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Hypothetical BK-16LE Steel Type

What steel type do you prefer for possible BK-16LE

  • S35V

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • D2

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1095CV

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 3V

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 154CM

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • CTS-204p

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
OREGON FAL'ER said:
I don't see the point of going 1095 on a special run. This is a golden opportunity to get a stainless on built up.
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I don't quite understand either. These were not the results I was expecting based on talk in the other thread. Seemed like people wanted D2 or S35V. Good thing those seem to be the options Spark is pursuing, imo at least.
 
Bladite said:
154cm would best

s30v might be desirable, but probably won't happen

D2 is very possible, but doesn't thrill me
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If you didn't select 154CM in the poll, that tells me you don't own a 154CM blade. It's the only steel I'd want thats stainless.
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
I don't see the point of going 1095 on a special run. This is a golden opportunity to get a stainless one built up.
Click to expand...

I agree. You can mod a regular BK16 all you want with micarta, stonewash, different color coatings, etc...
 
Chameleonbear said:
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it is broke, you're doing it wrong!
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I dont think anyone would say 1095 is broke by an means. It's just the possibility of something a bit different, with different applications. I go camping at the 10000 Islands in Everglades National Park frequently and it would be nice to have a stainless Becker for such excursions. No one has to buy it, but i dont see the point in wanting a special run of a knife that is already produced.
 
I'm with bladite on this one. 154CM is SOLID, not super expensive. D2 seems like the wrong choice for a becker-type knife. Anything that's gonna get batonned oughta be tougher than D2, at least in the FFG version.

-DAIZEE
 
Bladite said:
154cm would best

s30v might be desirable, but probably won't happen

D2 is very possible, but doesn't thrill me
Click to expand...

me too. HONOR THE MODS!

154CM is god. Perfect for utility knives, can trow a spark on a firesteel, wicked tough.

S30V is highly spoken of, so I'd go for it. Not any experience though.

D2. Nah, CV does the job.
 
I voted S35V, but if Bladite says that ain't gonna happen, I'm inclined to believe him.

The choices in the poll are all good, but don't be fooled by the way the vote is shaping up. Yes, 1095 is ahead as the single most popular choice, but it's still only at about 30%, which means that 70% prefer a different steel. That puts 1095 in the minority, depending on how you look at it.

I have a lot of positive experience with S30V, none with S35V, though my understanding is that there's not enough difference in composition or characteristics to really draw much of a distinction between them. Assuming that's true, that's why I voted S35V. Awesome blade-steel.

I also have a lot of experience with 154CM, and agree, it is a very good blade-steel. Probably cheaper (though I'm not positive about that - I see a lot of customs made out of 154CM that are just as expensive as any other medium-to-higher-end steels).

If people are shying away from S30V (or 35) because of cost considerations, there's no way ELMAX or M4 is going to suffice. Though I have no personal experience with either, I have read up on them a lot, and yeah, they're both awesome blade-steels, but e.x.p.e.n.s.i.v.e.

I personally have no problem with D2. I've used it and been satisfied with it. I think the charges of brittleness and lack of toughness are overblown when talking about using it for knife base material. The comparisons are usually tested against other tool steels in their role as tool steel, not knife steel. Tempered right, D2 makes a great knife steel.

With the exception of the D2, all of the experience I allude to above has been with using folders. That is a limiting factor in how useful my experiences are to the question at hand. I'd have to see some data or personal experience saying that S30V (or 35) is deficient for some reason in a fixed blade before I'd be wanting to change my vote, but since that ain't gonna happen anyway (according to Bladite), I'll go with 154CM or D2. For me, in a limited run scenario exclusively for BFC, almost any decent, proven steel except for 1095 is preferable. Makes it "feel" more custom to me. Kinda more "special." I'd likely buy it no matter what it was made out of though.

Blues
 
BluesStringer said:
I personally have no problem with D2. I've used it and been satisfied with it. I think the charges of brittleness and lack of toughness are overblown when talking about using it for knife base material. The comparisons are usually tested against other tool steels in their role as tool steel, not knife steel. Tempered right, D2 makes a great knife steel.

Blues
Click to expand...

+1,000

The fact is its pretty much as tough as any other steel metnioned on this lists accept for CMP -3V. It also about twice as rust resitant as 3V and for all practical purposes as rust pro0f as 154 Cm or S-30 v. If anyone doubts that LOOK at the actual compostion and ask yourself what two percentage points of chromium in 154 CM or S-30 V etc really does for rust Resistance ? Answer- not a damn thing.

It's the reason why Bob Dozier, The Winstons, Gene Ingram, Knives of Alaska and many, many other makers continue to use D2. Lots of those knives are used in wet climates like Alaska and do just fine. When was the last time you heard of a D2 RAT, KABAR Extrem or Kershaw Outcast chipping ,rusting or otherwise failing compared to say a comparable S-30V blade?

I can't .

IMHO, D2 is good all around rust resistiant steel and a BK16 should be so lucky as to be made from it.:)
 
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