How brittle is D2?

MVF

MVF

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In some of the threads here that get into metallurgy it sounds like (if I understand correctly) that D2 is considered comparatively brittle due to having an abundance of large carbides. This seems to make sense- again, assuming I'm understanding what I'm reading.

What I would like to learn is how this translates to real world usage. I have a small (K-35) Dozier and a BM710 in this steel and would like to get some idea of how "fragile" they are. I got the Dozier as a slicer (I believe it's their thinnest blade), but I thought the 710 was a hard duty knife.

I know that these knives aren't pry bars, but just how careful do I need to be?

Thanks, Mike
 
I have several D2 knives, some hardened to 61RC, and have never had any issues with them being brittle. I wouldn't make a large chopper out of D2, but it is fine for a general use (not abuse) folder or smaller fixed blade. If you don't use your knife as a prybar, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
 
"Brittle" is a relative term. Here is whate Joe Talmadge says about D2 in the Steel FAQ sticky in the Toolshed forum. I cite him because he is a known quantity. I ain't.

"D-2
D-2 is sometimes called a "semi-stainless". It has a fairly high
chrome content (12%), but not high enough to classify it as stainless.
It is more stain resistant than the carbon steels mentioned above,
however. It has excellent wear resistance. D-2 is much tougher than
the premium stainless steels like ATS-34, but not as tough as many of
the other non-stainless steels mentioned here. The combination of
great wear resistance, almost-stainlessness, and good toughness make
it a great choice for a number of knife styles. Bob Dozier is one
maker who uses D-2. Benchmade has begun using D-2 in its Axis AFCK."

Here is a link to the steel FAQ sticky:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368828

Like EZ, if I were looking for a big 8" blade for chopping limbs off trees, I would probably be looking at one of the non-stainless steels. But if I wanted to do a lot of cutting or skinning with a 5" blade or smaller, I would definitely consider D2 as a premier candidate for the steel.

Your Dozier and Benchmade should easily handle any reasonable task you would give them.
 
I have repointed a lot of the thinner ones and taken a few nicks out of edges but certainly not as many as S30V since it came out. D2 is my favorite non stainless steel. It seems better suited for blades 5" and under to me.

STR
 
MVF said:
I know that these knives aren't pry bars, but just how careful do I need to be?
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Prying is strength not toughness. Toughness will limit performance in collisions. For D2 you would want to be carefully impacting the knife against hard object like metal, bone or rock, it will tend to fracture rather than deform. The points will crack easily if they are thin, but they would simply bend and stay bent if they were in a tougher steel anyway.

-Cliff
 
It depends on usage and geometry, given the steel. I snapped the tip off of one of my Doziers with a high hollow grind (Delta Traveller) a few weeks ago camping. I was splitting small strips of wood for the fire, about 1 inch x 1 inch x 6 inches, pitch pine. I put the wood on top of an old stump, put the tip of the knife in the wood, and smacked the pommel a few times with the palm of my hand. I didn't think I was being overly abusive, but I lost about 1/8th of an inch off the tip. I had used this exact same knife to skin and gut a hog the weekend before, and it was fantastic for that, including cutting through the brisket and pelvic bones.

If you are doing general camping tasks and woodworking, then I'd say go with a flat grind. If you are hunting, and wanting to cut up animals, then go with a nice hollow grind.

I'd be careful with the Dozier, but not too worried about the other one. The Doziers are excellent cutters, and even with the above experience, have been very happy with all of mine.
 
When I was taking a pic of my Ka-Bar D2 Impact point for this forum it fell off the rock I had set it on and bounced down rocks on the other side for approx 6 feet.
I was certain that when I went to pick it up it would have more dings and chips than a little so imagine my suprise when the only damage was a little bit of paint that had chipped......No damage at all to the blade.....I have since removed all the coating and this is a recent pic so don't worry about it being brittle !!!!
JohnDean077.jpg
 
pitdog said:
When I was taking a pic of my Ka-Bar D2 Impact point for this forum it fell off the rock I had set it on and bounced down rocks on the other side for approx 6 feet.
I was certain that when I went to pick it up it would have more dings and chips than a little so imagine my suprise when the only damage was a little bit of paint that had chipped......No damage at all to the blade.....I have since removed all the coating and this is a recent pic so don't worry about it being brittle !!!!

Nice knife.
Wasn't aware of that model,pretty cool.
Any problems sharpening it?
Click to expand...
 
Grappler1911 said:
pitdog said:
When I was taking a pic of my Ka-Bar D2 Impact point for this forum it fell off the rock I had set it on and bounced down rocks on the other side for approx 6 feet.
I was certain that when I went to pick it up it would have more dings and chips than a little so imagine my suprise when the only damage was a little bit of paint that had chipped......No damage at all to the blade.....I have since removed all the coating and this is a recent pic so don't worry about it being brittle !!!!

Nice knife.
Wasn't aware of that model,pretty cool.
Any problems sharpening it?
Click to expand...

No not really bro, it will just barely shave hairs. I never let it get too blunt though to begin with !!!
Click to expand...
 
Swamp Rat had some photos on their forum of one of their D2 knives after being beat on with a hammer (IIRC). It looks like it doesn't have to be all that brittle.
 
Yes, that D2 blade moved out of the mold for D2. But ask Dozier if you can do that with one of his blades.

-Cliff
 
Almost none of the cutlery-level-quality steels are going to be brittle if heat-treated properly.

Seriously....we need to remove "brittle" from our knife vocabulary. Steel is not brittle.

Most of the time, well-heat-treated knives do exactly what we want and only deform/break/etc. when under heavy use/abuse. The ones that surprise us by breaking/deforming under moderate use were probably not heat-treated properly.

There are a lot of D2 knives out there that are plenty tough for 95% of what you and I can throw at 'em (short of abuse/misuse).




That said....I would still prefer something like A2 (if I needed a semi-stainless steel) over D2 in a larger knife that I knew would be getting some chopping time.



But for your Dozier knife - use the heck out of it. It's meant to be a user!
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Yes, that D2 blade moved out of the mold for D2. But ask Dozier if you can do that with one of his blades.

-Cliff
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Better yet ask him for a blade to fit your intended purpose and he will deliver.
 
I have dressed an quartered (cut through bone) more game with my Dozier than I can remember. It is over 12 years old and for some reason I have not had the issues Cliff has had.

When the season start, I know what knife I will use (the same one I have used for 12 years and I will not have to sharpen it in the field.)
 
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY BASTID: Regarding Dozier: Better yet ask him for a blade to fit your intended purpose and he will deliver.
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Well put. Just because a Dozier D2 blade could not be hammered through a car door hinge :jerkit: doesn't mean it doe not rate very high for its intented purposes in the right hands. Bob's D2 actually ranks very high among sportsman up there in the realm of legendary preferred trusted users.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard or read stories of those D2 knives going on and on upwards to the 7th and 8th deer in deer camps before even needing so much as a touch up. Its almost as many as the stories on the other side of the coin I've heard of other makes not getting through even one deer before needing resharpened. Granted a lot of this has to do with the experience of the hand holding the knife and how much grit, dirt, hair and other things the person is cutting besides meat but even the most experienced have to cut these things on occasion so to me it speaks highly of the knives. Bob's knives work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

STR
 
I doubt seriously that anyone buys a Dozier with the intended purpose of beating it with a hammer. His market is largely hunters who field dress game.

Cliff, have you used D2 for field dressing a deer or elk? I would appreciate some insight into the performance of D2 in skinning and/or dressing game.
 
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