-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
How does 01 steel
- Thread starter gull wing
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2010
- Messages
- 2,691
Fiddleback Forge, Blind Horse Knives, and others still use it. Some of the new "high end" steels with fancy names are getting more attention. O1 is and excellent steel. I've read that knife makers like it cause it's easy to use, takes an edge well, and can be easy to sharpen.
It's hard to compare steels, with all the other factors involved. Heat treat and geometry being two of the most important.
ESEE's are often thick blades with sturdy edges. My Fiddleback EDC is O1, and a 1/8" stock with a convex grind. I wouldn't be able to compare any ESEE to the Fiddleback. I like the O1 Fiddleback for most everyday cutting tasks. If I needed to baton, chop, or be heavy handed, I'd not grab the thinner knife.
It's an excellent tool steel, just get the knife that suits your needs and expect patina.
It's hard to compare steels, with all the other factors involved. Heat treat and geometry being two of the most important.
ESEE's are often thick blades with sturdy edges. My Fiddleback EDC is O1, and a 1/8" stock with a convex grind. I wouldn't be able to compare any ESEE to the Fiddleback. I like the O1 Fiddleback for most everyday cutting tasks. If I needed to baton, chop, or be heavy handed, I'd not grab the thinner knife.
It's an excellent tool steel, just get the knife that suits your needs and expect patina.
Last edited:
In the hands of an excellent maker and with the right heat treat, O1 is an excellent steel. It isn't CPM 3V or exotic, and too many people are looking for the latest and the greatest without regard to real world use.
I only have larger choppers and fighters in O1, but, acknowledging it isn't stainless, I don't see why it isn't desirable for folders.
Some steels just aren't sexy anymore even though they are fine steels, like 440C, for example. They are harder to sell and don't command the premium more exotic or trendy steels do even though the average user wouldn't see a real difference.
That's my perspective as a layman anyways.
I only have larger choppers and fighters in O1, but, acknowledging it isn't stainless, I don't see why it isn't desirable for folders.
Some steels just aren't sexy anymore even though they are fine steels, like 440C, for example. They are harder to sell and don't command the premium more exotic or trendy steels do even though the average user wouldn't see a real difference.
That's my perspective as a layman anyways.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 44,314
I have the BushcraftUK knife from Spyderco and it's an awesome knife. The steel takes a great edge and sharpens up consistently well each and every time. Seems to hold it's edge pretty well from what use I've given it.
I would venture a guess that so many new steels are coming out, it would be beneficial for production knife makers to stay current or risk falling behind the curve. In the current economy, R&D with new steels is the ticket to stability and future growth (my opinion though).
I have to agree with HJK - too many seek the latest exotic lowrider steel - without knowing how to sharpen it properly and, even when they do know that, without knowing why they need that steel.
My favorite knife steels are A2, 154CM, and O1, and not necessarily in that order. I find D2 unmanageable and S30V very close to that (though I do like the S30V). The 440 series is fine and, while it will serve the needs of any knife wielder in this forum, it just doesn;t rank up there with my "favorites". 12C27 is another nice stainless. 1095 seems to have gone out of style because, as HJK inferred, it just isn't "cool enough" anymore, yet it's a fine carbon steel.
Some of the Scandi-ground EnZo blades are made in O1. I own several and have scaled the blade blanks and given many away. It sharpens easily to a nice, crisp edge. Like any carbon steel, it needs a little attention or a forced patina to prevent rusting.
I think guys should pay more attention to the design of the knife and how it will suit their needs than the steel of the blade......generally speaking anyway. The only steels I try to stay away from are the Chinese steels. Are they poor? I don;t know and I don;t care, I avoid them for other reasons.
My favorite knife steels are A2, 154CM, and O1, and not necessarily in that order. I find D2 unmanageable and S30V very close to that (though I do like the S30V). The 440 series is fine and, while it will serve the needs of any knife wielder in this forum, it just doesn;t rank up there with my "favorites". 12C27 is another nice stainless. 1095 seems to have gone out of style because, as HJK inferred, it just isn't "cool enough" anymore, yet it's a fine carbon steel.
Some of the Scandi-ground EnZo blades are made in O1. I own several and have scaled the blade blanks and given many away. It sharpens easily to a nice, crisp edge. Like any carbon steel, it needs a little attention or a forced patina to prevent rusting.
I think guys should pay more attention to the design of the knife and how it will suit their needs than the steel of the blade......generally speaking anyway. The only steels I try to stay away from are the Chinese steels. Are they poor? I don;t know and I don;t care, I avoid them for other reasons.
DennisStrickland
BANNED
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2009
- Messages
- 5,040
01 is a good carbon steel & heattreated by a good knifemaker will certainly make a real decent folder or hunter.i believe that randall is still using swedish 01 to do all the carbon forged blades.
dennis
dennis