SK-5 Anyone tried it yet?

F

F.N.G

Joined
Jul 31, 2008
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Hey just wondering if anyone tested/tried out the sk-5 steel Cold steel is now using in a few of their knives. Is this steel any good? Also how does it stack up to the old Carbon V?
 
all though i would never recommend buy a cold steel, i have heard good things about S-K5
 
The Laredo Bowie from CS in SK-5 is a hell of a lot of knife for the price. Mine is a nice hard user, and came with a very sharp edge from the factory. The clip is sharpened too. Quality leather sheath. I have no problem recommending it. You can find it for about a hundred bucks if you look around.
 
F.N.G said:
Hey just wondering if anyone tested/tried out the sk-5 steel Cold steel is now using in a few of their knives. Is this steel any good? Also how does it stack up to the old Carbon V?
Click to expand...

Haven't tried it. Have read several threads by people who have found it satisfactory. Have not read any threads by people unhappy with its performance.

SK-5 is an alloy steel that is essentially 1085 but with other elemets added to make it an alloy steel instead of a plain carbon steel. The extra elements enhance its basic properties.

According to the post from STR below, Carbon V was an alloy steel based on 1095 :
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3652898&postcount=2

An alloy steel based on 1085 should make an excellent large blade. And, according to posts I have read, SK-5 matches the expectation.
 
knarfeng said:
Haven't tried it. Have read several threads by people who have found it satisfactory. Have not read any threads by people unhappy with its performance.

SK-5 is an alloy steel that is essentially 1085 but with other elemets added to make it an alloy steel instead of a plain carbon steel. The extra elements enhance its basic properties.

According to the post from STR below, Carbon V was an alloy steel based on 1095 :
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3652898&postcount=2

An alloy steel based on 1085 should make an excellent large blade. And, according to posts I have read, SK-5 matches the expectation.
Click to expand...

yes, but isn't those 1080's and 1090's U.S. steels? S-K5 is suppose to be the Japanes equaivelent...Japanese is good though so no worries...am I correct though about all those 10's steels being U.S.?
 
nate3993 said:
yes, but isn't those 1080's and 1090's U.S. steels? S-K5 is suppose to be the Japanes equaivelent...Japanese is good though so no worries...am I correct though about all those 10's steels being U.S.?
Click to expand...

Sorry, shorthand. I referenced 1085 and 1095 to set the carbon levels. Here is my answer again, but with a bit more detail.

The website for the Japanese mfg of SK5 is here:
http://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/products/sheets/catalog/b1e-005.pdf

SK5 is not exactly the equivalent of 1085. SK5 is an alloy steel with the same carbon content as 1085, but containing other elements that are not found in 1085, but which are added to enhance the performance. Here is a comparison of the composition of SK5 to that of 1085.

____________SK-5___________1085
C__________0.80-0.90__________0.75-0.95
Si_________0.10-0.35 _________0.35 MAX
Mn________0.10-0.50 ____________1.0 MAX
P_________≤0.030 _____________0.04 MAX
S_________≤0.030 _____________0.50 MAX
Cu_________≤0.25
Ni_________≤0.25
Cr_________≤0.30

Carbon V was essentially the same deal, an alloy steel, but with the carbon content found in 1095.
 
The Cold Steel Bushman has always been made out of SK-5. It is by all accounts a very good blade, though of course we're talking a low price point on that particular knife.

Still, though, the tests by Noss at knifetests.com should give some insight as to the steel's behavior under abusive conditions.

HERE's a link.
 
Isn't the bushman tempered to lower RC's than the bowie line? That would make it apples to oranges even though it's the same steel. Joe
 
SK-5, now thats whats in my Bushman. It hold an edge pretty well but corrodes semi easily. And is sucks in cold weather.... They crack...
 
I seem to recall Noss testing a SOG Tigershark made of SK-5 ( the old kind) and being surprised at how well it did. That would make a better comparison than the bushman, which is tempered really low in comparison to the SOG's and Trailmasters. I have an old SK5 tigershark, an old carbon 5 and new SK5 trailmaster and they all are pretty good performers. I haven't tested any of them to destruction, nor do I expect to but for the stuff I use large fixed blades for they have done ok. I guess if I knew I had to depend on it for my life I would get a Busse, or have something custom made. For their price range, the trailmaster series is a good deal even if it's made in China. The Tigershark? Wish it was still made in carbon steel. I like Aus6a and now 8a, but not in large choppers. Joe Joe
 
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