a new knife with an S30V blade, which cut through .5-inch manila rope at maximum of 200 times before the edge began to fail; an XHP blade with identical edge geometry was able to make 850 cuts. Obviously, the XHP blade possessed greater cutting endurance.'"

From Sal Glesser
“What's seems to be unique about the steel is that it is the first powdered stainless D2.”

From jayfisher

D2 cold work high carbon, high chromium die steel: is the highest carbon alloy tool and die steel (thus the "D" designation) typically used in knife making. It has 12% chromium so it doesn't resist corrosion as well as high chromium tool steels and will rust if continually exposed to corrosive moisture, acidic fluids (like orange juice or blood), so requires more attention. But at 1.65% carbon, it can be made very hard, and very wear resistant. The polished finish on D2 can be somewhat mottled with an orange peel appearance. This is due to chromium carbides forming in the steel during heat treat, the very thing that makes this steel so wonderful (most steels form iron carbides). Please note: some manufacturer's versions of D2 do not exhibit the orange peel granularity in the polished finish because they are made with a higher sulfur content. These high sulfur versions are easier to machine and are designated "sulfurized D2." D2 is very hard to work with, expensive, downright malicious to abrasives, resistant to cutting and milling and metal fabrication. So it's usually used for extreme use knives.

From Mike Stewart, who said he now uses XHP like Rick Hinderer does:
“It is fantastic but you will have to sign up for the passaround we are about to do here with one.
I have tested the heck out of it and so have a lot of others on my forum but we will have to wait till we see how all of you like it.
All I can tell you is that it is nothing at all like S30V except that it is a stain resistant alloy like S30V. It is a little more per pound but it is much easier to use for both the maker and the user.”

I like XHP blades a lot which I have from Hinderer and would use it for anything without a hesitation.
Rick Hinderer now makes xm-24 which supposed to be the toughest folder around and Rick decided to make the blade exclusively from CTS-HXP steel.
As he recently ran out of this steel he has to seize production of xm-24s till next year. It definitely tells me something. :)
Click to expand...
 
R.A.T. said:
The production piece will be pretty much the same as the proto that Lion Steel built minus the RotoBlock.

What is Elmax? Excuse my ignorance.
Click to expand...


Glad to hear the production folder will be pretty much the same as the proto :thumbup:
 
Any chance a bottle opener can be added? I really like the special opening feature.
 
Last edited:
rankor said:
Any chance a bottle opener like the hest/f can be added? I really like the bottle opening feature ;)
Click to expand...

Super gimicky....

Carry around a small bic if you want to open beer bottles, it can also light things on fire....:cool:

Heck, even a sheet of paper folding down can open a bottle of beer, I certainly don't need my knife to do it! lol:D
 
YEAH! my ESEE 3 folder came in the mail friday I love it. It will definitely be my EDC so much better than my current Izula folder! I think its the build in kryptonite that really sets the 3 folder from the rest...:D
 
<edited out by Jeff Randall>

I told him I was thinking about the ESEE 3 folder and he told me Jeff was a Stand up guy to deal with and when it gets here it will be a good one.

I vote for the ESEE 3 to use a high quality stainless but that would not be a deal breaker. One thing I would really like to see though is for the clip to go all the way to the top or even slightly past so that the knife would be concealed and ride deep in the pocket. That was one of the things I liked about the HEST-F. I know that is one of those personal preference things so maybe an idea would be to have an option for a couple of different style clips.
 
Can we leave the HEST folder project out of these threads. That would be much appreciated. No sense in dragging all that into this forum.
 
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