Southern Grind Bad Monkey

Both of the ones I have used had smooth actions, but they don't fly open, if that makes any sense. The blade is long and heavy and it doesn't flick really well , at least for me, but it does open very smoothly (inertia openings are very easy if you like that sort of thing). There are no gritty feeling spots or hang-ups as it moves through the arc.

I too wonder why they chose the steel they did. Not that I mind it, it just seems like an odd choice for a brand new company, that could essentially pick anything they wanted to use. Is is that much cheaper to buy and use than something like 154CM? Their Jackal fixed blade is interesting, but the choice of blade steel on that one has me guessing. I know nothing about it at all.
 
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jstrange said:
Both of the ones I have used had smooth actions, but they don't fly open, if that makes any sense. The blade is long and heavy and it doesn't flick really well , at least for me, but it does open very smoothly (inertia openings are very easy if you like that sort of thing). There are no gritty feeling spots or hang-ups as it moves through the arc.

I too wonder why they chose the steel they did. Not that I mind it, it just seems like an odd choice for a brand new company, that could essentially pick anything they wanted to use. Is is that much cheaper to buy and use than something like 154CM? Their Jackal fixed blade is interesting, but the choice of blade steel on that one has me guessing. I know nothing about it at all.
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I believe the big advantage with 14C28N is that it's easily stamped into blades, not requiring the use of waterjets or mills to cut out a blade blank. The cost of the material is not hugely less than midrange steel, but it's far cheaper to process. That's why Kershaw uses it in their budget blades, because it's easy and inexpensive to mass-blank blades out of. Thus, it does kinda make sense for a new company. I still think they would have been better served in the long run by buying a few more waterjets instead and going with a basic powder steel like CPM154 or S30V.
 
Makes sense. Perhaps after a few years, once they overcome some of the initial start up expenditures, they will branch out with different materials. As I said before, I am content with their current offering.
 
14C28N is a fine carbide steel with good purity and microstructure. It also has high attainable hardness at 62 and still have good toughness and corrosion resistance with its addition of Nitrogen.

It has less carbide volume than 154CM or S30V and this limits the chances of microchipping that can lead to creep fractures.

All and all it is a good blade steel for the intended purpose IMO.
 
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