is 12C 27 steel a good type of steel??

C

clone7

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Feb 14, 2005
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Hey I am looking at getting a Utility knive. I was just wondering if anyone knows if 12c27 steel is good for a utility knive?

Thanks
 
The swedosh stuff is very clean and takes a very nice edge, though doesn't hold it for very long. (440A ish)
 
Head over to the Bark River web site. Mike is using it on some of his blades and is getting good results. I think it is all in how it is heat treated.


Cerberus
:cool:
 
12C27 is a Swedish steel made specifically for cutlery, according to Butch Winter (who recently passed away, a loss for the knife community). It is fine grained and takes an excellent edge. I believe that Frosts uses it in their excellent fillet knives, the ones preferred by west coast fishermen; it will hold an edge better than high carbon under working conditions in salt water. Benchmade used to use it. It won't hold an edge like some of the more complex stain resistant steels such as ATS-34, but is easier to resharpen. A good choice. I think K-BAR uses it in one of their stainless models.
 
I like it, had good experiences with it. Not the latest and greatest, but really not bad. Takes a good edge.
 
I concur with the others -- 12C27 steel, sometimes called "Sandvik steel," is great for knife blades. I've owned EKA of Sweden and Frosts of Sweden brand knives that used Sandvik and it's great.

I respectfully disagree with some of the others who state it loses its edge quickly -- cutting paper and light cardboard (i.e., shipping cartons), my Sandvik knives held up admirably. However, I will admit I never used my Sandvik bladed knives on any other material except maybe cloth, so I can't vouch for Sandvik when used on, say, wood or game.
 
Benchmade has used it in the past with excellent results.

It's one of only a handfull of steel alloys every specifically confected for blades.
 
I once read a thread by a famous knifemaker on this subject, but I cannot remember which one. Anyhow, the jist of his comments was that, with the best possible heat treatment, Sandvik 12C27 would give performance somewhere between AUS8 and 440C. He also pointed out that most factory knives in 12C27 don't get the kind of heat treatment that gets the most out of 12C27, so for most factory knives made of the stuff the performance will be similar to that of 440A.

Bark River seems to be dedicated to getting the most out of the steel they use, so a Bark River knife made of 12C27 might be pretty good. I have not heard of any other brand that might also give a superlative heat treatment to 12C27.

By the way, Kabar no longer uses 12C27 for its Next Generation fighter. They have switched to 440A.
 
W.T. Beck said:
By the way, Kabar no longer uses 12C27 for its Next Generation fighter. They have switched to 440A.
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Bad move, IMHO. Somebody is always trying to save money, at the expense of quality. :( :grumpy:
 
Puma used quite a bit of the material, it is fairly close to AEBL steels. Being very fine grained it will get very sharp. It is not real high in Carbon, I think about .75 or less. The AUS steels from Japan are similar, in performance. They are fairly easy to sharpen for stainless steels...Ed
 
I have a Laguiole with at 12c27 blade. It takes a great edge, and is easy to sharpen. The problem is that it is hardened to only about 54 RC.

I would love to try a custom blade with 12c27 bladed hardened to 59 RC. I heard that Bailey Bradshaw works with this steel. I bet that although not the latest and greatest, one of his knives with this steel would be an awesome performer.
 
Very good steel. Sandvic as I understand is iron ore deposit - very clean by nature, no any S or P at all - kind of gift from Mother Nature to Swedish. At some point KaBar Next Generation Team choose it as a steel for new KaBar (1222...) and they were very disappointed when KaBar switch to 440A, as
I understand.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
I like this steel a lot. Easy to sharpen, gets shaving sharp and is pretty rust resistant. My latest knife with 12C27 blade steel is a Mora Frost Camping. For $4 it's a steal ;)




The stain on the blade is from removing a sticker. I've drilled a lanyard hole into the handle and now it fits my camping purposes just perfect.

~Paul~
 
Danbo said:
Bad move, IMHO. Somebody is always trying to save money, at the expense of quality. :( :grumpy:
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I disagree. 12C27 and 440A are similar in performance. I don't think there is much change in quality at all. Kabar is supporting the American steel supplier. Seems like a good move to me.
 
Blades_Two said:
I disagree. 12C27 and 440A are similar in performance. I don't think there is much change in quality at all. Kabar is supporting the American steel supplier. Seems like a good move to me.
Click to expand...

Similar, but not the same. 12C27 is a finer grained steel and is probably much cleaner.
 
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