- Joined
- Oct 25, 2003
- Messages
- 703
Most knives are machined:
That is, they take a flat sheet of metal, stamp a blank form out of it, then grind it into final shape. Somewhere along the line, the knife is tempered and finally, "Finished" by polishing it. "Machining," is fine, as long as you are making letter openers, or prizes to be handed out at a carnival sideshow. It's time, however, to put aside the plebeian drivel and talk about real steel.
Lowest of all, are machined "Folders," knives so flimsy, that most of them could be destroyed by laying them over a curb and stomping on them. We won't mention folders here, because we're talking about knives with at least the rudimentary appearance of quality.
Being a connoisseur of machined knives is like being a connoisseur of McDonalds. Some items taste better than others, but you have to remember you're eating produced slop. One cannot compare a Big Mac with a tender T-bone. Unfortunately, if one only eats McDonald food, then one becomes convinced they are eating well...
Unfortunate, but such is the fare of the masses. At least they are capable of understanding it.
Now, lets talk about Drop-Forged knives:
There are two types of drop forging: Open Mold, and Closed Mold. Open mold is usually used for art projects, as the mold is cheaper to produce. Much steel is lost, however (Slag) and the molds don't stand up over time.
Closed mold is expensive at first, but as more knives are produced, the cheaper they become. Less steel is lost to slag and the molds hold up to multiple castings.
As a result, it takes an established company's resources to set up a closed forge. It's expensive to set-up.
1) Drop forged knives are %20+ stronger than machined knives. (That's why hard-use tools are drop-forged)
2) Design elements, such as edges are forged in, not just ground down.
There aren't many drop-forged knives available and they are relatively expensive. That, however, has been the story of quality throughout history.
That is, they take a flat sheet of metal, stamp a blank form out of it, then grind it into final shape. Somewhere along the line, the knife is tempered and finally, "Finished" by polishing it. "Machining," is fine, as long as you are making letter openers, or prizes to be handed out at a carnival sideshow. It's time, however, to put aside the plebeian drivel and talk about real steel.
Lowest of all, are machined "Folders," knives so flimsy, that most of them could be destroyed by laying them over a curb and stomping on them. We won't mention folders here, because we're talking about knives with at least the rudimentary appearance of quality.
Being a connoisseur of machined knives is like being a connoisseur of McDonalds. Some items taste better than others, but you have to remember you're eating produced slop. One cannot compare a Big Mac with a tender T-bone. Unfortunately, if one only eats McDonald food, then one becomes convinced they are eating well...
Unfortunate, but such is the fare of the masses. At least they are capable of understanding it.
Now, lets talk about Drop-Forged knives:
There are two types of drop forging: Open Mold, and Closed Mold. Open mold is usually used for art projects, as the mold is cheaper to produce. Much steel is lost, however (Slag) and the molds don't stand up over time.
Closed mold is expensive at first, but as more knives are produced, the cheaper they become. Less steel is lost to slag and the molds hold up to multiple castings.
As a result, it takes an established company's resources to set up a closed forge. It's expensive to set-up.
1) Drop forged knives are %20+ stronger than machined knives. (That's why hard-use tools are drop-forged)
2) Design elements, such as edges are forged in, not just ground down.
There aren't many drop-forged knives available and they are relatively expensive. That, however, has been the story of quality throughout history.
