Folders and Steel

udtjim

udtjim

Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Messages
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Like many of you I have knives coming out of my ears and still want more. However its time to slow the pace and start enjoying the ones i have. EXCEPT, I would still like one more good folder. Not a real high dollar but a good quality knife. I had though about the Endura with the 189 steel but talk of how hard it is to resharpen turns me off a bit. What I am considering is a knife in that size range or that of the Speed Bump or Junkyard Dog ll with one of the best steels that still resharpens fairly easy. In other words, I think I would rather have a knife that needs a bit more touching up but not one that takes to much to resharpen. Any thoughts? s30v, D2 or is there other options?

I want one more fixed blade but I have that one picked out, A new KOA Elk Hunter in D2

One other question, What kind of steel is in the Becker BK-7
 
Personally, I'd take VG10 over S30V or D2 because of the toughness of VG10. It gets extremely sharp pretty quickly on my Sharpmaker, takes a highly polished edge (which I've heard D2 doesn't like), and is generally considered more impact resistant than either S30V or D2. For my EDC folders, I value toughness maybe even more than edge holding, since I never know what I'll be doing with an EDC. A G10 Endura or Delica might be just what you're looking for. Both are VG10.

The new Blade Tech Ribjak in 154CM also seems to be a pretty stout folder, althoughI haven't handled one in person. I do have some EDCs in 154CM and I really like that steel... just a hair behind VG10... OK, they're probably neck and neck as far as my personal preference goes. 154CM might open up some of the Benchmade or H&K options for you. The H&K14205 is a very stout 3.5" folder with a 154CM blade.
 
Thanks. I have a Gerber Gator in 154CM and it's great. VG-10 is another good one. I am not to familuar with BM but they are certainly in the running. I have most Kersha and really like them. I like my Kabar Folder but it's 4116.
 
Kershaw Groove. I fricking LOVE this knife. 13C26 steel, 3.5 inch blade, G10 scales, VERY solid frame lock, and a flipper.
 
Where does the 13C26 steel fall in the scheme of things? Like compared to VG-10 and 154CM ? Sorry for all the questions from a old hand at Knives. I like the 440A thata in My Blackout but I know there is better steel. Are there good folders on 1095? I seldom see any.
 
dalefuller said:
The new Blade Tech Ribjak in 154CM also seems to be a pretty stout folder, althoughI haven't handled one in person. I do have some EDCs in 154CM and I really like that steel... just a hair behind VG10... OK, they're probably neck and neck as far as my personal preference goes. 154CM might open up some of the Benchmade or H&K options for you. The H&K14205 is a very stout 3.5" folder with a 154CM blade.
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I don't understand. S30V is far superior to 154 CM in terms of the type of edge it takes and holds. So how can VG10 be superior to S30V by that much?

If it really does hold an edge that well, I really have to try it out. I love the edge holding and "sharpness" of my S30V knives!
 
Jim, you didn't say what kind of budget you were alloting for this so my suggestion may be out of the park, but I'm going to throw it out there anyway. I'm going to suggest a ZT0200. You can get one for around $130.00. I can toot the ZT0200's horn all night long but it might be easier if you do a search on it. There is a LOT written about it and I don't remember any of it being bad. It is just a plain old heavy duty take whatever you can throw at it folder. Blade steel is 154CM, nothing fancy, but a very good steel that will take a great edge and give some life to it.
 
Udtjim: Have you considered the Cabales BM Griptillian in D2











enderwiggin said:
I don't understand. S30V is far superior to 154 CM in terms of the type of edge it takes and holds. So how can VG10 be superior to S30V by that much?

If it really does hold an edge that well, I really have to try it out. I love the edge holding and "sharpness" of my S30V knives!
Click to expand...

I know this isn't my question to answer, but I would like to add my experience. This summer I had to replace my lone edc that I had lost. It was ats34, and was a very decent knife. I placed top priority on edge retention and got an Endura in zdp-189. After I resolved some burr issues with my sharpening, I found that the knife indeed held an edge very well. I also found out the steel chips if you look at it funny. I subsequently tried the Walmart Native with s30v. It doesn't chip as easily as the zdp, but it still was easy to chip the edge, and I soon realized what all these posts about toughness were all about, and I soon found myself wanting a vg10 knife for edc. I have to admit, I am a little chip shy so I haven't tested the toughness on my vg10 d'allara, but I certainly don't notice any loss in edge retention, and it's much easier to sharpen and touch up than the other two I EDC.
 
Thanks to all. I would like to stay in the 100-150 dollar range but it depends a bit on the features or Bang for the buck. I need to check on the Cabelas model again. I have two S30V blades, the Native and the Buck 110 from Cabelas. I have had no trouble with them BUT I have not used either for any tough jobs yet. Thanks again for the ideas. I have a Older Mini Griptillion which I have been happy with. I w1ll check out the 0200 as well.
 
enderwiggin...

Nosetotail is spot on with what he said about toughness vs edge holding. That was my point originally. S30V, ZDP189, SG2, all these steels have higher edge retention than VG10 or 154CM. Superior edge retention is a feature of very hard steels. But the harder a steel is, the less resistant it is to edge chips from hard use. Any steel will chip under the right conditions, but it will take more to chip tougher steels like VG10 or ATS34 / 154CM than it will the harder steels.

My point was that I never know what my EDC knife is going to need to do for me, so I prefer a tougher steel for this kind of blade over a super-hard, dedicated slicer, even if I have to touch it up a bit more often. That seemed to be in line with what udtjim was asking in his original question.
 
I love to tinker around sharpening knives but I hate those ones that to me seem to resist reshaepening. Itsounds like 154, ast34 and VG-10 may be for me.
 
ZDP-189 isn't hard to resharpen. In fact it is among the steel I like best because it is so easy to sharpen. The difficulty of sharpening is not only in the abrasion resistance, but also in its edgestability. ZDP-189 burrs very little and sharpens like a good HC steel. Yes, reprofiling is a different story, but even that is easily accomplished with a good diamond stone. I find some lower grade steels far more difficult to sharpen than some of the higher grade ones, because they behave like rubber on the stone. I say, go for the Endura 189. Just my $0.02 of course.
 
The Blade-tech Rijbak is constructed from S30V steel. I have two ZT knives, a ZT0200 and a ZT0500, both in 154CM steel. I've had no problem in getting those scary sharp edges on these blades, but have never used them enough to get the sharp off before touching them up. Same is true on my S30V blades; Strider AR, BM Rukus 610's, and the aforementioned Rijbak. You know, after writing and then rereading this, I'm not real sure what the point is I'm trying to make:confused::o. Wait a minute, heat treat.....yeah that's it, it's all in the heat treat, my new answer for anything to do with sharpness!!:D:thumbup::D
 
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