How tough are Randall knives?

Ok heres a spin...

If Randall today offered 3v for carbon and S35vn for stainless (or other premium steels) for the same cost as O1 and 440B which blade steels do you think they would sell the most of? ... O1 and 440 would be old news and Randall fans would say Randalls were good then but look at them now! And I bet in my life time that happens... Randall WILL have to upgrade at some point. My old knives don't fall apart when I use them, obviously, but I am not going to lie to myself that there are no better material available for comparable money.

That is a very nice knife in the picture... and I am glad to see some Randall knives getting dirty!! Use them thats what they are made for, cutting stuff. love it!
 
. Don't worry about other steel availability, Randall's cut just fine. I could care less about other steel. But that is just me. And I have been using a O1 Randall made knife since '67 and don't plan on changing.
 
Let me ask you a couple questions. Are you aware of the history of Randall knives? Are you aware of when, and under what circumstances they became so beloved and trusted?

If you are in any way "serious" about blades, you should be. Its Knife 101. I suggest doing some homework.

Also, we still have absolutely no idea what "beating the hell" out of a blade means to you. Maybe you can give us some specific examples of how you personally have beat the hell out of a knife, so we are all on the same page.
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The History doesn't change the fact that at the price of a Randall there are superior materials available today, IF performance is what you are after.

OP was asking about toughness not heritage and pride of ownership. If you want the flat out toughest knife available its not going to be Randall at this time, especially at Randall price point. Thats what I believe you guys are missing I'm not trying to convince anyone they are in effective. They were cutting edge I would, now they are not. Still solid is material and design. I am enjoying the conversation and PICS! Lets see some knives in use! Maybe some hunting pics, thats where many of their design would shine I would imagine!
 
lobo9er said:
The History doesn't change the fact that at the price of a Randall there are superior materials available today, IF performance is what you are after.

OP was asking about toughness not heritage and pride of ownership. If you want the flat out toughest knife available its not going to be Randall at this time, especially at Randall price point. Thats what I believe you guys are missing I'm not trying to convince anyone they are in effective. They were cutting edge I would, now they are not. Still solid is material and design. I am enjoying the conversation and PICS! Lets see some knives in use! Maybe some hunting pics, thats where many of their design would shine I would imagine!
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You really should not quote things out of context. My reply was made immediately after these two posts.

Seriousbladeno1 said:
Is here anyone, who actually beat the hell out of Randall knife and may say how tough are these knives? How about edge retention or lateral strength of its blades?
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Seriousbladeno1 said:
Any experience using these blades hard way? How about differences between steels Randall factory use and process they are through from start to finish?
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And Randall knives have a long history of being used hard.

Did he ask in those posts are there tougher knives made today? No.
Did he ask if there are better toughness/price ratios today? No.

Maybe he asked later. But he didn't ask then. Context.
 
You know, over my many years on this and older forums at the beginning of the internet, I have seen many hyped brands that have been failures in one way or another with their fan base making excuses for those failures. I need not bring up past brands, but those who have been here a long time know what I am talking about. In all these years I have never ever heard of anyone ever over hyping Randal knives and have never heard of any consistent problems with them. This is a testament to the quality of construction. People get caught up in all the super particle metallurgy steel stuff and get down on O1 and 440B, because of "other" companies who have given these steels a bad name. Fact is these steels are excellent when done properly. The answer to OP's question is , yes.
 
this is the original post title.
How tough are Randall knives?
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My official response :) Tough. But there are tougher.

Fact is these steels are excellent when done properly.
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I couldn't agree more, lots and lots of great knives made with O1 and 440 series steel... And they make a Fantastic knife for sure I am not saying they don't. Heres the caveat there are newer tougher materials available today than what Randall offers. That is my only point. So how tough is Randall? Tough. O1 is a tough steel we can agree. Obviously plenty tough for most any task I am going to do. Now is O1 as tough as 3v or INFI or ZTuff? No. It is not , so.... By default if Randall made a knife from a slab of 3v, gave it an awesome heat treat, it would be a better performing knife, with better edge retention and increased toughness. And plenty of Great knife makers offer such steel. There for there are knives being made that are tougher than Randalls. So for me, if performance is my only goal I can do better than Randall, especially at their price point.

Can we agree on this fact that there are better performing steels than what Randall offers, and still agree that Randalls are a quality knife?
 
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Cobalt said:
You know, over my many years on this and older forums at the beginning of the internet, I have seen many hyped brands that have been failures in one way or another with their fan base making excuses for those failures. I need not bring up past brands, but those who have been here a long time know what I am talking about. In all these years I have never ever heard of anyone ever over hyping Randal knives and have never heard of any consistent problems with them. This is a testament to the quality of construction. People get caught up in all the super particle metallurgy steel stuff and get down on O1 and 440B, because of "other" companies who have given these steels a bad name. Fact is these steels are excellent when done properly. The answer to OP's question is , yes.
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Big ol' slab of true statement right here.

Man, over the years we've watched some DOOZIES. Entertainment at its finest. Never a problem with RMK though.

I'll get me a Randall one of these days... and no, I'm not waiting for them to "upgrade" their materials. I'm waiting for these blood-sucking offspring to move out and give me back my disposable income.
 
lobo9er said:
Now is O1 as tough as 3v or INFI or ZTuff? No. It is not , so....

Can we agree on the fact there are better performing steels than what Randall offers, and still agree that Randalls are a quality knife?
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So to answer the first part, no and yes. If these other steels are properly processed, then no, the Randal will not be as tough, but think of it this way. Take a knife company like CS or Ontario who do use some tough steels. Their HT can be a hit or miss. You can get a tough knife but you can get a dud. This is true of any steel. One reason why Randal has such a following is their consistency, much like Busse. It is extremely rare to get a blade with bad HT. And to those that use them they are tough enough. But you are correct that there are far tougher steels when processed right. Case in point, CS has come out with 3V in many larger blades. I would trust a Randal in O1 or 440B over a CS in 3V or even a Bark River in 3V. But, I would certainly agree that a GSO 3V knife will be tougher.

So I do not disagree with you. But the main point is that Randals are tough, of top quality and have a higher level of consistency than many brands that use better steels. This is one reason for Busses success as well. Dozier? Pick a steel and become the best at processing it.
 
Cobalt said:
So I do not disagree with you. But the main point is that Randals are tough, of top quality and have a higher level of consistency than many brands that use better steels. This is one reason for Busses success as well. Dozier? Pick a steel and become the best at processing it.
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Is there a hand shake smiley? Agree with you.

Just like Tito's handmade vodka... Small batches :)... might not apply here.
 
Velitrius said:
I'll get me a Randall one of these days... and no, I'm not waiting for them to "upgrade" their materials. I'm waiting for these blood-sucking offspring to move out and give me back my disposable income.
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I know what you mean, lol

lobo9er said:
Is there a hand shake smiley? Agree with you.


Just like Tito's handmade vodka... Small batches :)... might not apply here.
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The closest thing to the hand shake is the jerkit, but it has a different meaning :D
 
To me chopping cross-grain into wood is the outermost in toughness requirement that what one should ask of a really sharp knife, especially at 0.020" edge thickness and below 15 degrees per side. I don't see any value in toughness for a knife beyond that...

Maybe 20 degree per side edges (a 40 degrees inclusive wedge) allows some extra edge toughness, but the cost in slicing ability is just huge, even on thin edge shoulders. Slicing wood actually requires considerable physical effort if done quickly, and when the wood gives way, with thicker edges, the energy is so high it can be dangerous and exhausting. I've even found 15 degrees per side/30 inclusive to be too blunt, and the gains in slicing are really high just below that. Keep in mind this is especially true for large blades where the slicing can carry far away from the hand: Far away form the hand means the big knife requires far more effort than a small one: Maybe a small knife can afford duller edges, but a big one certainly can't...: The opposite of what is usually advised...

Gaston
 
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