SR77, SR101, and INFI

Pygmalion

Pygmalion

Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
988
Can someone tell me the main functional differences in these three steels (INFI, SR77, and SR101). If My understanding is correct it is basically a difference in the heat treating process. Are the three steels close in functionality and durability? Isn't INFI Busse's brainchild, and the SR's are Swamp Rat's?
Last question... Of SR77 and SR101, which is "better"?
 
You may want to search for this topic on both this subforum and on the Busse one, as well as on the Scrap Yard and Swamp Rat Boards. The short answer to "which is best" is that it depends on how you measure it. SR77 is based on S7 tool steel, which is used for jackhammer bits. Generally, it's considered slightly "tougher" than SR101. SR101 is slightly better than SR77 in edge retention. INFI is both tough and holds an edge exceptionally well; it wasn't specifically designed as stainless, but it is highly corrosion resistant. The only downside to INFI is that knives made of it are noticeably more expensive.

My personal opinion is that, if price is a consideration, then I'd prefer SR101 for less than 6-inch blades and I'd prefer SR77 for greater than 6-inch blades. If price is no object, then INFI is your best bet. No matter which flavor of Busse you buy, it'll be covered by a lifetime warranty against failure (unless you intentionally try to destroy it). Due to the Busse heat treatments, under anything even close to normal use, you probably won't see any difference between the effectiveness of one over another. Between Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard, availability and the style of handle should probably be a more important considerations than the steel -- they'll both hold up exceptionally well under hard use.
 
Here's how I see the three:

INFI=all around outstanding steel; edge holding, toughness, strength, stain resistance.
SR101= excellent edge holding and toughness, not as stain resistant as steel above.
S77= Very good edge holding but outstanding toughness, stain resistance that of SR101.
 
INFI=$$$; Proprietary alloy used by Busse. Steel used for fusion bomb MIRV casings.
SR-101=$$; Modified 52100 bearing steel. Steel for ball bearings and bearing races.
S-77=$; Modified S-7 shock steel. Steel for jackhammer bits, etc.
:D
 
I've actually found that the SR77 is much more stain resistant than the SR101, which corrodes pretty easily. I'm not sure about the corrosion between INFI and SR77, though I believe that INFI is more resistant.

My typical comparison between steels is lateral strength. I'm a pryer by nature (See Video). Between INFI and SR101, I have found that the difference is slim (they are both very strong) but when only using the very tip of the blade, there is a difference and INFI wins. I haven't tested the SR77 as much, yet, but in watching the knives released from the Yard, I have (possibly incorrectly) drawn the conclusion that the SR77's lateral strength is not as great as SR101. I base this assertion on the fact that even the 4" blades are no less than 1/4" thick, of course, it's possible that lateral strength isn't the reason for this design choice, it could just be Dan's preference.

Hope this helps. :D
 
I agree about SR-77 being a little more corrosion resistant than SR-101.
SR-101 is not as bad as 10XX steels, O-1, 5160 and a couple of others, but it is pretty prone to rust.

SR-77 will also rust, but, so far, it seems noticably better than SR-101 to me.

INFI is considerably more stain resistant than SR77.
I have read some people claim INFI to be as good as stainless, but it is NOT stainless and it will rust. I have seen rust spots on some of my INFI that I stripped and still had pits (not finished yet) But, it is a VERY reasonable amount of corrosion resistance IMO and easy to maintain unless it is always wet or salty or similar.

It is very hard to find much fault in INFI - EXCEPT the price!

Truthfully, I find SR-101 pretty hard to fault except for being more prone to rust. Great all-around knife steel.

And SR-77 is most notably "EXTREMELY" tough. Possibly tougher than INFI. It pretty darn good except it will rust (although tolerable) and it holds an edge fair, but not as well as SR-101. Easy to sharpen though. Seems most suited for large choppers.

.
 
In all my searching I could never find all of this info and opinion in one place. Thanks people!! You have helped make my mind much clearer on these steels.
 
360joules said:
I have (possibly incorrectly) drawn the conclusion that the SR77's lateral strength is not as great as SR101. I base this assertion on the fact that even the 4" blades are no less than 1/4" thick, of course, it's possible that lateral strength isn't the reason for this design choice, it could just be Dan's preference.
Click to expand...

I would be willing to bet that if you tested all three, you'd find that not only would SR77 beat SR101 in lateral strength, it would also beat INFI in lateral strength. Hands down, in fact. That having been said, you are right that there is a reason why almost all of all of the Scrapyards have been 1/4" thick or more and that reason is edge stability. While it is damn near impossible to fracture SR77 at any thickness, thin sections of SR77 at typical hardnesses are significantly more deformable than either SR101 or INFI.
 
Rich_S said:
I would be willing to bet that if you tested all three, you'd find that not only would SR77 beat SR101 in lateral strength, it would also beat INFI in lateral strength. Hands down, in fact. That having been said, you are right that there is a reason why almost all of all of the Scrapyards have been 1/4" thick or more and that reason is edge stability. While it is damn near impossible to fracture SR77 at any thickness, thin sections of SR77 at typical hardnesses are significantly more deformable than either SR101 or INFI.
Click to expand...

I tend to believe the above post is likely correct.
 
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