H 1

MikeC

MikeC

Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
1,364
Anyone know if anyone other than sypderco is going to make anything in H 1 or is spyderco going to produce any other models in H 1?

Thanks
 
I have no idea where I saw it...perhaps it was a dream? but I seem to recall that H-1 was Spyderco only.

I have begged for a heavy use folder to be made from H-1, and I never got any confirmation from Sal (which I certainly would not expect), but I did get a feeling/tone that it was a possibility for the future.

Spyderco is dropping a few of their H-1 knives. Hopefully, they are not so much dropping them but rather making room for different H-1 models?

Depending on the attributes you desire in H-1, there may be other steels that suit your needs if you want something other than Spyderco. OTOH, I think some of Spyderco's H-1 offerings perform a lot better than you might think based on photos and product descriptions...I was pleasantly surprised at how tough some of the Salt folders are.
 
wintermute said:
I'd be curious to see how Benchmade's N680 on their dive knives compares.
Click to expand...

It would probably depend on who you ask ;)

Just being a smarta$$. But there is some truth to that. I think you would be hard pressed to ever compare anything from different manufacturers very meaningfully when it comes to knives. Many are VERY different by design simply owing to design philosophy and intended use (talking primarily about geometry and heat treat where applicable). I would wager the differences would come down to personal preferences/prejudices MOST of the time.

As a way off-topic example, CRK believes that S30V performs best at a softer hardness than what Strider knives come with. I think depending on the reviewer, the "better" answer could be argued either way.

Back to the topic. Once you have a rust proof knife and a use environment that requires it, how important are the subtle differences really?...so long as it holds the edge you need for the duration of the work cycle? I suspect both steels will do this pretty well.

I only have experience with H-1 (in terms of rust-proof stuff), and can tell you that it is neat stuff. I can not say that I have ever found THE steel that makes me stop looking for other options though...
 
Hi Unit,

What did you have in mind for a heavy use knife? (sorry if I seemed to ignore you, I just don't get to all posts and threads)

The larger H1 models are very expensive, which limits sales. This is tough stuff to work with so processing costs are up there. There might be some changes in some of the larger H1 models.

On the "new" H1 plan, our Dragonfly2 FRN is scheduled to have an H1 version.

sal
 
A D'fly in H1 and with a wire clip? Looks like I'll be picking one up. Thanks, Sal. :D
 
I like H 1 I think its full potential as blade material has yet to be realized, not knocking Sal, but rather us the end users. I'm just getting back from the beach and one day of keeping my S30V blade in my swim shorts and its rusting like a sum bitch. Used to carry titanium blades to remedy this but that is another story. I carry S30V now and only titanium frame locks with solid ti slabs on both side, figured hey its stainless one day at beach and pool no biggy. WRONG. So disappointed with the real world rust resistance of most stainless steels.

So that is what prompted my question. I use my EDC to skin game so I'm not applying all kinds of protectants to the blade as it needs to be food safe. H 1 seems like a good fit. Would love to see it solid titanium frame lock. Hit the hardware with either titanium or 316 or 316L and you've got something right there.
 
I like Mike C's thinking. I would love to see something a little heavier duty and with a little more fit to my hands. I use my salt knife everytime I go to the bay and do like it but I typically carry something a little heavier and with a little more girth as my EDC. I would love to see a framelock with titanium handles or something along this line. I know the cost would be high but I think it would be worth it. I personally would love for ZT to make a knife with H1 but I guess that is not going to happen. Maybe a ZT/spyderco collaboration, then again maybe I will win the lottery and just have my own knife made. I think the 2nd option is more likely. The salt knives, as much as I love them, are just to light in the hand for my everyday carry. I would love to have something that can be my everyday and everywhere (including the ocean) carry. Regardless I am always looking to see what Spyderco will do with H1 next. It is an awesome steel.

Whitty
 
As Sal said H-1 is rather expensive. If you look at the warrior a special 4mm thick blank had to be made, and apparently it's a rather costly thing to do (the foundry has to make a special thicker batch of the steel plate) . This was one of the reasons why the Warrior is so expensive (think INFI). I suspect that the cost if H-1 could be 150% of the price of VG10, so a heavy duty folder might cost a lot more then the same model in VG10. Another thing to conside is that it H-1 is rather expensive to machine, because it becomes harder when mechanically worked (work hardening steel).
Myodo Foundry H1 steel is a stainless steel that is precipitation-hardened and contains nitrogen instead of carbon, which cannot rust.
Carbon-0.15%, Chromium-14.00-16.00%, Manganese-2.00%, Molybdenum-0.50-1.50%, Nickel-6.00-8.00%, Nitrogen-0.10%, Phosphorus-0.04%, Silicon-3.00-4.50%, Sulfur-0.03%

I like H-1 a lot, but remember that the main factor is full corrosion resistance. The H-1 steel is comparable to 440C steel in cutting performance. H-1 is a real "user friendly steel". A lot of high-end steel will outperform H-1 and you should ask yourself if the benefits of H-1 are more important then pure cutting power with less corrosion resistance.
For me H-1 steel is a great steel for applications where you need an easy to sharpen "good" steel that will not corrode ( like in a survival or aquatic enviroment), but i don't know if the spoiled knife crowd see the performance of the steel as sufficient for their needs.
 
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for info H-1 is a work hardening steel.The increase in strength due to strain hardening is comparable to that of heat treating.During cold working the part undergoes work hardening and the microstructure deforms to follow the contours of the part surface. Unlike hot working, the inclusions and grains distort to follow the contour of the surface, resulting in anisotropic engineering properties! (wikipedia)
but greater forces are required and heavier and more powerful equipment and stronger tooling are required
Intermediate annealings may be required to reach the required ductility to continue cold working a workpiece, otherwise it may fracture if the ultimate tensile strength is exceeded. So grinding a H-1 blade could lead to the steel reaching it's maximum hardness 65+ RC, resulting in fracturing.
It's an important thing to remember when people try to cut or grind H-1 steel in another form. This is probably the reason why a FFG blade in H-1 is so difficult to achieve by anyone not knowing what they are doing.
And it explains why the performance of the cutting edge increases every time you sharpen it.
 
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