I'm sick of all the black coated blades

I've gotten to the point where I favor satin finished blades above all else. Doesn't mean I won't take a black coated blade, just prefer not too. A satin or mirror polished blade that has been coated by Bodycote in their DLC treatment is a thing of beauty and I'd take a dozen of them!! :D :cool: :D
 
No offense, BobW - but I doubt anything rusts in New Mexico. I travel NM all the time since a friend has a ranch on the NM/TX border. I often get nose bleeds due to the lack of humidity and the altitude. What's the average humidty? 10...15% maybe? And an altitude of 3-5,000' on average? That's mighty thin air, to boot. And, of course, no proximity to sea water. Today, a typical spring day in the Texas Hill Country, the relative humidity is 71% and the temperature is 83 *. That will rust A2 out in short order unless it's coated with something - black teflon, oil, etc. As long as it's coated. And we're not even talking Houston by the Gulf. And it's not even summer yet where the humidity can climb to 95% or more with a thunderstorm dropping 4" rain an hour in 90-95 degree weather.
My personal knife is a 9 3/4" Bowie made from L6. I keep it coated with CLP. It's never rusted. You might coat yours with Teflon or what have ya. That's your business. Not mine.

WYK
 
Wanna know what I think looks good? The blued finish on my SOG Recon Bowie. Man, I think it's beautiful. Less 'tactical' I think than classy. I wonder why more knives aren't blued like this.
 
Wanna bet Boink?
Scout_Kydex.jpg

:p
;)


It is all about image.
What I don't understand is camo knife blades...I mean, it's in the sheath, right?
And blackticle blade finishes that are rough. That can't help cutting ability, right?

:D
 
I love the look of steel. The only way I would ever end up with a knife that had a coated blade would be if it was a gift. I hate black blades.
 
I like the way black blades perform in certain situations. If you've ever worked in a yard in the sun or used a knife under bright lights, you know how reflected light can be irritating. You could get the same non-reflective effect with bead blast or tumbled blades, but I just like the way black blades look; sometimes, anyway. A satin finish, to me, does bring out every nuance of beauty in a blade. It's no surprise that all my 'safe queens' are satin finished.
 
No offense, BobW - but I doubt anything rusts in New Mexico.
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:)

I grew up in Illinois and live in Arkansas for years. Got the heck out, mostly because of humidity. Still never had trouble with knives rusting, coated or not. Never owned an A-2 blade back then though.

I don't dispute that coatings do help prevent rust, but in my experience rust isn't a significant concern. But I am going to be very careful with my Anza; I hear those rust quickly if not treated.

-Bob
 
Is that a satin or San Mai Recon Scout? I didn't know it came in satin. Did you work on it?

WYK
 
Recon Scounts only come in black. He satined that thing. Beautiful. I generally love the look of steel, though some knives look off when they're NOT in black
 
EbbTide -

What model knife is that? Cold Steel is the maker? Nice.


Needs a good blackening.
 
Bob W said:
I thought this topic was going well. Someone stated an opinion, others replied with pros and cons, and someone even posted an excellent photo.

No one's trying to make someone buy one, or prevent someone from buying one. We're discussing/griping/asking questions/critiqueing knives and knife features. If we didn't do that, the forums would be dead.

-Bob
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The original poster was ranting, I was replying to his rant, which I truly do not understand. Anyways, I'll stop arguing just now.
 
DLC is the only coating I remotely like.

Everything else is really nothing special. I prefer a satin or polished blade over coated...coatings tend to come off with use, and scratches are far more noticeable with a coated blade than with a non-coated one.

In fact, reviewing my EDC rotation I only have one black blade and it's ceramic not steel!

I don't really care much for coated blades, but I won't let that stop me from buying one, if it's a knife I really like.

-Rob
 
GarageBoy said:
Coating= cheaper than polishing
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Give that man a kewpie doll!

You hit the nail on the head there brother. I have a Becker Necker. I decided I didn't like the coating. I took it down to the shop and got out the 240 wet dry paper and started rubbing. Guess what I found underneath?
RUST! They aren't doing ANY surface preperation before they coat the blades

btw The powdercoat comes off really easy. Too easy to be any real lasting protection for the blade.
 
I'm sorry I came to this post so late.

Cost is indeed the primary reason that so many quality steels are coated. Kershaw, for example, was very unhappy with the finish on their Bump. They just couldn't spend the time properly finishing the blade at their price point. The Avalanche, on the other hand, has a good steel (S60V, I believe) and with the bead blast/coated blade, they can move them to the shelves at a very atractive price.

Having cast my vote for the practicality of the issue, I prefer uncoated blades. As a soldier, I can safely say I have no need for a black-tical blade. And neither do 99% of my fellow soldiers. When BM went black-combo edge with all their autos, I cried (they supply the huge majority of Army contracts).

I've owned 6 black coated knives. Mostly BT2 coated BMs. They only coating that stood the test of time was the Tungstun DLC coated Kershaw Leek. It has been my EDC for quite a while, and has yet to show any wear. All the BMs showed scratches and gouges almost immediatly. My Camillus Aviator Survival knife is trashed. It looks like it's seen 3-4 combat tours (and it probobly has), but who cares.

It's also important to note that the DLC coated blades have no appreciable increase of corrosion resistance given the molecular nature of the bond with the metal. Only painted/epoxy/powder coated blades have much additional rust protection.
 
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