Just Bought a 8cr13mov Knife - What's your take?

I am literally unable to remember the last time I carried a knife in 8cr. I think I still have a few Kershaws knocking around in a drawer, but honestly, they'll never be carried or used. I certainly would never buy a knife in 8cr today, that's just me.
 
I have no problem with it. I think it’s a great steel for the price. I love my tenacious and is a great first knife
 
I have the Kershaw link in both m390 and 8cr13. They both get sharp. The 8cr13 feels more dull halfway thru trash day when the cardboard gets processed, the 390 gets sharpened or rather stropped about every month but thats because of my OCD not the knife dull state.

Kershaw does have some nice designs every year, maybe on year two they should offer an up graded steel something above 14c28n, but still
Stay below $100. I think they are afraid of protecting their ZT line too much. Does anyone know what the respective steels cost? Like
8cr13=x$
7cr17=x/2
14c28n=2x?
 
About the best thing I can say about 8cr is that it's better than 7cr, LOL

I prefer 9cr, which is reasonably good steel. 8cr is OK for some things, but for a hard use hunting knife or folder, nope.
 
once you go to 14c28n you can't go back ; )

they already make the leek (and skyline, k/o, blur, & bareknuckle), in it,
...wth don't they just do the whole 8cr13 line, I guarantee they'd sell like hotcakes, an atmos with sandvik - imagine
imho it would be a home run/td/gggggggooooooal for kershaw
 
DrHenley said:
About the best thing I can say about 8cr is that it's better than 7cr, LOL

I prefer 9cr, which is reasonably good steel. 8cr is OK for some things, but for a hard use hunting knife or folder, nope.
Click to expand...

I like 9Cr18Mov if it's done well. Civivi does a fantastic job. I've had a few cheapies where I couldn't tell the difference from 8Cr13Mov.

I've had some okay knives in 7Cr17Mov. When done well, edge retention isn't much worse than 8Cr13Mov. At least it's more stainless. If those were your only two options, 7Cr17Mov might be a better choice for moist environments.
 
When starting I bought a few 8Cr's mostly Kershaw. Then I got a Tenacious. I'm not a heavy user so they did okay, and sharpen really easily. Still have those knives but rarely use them now. Once I stepped up to 154CM, then S30v then up to even better steels I just don't seem to have any time for them. I do think it's an okay steel as long as you like sharpening. But I wouldn't pay much money for one. The quality of the knife in general goes up the better the steel, at least in my experience. Though if I really, really loved the design and it only came in 8Cr, I'd probably get one.
 
rogatsby said:
Let's be clear. I don't prefer 8cr13mov steel. It's not ideal. But in my experience, it holds up well if made and heat treated correctly.

Anyway, one of my favorite knife designs is the Kershaw Atmos. I briefly had it, loved it, but then gave it away because I don't like 8cr13mov.

But I missed it. It had amazing action, was light, and the overall design was beautiful. In short, it is just a great knife with less than ideal steel.

Yes, blade steel is 8cr13mov. Not the best. But you know what? Not the worst. I can sharpen the crap out of it, and it works fine for me.

Question is, is 8cr a deal breaker for any of you guys?
Click to expand...
Yes sir, any of the steels what go in that format **cr**mov are a thumbs down to me because of quality for your money and it 90% of the time denotes a Chinese made knife. I dislike 8cr13mov in particular because my dad ,when he was still around, bought my mom a full Wusthoff set in that stuff and it was so bad. It scratches and lost an edge so fast, never rolled but chipped. So just on a personal note it irritates me so I hate it!
 
Cosmodragoon said:
I've had some okay knives in 7Cr17Mov. When done well, edge retention isn't much worse than 8Cr13Mov. At least it's more stainless. If those were your only two options, 7Cr17Mov might be a better choice for moist environments.
Click to expand...
I have one particular matched pair of knives (4"&6") in 7cr that I used a number of times deer hunting because I liked the size and shape of the knives. Using both I can barely make it through one deer before they need to be touched up. I guess if you are willing to resharpen often, then it's not that bad. They will take a keen edge fairly easily, and I haven't had any chipped edges with them. I put a 15 dps edge on the 6" and a 20 dps edge on the 4".

I used the 6" as a rough model for a knife I made from D2. Haven't had a chance to skin a deer with it yet though.
 
rogatsby said:
Let's be clear. I don't prefer 8cr13mov steel. It's not ideal. But in my experience, it holds up well if made and heat treated correctly.

Anyway, one of my favorite knife designs is the Kershaw Atmos. I briefly had it, loved it, but then gave it away because I don't like 8cr13mov.

But I missed it. It had amazing action, was light, and the overall design was beautiful. In short, it is just a great knife with less than ideal steel.

Yes, blade steel is 8cr13mov. Not the best. But you know what? Not the worst. I can sharpen the crap out of it, and it works fine for me.

Question is, is 8cr a deal breaker for any of you guys?
Click to expand...

Depending on your budget it might be okay for every day use. I edc my Spyderco Gayle Bradley which uses a different type of steel, M4, and although it costs much more than the Atmos does it is a tough bastard and requires little sharpening. But the Atmos has it's advantages, especially for someone just starting out in the knife hobby. Here is a good review of this knife. He loves it for $30.

 
Last edited:
If the design is great, the 8Cr13Mov steel shouldn't be deterrent. It's a bit on the soft side (like AUS8 or 12C27) for my taste but it performs OK. Just bought this one because it's an A.G Russell design and Wow ! this is certainly one of the best designed knives I have ever held. I must work hard to find something to criticize. Sneering at the steel would have been a great way to miss out on a fantastic knife :
pXLaabJ.jpg
 
McFeeli said:
My Tenacious is probably one of the better 8cr blades I own. Keeps an edge well enough, and is amazingly easy to get back to par. Obviously I’d prefer something like M390 on just about every folder I own, but that’s not realistic. I wouldn’t skip over a knife that I like everything about just because of 8cr. 2cr.. maybe, haha.
Click to expand...

Same with my Resilience. It's a good blade that holds and edge and is easy to sharpen. Whether I would pass up an 8cr knife would depend on the maker (Spyderco does a good job) and the price. My Resilience cost me about $40 and in my opinion was a good deal. I'm not sure that I would drop $200 or more for knife with a 8cr blade. In that price range there are better steels (but what do I know, I'm still learning).
 
I have no problem with 8cr. My spydercos and Kershaws in it are just fine, and stay sharp long enough. Take them to the sharpmaker and a few swipes and they're ready to go again.

I like my higher end steels too, but truth be told if I only had 8cr blades I would be just fine, and I routinely carry my 8cr blades with no worries.
 
The Chinese produced "Cr series" of steels (9Cr could be an exception) lacks carbon to hold an edge even during mild use, a little prone to corrosion and not quite as hard; however these are quite cheap and if ground properly it could considered be a winner from "value" standpoint.

However these days knives with D2 steels (high hardness, relatively high toughness and relatively corrosion resistant) are often available in the same average price range as "Cr series" and "could" be considered a better alternative IMHO. I mention "could" because there is a controversy between "Chinese made" semi-D2 variant and true D2.
 
Last edited:
I'm not a steel snob, but I'll avoid 8cr13mov and majority of steels like that. And I'll also avoid anything 440 and any mystery stainless steel. I won't even mention 420.

From my experience you can get really good quality blade in a non stainless high carbon steel for really low price. Corrosion won't be an issue if you maintain it, exceptions are if you're going to sea or fishing, then I agree stainless steel has an advantage.
 
It was a gateway steel for a lot of folks. Just gets old sharpening it all the time. It's nice to either have a steel that holds the time and skill invested into sharpening it. Or have a steel that is more enjoyable to sharpen and takes a crisper edge and deburrs better.

Can't argue with folks that love it and can't fault them for it either.

The heat treatment and geometry is worse than the steel really on the knives its used on. They can't afford to improve that either with the price they need to sell at.

So it's stuck and always will be because it's budget steel for budget knives.

No biggie.



rogatsby said:
Let's be clear. I don't prefer 8cr13mov steel. It's not ideal. But in my experience, it holds up well if made and heat treated correctly.

Anyway, one of my favorite knife designs is the Kershaw Atmos. I briefly had it, loved it, but then gave it away because I don't like 8cr13mov.

But I missed it. It had amazing action, was light, and the overall design was beautiful. In short, it is just a great knife with less than ideal steel.

Yes, blade steel is 8cr13mov. Not the best. But you know what? Not the worst. I can sharpen the crap out of it, and it works fine for me.

Question is, is 8cr a deal breaker for any of you guys?
Click to expand...
 
Eh for me its more about the design than the steel although my favorite steel is 20cv, I have a mini grip in it, I beat the hell out of it and its still sharp. For me its more about the design, I like axis locks and the lowest end steel you can easily find on one is 154cm but ymmv.
 
Like most steels the performance will depend on the heat treat - all other things being equal. I don’t seek 8cr out, but I’ve learned not to let it deter me from buying a knife either. I have a drawer full of AGR with 8cr. They are beautifully executed budget knives. I didn’t expect much in terms of performance, but have been pleasantly surprised (shocked) at how well they do perform in reality. I suspect AGR manufacturers take extra care with their heat treatment (or something) in order to wring out every bit of blade performance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top