Schrade 8Cr13MoV???

tueller

tueller

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So I realize it is a Chinese made cheaper steel. I own plenty of American made knives of higher quality (mostly carbon steel). But I played with an extremely ergonomic schrade with 8Cr13MoV steel.

If I like the way the knife feels in my hand, how bad is the steel quality? Heat treatment? I don’t mind having to sharpen a knife more if edge retention is not good. I don’t mind having to oil my knife more if rust resistance is not good. However I do mind if there are safety issues cuz the steel is going to snap/break on me with use. I also don’t like a knife that is not dependable. So what do u all think? Thanks!
 
8Cr13MoV is about the same as 440A.
It is a stainless.
It won't break during cutting chores.
If you don't use it as a pry bar, you should be good to go.
 
I can’t speak to Scharade’s HT, but IMO 8Cr13 is fine for light to mderate EDC so long as you don’t mind touching up the edge fairly frequently. A minute on a Sharpmaker is all it takes, so long as the out of box edge angle is decent.

I don’t think it will suffer a catastrophic failure. I haven’t had any rust problems with reasonable care.
 
I can't speak to Schrade's HT, but there's nothing wrong with 8cr13mov for every day uses so long as the used understands what that steel is.

I have a Tenacious in 8cr and it's fine. I strop it every so often, and it performs just fine. In my experience, it performs roughly like 420HC, or AUS8a or other entry level steels. Better than the 3cr, or 420J that you sometimes see in Chinese knives, but nothing that's going to "wow" you.

That said, HT is a huge factor, and as I said, I dont know how well Schrade HT's their steel, but considering how abundant 8cr13mov is, I'm assuming the recipe for a good HT isn't exactly a mystery.... It's been in common use long enough that I'm sure everyone knows how to do it right (though that is admittedly speculation on my part.)
 
19-3ben said:
I can't speak to Schrade's HT, but there's nothing wrong with 8cr13mov for every day uses so long as the used understands what that steel is.

I have a Tenacious in 8cr and it's fine. I strop it every so often, and it performs just fine. In my experience, it performs roughly like 420HC, or AUS8a or other entry level steels. Better than the 3cr, or 420J that you sometimes see in Chinese knives, but nothing that's going to "wow" you.

That said, HT is a huge factor, and as I said, I dont know how well Schrade HT's their steel, but considering how abundant 8cr13mov is, I'm assuming the recipe for a good HT isn't exactly a mystery.... It's been in common use long enough that I'm sure everyone knows how to do it right (though that is admittedly speculation on my part.)
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I have several work knives that have that steel, one Spyderco, a RAT 1 and the rest Kershaws. They take a pretty keen edge, it just won't stay super sharp with use. That's OK for me as I use them in my construction work. It winds up being a win/win for me. I don't have a lot of money in any of those knives and I am not afraid to really push them to their limits them since they aren't one of my more expensive knives.

Rust resistance is good, and after giving them hell all day long they all sharpen up with a few swipes on the diamond rods.

Robert
 
I think the 8cr may be closer to 440B. I seem to recall someone wanted 440C from the Chinese years ago and this was what they came up with. It was later found it was closer to 440B than 440C. From what I have read the Chinese 9cr14mov is close to 440C steel.
 
I have a few kitchen knives with this steel & yes they need a touch up more frequently than the ones with better steel but with
a nice toothy edge they do quite well on hard fibrous vegetables & breaking down a raw chicken.
 
I have several Schrade's in 8Cr13Mov and find them good, functional knives. No problems with Schrade and others that use that steel.
Rich
 
I own many Scrade 8CR13MOV knives without any issues. What model? Their plastic sheaths have cracked on me from regular EDC carry.
 
I truly believe 8cr13mov steel is more than adequate for most knife owners and EDC. I have carried a lot of Kershaws and some of the Spyderco value folders with this steel and for general usage the knife performed as expected. Before I learned about other steels and what they could do thanks to forums like this one, I blissfully and ignorantly did not know the difference. I would use my knife daily, sharpen when it dragged and move on. Now I try not to be a steel snob, I do enjoy collecting / trying knives with newer better steels but if I like a design / quality / feel and remember what the purpose of the blade is designed to be used for there can be a lot of nice knives found for a good value in 8cr13mov steel.

I also feel that for the un-indoctrinated that 8cr13mov is going to be very easy to maintain and sharpen. I remember when I got my first S30v knife and when that razor sharp factory edge wore out, how frustrated I was that I could not get it shaving sharp like I could my less expensive knives. It forced me to become a better sharpener but for the average person that does not care or enjoy spending the time they may not have a good experience. That is why I always encourage people if they like a knife and it feels good to them that is the knife they should get. If they want to learn more about what makes one thing better than the other, there are plenty of knowledgeable people here to help them with their journey. Don't worry about heat treatment or hardness or type of steel. If you like it buy it and use it.

Drive it like you stole it.....
 
Nothing wrong with 8cr13mov blade steel , if there was Spyderco wouldn't use it in their economy line. Guaranteed ! :)
 
skyhorse said:
Nothing wrong with 8cr13mov blade steel , if there was Spyderco wouldn't use it in their economy line. Guaranteed ! :)
Click to expand...
Well put, Not every one that wants a Spyderco knife has money to burn on $100 or more models.
Producing budget models with less expensive steel allows more people to try the design & if they like it their
next purchase will most likely be one with better steel.
Sal is a very savvy business man,look at where the company is today compared to when it started selling the 203mf as its only product.
I bought one when they first came out & still have & use it. The original base was very limited compared to the 204mf model but it worked.
 
winchester73 said:
I think the 8cr may be closer to 440B. I seem to recall someone wanted 440C from the Chinese years ago and this was what they came up with. It was later found it was closer to 440B than 440C. From what I have read the Chinese 9cr14mov is close to 440C steel.
Click to expand...

It was presented as 440C. When Spyderco first started looking at making the Byrd line in China, the first prototypes were made in what was presented to Spyderco as 440C, but was actually 8Cr13MoV. Sal could tell the difference and had the blades analyzed for steel composition. This misrepresentation had apparently gone unnoticed by several other American knife companies who were already having knives made in China from this alloy and were labelling their knives "440C". It's performance is closer to that of 440B than that of either 440A or 440C.

8Cr13MoV was, and is, essentially a duplication of the Japanese alloy, AUS8. Its performance is a little more variable than that of AUS8, because the tolerances on the composition are wider. But even the average knife knut will likely not notice the variation.

8Cr13MoV is to my mind the closest thing there is to "stainless 1095". It takes an extremely fine edge. It has no carbides to speak of, so it does not have great wear resistance. It can be heat treated to 60-61, but a good hardness for it is 59. I have seen it heat treated to as low as 56. If heat treated to 59, it's pretty good stuff for every day carry.
 
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