How to know or proof it made from D2 tool steel?

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walatchanat

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Jul 21, 2012
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Hi every one,
I so wonder, how can we know that knife we have made from D2 steel?
Now we have many knife manufacturer making knife from D2 steel.
But hey! How we know it made from real D2 steel or not?
Or just lie to customer for mark up their sell price.
You guys have any idea how to proof it real D2 steel or not.
Thanks for your reply for this treat.
Thank you so much.
 
Ask the maker/supplier to provide material certs or do a SEM chemical analysis (one is less expensive than the other). And if you're going to go through all that effort, might as well send the blade under a Rockwell hardness testing machine too :D
 
If a company was going to lie in order to mark up their prices, I know of a lot better steel choices to use.

What company and knife is in question here? I would say the safest bet is it judge them on the merits of the company.
 
Hmm...wondering about the authenticity of the D2 steel used in the knife. How's that counterfeit Sebenza, Hinderer, or Strider treating ya?
 
Well, the Chinese D2 has already been revealed as Cr12Mo1V1. The actual properties will depend on the heat treat.
 
nopyo said:
Ask the maker/supplier to provide material certs or do a SEM chemical analysis (one is less expensive than the other). And if you're going to go through all that effort, might as well send the blade under a Rockwell hardness testing machine too :D
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And the seller will say? How about, "You can have any testing that you pay for."
 
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If I had doubts about a company to the point I'd need to get the blade steel checked for authenticity I just wouldn't have anything to do with that company.

Also, in some cases D2 gets an orange peel type look to the steel with a high grit finish. It doesn't really do mirror polishes very well. The old Ka Bar D2 folders had this finish. I don't recall seeing it with Benchmade though it seems like all the D2 Benchmades I've seen have a coating of some type.

I've seen the orange peel type finish on a Seki Cut Bob Lum Encounter.

Spyderco VG10 knives have something similar in bright light with brand new knives like my Enduras. It is similar to the Orange peel finish on D2 knives, sort of . :)

Not real helpful, I know. :D
 
Submerge part of the knife in vinegar and see if it tarnishes.
 
The Mastiff said:
Also, in some cases D2 gets an orange peel type look to the steel with a high grit finish. It doesn't really do mirror polishes very well. The old Ka Bar D2 folders had this finish. I don't recall seeing it with Benchmade though it seems like all the D2 Benchmades I've seen have a coating of some type.
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I polished a D2 blade on a benchmade just fine.

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Welcome to the forums. If you have to ask that question then its not d2, its melted down soda cans. Only buy knives from reputable makers.
 
A knife for $60+ is probably really made of D2 steel. D2 is a widely used industrial tool steel that has high wear and abrasion resistance and capable of high hardness. (used from WWII and onwards for good reason) It has ~12% Chromium which is bordering on a stainless steel so a D2 blade will likely patina in a mild acid like Vinegar. (This could take several hours of exposure)

The true test of your D2 blade should be easily discovered when you sharpen it and use it It should take like twice as many strokes to sharpen compared to a basic stainless steel and it should hold its edge noticeably longer. Much of the quality of steels also come from the heat treatment and because D2 trades corrosion resistance for high carbon content, it should be able to be heat treated to high hardness ~60+ (62?) The difference in makers of blades using D2 is the quality of the heat treatment and the geometry of the edge. D2 should take a great toothy edge and keep it but it can be difficult to get a crazy razor edge.

If you are "testing" a higher end "clone" .. I'd like to hear what you think of the blade quality. If you enjoy quality steels, do buy from a maker and dealer you can trust. Compare D2 with S30V
 
walatchanat said:
Hi every one,
I so wonder, how can we know that knife we have made from D2 steel?
Now we have many knife manufacturer making knife from D2 steel.
But hey! How we know it made from real D2 steel or not?
Or just lie to customer for mark up their sell price.
You guys have any idea how to proof it real D2 steel or not.
Thanks for your reply for this treat.
Thank you so much.
Click to expand...

Look for a place that does spectral analysis of steels near you and get the blade tested. This will tell you all you need to know.
 
I don't want to be a troll... but if I were a fraud company I would rather choose to stamp CPM-S90V or M390 on my fraud product instead of the plain D2...
 
The Mastiff said:
If I had doubts about a company to the point I'd need to get the blade steel checked for authenticity I just wouldn't have anything to do with that company.

Also, in some cases D2 gets an orange peel type look to the steel with a high grit finish. It doesn't really do mirror polishes very well. The old Ka Bar D2 folders had this finish. I don't recall seeing it with Benchmade though it seems like all the D2 Benchmades I've seen have a coating of some type.

I've seen the orange peel type finish on a Seki Cut Bob Lum Encounter.

Spyderco VG10 knives have something similar in bright light with brand new knives like my Enduras. It is similar to the Orange peel finish on D2 knives, sort of . :)

Not real helpful, I know. :D
Click to expand...

Benchmade 15020 Large Bone Collector is a D2 uncoated blade, might be others.
 
Most of the Sebenza (and other CRK) clones I've seen claim to use D2 steel. For me, if a company is reputable, I would trust they are using legitimate D2. If a company is selling knock-offs and copies of other makers popular models, I would suspect everything they claim, including the named blade materials - and handle materials for that matter.
 
egally08 said:
If a company was going to lie in order to mark up their prices, I know of a lot better steel choices to use.

What company and knife is in question here? I would say the safest bet is it judge them on the merits of the company.
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I think this answers your question as perfectly as possible.

Buy from reputable makers/companies/distributors/re-sellers and this is a non issue....
 
Personally I think you have to depend on the word of the maker. I feel sure there are testing methods, but who would pay for such unless it was a court case?
 
walatchanat said:
Hi every one,
I so wonder, how can we know that knife we have made from D2 steel?
Now we have many knife manufacturer making knife from D2 steel.
But hey! How we know it made from real D2 steel or not?
Or just lie to customer for mark up their sell price.
You guys have any idea how to proof it real D2 steel or not.
Thanks for your reply for this treat.
Thank you so much.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Blade Forums Walatchanat!

Just out of curiosity do you have specific maker in question as to the authenticity of their steel?
 
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