Neil Roberts Warrior Knife or Ontario RAT-7 Knife, D2 Steel

T

ToddW

Joined
Jul 26, 2005
Messages
85
Ok, so I have an Ontario RAT-7 Knife with the D2 steel blade. The blade is .1875" thick.

The CRK Neil Roberts Warrior knife is made with CPM S30V stainless steel, and is 0.220" thick.

I have a couple questions.

1. Is D2 or S30V stronger?
1a. If D2 is stronger then would that make the Rat-7 stronger evn though the blade is narrower?

2. I'm wondering in regards to KNIFE USAGE. I use the RAT-7 when camping/backpacking and am wodnering if I want to replace it with a stronger/more sturdy knife.

Let me know :)
-Todd
 
I would think they are close. the D2 is better for impact I think and the S30V can chip if not HT exactly right. CR has had troubles with heat treat before.
The RAT's are real tools. and D2 sharpens easier to me. S30V is a bear for me to sharpen well. isnt their a big price diff also?
 
The Rat-7 is $110 the Neil Roberts is $320. (Both retail prices).

I think I'm going to stick with the RAT7 for now because I absolutely LOVE the grip on it. Down the road I think Neil Roberts. So many to buy ;)
 
Rumors abound. ""CR has had troubles with heat treat before.""
I don't think so. Chris Reeve helped develop S30V.

The Neil Roberts is a great knife but since you are happy with the RAT,
I wouldn't suggest rushing out to replace it.

As for the steels, complicated question, simple answer: What determines how well any reasonably good steel performs is the heat treat and blade geometry at least as much as the chemical composition itself.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Rumors abound. ""CR has had troubles with heat treat before.""
I don't think so. Chris Reeve helped develop S30V.

The Neil Roberts is a great knife but since you are happy with the RAT,
I wouldn't suggest rushing out to replace it.

As for the steels, complicated question, simple answer: What determines how well any reasonably good steel performs is the heat treat and blade geometry at least as much as the chemical composition itself.
Click to expand...


I agree with the above!! CR has never had HT troubles!!

My vote goes for the CRK Warrior.
 
ToddW said:
I use the RAT-7 when camping/backpacking and am wodnering if I want to replace it with a stronger/more sturdy knife.
Click to expand...

Both D2 and S30V are high carbon and very brittle steels. If you want a tougher knife then look at something like the RD6 or similar knives in steels like 5160, L6, S7, etc. . In regards to strength, or the resistance to bending until it breaks, steels will be very similar here as long as they are of similar hardness. There are differences, but they are not so large as to make up for a change in cross section of that size.

A2 for example is stronger than O1, however only about 10% or so, and a change from 3/16" to 1/4" is actually about a 60% increase in strength. The only time that you see steel making a significant difference over cross section of that extent is when the steels are really soft. For example, some of the people who forge blades leave the spines basically annealed, ~20 HRC as only the edge is actually hardened. In this condition the blades have low strength even if they are 1/4" thick. The cheaper machetes will also have similar characteristics as they are often 45 HRC or so.

-Cliff
 
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