G10 or micarta? M2 or cpm s30v?

bubbaskyjacker

bubbaskyjacker

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im looking to buy a custom knife and im trying to find out what is the best materials. G10 or micarta for the handle? and M2 or cpm s30v for the blade. it is a fixed blade 6 inches in lenght and 1/4 inch thick. i want the most bomb proof knife!
 
s30v in a fixed blade makes me uneasy, and would never think of it being bomb proof.
i would choose a carbon steel ie: ranger, swamp rat, scrap yard, etc.
 
If it's a quarter inch thick and only six long, you have a sharpened crowbar. Does it really matter what steel it's made of?

5160 or L6 would be my choice.
 
There are many steels suitable for what you want. If it were I, I would find a maker whose designs I liked, then go with the materials he is most familiar with using.
 
I would choose M2 over most other steels other than S90V or CPM M-4.

The only problem with M2 is finding it.
 
If you want a beauty of a fb knife with S30V steel, try the Buck #408 Kalinga Pro. Yeah, that's stabilized rosewood... and it's only .159" thick by 4.88" upswept skinner-style, but what fit and form!

Okay, you want thicker... try the nicest Bark River I have - the Gameskeeper. It's only a 4.5" blade - but .215" thick - and of A-2, a better choice (for me, anyway). Get it in Micarta (mine's natural) - or G10 - with a great sheath - for $150 - $200 delivered. If it doesn't match or exceed the build quality of your custom maker, you'll have to pay him many times that price. I have five Barkies - my choice in lieu of so-called 'custom' knives. Sure, I have a few Greco's and a Vollmer - nice - but not in the same ballpark, as to final honing/sharpness. Of course, I have developed an appreciation for convex grinds, too.

Stainz
 
bubbaskyjacker said:
im looking to buy a custom knife and im trying to find out what is the best materials. G10 or micarta for the handle? and M2 or cpm s30v for the blade. it is a fixed blade 6 inches in lenght and 1/4 inch thick. i want the most bomb proof knife!
Click to expand...

Ditch both of those steels. Most bombproof would be 4340-modified with a bainite heat-treatment. You can find 4340-modified under the tradename 300M or Northrup 300M. Expect to sift through a lot of good Chrysler ads with most search engines.

G-10 is woven fiberglass strengthened by epoxy. Micarta is anything; including woven fiberglass; strengthened by epoxy. I like the feel of linen micarta over G-10, but they're both very strong.

That'll give you a nigh-indestructible knife that will withstand abuse in excess of anything a similar-sized knife will see and none of the enjoyment of a thinner blade that trades off "bomb-proof" for all of the other qualities one might want in a knife.

Or get back that enjoyment and order an RD-6 from Justin Gingrich. If 5160 isn't tough enough for you, he can make a custom in S7 that's even tougher. S7 is used to make jackhammer bits, so it's not bombproof, but not too fragile, either.
 
What do you want?

Toughness ("bombproof")? Then get something made from low alloyed carbon steel. E.g. RD6 might fit you well (but be prepared that 1/4" thick steel has some weight).

Edge retention (~that's what suits the steels you picked (M2, S30V)? Then get a dedicated slicer (~THIN :thumbup: ). Maybe folder to go along with the fixed blade (e.g. Spyderco Military is a good choice).
 
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