Randall and 440A Steel?

Douglas Wever

Douglas Wever

Joined
Mar 23, 2018
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66
So I’ve found three Randall’s with 9” blades (all Model 12-9), all with 440A steel and a Model 14 with 440B.

My dilemma is I understood 440A not to be a great steel, a lower end steel, a won’t hold an edge steel, a use it if you’re making replicas that won’t get used steel. Would love to be wrong and order the Randall.

Thanks

“Compared against other kinds of stainless steels, 440A is one of the most common for inexpensive knife blades as it is relatively cheap compared to higher quality steels. Many display only and replica weapons are made with 440A for this reason. Cheapo kitchen knife sets are made of this steel.”

My ca. 1982 Randall 14 and 2017 Wilson Combat with A2 Steel.
 

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Randall has never used 440A. Only 440B and 440C. They've also used ATS-34 on a few stock removal models, I'm not sure if they still do. My understanding is that the mix Randall gets now is closer to 440C, although it's still listed as 440B in the catalog.

440B was chosen years ago because it was a stainless that responds well to forge work.
 
tltt said:
Randall has never used 440A. Only 440B and 440C. They've also used ATS-34 on a few stock removal models, I'm not sure if they still do. My understanding is that the mix Randall gets now is closer to 440C, although it's still listed as 440B in the catalog. 440B was chosen years ago because it was a stainless that responds well to forge work.
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That is hard to imagine as that would mean famous knife dealer A.G. Russell has no less than six misprints stating 440A is the steel for three of the Randall 9” blades they have for sale (one is actually 8.9”) stating it both in the detailed description and specs section consistently (https://agrussell.com/knives/brand/Randall-Made-Knives#page-2)

If you use the link, filter the results using price, highest to lowest, and three of the top four Randalls will list 440A, while the fourth simply says Stainless.
 
If I were interested in buying, I would call Randall and ask. As it is stated (if correct), I would not buy. AG or one of his people need to verify the correctness of this spec.
 
That really is weird... I just looked, and many of the Randall knives use O1 steel, but some are listed 440b, and others listed either 'stainless' or just 440... that really is odd.

I could understand using 440b for the extra toughness, and resistance to chipping... but 440a seems too far. In either case, me personally, I would not pay those prices for any variant of 440 steel. The O1 types would be my preference from Randall.
 
wow this is a learning day for me!!!

I never knew Randall knives used 440B that blows my mind!!!! Not gonna start the old cost/steel argument here but I never would believe it unless I saw it. You just assume every maker is always using the latest greatest steel out there? or if not the latest at least something from the last 10 years?
 
Misprint. To the best of my knowledge RMK has never used 440A steel on any of their knives.
 
yeah I am sure they are squeezing the best out of it possible. Just wonder why they don't try something new? is it a case of sticking with what you know? that's understandable to me .
 
I called Randall, they confirmed that those knives are not 440A. That They would be 440B or C. And the representative said they would contact AG Russell to correct.
 
The latest greatest steel is mostly BS when it comes to the knife market Randall works in. O1 is their high performance carbon steel and it's not new. I really like 440c and have two customs with it. I don't own a 440B knife, but it wouldn't stop me from buying a Randall in it. Forged stainless knives are not done by many makers, even ABS makers. From what I've read, those "experts" say it takes special "chops" not held by many.
 
Melvin-Purvis said:
Well done, Doug! :thumbsup:
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Well your word was more than enough; but when I called A.G. Russell and spoke to Mary and said I’d likely want to purchase a Model 12-9 if they would please first correctly identify the steel, she suggested I first call Randall to verify it was a misprint. When I called back after speaking to Randall, she said she would advise the operations manager today, so I will look for them to update their web page.

Thanks!
 
brownshoe said:
The latest greatest steel is mostly BS when it comes to the knife market Randall works in. O1 is their high performance carbon steel and it's not new. I really like 440c and have two customs with it. I don't own a 440B knife, but it wouldn't stop me from buying a Randall in it. Forged stainless knives are not done by many makers, even ABS makers. From what I've read, those "experts" say it takes special "chops" not held by many.
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I have a couple in 440B. As you said, the latest and greatest new steel is mostly BS when it comes to using a knife. Randall has always done it very well! What do you mean by "chops"?
 
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