Mini Question : Kershaw 8Cr13MoV or Case SS ?

Wowbagger

Wowbagger

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Is there any significant difference in edge holding ?
I don't care about tarnish / rust resistance in the least. In fact I have seen where the Kershaw can rust . . . that's a plus in my book.

Your experience ?
I get along with the Case SS ok but . . . you know . . . I would prefer if EVERY KNIFE was M4 :)

PS: I ask because I have a project in mind and I am thinking of buying a basic old Kershaw OR just modding a Case Trapper with SS.
 
Wowbagger said:
Is there any significant difference in edge holding ?
I don't care about tarnish / rust resistance in the least. In fact I have seen where the Kershaw can rust . . . that's a plus in my book.

Your experience ?
I get along with the Case SS ok but . . . you know . . . I would prefer if EVERY KNIFE was M4 :)
PS: I ask because I have a project in mind and I am thinking of buying a basic old Kershaw OR just modding a Case Trapper with SS.
Click to expand...

Case Tru Sharp is 420HC.

8Cr13MoV, if hardened to the same hardness as 420HC, will hold an edge better than the 420HC.

However, Case runs their Tru Sharp blades soft at about 55 HRC. (55 was not an uncommon blade steel hardness a few decades ago, but is fairly soft compared to what most companies do today.) So, I'm guessing the Kershaw will be harder and therefore the difference will be even more noticeable.
 
Thank you very much guys !
I was touching up ; well just trying to remove a slight bur here and there that I noticed on a pretty darned sharp Case SS tonight. I was using a Dan's black ark razor stone and experimenting with making the pass on the stone short, quite a bit steeper and super light pressure as I was reading about recently for deburing SS.
The bur still fought me.
Kind of bears out what you said Knarfeng; soft 55.
I thought I heard here in BF that they were harder now. ~58 but it sure didn't feel like it.

anyway :thumbsup:
 
Wowbagger said:
Is there any significant difference in edge holding ?
I don't care about tarnish / rust resistance in the least. In fact I have seen where the Kershaw can rust . . . that's a plus in my book.

Your experience ?
I get along with the Case SS ok but . . . you know . . . I would prefer if EVERY KNIFE was M4 :)

PS: I ask because I have a project in mind and I am thinking of buying a basic old Kershaw OR just modding a Case Trapper with SS.
Click to expand...

I have a question for you.

How is it that you've posted 5,624 times about knives or steel...but just now you're asking about 420HC?:confused:

I'm serious.Did you snub the store found brands like Schrade,Buck,Camillus,Leatherman,Imperial..or some AUS-8 by Timberline or CRKT?

It's usually people who start with traditional steels and work their way up if finding the edge retention unsatisfactory...not the other way around.
 
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Wowbagger said:
Thank you very much guys !
I was touching up ; well just trying to remove a slight bur here and there that I noticed on a pretty darned sharp Case SS tonight. I was using a Dan's black ark razor stone and experimenting with making the pass on the stone short, quite a bit steeper and super light pressure as I was reading about recently for deburing SS.
The bur still fought me.
Kind of bears out what you said Knarfeng; soft 55.
I thought I heard here in BF that they were harder now. ~58 but it sure didn't feel like it.

anyway :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Buck runs their 420HC at 58-59. Queen also claimed to towards the end of their regime, but they are now out of business. Case, no.

Case Tru Sharp is known for forming burrs. My method of dealing with it is to sharpen, then use a stropping motion on my pant leg to bend the burr back and forth until it breaks off. It leaves a decent edge.
 
Frotier76 said:
How is it that you've posted 5,624 times about knives or steel...but just now you're asking about 420HC?:confused:

I'm serious.Did you snub the store found brands like Schrade,Buck,Camillus,Leatherman,Imperial..or some AUS-8 by Timberline or CRKT?
Click to expand...
I guess I'm just a slow learner :(
Schrade I have none
Buck I have two . . . oh wait I bought my first fixed a few months ago . . . one . . . two . . . er what comes after two . . . Oh YEAH three. I got three bucks now. No . . . there's that 110 LW. I got more than three but that's all.
Camillus nope zero
Leatherman . . . I know that word; I'll have to look that one up.
Imperial Oh sure I gots two of those; my very first knife ever and the Imperial from Ireland that The Chef just bought me.
AUS-8 you mean that super steel that is in them Cold Steels ? Oh sure got a few of those. They suck. Could be because I keep forgetting myself and accidentally putting them back in their factory sheaths . . . there goes the edge . . . can't keep em sharp long enough to actually use them. They look good in the pictures of me posing with all my ninja stuff though :thumbsup:
Timberline . . . that's 11,000 feet around here. I used to run up there but now I'm an old fart and sit on the couch and type with you guys. Why . . . what's that got to do with anything ?
CRKT . . . I know that one . . . that's Chris Reeve ! ? . . . no . . . too many letters. Hmmmm

Frotier76 said:
It's usually people who start with traditional steels and work their way up if finding the edge retention unsatisfactory...not the other way around.
Click to expand...
I'm not trying to work my way any where. I been to the top [ M4 ] and now I'm just farting around with handle shapes that I like (always wishing they were thicker of course) some times making them thicker.

I can cut the material I intended to cut with this Chill knife thing (which is very soft rubber tubing like objects for my work, plastic bags, and apples) and with about any old steel. Witness my mention of the SAK Bantam for this use earlier. I always have an M4 knife near by in a strategic silo for the challenging stuff.

I just thought I would ask though.

Now I know my Case Trapper blades suck even more than I had feared. Doesn't mean I won't keep cutting the above stuff with them and sharpening them.

I love the handle shape on the Case Trapper (and the clip blade shape I love too).
Did I mention I am in it for the handle shapes ?

When I see a Case Trapper with M4 I will keel over from shock and die.
Until then I have to try to live and move forward and forget as best I can.

I hope this gives you a window to a glimmer of my madness.
Now shut that window and run away before you to are drawn into the world of Frankenknives and the endless pursuit of handle shape and ergonomics . . . steel be dambed. :)
 
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knarfeng said:
Buck runs their 420HC at 58-59. Queen also claimed to towards the end of their regime, but they are now out of business. Case, no.

Case Tru Sharp is known for forming burrs. My method of dealing with it is to sharpen, then use a stropping motion on my pant leg to bend the burr back and forth until it breaks off. It leaves a decent edge.
Click to expand...

I did go back and look up that last conversation that I was thinking of.
Best guess in that thread was 55 to 57 was their intended target.
I guess it was wishful thinking on my part that they might screw up occasionally and turn out a 58.
Good thing I'm not working there:

:eek::eek: Oh dang ! ! ! !:eek::eek: . . . I'm so sorry guys . . . I see now that those are 58 . . .59 you say ? ? ?
Well that's an improvement over last week when some how they were all coming out at 60.
Rigggghhhhht ?
I can do this . . . just give me a little more time to "practice".
What's that you say ?
Orders went up again and I better get with it.
Now what do you suppose caused that ? ? ? :rolleyes:

PS: Strop on the pants leg it is. It seems to be "engineered" for that.
I'm at a bit of a disadvantage though. I never buck hay or farm so I won't have the proper stropping media on the pants.
(no disrespect for those who do this work; just the opposite in fact)
 
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