Pros and Cons of Coated Blades

[toker]

I like it primarily for looks. It's also nice to have on a steel like 154CM that barely qualifies as stainless.

 

[The1trueBeavis]

If your needs constitute stealth a matte black blade helps hide reflection at night or day. Coating also helps against the elements especially for rust-prone blades. For instance, both the black and regular blades of Benchmade Contego (CPM-M4) have a Cerakote coating. The gray Cerakote still wards off some reflection.

How often do your knife needs require stealth?

 

[Alberta Ed]

Coatings can be useful. My Blackjack Campanion in 1095 has a very tough gray epoxy (I think) coat that protects all but the edge from corrosion. I keep it in the car in case I ever need to chisel someone out from a wrecked Sherman tank and never worry about it rusting, as the edge is well greased. The CPM154 blade on my BassPro 110 has some sort of titanium/aluminum/nitride coating, very hard and almost impossible to scratch. It also looks neat, and it is great for slicing sticky stuff. It seems to wipe clean more easily than other steels. My SRK has a black epoxy coating that has held up pretty well, though I don't use it that much. It seems not as tough as the Campanion's epoxy.