Switch from BD1 to BD1N?

I'm also curious what the tests have shown this to be like as far as edge retention goes. This would be a nice upgrade for the Pygmy Warrior. Also should really re-release the wharn urban. But would it be possible to release a version of the urban with a lock? Caly Mini? haha
 
koenigsegg said:
I'm also curious what the tests have shown this to be like as far as edge retention goes. This would be a nice upgrade for the Pygmy Warrior. Also should really re-release the wharn urban. But would it be possible to release a version of the urban with a lock? Caly Mini? haha
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Some reports I’ve seen put it’s performance in the mid/upper level stainless PM steel category. Think S30V and XHP.

It should be noted that BD1N is not a PM steel but is vacuum melted so it’s pretty free of impurities and fine grained.
 
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Interesting, if I remember right BD1 itself is below VG10 in edge retention isn't it? So that's an awesome upgrade. I've noticed BD1 does get really sharp. Really wanna try BD1N now
 
Cut test results from Cedric & Ada.


DVpem98.jpg
 
I am not certain I buy into BD1N being on the same level as S30V as far as edge retention. I would hazard to guess that it will be a slight improvement in that regard, but more so on corrosion resistance.
 
Hopefully Pete from Cedric & Ada gets his hands on some and tests it. One guy can only do so much, and his collects of edge retention tests is truly impressive. Or maybe somebody else will step up and add more data using his methodology so the results are comparable.

His testing has been educational for me, confirmed why I stopped carrying knives for a while (crappy edge retention), and gave an appreciation for what Spyderco does with different steels.
 
DocT said:
I am amazed BD1 out performed VG-10 and others in his test. Perhaps it was a thinner edge? Still, BD1 is pretty good.
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4N86zsFr.png


Maybe BD1 being a Vacuum melted steel makes the difference between them? Also the manufacturer in China that does BD1 is very proud of his steel and heat treatment. He's got all the equipment to do it properly and at a high level. Otherwise I dunno.
 
BD1 is an American steel made by Carpenter. Hitachi makes a similar steel in Japan.
 
Though a little out of context (some of the other alloys did better further up the chart)
BD1N, handled by a master, is doing very well in this chart
ZDP -189 - 420 - Endura 4 - 65 RC
Niolox - 420 - LX Blades - 59 - 59.5 RC - .006" behind the edge
BD1N - 420 - Phil Wilson - 60 HRC - .020" behind the edge
M390 - 400 - Benchmade 810-1401 Contego 60-62 RC
M390 - 380 - Military - 61 RC
ELMAX - 340 - ZT 0770CF - ? RC
ELMAX - 340 - Para 2 - ? RC
AEB-L - 340 - Tim Johnson Custom - 60 RC - .006" behind the edge
HAP-40 - 320 - Spyderco Endura - ? RC - .024" behind the edge
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This info is from the Ankerson tests
 
BD1N is doing fairly well in kitchen service for me. Any imperfections in the edge are exceedingly reflective and really stand out, but that seems to be due to taking a polish fairly quickly. I actually went down to the DMT EE Fine just to clean up those shiny spots that persisted with the merely extra fine. A bit of very fine grit stropping helps as well. The edge doesn't take much damage but does develop tiny shiny glints along the apex fairly quickly. Playing with this knife in BD1N is a work in progress for me.
 
Wowbagger said:
Though a little out of context (some of the other alloys did better further up the chart)
BD1N, handled by a master, is doing very well in this chart


This info is from the Ankerson tests
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That's at 60hrc and .020"

The steel should be at 63hrc for the best performance.

Not brittle at the edge either.
 
Seems liked these days, everyone is a expert at testing edge retention of different steels and not all of the tests reflect the same results. BD1 exists because Spyderco asked Carpenter to make a US equivalent of Hitachi's Gingami 1. We were doing a lot of CATRA testing for Carpenter when they wanted to enter the knife industry. Then they tweaked the steal with trace elements of exotic elements. While we think it's a good steel, but we do not rank it as high as some others. There are so many variables that need to be standard before true comparisons will be the same. Nowadays you can pick the tester that provides the results you are looking for.

sal
 
DeadboxHero said:
That's at 60hrc and .020"

The steel should be at 63hrc for the best performance.

Not brittle at the edge either.
Click to expand...

Wow ! ! !
thanks for pointing that out.
and
(?) Phil Wilson with a knife at .020" behind the edge. (?)
That's like Mario Andretti driving a Yugo. I wonder why he bothered ?
 
Sal Glesser said:
There are so many variables that need to be standard before true comparisons will be the same. Nowadays you can pick the tester that provides the results you are looking for.

sal
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No doubt, Sal. I think the best we could get from these test is maybe a reasonable trend. Unsurprisingly in the aggregate they seem to generally confirm what Spydero (and other makers) have to say about the steels.
 
I've really enjoyed my LW Manix 2 with BD1. Light enough to carry in board short leg pockets and has shown no corrosion to date after four years. Easy to get sharp and excels as a normal use EDC for a normal day. If BD1n is even better... that's great news!
 
I need to try BD1N and M4. Pretty incredible that Spyderco makes all these steels so accessible.
 
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