How good is sr-101, really?

[Tyrade83]

If "negligent" means not wiping the knife down with oil every night, then sure. I had a rat hunter that rusted by just EDC'ing it in a leather sheath, no use.

I didn't say it wouldn't rust, just that in my experiences, it will usually only get some light orange colour that wipes off to a black staining, rather than really deep pitting. And I'm not talking about carrying around an oily rag to wipe it down with all the time either, I'll put my blades away after using with nothing more than a quick swipe on my pants to get any debris off before sheathing. But then again, I don't have rust problems with M4 or 1095 either other than some small corners or hard to get spots that might not get cleaned. 5160 rusts like crazy for me though.

 

[DaKruiser]

If "negligent" means not wiping the knife down with oil every night, then sure. I had a rat hunter that rusted by just EDC'ing it in a leather sheath, no use.

The leather may have been chrome tanned, if so that would be why it rusted while sheathed.

 

[resinguy]

I just got both an infi ASH1 and a BG SR101 ASH1. Has anyone else noticed that SR101 is lighter than INFI?
I'm going to guess that INFI is a more dense steel, hence the greater wait

Same scales, same thickness? I have a hard time believing that there can be a noticeable difference in the density of various carbon steel alloys.

 

[Cobalt]

I just got both an infi ASH1 and a BG SR101 ASH1. Has anyone else noticed that SR101 is lighter than INFI?
I'm going to guess that INFI is a more dense steel, hence the greater wait

The biggest difference between the two is about 7% chromium that INFI has above SR101. Chromium is actually a lower density than Iron, so SR101 should be heavier, insignificantly heavier, but heavier non the less.

 

[kaizo]

If "negligent" means not wiping the knife down with oil every night, then sure. I had a rat hunter that rusted by just EDC'ing it in a leather sheath, no use.

It sounds like your sheaths may have not been made from the right kind of tanning... Was it chrome tanned by any chance? The general consensus is that veg tan is the best type of tanning to avoid corrosion so given the chance its best to stick to that I think.

EDIT: sorry I just recognised somebody else has already mentioned it!

 

[Noxious Fumes]

If "negligent" means not wiping the knife down with oil every night, then sure. I had a rat hunter that rusted by just EDC'ing it in a leather sheath, no use.

I have a stainless steel Bowie knife that was stored for a few years in its leather sheath. It rusted, began to pit. I managed to rescue it and it is still VERY serviceable (razor sharp with patina ). I've learned to never store knives in their leather sheaths .... Rusting will become an issue, even for stainless steels. Mind you, it was stored in my garage. The garage is heated by still more humid than the inside of my home.

.... But.... I agree that the rusting would have occurred more rapidly, had the knife been SR101.... I'm wondering if it would have pitted.