Metals Fight Club: 5160 vs. L6

D

Dangus

Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
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In the first installment of Metals Fight Club we'll go over the rules:

1) You do NOT talk about metals fight club!
2) You do NOT talk about metals fight club!!
3) Only two metals to a fight
4) If you know anything useful about these metals, you have to post.
5) If the info runs out, the fight is over.

Ok, so lets get started.

5160: Tell us what you know

L6: Tell us what you know
 
Well now Dangus....I already got a big pounding in the L6 arena...but never let it be said that I had any sense at all.

5160 is the KING Of STEEL!!! User friendly almost idiot proof (almost), easy to work, takes and holds an excellent edge. Is capable of controlled linear fisson!

Let the thumping begin!
 
We got home from the Montana Knifemakers Association. This year they hosted a rope cutting contest. Jon Christianson won with a knife designed to cut rope. It was made of 5160. He cut seven 1" ropes with one swing! I saw it myself. Very impressive to say the least. My vote is for 5160
 
Jon beat many of the best... Rick Dunkerley (and his drag queen)?,
Shane Taylor, Ed Caffrey, and many others. My congrats to Jon!!!
 
I love L6 but it is a pain to forge! It's stiff under the hammer and has to be worked hotter. 5160 in my experience forges like butter in comparison and with a proper heat treat (triple normalize, triple quench, triple temper) makes a tough knife that holds an edge very well.

Guy Thomas
 
Bruce,
Back up a minute. Jon did win with a very good SIX ropes cut succesfully. However he did fail to cut seven. That aside. I'll give my nod to 5160 for the overall winner. but IMHO L6 is a tougher steel. It just won't hold an edge as well.:confused:
 
Ok, now that I have a large order of L-6 on the way I have a question :D . Several have mentioned that L-6 doesn't hold an edge as well as 5160. What elements besides carbon contribute to edge holding? From looking at various sources I have noticed that not all L-6 is alloyed the same (or may have changed through time). I'll list the alloys from the Admiral steel site for these two steels. The L-6 has higher carbon content than the 5160. From these number it would appear to me that the L-6 has more to offer but I don't have any experience to base this on. What do you think?

L-6
C .75
Mn .70
Si .25
Cr .80
Ni 1.50
Mo .30

5160
C.60
Mn.85
Si .25
Cr .80
P .035
S .040

Shawn
 
Carbon doesn't tell the whole story. After a certain percentage it doesn't make a lot of difference. When I said I had never gotten a good blade from L6. The key word is "I". I'll give L6 a lot of things but for my skill level, I can't forge it as well or heat treat it as well as 5160. A lot of edge holding properties are owed not to the steel but to the knife maker. I expect that Bruce Evans or Bruce Bump could produce a better knife using Home Depot steel than I could using 5160.

A lot of it is in the HT. They know tricks that improve the grain that it will take us a lifetime to develope. I used to be one of those people who read the contents in steel and shouted "I've found the perfect knife steel". The truth is it doesn't exist.

I choose 5160 because it is tolerant of my mistakes and lack of knowledge. I can produce a good knife with it. I may never produce a great knife, but I know I can make a good one with 5160.

You may very well be able to get the same or better results from L6. If a perfect steel existed, we would all be using it. Instead we just use what works for us at our present level.
 
Hi Guys, Let me put my .02 worth in here. I have been grinding L-6 for about 4 years and have recently started to use 5160. I get my L-6 from a diaper factory, here in Waco. When I get the steel, it is so hard I can't even clamp it down. I have to normalize it sometimes 3 times, to get it ready to shape and grind. L-6 is a hard use steel, and wil take punishment that other steels can't hold up too. When sharpened properly, you cannot feel the sharpness and alot of people can't sharpen the steel. When a good edge is acheived, it really lasts and can be restored with a diamond file, very quickly. I beleive 5160 will get a little sharper, but it will dull quicker than L-6. 5160 is a easier to make steel and is more tolerant to mistakes. L-6 is not that forgiving and requires more time in the making of the knife. I have to agree with bruce, L-6 is the best for a hard use hunter or lg field knife. I also think that 5160 is a great steel and hope to make many knives from it, it works faster.
KEN (WWJD)
 
When L-6 is heat treated properly in my opinion you can't hardly beat it for edgeholding in a skinner.But for a bigger knife like a camp knife the 5160 has more toughness when it is heat treated properly.
I have used BOTH stells allot in my years of knife making and I would not hesitate to use either one for any knife that I needed to make.
If you want my honest opinion it would be a toss up for either steel to be a winner.You can't go wrong with either steel.Each one has its plus side and its down side compared to the other.
Just use what you have,learn to heat treat it to it's maximum potential and then make the rest of the knife better than the last one you just made.And you will win either way.
Just my humble thoughts here.
Bruce
 
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