SR101, S30V, INFI - The Toughest Steel?

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The funny thing is, if one starts a thread with identical title, there will be bunch of responses, including from those who "guard" agains resurrecting threads :)
 
So I read about the first 3 pages and saw nothing mentioned of zdp-189 steel. Where would this steel fall in line with the seemingly top 2 INFI and s7???
 
ZDP-189 is great for fine work and really shines at cutting and slicing when heat-treated to high hardness levels with the proper grind, but just doesn't have the toughness that the high-end tool steels have.
 
Hello all, and sorry for reviving this thread yet again :P but one question. I was looking at ordering a Swamp Rat Rodent 9, and wanted to know if anyone could push me towards or against one. I put this here as I hear Swamp Rat's SR101 heat treating is very good quality and wanted to know if it was worth the 200 bucks :P
 
Well I don't know any thing about L6, but my SR-77 scrapyard SOD is a smidge tougher than my INFI busses. There could be more to it than steel composition.
 
VolundoftheForge said:
Hello all, and sorry for reviving this thread yet again :P but one question. I was looking at ordering a Swamp Rat Rodent 9, and wanted to know if anyone could push me towards or against one. I put this here as I hear Swamp Rat's SR101 heat treating is very good quality and wanted to know if it was worth the 200 bucks :P
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Excellent quality, no question.

They would perform better with a refined edge and the coating stripped.

You'll need a sheath.
 
Brian Sargent said:
Excellent quality, no question.

They would perform better with a refined edge and the coating stripped.

You'll need a sheath.
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Ah thanks. Unfortunately, I can't order it 'til around the 26th. Hopefully they haven't switched to a new knife by then :P I'm new to the higher end knives. Also Unfortunately, I don't believe there is anyone in my area who could strip the blade's coat nor put a quality refined edge on the blade. Oh well, I will take a semi cheap quality knife and hope for the best :)
 
VolundoftheForge said:
Ah thanks. Unfortunately, I can't order it 'til around the 26th. Hopefully they haven't switched to a new knife by then :P I'm new to the higher end knives. Also Unfortunately, I don't believe there is anyone in my area who could strip the blade's coat nor put a quality refined edge on the blade. Oh well, I will take a semi cheap quality knife and hope for the best :)
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Have you looked at their forum here?

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/778-Swamp-Rat-Knives
 
What about M4? Is it tough? I'm getting a Benchmade 760 folder and heard good things. Since this thread wont die.
 
RevDevil said:
From 1966-1981 that was their steel, in 1981 they introduced 440C and then in 1997 then dropped 440C and started using 440A. Go from a terrific steel to good steel, to pot metal. Bummer.
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I've always heard that 440C was a "good" knife steel (basically the minimum quality that is acceptable if you want a stainless blade) and that most people cheap out and use 440A and just mark the knife "440" (Ka-Bar comes to mind) but how can they possibly be so different when the elemental content is so similar?

If C is so much better than A and reasonably priced I don't know why anyone would use a different 440-series.
 
Seems to me that when Fiskars bought Gerber, the business model may have also changed. Quantity over quality seems to be what happened.
 
SR101, S30V, INFI - The Toughest Steel? I think the question should be , which heat treatment process produces the toughest outcomes for each of the above mentioned steels. Then from there one can objectively test for toughness to find the toughest steel coupled with the most advanced heat treatment method for that steel. I am willing to bet 10 professional smiths working with the same steel will all produce 10 deferent variations of toughness with that steel. Thus it's not the steel but the man behind the steel that makes the toughest steel. But, this is only a hypothesis I could be way off base.
 
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