Gerber 800 Legend steel?

Warthog

Warthog

Joined
Oct 6, 2000
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567
What is the blade steel of the Gerber 800 Legend multi tool?

It seems MUCH sharper than my SOG Tomcat II was when it was new (the Tomcat wasn't bad, just not as sharp)....the SOG is AUS-6.

BTW, I would have used the Search button but for whatever reason I get this message:

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I'm not banned, obviously I'm logged in and have been a memeber for several years here...dunno what's up. (Mods?)

Anyway, appreciate any input:):)

Warthog

*EDIT
Crap! Just realized I posted this in the SOG forum:eek: (Mods, help again):)
 
The serach function has been disabled.Only a gold memeber can use the search functions.This was to keep the forums running at a good speed i beleive.
 
Ok, thanks.

Mods - forgot to specify...if you could move it to the general knife forum area, that'd be great.

Warthog
 
Part of the "sharpness feel" you're experiencing might be related to the thickness of the blade as it comes down to the edge. The Tomcat is just massively thick compared to the very think multitool blade.

[Thread moved from the SOG Forum at Warthog's request.]
 
Gerber does a very good job of sharpening their multitool blades, the one on my Compact Sport 400 was pretty much razor sharp.

Not useful though, since I carry several other knives, so I put a rough edge on the blade with a diamond stone. I use it to slice through sheets of sandpaper and for other nasty jobs.
 
Thanks Ron:)

Yeah, I was looking at the blades last night....your same conclusion came to me also (sorry, knife newbie here:)). Should I try sharpening it at a different angle?

Warthog
 
Originally posted by Warthog
Should I try sharpening it at a different angle?
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Maybe a seasoned knife sharpening knut can weigh in on this. My advise is to sharpen the knife to the angle that will service the needs of the types of cutting you need to do. The Tomcat (at .200" thick) may not "feel" as sharp as a much thinner blade, but that does not make it "dull."
 
I went over it with a stone...didn't take much to get it better than what I could with my ceramic sticks....definately better now. Not as "good" as the thin bladed Gerber, but good enough...and I understand now why that is so:). Just one more reason to carry/have multiple knives :D
 
Hmmm reading the review right now...I'm seeing the faults in the tool, now;). And the tool steel is inferior, isn't it? It's 420HC...

Even though I didn't want to be like everyone else, I guess I'll check out Leatherman tomorrow ;)

Thanks for the link!

Warthog
 
Warthog :

the tool steel is inferior, isn't it? It's 420HC...
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To AUS-6, generally no. 420HC is usually ran harder and will be stronger and more wear resistant.

In regards to the Tomcat not being as sharp, or feeling as such, the edge thickness has no effect on this at all, the edge angle does, but only to a very small effect as compared to the quality of the finish. The SOG's I have seen have simply not been to the same standard as high end blades like Spyderco in regards to quality of initial sharpness.

This isn't an inherent problem in the steel, just one of sharpening. And it is according to SOG the way in which the large blades are indended to be sharpened, they are not supposed to be able to push cut paper for example new in box. Lots of others manufacturers don't share this viewpoint, the Becker line for example fully sharpens the larger blades as does Cold Steel, Busse Combat, Reeves etc. .

-Cliff
 
Originally posted by Cliff Stamp
...In regards to the Tomcat not being as sharp, or feeling as such, the edge thickness has no effect on this at all, the edge angle does, but only to a very small effect as compared to the quality of the finish. The SOG's I have seen have simply not been to the same standard as high end blades like Spyderco in regards to quality of initial sharpness.

This isn't an inherent problem in the steel, just one of sharpening. And it is according to SOG the way in which the large blades are indended to be sharpened, they are not supposed to be able to push cut paper for example new in box...

-Cliff
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Cliff,

It looks like you must have gotten ahold of some bad samples, as all of the SOGs that I have handled (or own) have been very sharp; Just as sharp as my Spyderco, Cold Steel, and Buck knives.

I'm curious...Where did you get your information that SOG doesn't want their knives to be sharp enough to push cut paper? And isn't a blade that is THAT sharp generally pretty delicate, and won't stay THAT sharp for very long under even moderate use?
 
glockman99 :

Where did you get your information that SOG doesn't want their knives to be sharp enough to push cut paper?
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Ron said it on the SOG forum, which is why I didn't write off my experience as random chance, the blades are supposed to be that way.

And isn't a blade that is THAT sharp generally pretty delicate, and won't stay THAT sharp for very long under even moderate use?
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No, my 5 lbs felling axe is sharper than that. And it has seen its fair share of wood chopping this year and the impacts are many times greater than what a knife would see considering the weight, balance and handle length.

http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/images/wood_front.jpg

This was the reason Ron stated, it is a common knife myth. In reality, high polishes increase durability, scratches are just places to concentrate stress this is a well known materials property. As noted in the above, many of the high end manufacturers know this and ship their blades to a much higher standard of sharpness.

Being able to push cut photocopy paper isn't the highest standard either, lots of people go further. Most of the ABS guys, and custom makers like R.J. Martin for example. These are also not knives known for excessive fragility. I would be surprised if the knives that win the ABS cutting contests could not push cut paper, I know Ray Kirks easily can as I have used them. They also don't go blunt easily under moderate use or even heavy use.

-Cliff
 
Quoted from Cliff Stamp:
Ron said it on the SOG forum, which is why I didn't write off my experience as random chance, the blades are supposed to be that way.
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A clear case of "selective interpretation" to support his existing bias.
 
From :

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203367

Not all edges, though, are designed to "push" through paper. They should "slice" paper (cutting at an angle, slicing through the cut).
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This you Ron in case you forgot.

Being able to slice paper at an angle is a very low standard of sharpness, once which is easily exceeded by many knives, several of which I noted in the above, there are of course many more who don't believe the myth about high sharpness and fragility.

Those knives will not only come sharper, but will stay that way for much longer as there is no inherent lack of durablity with finely sharpened edges, in fact the opposite is true for many reasons so you are getting sub par performance in both areas.

-Cliff
 
Cliff,

I had in no way had forgotten that statement. Do you think me ignorant? "Selective interpretation" is when someone wants to hear something that is not being said, but has personal bias (often a negative bias) that makes him or her come to a conclusion that is not at all meant. Or they might have a personal agenda (with goals), which lead their interpretation. Cliff, that is what you are doing. Otherwise, you would have asked for clarification rather than assuming the “worst.” Asking for clarification rather than assuming the worst is what a normal person would do.

The concept I addressed here is akin to boats. You can have a super-sized car ferry (we have some really big ones here in Washington State on Puget Sound that ferries hundreds of cars at a time) with a very blunt bow and profile. It pushes though water very bluntly, leaving a wide wake. Conversely, you can also have something like a navy frigate (also a large boat) that has a very narrow bow and profile. Its bow cleanly “cuts” their course through the water with a narrow wake. Both do a great job with completing their tasks and neither is wrong. It is just differing bow profiles.

NOTE: I was not talking about the “boats” (knives) having polished bows (that is a different topic that was not at all part of the discussion). I was only talking about the thickness of their profile and the “feel” that results as they pass through “water” (paper).

In other words, if you have a really thin knife (like a kitchen knife or thin, hollow ground knife), it will have a differing slicing feel than something with a “blunter” edge (not dull for heaven’s sake) like SOG’s Tigershark that starts with .25” stock (maybe two or three times as thick as the former and having a flat or rolled grind). Both are highly effective! Just for differing tasks.

Cliff, unless you know what I’m talking about (which you rarely do), please don’t comment on my statements. For as intelligent as you obviously are, you just don’t have a clue! I’m completely tired of following you around BladeForums cleaning up your campaign of disinformation and will be forwarding this concern to the site administrator.
 
Just thought I'd throw in that leatherman uses 420HC for their blades too. Thats the last I remember hearing anyhow. Buck uses it for lots of plain old knives too, its really not that bad of stuff. Not big in the edge holding department, but its performance vs. low maintenance and easy sharpening make it a good choice for most people.
 
Ron :

Even with a very thick stocks and very obtuse and thick edge, a blade can still be much sharper than the standard you describe, specifically referring to the paper cutting ability.

Yes, it is true that a thicker profile will have a lower cutting ability than a thinner one, and with blades there is always a tradeoff of cutting ability for durability, but the issue here is one of sharpness.

Quite simply, a piece of paper doesn't exert enough binding force on a blade to have the primary profile be of an influence (or the edge angle or width either [well to be really picky they all have an influence but it is orders of magnitude below the edge finish]), thus your boat comparison is completely invalid.

To be very clear, your standard of "paper slicing at an angle" is quite simply a very low one which is easily exceeded by many manufactures at and below your price range.

-Cliff
 
Ron and Cliff, please keep your posts here on the high road! If you want to have a bicker session, take it to chat. Let's confine our comments to specifics about the Gerber in question. I have been asked to edit this thread for content. I will not do so unless there are serious violations of Bladeforums policies. Please don't turn this into an example of "he said-she said".
Dave
 
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