After reading Buzzbait's many glowing comments about Talonite, I decided to give it a try. My first purchase was a CUDA Talon, intended for general use as a utility blade.
Meanwhile, Cliff Stamp has pretty much convinced me that there are far better blade steels out there for cutting and other tasks. But since no one wanted to trade a 52100 custom for the Talon, it came out of the box and started cutting...
Given that I was mostly prejudiced against Talonite as a "super blade metal", I hope this will give some unbiased impressions of the metal, and its use in the CUDA Talon.
First off, I was impressed by the overall fit and finish of this production Talonite blade. The sheath is well designed, and the Tek-Lok belt attachment system is smart and sturdy.
The blade itself has a nice shape and weight. The bevels were uneven, and the knife not very sharp (but hey, I expect this from a production knife). There were buffing scratches near the choil, but no nicks or other obvious problems. Also, the lanyard hole could be smaller (and thus stronger). I don't know how 1mm of Talonite (the thickness of the lanyard hole on the outer edge) will cope with a really hard pull.
As Buzzbait has commented, the knife would not push-cut paper, but sliced through it no problem. Also, it grooves on Cardboard like a teenager at a gaming convention. It also works wonders on cotton fabric, sponges, scrubber pads, etc. Anything soft and fibrous is no match. Against fish bones it takes a few sawing motions, but then it really <em>does</em> saw through the bone, even sounding like it!
The knife is lightweight, weighing 20% less than my large Sebenza (with the same blade width and length, and full tang on the Talon!). It feels great in my hand, even though 4" handles are usually too small for me (4 3/4" is my perfect length). I also like the flat-ground drop point format, and found it convenient for use on food, attacking boxes, etc.
Is this a "do anything" blade? I don't think so. But it <em>is</em> a "go anywhere" blade. If you forget to clean it, it won't rust. If you forget to sharpen it before going out, it will still cut. It can be field sharpened easily. I was able to get a shaving edge on it out of the box with only 2 strokes per side on my Sharpmaker. Of course, that probably just means there's a burr on the edge...
What you get with Talonite:
1. A costly blade.
2. A lightweight knife.
3. Non-magnetic.
4. Non-rusting.
5. Smooth slicing of food, very little binding.
6. Very easy to "touch up" the edge.
In short, almost the perfect picnic knife! Also great for fishing, small boating, hiking, as a box cutter, in the kitchen, etc.
But it's not a tough steel, so you should rule out chopping, prying, twisting out screws, etc. It's soft, and therefore probably quite easy to scratch or dent. I wouldn't classify this as a "hard use" blade, but rather a lighty duty utility knife requiring very little thought. The kind of knife you can toss into (or keep in) your ditty bag and never worry about.
For demanding, or performance, users, everything I've read points to other metals. I can't compare metals, since I don't own them all, but based on the weakness and softness of Talonite, there are a lot of places it can't go with confidence: For whittling, detail work, etc., a blade that takes a thinner, smoother edge is preferable. For hard, heavy-duty use, a stronger edge is preferable. For abrasive, wearing tasks, a harder edge is preferable. But if you cut mostly soft or fibrous things (string, cardboard, paper, food), then I can already recommend this blade from just a few days of going slice-happy with it. It binds far less than carbon steels, making coring bell peppers a much safer task. And it cuts cardboard so smoothly, my Stanley box cutter is now very much worried about getting lent out permanently.
To summarize: If you're money sensitive, and want something that will slice well, but also can be trusted for harder work (and more different kinds of work): you should probably look elsewhere. There's not as much "bang for the buck" here, since Talonite only seems to excel in a limited range. But Talonite does seem like a handy addition to any knife knut's repetoire, and will be seeing use as my primary "around the house" blade. For what it does well, it does it REALLY well, and if that's all you need it for, you should really give it a try. I'm sold on it for food preparation, the lightweight carry (great for hiking and bicycling), and its low-maintenance aspects. It's a knife I could use for boating, fishing, diving, and food prep, all in one day, without any worry of staining, or lack of cutting ability when I needed it most -- whether I remember to clean/sharpen it or not.
John
p.s. This post is an amalgam of both personal experience and all the other posts I've read here on Bladeforums (and elsewhere). Some of the points presented I have not verified myself, so please take this with a grain of salt. Clarification by other members, or hearing about more real world experience, would be a great help. Thanks!
Meanwhile, Cliff Stamp has pretty much convinced me that there are far better blade steels out there for cutting and other tasks. But since no one wanted to trade a 52100 custom for the Talon, it came out of the box and started cutting...
Given that I was mostly prejudiced against Talonite as a "super blade metal", I hope this will give some unbiased impressions of the metal, and its use in the CUDA Talon.
First off, I was impressed by the overall fit and finish of this production Talonite blade. The sheath is well designed, and the Tek-Lok belt attachment system is smart and sturdy.
The blade itself has a nice shape and weight. The bevels were uneven, and the knife not very sharp (but hey, I expect this from a production knife). There were buffing scratches near the choil, but no nicks or other obvious problems. Also, the lanyard hole could be smaller (and thus stronger). I don't know how 1mm of Talonite (the thickness of the lanyard hole on the outer edge) will cope with a really hard pull.
As Buzzbait has commented, the knife would not push-cut paper, but sliced through it no problem. Also, it grooves on Cardboard like a teenager at a gaming convention. It also works wonders on cotton fabric, sponges, scrubber pads, etc. Anything soft and fibrous is no match. Against fish bones it takes a few sawing motions, but then it really <em>does</em> saw through the bone, even sounding like it!
The knife is lightweight, weighing 20% less than my large Sebenza (with the same blade width and length, and full tang on the Talon!). It feels great in my hand, even though 4" handles are usually too small for me (4 3/4" is my perfect length). I also like the flat-ground drop point format, and found it convenient for use on food, attacking boxes, etc.
Is this a "do anything" blade? I don't think so. But it <em>is</em> a "go anywhere" blade. If you forget to clean it, it won't rust. If you forget to sharpen it before going out, it will still cut. It can be field sharpened easily. I was able to get a shaving edge on it out of the box with only 2 strokes per side on my Sharpmaker. Of course, that probably just means there's a burr on the edge...
What you get with Talonite:
1. A costly blade.
2. A lightweight knife.
3. Non-magnetic.
4. Non-rusting.
5. Smooth slicing of food, very little binding.
6. Very easy to "touch up" the edge.
In short, almost the perfect picnic knife! Also great for fishing, small boating, hiking, as a box cutter, in the kitchen, etc.
But it's not a tough steel, so you should rule out chopping, prying, twisting out screws, etc. It's soft, and therefore probably quite easy to scratch or dent. I wouldn't classify this as a "hard use" blade, but rather a lighty duty utility knife requiring very little thought. The kind of knife you can toss into (or keep in) your ditty bag and never worry about.
For demanding, or performance, users, everything I've read points to other metals. I can't compare metals, since I don't own them all, but based on the weakness and softness of Talonite, there are a lot of places it can't go with confidence: For whittling, detail work, etc., a blade that takes a thinner, smoother edge is preferable. For hard, heavy-duty use, a stronger edge is preferable. For abrasive, wearing tasks, a harder edge is preferable. But if you cut mostly soft or fibrous things (string, cardboard, paper, food), then I can already recommend this blade from just a few days of going slice-happy with it. It binds far less than carbon steels, making coring bell peppers a much safer task. And it cuts cardboard so smoothly, my Stanley box cutter is now very much worried about getting lent out permanently.
To summarize: If you're money sensitive, and want something that will slice well, but also can be trusted for harder work (and more different kinds of work): you should probably look elsewhere. There's not as much "bang for the buck" here, since Talonite only seems to excel in a limited range. But Talonite does seem like a handy addition to any knife knut's repetoire, and will be seeing use as my primary "around the house" blade. For what it does well, it does it REALLY well, and if that's all you need it for, you should really give it a try. I'm sold on it for food preparation, the lightweight carry (great for hiking and bicycling), and its low-maintenance aspects. It's a knife I could use for boating, fishing, diving, and food prep, all in one day, without any worry of staining, or lack of cutting ability when I needed it most -- whether I remember to clean/sharpen it or not.
John
p.s. This post is an amalgam of both personal experience and all the other posts I've read here on Bladeforums (and elsewhere). Some of the points presented I have not verified myself, so please take this with a grain of salt. Clarification by other members, or hearing about more real world experience, would be a great help. Thanks!
