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steel dilemma
- Thread starter slow1
- Start date
Bob Taylor
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 1998
- Messages
- 400
Thats a tough question. I belive ATS is a supriour steel to 1095 but I am not a big stainless fan. With W.E. Birdsongs BlackT finish corrosion ins't a factor so it's a decision you will have to make as far as steel goes. There will be no more AST-34 or 1095 blades in the future. They will be 154CM or D-2 Now we have a inhouse engraving laser all the blades in the future will have the steel type on the blade.
Bob Taylor
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Some days it's not worth chewing through the restraints and escaping.
Bob Taylor
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Some days it's not worth chewing through the restraints and escaping.
I also find this question extremely hard to decide. H.W.: Should I buy the 1095, the ATS-34, or should I wait for D2 or the other to come around. Time nor money does not go into any equation. I have never had any good experience with stainless, mostly because of the feel and that its never as sharp as a "rusting" knife is (which eventually never rust anyway since I can take care of it). 2cents, and since I cant hold either before I buy it, I would very much like to hear some opinions or facts about the different materials in question.
[This message has been edited by sigurd (edited 06-25-2000).]
[This message has been edited by sigurd (edited 06-25-2000).]
Jim March
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Oct 7, 1998
- Messages
- 3,021
ATS34 is a damn fine stainless. 154CM will be a very slight improvement, but it's very close to being the same steel.
1095 is good stuff, a high-end steel just below what's considered "tool steel" and with a good heat-treat, the edgeholding is better than ATS34. It'll rust, but Black-T helps with that issue.
Current D2 compositions are a good tool steel with "borderline stainless properties". Only widely reported downside is a rep for being a bit of a pain to sharpen, with reports varying depending on the maker - so it's probably connected to the heat-treat. BUT, REKAT is talking about a modified D2 with even greater rust resistance, so we have no idea how easy that'll be to sharpen.
My thinking is this: REKATs like the Hobbit Warrior and Sifu are "pure combat monsters", not utility knives. So you want a really good edge that'll stay that way, versus "micro-rusting" on the cutting edge and "going dull in the sheath". Under frequent outdoor carry, I'd be willing to bet the 1095 pieces might do just that, especially in a legal climate such as mine (California) where open-carry is required on fixed blades.
So REKAT's switch to what amounts to two grades of high-end stainless steels makes sense for them. ATS34 and it's close kin 154CM have enough stainless properties, edgeholding and toughness for just about any type of personal defense knife. The D2-M will add extreme toughness and edgeholding on top of that. But the HW blade design is such that there's just no way you're gonna break it in a fight even with the "weakest" steel we're discussing here, ATS34.
If you want an ATS34 piece now, and you find one at a good price because the dealers know it'll soon be "obsolescent", go for it. My daily carry piece is the Sifu in ATS34 and it's a damn fine blade...when the D2-M version comes out, I'll probably switch to that as daily but that's mostly because my Sifu is serial number one and really deserves to be kept pristine
.
Jim
1095 is good stuff, a high-end steel just below what's considered "tool steel" and with a good heat-treat, the edgeholding is better than ATS34. It'll rust, but Black-T helps with that issue.
Current D2 compositions are a good tool steel with "borderline stainless properties". Only widely reported downside is a rep for being a bit of a pain to sharpen, with reports varying depending on the maker - so it's probably connected to the heat-treat. BUT, REKAT is talking about a modified D2 with even greater rust resistance, so we have no idea how easy that'll be to sharpen.
My thinking is this: REKATs like the Hobbit Warrior and Sifu are "pure combat monsters", not utility knives. So you want a really good edge that'll stay that way, versus "micro-rusting" on the cutting edge and "going dull in the sheath". Under frequent outdoor carry, I'd be willing to bet the 1095 pieces might do just that, especially in a legal climate such as mine (California) where open-carry is required on fixed blades.
So REKAT's switch to what amounts to two grades of high-end stainless steels makes sense for them. ATS34 and it's close kin 154CM have enough stainless properties, edgeholding and toughness for just about any type of personal defense knife. The D2-M will add extreme toughness and edgeholding on top of that. But the HW blade design is such that there's just no way you're gonna break it in a fight even with the "weakest" steel we're discussing here, ATS34.
If you want an ATS34 piece now, and you find one at a good price because the dealers know it'll soon be "obsolescent", go for it. My daily carry piece is the Sifu in ATS34 and it's a damn fine blade...when the D2-M version comes out, I'll probably switch to that as daily but that's mostly because my Sifu is serial number one and really deserves to be kept pristine
Jim