How durable is DLC?

[SW-EDC]

I use my Launch 4 often and so far, DLC still looks good.

 

[abbazaba]

I've been afraid to use a metal polish on DLC . I might try some , now .

Here are some before and after pictures I did a while back of my EDC. It could make matte DLC look a little smoother, but not much different than hand oil does.

Before Flitz (the consensus was that the rust was actually debris from sharpening etc, not actually rust through the DLC):



5mins or less of Flitz:

This has been my experience with Spyderco's DLC on the S30v model as well, FWIW. Hope this helps.

 

[Natlek]

TiN (Titanium Nitride) is a Gold colored coating sometimes seen on drills and tool bits and has an HRC of 82. Zirconium Nitride (ZrN) is Champagne colored and has an HRC of 85. TiAlN (Titanium Aluminum Nitride) is charcoal colored and has an HRC of 92.
So if you want the most scratch resistant coating, go with TiAlN

I don t know about DLC but I have some knives with TiN and TiAIN coatings but not on bevels now .I make them from HSS circular saws so I have coating only on flat parts of blade ...You know what I think ? Hard chrome is king over all of them .They are hard but that is extremely thin coat and easy to scratch with say AO sand paper .......and they /scratch/ look very ugly .

 

[marrenmiller]

I think this coating comparison video is worth a watch. DLC proved to be the best all around if I remember correctly:

Great video. Contrary to what some would say, he found that DLC did aid in corrosion resistance. It's just not often used for that explicit purpose.

 

[Dcdavis]

Spyderco dlc seems to wear like iron. But yes over time and use it’ll show wear. Some like it and some don’t. I have one Zt coated blade but it hasn’t seen much use to gauge how it holds up. My black para3 dlc has seen a ton of use and still holding up well. I personally haven’t owned a black Benchmade blade but a co-workers mini coalition hasn’t held up as well as the Spyderco

 

[tiguy7]

View attachment 1191148

I don t know about DLC but I have some knives with TiN and TiAIN coatings but not on bevels now .I make them from HSS circular saws so I have coating only on flat parts of blade ...You know what I think ? Hard chrome is king over all of them .They are hard but that is extremely thin coat and easy to scratch with say AO sand paper .......and they /scratch/ look very ugly .

I would not expect a thin ceramic coat to offer a lot of corrosion protection to a Carbon steel blade. It is neither a barrier coat like Copper, Nickel, Chrome nor a sacrificial coat like Zinc. So I like to use ceramic coated stainless blades. If you want a scuff resistant, corrosion resistant uncoated blade, try CPM S-125-V.

 

[Natlek]

View attachment 1191148
I would not expect a thin ceramic coat to offer a lot of corrosion protection to a Carbon steel blade. It is neither a barrier coat like Copper, Nickel, Chrome nor a sacrificial coat like Zinc. So I like to use ceramic coated stainless blades. If you want a scuff resistant, corrosion resistant uncoated blade, try CPM S-125-V.

I don t know if I understand you .......if you think on Cooper ,Nickel and then over them Chrome then it is Chrome Plating ....Hard chrome is entirely different process , hard chrome is directly applied on steel and will NEVER rust , you can leave it outside for years if you want and will not rust !

 

[tiguy7]

View attachment 1193453 Copper, Nickel, Chrome is what they used to put on car bumpers, think 1958 Buick. It protected steel bumpers by physically shielding them from corrosive conditions. Hard Chrome is quite difficult to apply because of the low efficiency of the plating bath. Exterior plating thickness for the Chrome on bumpers is 10 millionths of an inch. The Chrome was applied to make the brown Nickel look bluer.
When we restored bearing races with hard Chrome, the plating time ran about 36 hours. Hard Chrome plate is not as hard as Chrome Carbide. It also has a dull appearance. I am not sure why hard Chrome plating would make a superior knife blade especially if it was applied over Carbon steel.
If you are scratching TiAlN or TiN with Al203 sandpaper, you are probably going through the coat and lifting it up. If you like Chrome, get a Stellite blade. It would be about 50% Chrome and 50% Cobalt.
This is a hard Chrome plated tool kit.

 

[Natlek]

Yes , car bumpers are chrome plated .That is decorative plating .Hard chrome is ...........hard between 70-72 hrc and can be done in thicker layer up to 1mm and that is main advantage over other coatings .When hard chrome process finish ,yes it have dull appearance but you can make it mirror finish if you like . Shock absorber on your car have hard chrome on ...front fork on motorcycle are hard chrome , some of them have TiN or DLC over hard chrome and now.....that is very durable . Every hydraulic piston have hard chrome..and it s not there for protection from rust , more it s for low friction . And I never seen one of all this examples with rust , never .
This engine valve /shank is hard chrome/ on picture I dig this summer from yard /35 years ago my father had car service shop there .../ Just look at it .........
It is note easy to sand hard chrome surface with sand paper , even harder to sand TiN over hard chrome ....now , hard chrome blade and over that DLC .........LIKE IT !!
BW , all of my tool /that mean LOT of tools/ is hard chromed .My daily job is in my car/bike service ...and I m literally buried with parts with hard chrome and other coating... I have make several knife from 52100 which are hard chromed ........

That file on picture , simple glide over surface of this parts . I will buy beer if anyone make scratch And all that is because it is thick layer of chrome ,if it is thin like TiN file will catch ...because under is softer steel then file .....most time
Top one on this picture is from 52100 ,sandblasted with AO sand and then hard chrome over.....

File can t scratch TiN , AO sandpaper yes ,silica sand can t scratch TiN ....steel under TiN is M35

 

[Alberta Ed]

DLC is pretty durable stuff. I believe it is used on valve stems and surgical implants like hips. I like it on my American Lawman.