Should I buy a knife just because of magna cut

Yes and no. You should buy a knife with Magnacut steel if you're interested in having a knife with high quality steel or just like to collect/experience different types of blade steel.

It's probably best to wait until you find a knife that you like for more than the fact that the blade is made of Magnacut though, to get the most out of it. Then you get a knife you want made with a knife steel you want.
 
fishface5 said:
Magnacut will give better performance, BUT you will only see the difference if (a) it is heat treated to 62-64 HRC and (b) you actually use the knife hard enough for the better performance to be obvious.

For sharpening the Worksharp guided system works well for cheap.
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This to me is the answer we see so many "super steels" that big box manufacturers use, but then are heat treated too low to really make the steel shine.

We all know why they do it, the softer the steel the cheaper it is to grind. Too many consumers don't pay attention to the hardness when buying knives with high end steels. Not that running things a bit soft can't have advantages, but usually it's mostly for cost cutting.
 
If you're the type of knife enthusiast who likes to try different steels, then yes, you should. In my opinion, trying new steels gives us an appreciation for their differences and what their strengths are in the spectrum of usage. Dr. Larrin's MagnaCut represents a lineage of knife making on its own merit. There are countless videos online of guys blowing through 2x4s and still shaving hairs off their arm! If that doesn't pique your interest, I dont know what will.... the fact that people compare it to CPK's Delta 3V is a huge compliment to Dr. Larrins capabilities. For all the work he has done and continues to do, he certainly deserves his celebrity status within the knife world and his brainchild deserves its praise. MagnaCut may be the next S30 or S35vn as a far as we know, it could become the industry standard until Dr. Larrin comes up with another concoction 😂
 
I wouldn't unless your old knife is shot. If I buy a knife for steel specifically, it's a steel that's supposedly the best at what it does, and I use it in that capacity. If you are looking to drop some dough on the hobby why not consider a TSPROF or similar design and get something that's easy to properly sharpen knives with?
I think most of us here would buy magnacut over the previous s35vn or M390 if offered in the same knife, but only the steel testers and shopaholics NEEDED to get MagnaCut before they needed a new knife in one of their favorite designs that offered it.
I also question the heat treat, grinding, and edge geometry on a Kershaw anything as far as getting ultimate performance out of a steel.
I would take 440A with perfect heat treat, grinding, and geometry over poorly done blades in any steel. Not that Kershaw is terrible, but it is hard to get right pumping out thousands of knives per day.
 
I wouldn't a knife just for the steel. Magnacut will be more available as time goes on (you would think). I would save the $ and get a knife AND steel you'd like.
 
Not a fair comparison. The standard $50 Leek comes with a low quality steel, these Leeks are equipped with the MagnaCut super premium steel which are now only found on knives costing well in excess of $200.
 
I know a guy whos been using the lowly standard leek for 20 years in his ice cream truck cutting open ice cream boxes I think he got his moneys worth with it.
 
I saw that some places are listing a Kershaw 1812 Dividend with magnacut.

They seem to be under $150 street.
 
I bought the Les George Magnate specifically because I wanted a tough Magnacut fixed blade EDC. Hasn’t disappointed at all.
 
I wish I'd have seen that dividend I would have got one of them. That's all right though that's the next one I guess. Can't have enough knives
 
I might buy a knife with MagnaCut (instead of another steel) if I did not already have another of that knife. But, unless it was something I specifically collected, I would not buy a duplicate knife just to have a MagnaCut version of the same thing I already have. For example, I already have a BlackWash Leek, so won't buy the MagnaCut version of that. But, since I collect some Bucks, I might buy a MagnaCut version of a 110 or 112 just to have that version, similar to buying both clip and drop point versions of those.
 

Should I buy a knife just because of magna cut​


9 out of 10 times absolutely not unless you have a real need for it's advantages which are pretty good by the way but not absolutely necessary for the average user.

I think it would be a greatly appreciated gift for someone who uses knives a lot on a daily basis and normally would not spend money on one provided it's the right type of design (blade geometry, size, shape, etc...) for his/her use. They would probably notice the better overall performance and just might get spoiled on it. You may need to talk him/her out their fear of using it hard vs making it their expensive safe queen they don't want to lose or damage.

I think a lot of people who use knives a lot derive themselves of the benefits these newer steels offer because the old steel they have been using has worked for them for a long time and is lower priced. These are the people who would appreciate these modern steels the most, not crazy knife nuts like myself. I also think quality control would go up if more of these people used modern steels since the companies that make them will get some pretty fast feedback if they tried cutting corners on the heat treat.

if you are like me I would buy it even though a cheap 440A knife would work just fine for me just because I just like it and want to.

I stick to using my old computer until I can't but once I get my hands on a new updated computer and use it I would likely be hard pressed to want to go back to using the old one even though it would still work. I imagine it's the same when knife users get better steel.
 
No.

In my opinion, a knife doesn't get obsolete just because a version in better steel came out.
Also, the longer you use some knife, the more you like that particular knife (at least for me).

If your old knife worked for you so far - it'll likely continue working well for you in the future as well.
I also don't think you'd notice huge difference in daily use (unless you do something very extreme). The biggest difference will be what's printed on the blade.

Knife is overall experience, ergonomics, grinds, looks, and most importantly - performance. Steel is just a factor that is there and has an impact on performance.


At the end of the day, just buy what you like. If it makes you happy - go for it.
 
Only if the knife has good ergos. No amount of fancy steel can overcome a handle that doesn't fit your hand right.
 
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