Noob questions (blade material,spyderco coating, Tanto execution)

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Tarheelpwr

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I’m looking at picking up my first knife (actual purchase). I have limited experience with higher end knives, so looking for some feedback to help my decision.

1) blade steel: when they rate ease of sharpening, what exactly does that mean? Does it take more skill/experience, better stones, etc?

I pan to start with a Spyderco Sharpmaker.

2) how durable is spyderco’s black coating? I’m looking at a Manix or PM2, and I like the black look. I just want to make sure it holds up so I don’t get frustrated bc the looks I paid for ware off

3) I’m intrigued by Tanto blades. Who makes the best executed Tanto (shape)? Let me qualify by saying up to $125ish. I can look through materials, so let’s keep this to functional shape. I’ve been eyeing the Cold Steel Recon 1, CRKT Ruger 2-stage, and Kershaw CQC-8K
 
Basically any black coated blade will wear with use.

Ease of sharpening generally refers to how responsive the steel is to any given stone. A steel that “sharpens easier” isn’t “easier to sharpen” in that it can be messed up more quickly by someone who doesn’t know what they are doing.

125$ tanto?
If you are considering the 8k then that is considerably less than 125$ and because it is a chisel edge is a good blade to learn to sharpen on.
 
1/ ease of sharpening means it takes more patience :)
2/ no black coating is durable enough, it's my rule of thumb. If scratches scratch your OCD, avoid them.
3/ Cold Steel Code 4 in Tanto style is a great, great knife for around $100. Might not be the best of course, but this blend of hollow grind and tanto tip is just incredible, IMO.
 
Spyderco's black coating on those knives is a DLC coating, which will wear better than other, but will still wear.

S30v, s35vn, cts-XHP, 154cm, cpm-154 will all be easy enough to sharpen with the Sharpmaker while still performing well. All steels can be sharpened with the Sharpmaker, but you may find yourself in a marathon session with steels like zdp-189 or maxamet.

My favorite tanto tipped folder is the Protech CQC-7. Cold Steel's Recon and Code 4 in xhp are also great.
 
I just ordered a ZT 0620 on closeout and it has a black coated Elmax Tanto blade. A bit more than $125 ($159-169 currently at BHQ and others) but a great deal IMO. It is a beast and should prove to be almost indestructible. Also has the Emerson Wave opener which is a cool thing IMO.

But the Elmax will be a bitch on the odd occasion it needs to be sharpened though. S30V, S35vn, 154CM and others that Petunia D. Feeble Petunia D. Feeble (who knows what he’s talking about) mentioned are much easier to sharpen on the Sharpmaker than Elmax, M4, Maxamet, etc. Nothing wrong with VG-10 (Endura/Delica, etc.) or BD1 (Manix 2 LW) either and easy to sharpen IME.

Spyderco’s DLC does wear very well, but it will eventually show wear with long term use.
 
Thanks for the info! I’ll look into the suggestions.

I have a Kershaw OSOSweet now that I actually love. It’s MOV steel, so I plan to learn the Sharpmaker on that knife.
 
Different black coatings wear differently. ZT and Spyderco DLC coatings are among the best. Cold Steel old black coating will peel once you stare at it (not sure about the latest though).
 
SharpieB said:
I just ordered a ZT 0620 on closeout and it has a black coated Elmax Tanto blade. A bit more than $125 ($159-169 currently at BHQ and others) but a great deal IMO. It is a beast and should prove to be almost indestructible. Also has the Emerson Wave opener which is a cool thing IMO.

But the Elmax will be a bitch on the odd occasion it needs to be sharpened though. S30V, S35vn, 154CM and others that Petunia D. Feeble Petunia D. Feeble (who knows what he’s talking about) mentioned are much easier to sharpen on the Sharpmaker than Elmax, M4, Maxamet, etc. Nothing wrong with VG-10 (Endura/Delica, etc.) or BD1 (Manix 2 LW) either and easy to sharpen IME.

Spyderco’s DLC does wear very well, but it will eventually show wear with long term use.
Click to expand...

Elmax isn't too bad. Invest the time in getting it backbevelled to 15 dps and then touch up at 20dps going forward. Will save time overall.
 
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