Lamey steel opinions needed

[blademan 13]

OK fellows, here is the deal. While I know that I could just ask Matt about the differences he finds when using the various steels in his applications, I know many of you fellow forumites have and use Matt's blades, and would like to hear from you also. I have my eye on one of Matt's knives, the 9" Camp Bowie in 1/4" stock. This knife is to be my faithful companion (along with an Allen Blade 10" CPB) next spring when I am clearing a parcel of land on which to build a camp. This knife will see very heavy use clearing brush, limbing and chopping (my chainsaw is not nearly as much fun

). Sharpening is to be expected and it is not a problem to stop and give a touch up now and then. As such, ultimate edge holding can take a backseat to other requirements such as ease of sharpening and resistance to chipping and/or rolling. Stain resistance and corrosion resistance are not really that important either as the blade will be cared for after each use (but I am interested and would like to hear experiences in this area anyway). I have ruled out the stainless steels as a matter of preference. Among those choices remaining are forged 1095, O-1, A2, D2 or CPM3V. What I am looking for is real world experiences you have with your blades. If you are fortunate enough to own more than one of Matt's blades, direct comparisons would even be better. And Matt, I am definitely looking forward to hearing your opinions on what steel you would recommend for my specific application. I was also wondering if the inherent toughness of CPM3V would allow for a slightly thinner edge than the other steels? While this would potentially allow for easier brush cutting and limbing, is this at the expense of increase sticking when chopping heavier wood? For this application are the use of A2, D2 or CPM3V worth the $50-$75 premium over the other steels? Please feel free to give all the info you have as it is surely appreciated. Thanks in advance guys. BTW, my first choice here is the 1095 with a slightly softer heat treat for an added measure of toughness and easy touch-ups.

[This message has been edited by blademan 13 (edited 11-01-2000).]

 

[Samurai6]

I am surprised Matt didn't recommend his 1084. He does a differential heat treatment on that and you should wind up with a darn good blade. The only thing I can imagine that would be better would be 52100 or CPM3V. I can't remember him offering me 52100. 3V is good, but it costs more and Matt has to source out his heat treatment on it.

He is making a bowie for me, a big Sunrise Fighter, and it is 1084. After that my preferences for a big camp knife would be differentially HT'd O-1 from your list.

 

[Ferret]

I think he's bluing 5160 (?) for me with a 4" Hornet...I said I wanted sole authorship and described the likely use of the knife and that's what he chose (when last we spoke). Either way, he seems a top bloke and extremely reasonable too

 

[blademan 13]

Thanks for your views guys. Keep 'em coming.

 

[Kodiak PA]

I have 3 Lamey knives in 1095 including a large camp knife with an exposed tang that I affectionately call "The Mutha". I find that his heat treatment of this steel is outstanding and I have had no problems at all with edge deformation or chipping and have been very happy with this steel. Tuff-Cloth prevents rusting so that is not a problem. I can't compare his other knife steels but I have done a head to head comparison of my Lamey camp knife versus a Busse Basic 7 with modified INFI and the Lamey knife out performed the Busse easily. Like they say, 'It's all in the heat treatment'. I was able to literally beat the crap outta the Lamey and was very pleased on how it held up. The Busse with all of its hype chipped and rolled. I got rid of the knife afterwards.

The other point I would like to make about Matt's knives are his handles. They are done quite well and you could have the best steel/heat treatment in the world and it wouldn't help without a comfy handle. I am very happy with all 3 knives with their comfort when holding, slicing and chopping.

Those Kenny Rowe sheaths aren't too bad either,

The easy decision was ordering a knife from Matt. The hard decision is selecting the steel.

Let us know what you decide. Here is a review I did on Matt's Camp knife from last year. It is on The Edge web site. Click HERE to see it.

Regards,


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~Greg Mete~
Kodiak Alaska
JKM-Chai

[This message has been edited by Kodiak PA (edited 11-02-2000).]

 

[RMLamey]

Hi Blademan, Im currently working on a batch of 3V blades. I havent finished any yet, so i cant say how they will perform. From all i gather they should be great.

If you want a forged blade, i would recomend 5160, 0-1, 1084, 1095 in no special order. For a large blade that will primarily be used for chopping, i might lean to 5160.

If stain resistance is a concern at all, i would go with D2. I have my large D2 knives hardened to RC 58 and cryo'd.

I bring the edges on all of my knives very thin, and apply either a Moran edge or a conventional beveled edge. I personally like the Moran edge, but some folks have trouble sharpening them and request the beveled edge.

Cost is another factor, my 3v knives are an additional $75, D2 an additional $50. This is for several reasons i will explain when you contact me.

Im currently trying to knock my waiting list down, my goal is a 2 to 3 month turn over on a constant basis.

Thanks for your consideration. I would love to work with you on the knife you want.

Matt.




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"Never hit a man unless you must, but if you must, knock him down" Teddy Roosevelt.

www.lameyknives.com

 

[blademan 13]

Kodiak,
I read your very thorough and informative review. Impressive stuff, and it was a contributing factor in my decision to initially go with 1095. I must agree that handle comfort is necessary to fully exploit any advantages that a great heat treat and blade design give a knife. I really need a knife that I can use for long periods of time without causing any discomfort.

But opinions are meant to be changed. When someone with unsurpassed experience (in a specific application) gives me their recommendation, I tend to listen. I guess I will go with Matt's choice of 5160. As he puts it, "it is tough, tough, tough". Sounds like a recipe for sure success. I inadevertently overlooked 5160 as an available steel choice from Matt. Somehow I think that this will inevitably lead me to make informal comparisons between the differentially heat treated 5160 of Allen Blade's 10" Combat Patrol Bowie and Matt's forged 5160 9" Camp Bowie this Spring. Sounds like a good time to me

!

As far as the sheath, I guess that I will have to opt for one of Kenny Rowe's leather swingers. Combined with a dark stained curly maple handle, this package should be quite easy on the eyes.

Thanks to all those who responded. I have now officially sentenced myself to a few months of personal h*ll that I like to call "the wait"

.

[This message has been edited by blademan 13 (edited 11-02-2000).]