Nitrobe 77 steel

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Nov 7, 2012
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I'm taking a break from making knives so I started collecting again,
I had ordered a Des Horn Slimvubu in Nitrobe 77. Last week in Las Vegas I picked it up from the maker.

so far I've been carrying and using this knife and the steel cuts fantastic. This is a fairly large blade/knife for an EDC, however because it is slim and light, it doesn't feel large.
And unlike many "tactical" knives, Des puts a real cutting edge on that is ready to go.
As you know, at a certain level, many high dollar knives are made to show the maker's skill and are pretty useless to actually cut anything.

I'm a high carbon steel guy but I am enjoying this Nitrobe 77, it is just super sharp. Curious if any other makers here use it or have tried this steel?

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It shoud be very rust resistant, since it traded almost all of the carbon to Nitrogen!
From the pictures isn't clear, of course, but it looks like the edge has a wide sharpening angle. What's your guesstimate of the edge angle?
 
If you google it, it sounds like the super steel of super steels. Don't know where you can get it in the US or who can heat treat it. The HT sounds complicated enough to cost as much as the steel. Imagine what a skinner or fillet knife you could make out of this stuff.
Tim
 
These steels are made using powder that is nitrided and then hot isostatic pressed.

These have good corrosion resistance and toughness.

Nitrides are not as hard as carbides, even though these steels have good hardness, they are not as wear resistant as high carbon stainless steels.

Hoss
 
Ah geeze - I knew it was too good to be true. There was an older post on a S African forum where several people wanted to see a test of Nitrobe 77 vs. M390 but it didn't sound like it test got done. I guess the magic steel isn't here yet.
Tim
 
I think what we're seeing here is a perfect example of how different the performance of X steel can be from one maker to the next. People fixate so much on the "on paper potential", assuming, everyone is getting the best out of it if they just follow manufacturer or industry standard HT specs, which of course is rarely optimal, on top of glossing over the potentially most important factors of bevel and edge geometry (thickness, taper, grind height, thickness behind the edge, and the secondary (if applicable) bevel specifics).

Sharpness is also highly relative and subjective. Yet people just love to think things are simple and you can compare one steel to the next and have any idea how a knife is going to perform. Hell, that's all assuming, the maker or manufacturer knows how/or does put an edge on that's suitable to the type of knife, and/or that the uses understands how it's sharpened to what end.


Sounds like a good knife, ground right for the knife and the steel, with appropriate edge geometry, that fits the user's expectations and use. (Hope you're doing well Harbeer, get back to making knives of your own bud. ;p ) What more could one want?
 
Since I believe that the best steel if not thermally treated returns a poor knife, and that a well-treated steel bun returns an excellent knife, this small video is interesting:


After this video, I was interested in buying this steel (I like to test!), In Italy the Damasteel importer advised me on the purchase, told me that it was a steel made from evidence made in Damasteel and that he was not in production. Not happy with the answer, I contacted Des, who with great kindness offered to bring me a piece of that steel and at the same time write me that "The heat treating is quite complex and to get the best one needs to do a series of 3 or 4 Cryogenic (-180 ℃) quenches in liquid Nitrogen". At that time I did not have the possibility of liquid nitrogen and I declined the offer.
 
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