Ontario Old Hickory knives, Garbage, or Gold?

Alberta Ed said:
My mother-in-law had one that I frequently sharpened for her. It would go dull cutting through soft butter. Nostalgia aside, there are a lot better kitchen knives available that actually hold an edge.
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Right on.

At 52-55 Rockwell it's clear why everyone I ever found was dull. I find them regularly in rental cabins, always dull, same with thrift stores and "antique" stores. Great knives as long as you are careful what you cut with them, know how to sharpen, and like to sharpen often :)

I find the old Cattagarus brand kitchen knives, sometimes chrome plated, are a much better carbon steel and hold an edge much longer (IIRC it's got some vanadium). They are no longer produced, but can often found cheaper than Ontario/Old Hickory knives in thrift stores, gun shows, etc.
 
22-rimfire said:
Garbage or Gold? Neither. I have enough regular knives that I really wouldn't consider carrying a kitchen knife unless it is for boning/processing a deer or something. They aren't bad knives for the money, but they tend to be rather soft and dull quickly.
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Exactly this.
 
I use them in the kitchen. I don't have real expensive kitchen knives because my wife tends to want to pry lids off cans with knives. I have no problem sharpening them quickly. They are what they are and in general a good value for the money.
 
Old Hickories are some of the best knives you'll ever use. Cheap, effective, and easily replaced.
 
I like my 7" OH Butcher's knife.
It takes a screaming sharp edge when i want it to. I also have learned that although it is soft, if I sacrifice a little sharpness and keep it to something like 18-20DPS with a convex edge, it'll hold a workable cutting edge for a long time.
It'll do hair-shaving sharpness. It just won't keep that edge. Considering I'm using it to hack apart chickens and whatnot, I don't need a super keen edge. The detail work is done with slicers and paring knives.
 
I bought two really cheap. They take a great edge.

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I buy them just about ever chance I can find them in good shape. While I can't prove it the older ones seem to be harder and hold their edge longer than the post 1985 ones.
 
deltaboy said:
I buy them just about ever chance I can find them in good shape. While I can't prove it the older ones seem to be harder and hold their edge longer than the post 1985 ones.
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I also believe this is true.
 
deltaboy said:
I buy them just about ever chance I can find them in good shape. While I can't prove it the older ones seem to be harder and hold their edge longer than the post 1985 ones.
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Just out of curiosity, how are you dating them, pre and post 1985?
 
The older ones are great. The current product - not so much...... The old ones were thicker - the new ones are a little too flexible for me. Any time I see one in a flea market that's not rusted away I buy them. A new pair of scales and some honing and they're good for another 50 years in a kitchen. In the knife block in my kitchen ALL of the daily users are Old Hickory. Grandma knew what worked.......
 
The Old Hickory stamp is pressed in deeper on the old ones , Some of the new old stock you might find has the USA in bold Blue Print and things like that. Moms set is 1985 they are a tad thinner and the steel is softer.
 
deltaboy said:
I buy them just about ever chance I can find them in good shape. While I can't prove it the older ones seem to be harder and hold their edge longer than the post 1985 ones.
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I have had one of the Old Hickory butcher knives forever, but I can't recall exactly when I got it. I used to use it to split lobster tails. I had to sharpen the knife after every use.
Now, I use a Tojiro Western Deba in VG10. I have to sharpen the blade after every year or so. I don't eat lobster that often, unfortunately. I would guess that this is after 30 tails for the Deba, compared with 4 or 5 for the Old Hickory.

The Old Hickory 1095 is softer than most modern heat treatment I have seen on 1095. If you don't mind sharpening often, the knife will hold up. I would guess that performance is something like 12C27 when it is not really hard. I have an old Tim Britton kitchen knife in that Swedish steel, and I was told to sharpen it before each use.
 
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