steel and sheath

[wombat]

1. Why does Buck use 425 steel? What advantages does this steel have over the newer high-speed steels? Why don't other manufacturers use 425?

2. Where can I get a kydex sheath for my Nighthawk Tanto? Thanks for the help.

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wombat

 

[bansidthe]

Buck apparently uses 420 "HC" with the "HC" meaning high carbon. It is only high carbon when compared to pure iron. They use it since it is inexpensive to purchase and machine. It gives only mediocre performance when compared to my buck knives from the early seventies. Then they used 440c carbon which has twice as much C as the 420. I bought my oldest son a new buck knife and the edge holding is not as good as it used to be. Needless to say, this was a disappointment and the last buck I will buy unless they upgrade their steel significantly. The now discontinued master series used BG42 steel and I went to purchase a folding knife but couldn't find one that locked up tight enough. Unfortunately there was unacceptable blade play in the 7 knives our local store had. This problem with manufacturing with BG42 has been mentioned in this forum previously.

[This message has been edited by bansidthe (edited 04 October 1999).]