Is there any way to date my Gerber LMFII or tell what steel its made of?

[Bennett Richards]

I was just wondering if there was any distinguishing mark on the LMFII Gerbers that might identify its vintage?

Thanks.

 

[Hiro-kun]

Not unless you kept the box it came in and even then, it's not certain. If you got it before January 2008, it's made of 12C27. Otherwise, it's 440A or 420HC, the latter being the most likely.

 

[Bennett Richards]

Mine is 2008 vintage.
Is 12C27 a descent steel?

 

[Hiro-kun]

Mine is 2008 vintage.
Is 12C27 a descent steel?

It's a steel formulated by Sandvik as a fine-grained knife steel. 420HC also falls into this category and has a very similar composition.

Is there a particular reason you need to know the precise steel your knife is made of? These steels are similar enough that they won't be distinguishable in actual use. There are many variables that go into making a good knife and steel composition is only one of them.