Is it really that steel?

[waughstreet]

Hi. Hi. Often when I see a knife for sale I'll Google the steel to see what bladeforums has to say about it - and it is always interesting.

I recently was reading here a twenty-plus page thread about a maker that apparently was misrepresenting his work-product, his knives. That maker currently has on eBay a number of knives that he says are D2 steel, made in England and finished here. It appears the knives are going for around $40 - $100. For example (5 Oct. 2014):

[Live eBay auction links are not allowed, Link Removed]

I know from reading this forum that any steel has to be properly prepared if it is to live up to its potential. But here's the question: How do I know that the steel in a knife is the steel the seller says it is. The above knife on eBay is a reasonably good looking hunting knife descried as being D2 steel. i have to hope it has been heat-treated correctly - but how can I be sure that it is actually D2?

I suppose I can rely on the integrity of the maker, if it is a custom knife, and for manufacturers, on their own simple self-interest. But the seller/maker(?) of this knife throws that all in question. Can you make a very good D2 knife with micarta handles, even with some cosmetic "individuaity (read: flaws) be sold for $50 or so and still make the seller a profit? Or is there maybe something else going on? Or, back to the first question, if he says it's D2, do I only have his word for it?

 

[suedeface]

There is no law that says the steel type stamped on the blade must be the one actually used in that blade. You just have to trust the maker.

 

[EChoil]

double....

 

[Comeuppance]

D2 can be a relatively cheap steel, honestly. Many Chinese knockoffs of higher-end knives use D2, and several Kershaw knives have D2 blades or composite blades. It's a relatively easy-to-acquire steel with good properties if well heat-treated.

It's that last part that is key. Chances are, if the price doesn't match the assumed labor and materials, something is probably amiss. Why gamble with an unknown if you're worried about details like blade steel / heat treat?

 

[EChoil]

Cheap D-2 can produce a less expensive knife than more expensive, proper D-2 knife steel. And if the only word you have that a blade is D-2 is his, then yes---all you have is someone's promise. Sort of like buying stocks or installment gold.....

I want the steel stamped on the blade for beginners. If not, I want to know it came directly from a reputable manufacturer. It's the same with Rockwell ratings, heat treat, bearing/spring quality....it's why you have to buy from someone you know you can trust, especially on high-end deals.

 

[Morrow]

Read through this thread in reference to your original ebay link. You can search the thread looking for "CFK"

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...sell-knives-as-hand-made-when-they-are-blanks

 

[DrBulldog]

Test it, and the proof is in the pudding.

 

[LX_Emergency]

You'll never know short of a spectrum analysis. It all comes down to trust really. Even if it behaves well in testing that's still no garantee that it wasn't something else that was heat treated and ground to a similar performance.

 

[singularity35]

The taste test...

 

[nick21]

A good steel is wasted with a bad heat treat. If it's cheaper than it should be and you're suspicious, chances are that corners were cut.

 

[ev13wt]

A good heat treated D2 will outperform a bad heat treat "supersteel".

It comes down to trust and ability of the maker.

 

[DrBulldog]

WaysunJohnnyTsai and Teds Outsdoors, both YouTube channels not affiliated with CFK, have pretty good field test reviews of the D2.

 

[bdmicarta]

I would suggest studying the background of the maker and his reputation among buyers. If you are unsure, buy something else.

"A knife made overseas and finished here", sold for a low price, does not sound very promising. In buying a custom knife I feel that you are buying the skill and hand craftsmanship of the maker. If the knife is made elsewhere by someone else, then what are you buying?

As for the price of a D2 knife- there is an online knife supply company that sells finished blade blanks in D2. You can buy these and put your own scales on them. I believe these blanks sell for about $30, so it would be difficult for someone to add scales and sell them for a profit.

I used to buy a lot of custom knives with no intention of ever using most of them so the steel technically wouldn't matter, but I still wanted to believe that it was good steel and properly heat treated. I bought a small knife for a low price and it turned out that the finish work was not up to the standards of knives I was collecting so I decided to make it a user. I got interested in its steel and heat treat, the only way I could find out about it was to actually test it so I did some cardboard cutting alongside one of my known folders. I found that it wasn't as good as my good folders, but wasn't junk either, so I can have some confidence in actually using it.