Izula and 1095?

S

ShooterMcgavin

Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
609
First of all, I really like the design of the Izula. I think the length, the thickness, and the lines are great! It is minimalistic and elegant.

However, is 1095 the BEST steel to use for a neck knife? This will be hanging in a sweaty area, maybe for many days at a time. Rust resistance would seem to be a bigger factor for this type of knife. I know 1095 should be fine when kept clean and coated, but why not make it mostly maintenance free by using a stainless steel?

Any thoughts on that?
 
The coating makes it very maintenance free. I have used a couple Izula neck knives in very humid and wet conditions with no issues at all.

-RB
 
Mines is uncoated/unoiled, and I've used it for crabbing and preparing all kinds of foods. I usually don't wipe it off until the knife is off duty too, which could be a couple hours.

There's no such thing as the best steel for a neck knife. We could go on forever about whether carbon or stainless is better, use http://www.google.com/coop/cse/onthefly to search the forums. From a business perspective, I believe 1095 is cheap and good steel, so the savings will be passed on to us. Maybe someday down the line they'll make a stainless necker, but there are already plenty of good stainless knives in the market.
 
MRpink said:
From a business perspective, I believe 1095 is cheap and good steel, so the savings will be passed on to us.
Click to expand...

That basically sums up our whole goal in this industry. Make the best product that can be made while using the best materials available and still maintain efficiency and a reasonable price. 1095 does that very well. No doubt there are other steels that may be better for certain applications but would the cost factor justify it? Not only the cost of the material itself but the extra cost of processing it in some cases. 1095 grinds really well. D2, on the other hand, can be a bitch to grind. When it comes to manufacturing the way we do it, we have to look at overall costs. So, if we have to take time to change out grinding media, stock different grinding media, etc. then the cost goes up not only from the raw material but from time.

With all that said, this does not mean we will never make a knife out of another steel. In fact, Shon and us have been discussing stainless for some time now. It's just a matter of getting around to it.
 
1095 is one of my favorite steals. It performs well, takes a wicked sharp edge, even I can sharpen it in the field, and I love the patina it gets. Yes it can rust easily, but if you get a good patina on it and wipe it down with oil there really is no issue. My RC's have the coating so that pretty much keeps it maintenance free. The edge can get some spots, after a couple of passes on the sharp maker or stropping all gone.
 
tonym said:
1095 is one of my favorite steals. It performs well, takes a wicked sharp edge, even I can sharpen it in the field, and I love the patina it gets. Yes it can rust easily, but if you get a good patina on it and wipe it down with oil there really is no issue. My RC's have the coating so that pretty much keeps it maintenance free. The edge can get some spots, after a couple of passes on the sharp maker or stropping all gone.
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:D I agree !
 
R.A.T. said:
That basically sums up our whole goal in this industry. Make the best product that can be made while using the best materials available and still maintain efficiency and a reasonable price. 1095 does that very well. No doubt there are other steels that may be better for certain applications but would the cost factor justify it? Not only the cost of the material itself but the extra cost of processing it in some cases. 1095 grinds really well. D2, on the other hand, can be a bitch to grind. When it comes to manufacturing the way we do it, we have to look at overall costs. So, if we have to take time to change out grinding media, stock different grinding media, etc. then the cost goes up not only from the raw material but from time.

With all that said, this does not mean we will never make a knife out of another steel. In fact, Shon and us have been discussing stainless for some time now. It's just a matter of getting around to it.
Click to expand...
Those are all good points. No more complaints on the subject from me :)

Thanks for the details.
 
I love 1095 to the core. It is so easy to touch up in the field and is WONDERFUL for the knife use (not safe queen or one cut wannabee) minded individual. It will take lots of abuse and if for some reason you do ding the edge up, you won't have to wait until you get home to fix it. marvelous field steel.
 
R.A.T. said:
That basically sums up our whole goal in this industry. Make the best product that can be made while using the best materials available and still maintain efficiency and a reasonable price. 1095 does that very well. No doubt there are other steels that may be better for certain applications but would the cost factor justify it? Not only the cost of the material itself but the extra cost of processing it in some cases. 1095 grinds really well. D2, on the other hand, can be a bitch to grind. When it comes to manufacturing the way we do it, we have to look at overall costs. So, if we have to take time to change out grinding media, stock different grinding media, etc. then the cost goes up not only from the raw material but from time.

With all that said, this does not mean we will never make a knife out of another steel. In fact, Shon and us have been discussing stainless for some time now. It's just a matter of getting around to it.
Click to expand...

Speak of cost, any update on that? ;)
 
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