Sandvik 13C26 vs. 8CR13MoV

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13C26 vs. 8CR13MoV? The battle of "cheap" not American made steels!
Which do you prefer or think is better and why?

I was motivated to start this thread after reading the recent Kershaw Cyclone vs. Spyderco Tenacious thread.
 
Sandvik has operations, plants and mines in the following states:
New Jersey
Michigan
Georgia (aka Joe-Ja)
Florida
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Texas
Washington
and there are multiple plants in some of those states.
They are an internationally traded company.
Just wanted to clarify that. ;)

Might vote would go for the Sandvik over the 8CR13MoV.
I've been using that steel for a while now and am happy with it. I've only
recently obtained a few knives using the 8CR13, so I can't say how it stands up against it or not.
 
I quite often EDC a knife with Sandvik 13C26, a RAM. It sees a lot of pocket time and tough love, the edge retention is the best but it is easy to sharpen to shaving sharp, it does have some stains and it has developed a little bit of rust before, but once again I don't baby this knife it is definitely a user. I don't own any blades with 8CR13MoV I don't think so I can;t compare it.
 
13C26. The toughest, most fine-grained, best edge stability of all available stainless steels.
 
cotdt said:
13C26. The toughest, most fine-grained, best edge stability of all available stainless steels.
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Hmmm, I've heard a lot of praise for it considering it's cost.......but really? I don't even think the makers of the steel have even made THAT claim.:cool:
 
jonnymac44 said:
Hmmm, I've heard a lot of praise for it considering it's cost.......but really? I don't even think the makers of the steel have even made THAT claim.:cool:
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I would love to point you to the test data and microscope pictures of its grain compared to other steels but it's on another forum which I'm not allowed to link to.
 
Sandvik is not what I would consider "cheap" in a derogatory sense. Sandvik is one of -if not the- largest metalworking equipment manufacturers in the world. Anything they do or make is bound to be decent if not excellent quality.
 
hwpaintballer said:
+1 :thumbup:, I mean it's a great steel but that is stretching it.
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Now that I think about it, 420 might be tougher. 13C26 is significantly tougher than 440A though, and can reach 63 hrc. Phil Wilson tested 13C26's edge retention to be roughly the same as 154CM at the same hardness.

knivesandguns said:
Pm me the info please (email in my profile)
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Will do.

Dekz said:
This guy cracks me up in MANY threads. Where do you come up with this stuff!?!?! :D
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Says the guy who only owns 10 knives. You're getting there, keep learning my young padawan. Just ask your father for more allowance, so that you can buy some of the better knives.
 
8Cr13MoV is a average steel in most every regard. If the Sandvik steel is even close to any of the claims made of it then it's a better steel.
 
I know with todays heat treat recipes and a good oven anyone should be able to get
decent heat treat results, I'm a little from the old school on this and believe if you
find a steel you like and stick with it you will develop your methods and get the most
you can out of a given steel. Though I've not worked with the other Sandvik 13c26
is some of the most kickass steel I've ever worked with.
Ken.
 
When I compare the use of my Kershaw Ener-G to my Spyderco Tenacious they both take very very fine edges. The both also seem to hold their edges quite well (hard to tell I use my blades kind of hard) but I find that the 8cr13Mov a little softer and dents a little easier.
 
13C26 is a great steel. It is most likely the toughness stainless that reaches 62+ Rc. Of course the tradeoff is that it is lower in wear resistance than some of the popular stainless steels being used.

I see 13C26 as a perfect steel for guys that like using knives with O1, 1095, 52100 and other carbon steels (which don't have near the wear resistance of popular stainless steels either). 13C26 has similar properties when it comes to toughness, ease of sharpening, and edge retention, but it is, of course, stainless.
 
Larrin really covered 13C26 great. I used a Santoku he made in that steel at 62 RC or maybe a tad harder and it was a very impressive performer. I think 8Cr13MoV is underated, especially as heat treated by Spyderco. I had a Byrd Meadowlark tested to 60RC, and it performs very good. It is a bit more wear resistant than 13C26 at the same hardness but gives up a bit of sharpness, though not much. I believe 13C26 has a higher attainable hardness, and it pretty much is the number one stainless steel out there for incredible sharpness when heat treated right. It certainly isn't near the "super steels" in wear resistance, but it has tremendous edge stability that the "super steels" can't match. Just because a steel can't cut 1000 cardboard boxes between sharpenings doesn't make it worse than steels that can, it just means it excels in other areas. All steels have different strengths and weaknesses that make them good in certain applications and bad in others. For instance I'd like a 13C26 razor blade by a huge margin over an S90V razor, but I'll take S90V for marathon cardboard cutting sessions over 13C26 any day. Just because a steel is inexpensive doesn't make it bad, a lot of times it makes it a bargain.

Mike
 
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