Opinion on 1095 heat treatment.

gine

gine

Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
1,169
I'm not trying to start a war here but,what production company in your
opinion has the best 1095 heat treatment.For my experience ROWEN
is up there.Your thoughts welcome.

thx gine.
 
Yes, rowen is the maker for esee knives.But the machete and the folders
are other makers.
 
Becker Knife and Tool and Rowen Manufacturing which produces the ESEE knives are the only two names you need to know.

JGON
 
Great Eastern Cutlery has the best 1095 I have used (57-59hrc, cryo)
ROWEN comes next

Maxx
 
I've never had a knife poorly heat treated 1095.
 
knarfeng said:
I've never had a knife poorly heat treated 1095.
Click to expand...

Me neither. Feedback is immediate in the knife industry. Poor HT on anything becomes readily apparent as soon as people start using it.

No probs esp. from Esee , kabar , or Ontario stuff I have. An occasional lemon may slip through , but most Manufacturers will replace it for you.
 
Kabar all the way! I believe that Frosts of Sweden's carbon steel is 1095 too (Mora Mora Mora!!) and it's fabulous too.

The TOPS I have doesn't impress me that much. My Ka-Bar and Mora knives take a better edge and hold it much longer.
 
Plus one for Rowen on TOPS and ESEE.

Have heard great things about Ka-Bar on the 1095 Cro-Van.
 
I think Frank hit the nail on the head. 1095 is hard to do wrong, and I have yet to come across any that have had any issues in terms of heat treat. I'm kind of fond of the heat treats that come with Russell knives. My barlow holds a wonderful edge and sharpens up so easily.
 
Yeah, 1095 isn't complicated. Austenizing temp is low and little need for hold time with no allying elements to move around, compared to stainless and 'super' steels. Quenching is a problem so far as there's little time to get past the pearlite nose, but knives are pretty thin pieces of steel anyway.

I believe Rowen no longer produces for TOPS
 
Zombie Zeke said:
Have heard great things about Ka-Bar on the 1095 Cro-Van.
Click to expand...

In the Becker sub-forum Toooj (Paul Tsujimoto) mentioned why they hardened to the amount that they did. I don't remember exactly but it was something like 5% extra hardness would lose about 30% toughness, that's why they don't make them harder than the RC57-59 they use.

Many things are a compromise and people like Shon Rowen and Paul Tsujimoto really know their stuff. They get the best of the steel with as close to the ideal hardness vs toughness as possible. I like my ESEE & Becker knives, partly because I trust in the work of those geniuses.
 
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