Overcompensating -TOPS Lil' Roughneck

Lay off the guy and his cool little tank of a knife. Not everyone wants an effing Opinel.:D
 
Holy crap. Why go through the effort to make a 3/8" thick blade for toughness, and then beat a dead horse (no pun intended) and leave it at 56-58Rc. I mean you could still lift a bus with it at 59-60Rc without it breaking. When the shit hits the fan are large dents in a $100 knife that much better than small chips?

My curiosity has been satisfied. At $50 I'd maybe buy one as is. With a higher hardness and without the TOPS style coated blade I'd consider it at $100. I however fully respect the OP's reasons for getting it. If I had more disposable income, and wasn't making knives it'd be one I'd buy on a whim.
 
Rostislav said:
Seems a bit flimsy to me. Something along the lines of an inch thick of S7 seems to me to be the most suitable combination of thickness and materials for a cutting instrument.
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I have a Roughneck, and it definitely is flimsy. That paper thin 3/8" blade really flexes way too much to be of much use. :D
 
Interference Fit Co. said:
Holy crap. Why go through the effort to make a 3/8" thick blade for toughness, and then beat a dead horse (no pun intended) and leave it at 56-58Rc. I mean you could still lift a bus with it at 59-60Rc without it breaking. When the shit hits the fan are large dents in a $100 knife that much better than small chips?

My curiosity has been satisfied. At $50 I'd maybe buy one as is. With a higher hardness and without the TOPS style coated blade I'd consider it at $100. I however fully respect the OP's reasons for getting it. If I had more disposable income, and wasn't making knives it'd be one I'd buy on a whim.
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I'd personally go for the higher toughness in a mini sharpened prybar. Not much need for higher hardness in a little thing like that! Not gonna be cutting much with it.... Splitting, scraping, prying maybe, but actual cutting, slicing, etc. not so much.

Making it harder would only make it more brittle. You're not going to dent that steel at that hardness range. Not at all. I've used plenty of knives made of the same steel at around the same hardness and never had a problem. If they had made it harder it might chip or break though.

Tops either left it softer because that's the RC all their knives are at (I honestly have no idea of the statistical truth if this) or to make it tougher. Either way I think it was the right decision in this ridiculous application....and I still want one!

You may have a point for higher hardness being used just because the blade is this short, but in a sharpened prybar, I'd still err on the side of tougher vs. harder.
 
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