Sandvik 13C26

[db]

I think M4 would be even a bigger winner than the hard 13C blade. There sure is alot of requests for it on another thread.
Possum yes, slip joint knives are ground thinner than most one hande knives. I personally don't know much about Case, Opinels are ground pretty thin down to 0 depending on how you measure them.Vic, SAK's are mor like .01 ish and the edge angle is much higher than 4 degrees. They are also flat grinds so thicken quickly compared to a hollow grind. Are the case hollow ground? I know Buck were hollow grinding there slipjoint knives. Very good pointabout getting a razor for a very thin profile cutter. To me a .005 ish ground blade with a 4 degree edge is what a razor is no matter what you have ground it from. Not really what I want for a good pocket knife. I like thin but not that thin, at least not for now.

 

[the possum]

Possum yes, slip joint knives are ground thinner than most one hande knives. I personally don't know much about Case, Opinels are ground pretty thin down to 0 depending on how you measure them.Vic, SAK's are mor like .01 ish and the edge angle is much higher than 4 degrees. They are also flat grinds so thicken quickly compared to a hollow grind. Are the case hollow ground?

Yes, the Case knives I have are almost all hollow ground, and their grinds are usually MUCH thinner than those done by other makers including Buck. Guess I'm gonna have to actually measure some of these things and post again next week, 'cause I just compared that Case folder to my SAK. The SAK's edge is like five or seven times thicker than the Case!

 

[db]

I believe you no need for exact measurements. I may just have to give Case a second thought-look.
I'd measure my knives but I don't have any that stil have the factory grind or edges on them most have been thinned and or convexed by me.

 

[the possum]

I believe you no need for exact measurements.

Actually I just found a calipers out in the shop & took a few measurements anyway.

The Case razor pattern is about .006" thick.
My SAK hunter is about .015" in the main part of the blade, but is nearly twice that thick at the tip, which is where I was comparing by eye earlier, so my estimates weren't too far off really. But since the Case is hollow ground, it stays thinner further up the blade.

I also checked my Case stockman, and the Clip blade is .013", the sheepsfoot is .012", and the spey is .011". But, since they're hollow ground, the spey blade is actually thinner than that just behind the edge bevel.

I may just have to give Case a second thought-look.

Actually, no, I still wouldn't recommend it. They may be nice & thin, but the steel is crap and they won't hold up to anything but the lightest of cutting.

 

[Larrin]

I think CPM-M4 is a great steel (I'm supposing that's what you mean by M4). It isn't corrosion resistant of course, but from what I've seen and heard, it seems to have an excellent combination of toughness and wear resistance, greater than you'd be able to achieve in a stainless, anyway. Also, CPM-M4 easily reaches those high hardnesses if that's what you're interested in, or it can be heat treated to the 59-61 Rc range.

 

[BillL]

Thomas,

Do you think that if you make some kitchen knives with RC of 64 and thin blades you could give those Japanese kitchen knives a run for their money. I'm sure you could do it with Sandvik steel at less than half the cost, probably 1/3 to 40% of what it cost brand named Japanese kitchen knives with just as good performance. Is there an interest for this among other forumers?

 

[The Mastiff]

Since we are talking Leek's right now, how does an M4 version sound

Thomas, The Leeks a fine knife but kind of small for me due to deteoriating use of my strong hand because of nerve damage I'm having better luck lately sticking with bigger knives. I keep getting bit with Leeks and scallions, and even drop them occasionally.

That being said I'd buy just about anything in M4. As you know it's not in a production knife as of yet and there's a lot of us steel junkies clamoring for it. It would likely need a coating as it's not stainless ( not necessessary for me) but it would sell out any normal sized sprint run numbers IMO. Example, Sal's "Steel junkies" thread. M4 and 52100 are the steels requested the most in that thread by far.

Note, I don't think he'd mind me pointing out the thread to you. He speaks highly of you. If I'm wrong I apologize Sal. Regards, Joe

 

[quinque voces]

Thomas,

Do you think that if you make some kitchen knives with RC of 64 and thin blades you could give those Japanese kitchen knives a run for their money. I'm sure you could do it with Sandvik steel at less than half the cost, probably 1/3 to 40% of what it cost brand named Japanese kitchen knives with just as good performance. Is there an interest for this among other forumers?

I surely would be interested in such a knife. It would be great if it came with a sheath as some Japanese makers provide for their kitchen knives.

If the market for a kitchen knife seems too small I would love to see a medium fixed blade in 13C26 at Rc 64.5 instead. With a thin edge geometry as mentioned above in the thread it should serve well as a kitchen knife anyway.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Cliff, was the U2 one of the knives in the .008" or under range from the factory?

Yes, all of the convex Fallkniven blades are very thin at the edge, you can barely see the bevels. The entire blade of the U2 was of course very thin as well. I had Krein hollow it simply because I prefer it for ease of sharpening to very low angles.
[vs high carbide]

... 13C26 knives would be much better at resisting the chipping that can be seen from these steels....

Again, that sounds familiar. It is almost as if I heard someone argue that same idea a long time ago and provide many references to support it.

Cliff, can you expound upon this?

Benchmade hardens M2 to hit a toughness peak which reduces its strength and edge stability. They do this to make it more "tactical" so you can do things like bend it and make the blade take a set. This is a silly goal with M2.

Yes, the Case knives I have are almost all hollow ground, and their grinds are usually MUCH thinner than those done by other makers including Buck.

There was a big discussion on this on rec.knives with a known fact being that edges now are a LOT thicker than they used to be. This is just a consequence of the over use of extreme high carbide steels and promotion of tactical knives, two things which should never go together. The knife industry has also perfected the "Emperor's new clothes" goal and somehow convinced the public that they should look to them for information on performance, which is a great thing for manufacturers of course.

-Cliff

 

[db]

Wow, that sounds really familiar, it is almost as if I heard someone say that exact very thing before.

I seem to recall someone saying the exact geometry to use as well but again I can't place the name.

Again, that sounds familiar. It is almost as if I heard someone argue that same idea a long time ago and provide many references to support it.

I think that was Larrin. Unlike Cliff he has actually used a knife in 13c26, heat treated it, and ground it.