Ranking of Steels in Categories based on Edge Retention cutting 5/8" rope

martinsanders said:
Jim have you used Rex 121 yet and if so how does it compare to these alloys we have been talking about? I understand it's a much toothier(yes that is technical steel jargon lol) edge and also a bear to grind but is like using a serrated edge? And do you loose the knife slicing feel and think of it more as a saw or something else? So far s125v seems like the ceiling in terms of knife edge retention but I may be buying into the myths/rumors. Can you or someone set me straight. I also think that the mules produced in 121 are the wrong geometry to judge and get a real feel for this steel IMHO. I just think a K2 would be a different story than the mule.


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Well from the information that I have REX 121 isn't the best choice for a knife steel, in the end it might have around the same wear resistance as the A11 steels.

That's all I am going to say on that.
 
It still sounds like everything else I've heard. The last steel I'd like to know about is 15v. Any experience or news on it.


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martinsanders said:
It still sounds like everything else I've heard. The last steel I'd like to know about is 15v. Any experience or news on it.


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Well if the maker can get it and can actually work with it... And knows what they are doing.

Popular over in Russia like S125V.
 
I have a couple of 15V and Rex 121 knives along with some Vanadis 10 and laminated K390 knives and some others of interest. I'm about to move across the country and when I get settled in I'll mail a couple your way to see what you think.

So far my super thin M390 knife has been pretty damned great so I have some high hopes for these others. But like the Russian in Rocky IV, if they suck, they suck.

I think in most of the Russian rope cutting competitions 15V and Vanadis 10 are usually the winners over 10V and S125V.

These aren't super thin knives though. They're more utilitarian in nature. If they're done right like this M390 knife is, then they should do well.
 
Could you email me some links or contact information for some makers of knives in 15v besides Farrid Mehr. My email is martin238 at me dot com.
And are you saying that Vanadis 10 beats s125v sometimes or that Vanadis 10 beats 10v and 15v beats s125v. And in your opinion if Vanadis 10 is beating s125v is it because of the blade geometry and heat treat or just a better steel.


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I don't have a link so take it with a grain of salt but for several years vanadis 10 was the winner and the last several have been 15V. Just like blade sports I'm sure blade geometry, heat treatment, and even the guy doing the cutting has a big part in it. And I'm not even sure S125V was an entrant so who knows. This is just hearsay from guys over there so it could be inaccurate.
 
I,d like to hear or see results on Hinderer 20CV and S35VN
I only saw one 20CV test results and that was in a custom ...........
 
djdawg said:
I,d like to hear or see results on Hinderer 20CV and S35VN
I only saw one 20CV test results and that was in a custom ...........
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Too thick behind the edge.... Had one here awhile back, couldn't do anything with it.

Contacted Hinderer about testing a slicer etc..... Got the typical Blah, blah, blah... BS from them so I never bothered again with them. All I wanted to do was test it..... Wasn't going to pay those crazy aftermarket prices just to test it....... I am a Veteran also......

Scratched them off my list..... Forever...... That Company is dead to me....
 
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Ankerson said:
Too thick behind the edge.... Had one here awhile back, couldn't do anything with it.

Contacted Hinderer about testing a slicer etc..... Got the typical Blah, blah, blah... BS from them so I never bothered again with them. All I wanted to do was test it..... Wasn't going to pay those crazy aftermarket prices just to test it....... I am a Veteran also......

Scratched them off my list..... Forever...... That Company is dead to me....
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I hear yah .....lol
They seem to be snobs to say the least , but they have quite a following of people and there knives , I actually think they think there crap doesnt stink.
 
djdawg said:
I hear yah .....lol
They seem to be snobs to say the least , but they have quite a following of people and there knives , I actually think they think there crap doesnt stink.
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No freaking way I was going to buy a knife that I don't even like, and pay those crazy prices on top of that... I was willing to buy it direct from them at their price to test it.... Well that's when the problems started.... Got the whole BS Blah, BLAH, BLAH, BS garbage......

Just to test it and have a paper weight after... I needed to recover my money after testing, no way I would have kept it.

Never gonna happen... Like I said they are dead to me....

Really wasn't worth the effort IMO.... Even offered just to run one and send it back to them...... Nadda, nothing etc.....

I have had Custom makers send me $1,800 knives to test and then sent them back so I am not sure what the big issue was with a $350 folder......
 
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Jima standard edge of 15 degrees is "radically low" for Hinderer. That may have something to do with them not really wanting him to test them. They've also had less than stellar responses to others testing even when they were ahead. I tested one years ago in a slicer grind. It was on par with my Delica, or slightly behind.
 
me2 said:
Jima standard edge of 15 degrees is "radically low" for Hinderer. That may have something to do with them not really wanting him to test them. They've also had less than stellar responses to others testing even when they were ahead. I tested one years ago in a slicer grind. It was on par with my Delica, or slightly behind.
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Wasn't even my idea, had some people that wanted to see them added to the list.

They really weren't on my radar to test in the 1st place.

So not even remotely worth the headaches (attitude) I got from them as a result.

As a note, they are the only ones I ever had issues dealing with......
 
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Have gotten less than stellar vibes myself and have avoided them too. Not a fan of flippers anyway.
 
skwurll said:
Have gotten less than stellar vibes myself and have avoided them too. Not a fan of flippers anyway.
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Never was a flipper fan myself either, each to their own I suppose.

I know what you mean about the vibes.... ;)
 
Tell us how you really feel .........lol
I agree though , there is at least one person there that seems to have a attitude "big time" seems to have put himself up on a pedestal ......
That attitude and one guys responses to my questions turned me off awhile to there knives .......
I like there knives though (most of them) so I came back and bought a couple ....... I just hope I never break a blade , cause theres no replacement blades sold.:thumbdn:
 
You don't want to know what I really think. ;)

Anyhow they are a non subject IMO.
 
Two knife, both are made from the same HSS-E circular saw , 67 rockwell hardness and 2.5mm thick .So HT factor is out of the equation ..One knife is grind flat , second convex . And convex grind knive outperform the other one by 50% . Why ?
 
Natlek said:
Two knife, both are made from the same HSS-E circular saw , 67 rockwell hardness and 2.5mm thick .So HT factor is out of the equation ..One knife is grind flat , second convex . And convex grind knive outperform the other one by 50% . Why ?
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Couldn't really say.
 
There is many reasons why one would out perform the other from the way they were sharpened to how they were tested. Different test materials alone can favor one blade over another. Using rope around 1/2 inch takes a lot of variables out because it's not thick like cardboard or too thin. Not too hard like wood or soft like vegetables. Off the top of my head the reason that I would check first would be to ask if the convex ground was stropped and the flat ground not. When there is a big difference like 50% I have found it usually is a "wire edge effect". Just a guess but you could start there and keep investigating because there shouldn't be that big a difference with the same blade steels, thicknesses and geometry.


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