Sandvick 12C27

rfbadger

rfbadger

Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
241
This has probably been discussed previously in some thread. But what is the general consensus of Sandvick 12C27 Stainless as compared to other SS out there such as 440C, 154CM, VG-10, AUS-8 etc.
 
For those steels ,in order from best - 154CM, VG-10, 440C, AUS-8, 12C27.
 
OK, wrench in the gears here. On paper, I agree with the above. In real life, I'm not so sure. I have used some Sandvik blades that blew my mind - edge holding was quite good and they sharpened up better than any other steel I can think of. That's the problem with theory and practice; they don't always match.
 
OK, wrench in the gears here. On paper, I agree with the above. In real life, I'm not so sure. I have used some Sandvik blades that blew my mind - edge holding was quite good and they sharpened up better than any other steel I can think of. That's the problem with theory and practice; they don't always match. [/RLR QUOTE]

Is this due to tempering?
Click to expand...
 
I don't know squat about tempering and all that jazz - there are pros who take care of that for me. I just like using 'em! My humble opinion, and it's just that, an opinion, is as follows:

fav steels ATS55, Sandvick, Carbon in a Douk-Douk, then VG10. I put those ahead of all others including S30V, ZDP189, ATS/ICM variants. Hell, I still like 440C.

Sorry I ain't a scientist, just a dude that likes to whittle and hack.
 
i have used all of those steels, and all are atleast pretty good. Id say that ats-34 154cm and vg10 are all about the same with the vg10 being the most corrosian resistant of that bunch. the second bunch i would have the sandvik and the 440c in the same category and both a little ahead of aus8.

As for sandvik itself. I think it has both good and bad qualities.

The good- It sharpens really easy, easier then ats-34 154cm or vg10. It also takes a really wicked edge comperable to those other steels

The bad - it didnt seem to hold an edge quite as long as ats-34 vg10 or 154cm. Another big probelm i have had with it is that it isnt very corrosian resistant. I bought a knife with sandvick (from a dealer) and within the first three days of owning it surface rust started to form on the blade. The knife didnt get wet and it wasnt even used to cut much. I know you should always oil your blade but the first three days, come on.
 
That type of corrosion is from surface contamination ! Not the steel itself. That's a problem with stainless. Makers have to be more careful !
 
mete said:
For those steels ,in order from best - 154CM, VG-10, 440C, AUS-8, 12C27.
Click to expand...
Well that is in order of best to worst wear resistance. But 12C27 is the toughest and has the finest microstructure. In Phil Wilson's testing 154CM did little better in rope cutting.

As far as corrosion resistance it was probably from poor heat treating as the steel has quite good corrosion resistance, oops, and mete gave another possible reason for it.
 
To me, 12C27 seems comparable to Japanese AUS6 in most ways, which makes sense since they are similar in composition (AUS 6 has some added vanadium).


Question for Mete:

What makes 154CM better than VG10?





Frank
 
If it's not any better than AUS-8, it's pretty pathetic!:eek:

I haven't tried 12C27 yet, but I do have a blade made from AUS-8, and it's a real P.O.S.! :thumbdn::mad::thumbdn:
 
My only Sandvik blade is a little EKA 88, an oft overlooked knife. It cuts like a laser. It's also a very thin blade. It sharpens up easily and holds an edge fairly well. It won't hold an edge like S30V but it's also a lot easier to reprofile. If you see a knife in Sandvik that catches your eye, and you can get it at a good price, buy it. Don't let the steel snobs steer you away from it just because it won't hold an edge like ZDP-189. Mike Stewart uses it in quite a few Bark Rivers. And he knows a thing or two about steel.

Frank
 
I have knives in all that you mentioned except VG10. I like the 154CM best, followed probably by the 12C27 or 440C and AUS8. Like someone else said, though, this isn't a scientific answer.
 
silver fox does know!

i've never owned anything with 12c27. my cousin has the gerber fighting knife LMF 1 and its some piece or work. strong steel, gets sharp but i'm not too impressed w/ edge holding, we did put some beatin on it. i havent noticed any rust, although the blade is coated.. i'd buy one. i do own a kershaw cyclone with a 13c26 blade.. couldnt afford the 189. it stays sharp and easy to sharpen. its my fav edc.
 
Frank K, I have one knife in 154CM and a Fallkniven and some kitchen knives in VG-10. Both are very fine steels and I think very close .I wouldn't turn down either nor would I get into an arguement about which is best ! Today I wonder about CPM154 ! The big problem is that there is not enough things to cut to do anything scientific !.......Ben Dover, I've heard that comment about AUS-8 before .My experience is years of use as a hunting knife with a CS Master Hunter. I first do a hunting knife test by starting out with a sharp knife and do an entire deer [gutting,skinning, butchering] just with that knife and without sharpening. It easily passed the test and was used for a number of years for hunting .I give the knife high marks for steel, blade and handle shape and handle material. I can only assume that your experience results from improperly HT'd steel !!!.. But that's the old story -pick a good steel and heat treat it properly !.. I had another AUS-8 knife that stained even though it had been cleaned ! Cleaned up the surface with abrasive paper and no more stain ! Surface contamination . What ever happened to QC ??
 
It's all in the HT
My bark rivers in 12c27 are on the same level as my fällknivens in VG10.
 
I don't own any knives in 12c27, but Bark River seems to have done some nice work with it. At least from what I have read of other owners of this steel, it appears to be pretty darn good if heat treated properly.
 
Larrin said:
Well that is in order of best to worst wear resistance. But 12C27 is the toughest and has the finest microstructure. In Phil Wilson's testing 154CM did little better in rope cutting.

As far as corrosion resistance it was probably from poor heat treating as the steel has quite good corrosion resistance, oops, and mete gave another possible reason for it.
Click to expand...

12C27 is a fine steel.
 
Ben Dover said:
If it's not any better than AUS-8, it's pretty pathetic!:eek:

I haven't tried 12C27 yet, but I do have a blade made from AUS-8, and it's a real P.O.S.! :thumbdn::mad::thumbdn:
Click to expand...

I was thinking of getting the Al Mar Falcon Ultralight which is in AUS 8. But it looks like AUS 8 doesn't have a good reputation and I'm hesitating, but I really like the looks and weight of that knife. By comparison 440C is a simpler steel than AUS 8 and I'm sure that the additional elements added in AUS 8 must be for improvement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top