Steel Forgery?

Joined
Sep 19, 2002
Messages
591
Does anyone know of knife steel ever being misrepresented? For example, you think you just bought s30v but instead some dishonest manufacturer used some cheaper grade of steel and stamped it s30v. Even if this has happened how would you know?

Jon
 
Unless it was a very big difference (S30V to 42x), it would be pretty darned hard to tell for sure without the right equipment.

Especially since the heat treatment can cause so much variation in the qualities of the steel. Poorly treated S30V probably can be as poor as well treated 42x.

I guess we just have to trust the manufacturers.

Fortunatley, I think they do quite a bit of testing of each others knives, and would gleefully reveal it to the public if the competition were using a inferior steel and stamping it as something else.

Just my $0.02

-- Rob
 
Has there been a manufacturer or custom maker that was busted doing this? Just curious.

I thought it might make for an interesting thread.

Jon
 
Not too many years ago Browning would refer to their blades as being 440C or 440C equivalent stainless. In reality the knives were made in Japan using AUS-8 alloy. 440C has more carbon and more chrome than AUS-8 while AUS-8 has a little vanadium that is lacking from 440C. AUS-8 takes a finer edge and is easier to sharpen. 440C is more abrasion resistant and holds an edge longer. Browning marketeers must have felt that AUS-8 was a premium stainless (compared to 440A, 420-J2 and even 420-HC) and that they wanted to promote their better steel to the lay public. They figured that the public was familiar with 440C as "premium" stainless so they borrowed the designation. In the last couple years they have decided that the public is sophisticated enough to recognize AUS-8 as having value so they have transitioned to the actual alloy on their website.

By the way. One of my Brownings takes an absolute razor edge that does a real good job of shaving my face. I bought it because it was AUS-8 rather than 440C.
 
The only two cases that come to mind of steels being promoted as differnt than what they actually were are SOG marking knives as 440 class when they were AUS class, and REKAT selling 1095 blades that were ATS-34. Both cases have been discussed in the past on the forums.

-Cliff
 
From memory, it was part of a run, the steel ran out and they completed it with ATS-34.

-Cliff
 
Back
Top