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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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Talonite....
- Thread starter dannyv
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- Apr 1, 2001
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I would guess that many of us (me included) bought knives with Talonie blades and quickly found out that unless rust is an issue, there are other steels that we like better. Personally I will take VG-10 or s30v over Talonite. However, I am not giving up my Cuda Talonite EDC. It goes to the river and the lake.
Esav Benyamin
MidniteSuperMod
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- Apr 6, 2000
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Talonite is a cobalt alloy, not an iron alloy like steel. But I understand it is a very expensive and increasingly unavailable cobalt alloy, so Talonite users are going back to a previous cobalt alloy called Stellite. In either case, they are for specialized blades, avoiding corrosion and cutting even when seemingly dull. The expense puts them out of reach for inexpensive users.
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- Apr 19, 1999
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I work with both stellite 6K and Liquidmetal. Both are very expensive materials to use for knifemaking. Stellite is better at edge holding and more corrosion resistant in acid.
The real reason that talonite and stellite are not seen more in general use is cost...in my opinion at least.
The real reason that talonite and stellite are not seen more in general use is cost...in my opinion at least.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2001
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S30V has really dampened the appeal of Talonite, IMHO. It CAN rust, but you almost have to try to make it do that by abusing it. It's very expensive and S30V is the same price as ATS-34. Also, Tom Mayo has not been taking orders for the TNT, since his deal with Buck. The TNT was a prime mover of the Talonite market, since the knife was built of entirely non-corrosive material. Comes in handy if you live in Hawaii, but not really worth the scratch for the "average" user. There are some makers still using it, and obviously Camillus is still producing the EDC and Cudas in Talonite, but since the arrival of CPM S30V, it's much less sought after.
It is a neat metal, since it's inherently "slippery". It also has great edge-holding, but little hardness. I've been told it's tough to work with, but for "special" applications, it's probably worth it. I think most everyone missed the boat with this material, since it would make the world's BEST fillet knife, but I've never seen or heard of one.
It is a neat metal, since it's inherently "slippery". It also has great edge-holding, but little hardness. I've been told it's tough to work with, but for "special" applications, it's probably worth it. I think most everyone missed the boat with this material, since it would make the world's BEST fillet knife, but I've never seen or heard of one.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 1998
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As the exclusive supplier of Talonite to custom makers we monitor sales quite closely. Sales of Talonite have never been better. We sold our complete inventory at Blade Show and again at the Montana show. Were currently restocking for the Bay Area Show. Were donating another Camillus Talonite EDC to the Bay Area Show. Stop by the show and try to win a free knife.
George, have you ever worked with Talonite? Please provide empirical data showing 6K holds and edge better and resists acid better than Talonite. If this is your opinion please state it as such.
Talonite is available and it is expensive. It works great in specific circumstances like wet or corrosive environments. It does NOT make a good chopping or camp knife. Cutting flesh is what Talonite does best. Good uses are skinning knives, caping knives and taxidermy knives. I agree with marcangel that it would make a great fillet knife. Ive been thinking about having a piece of .125 wire EDM cut diagonally lengthwise. Then having the two pieces made into distil tapered fillet knives.
As far as edge holding goes I still have not found anything that holds an edge as long as my Ed Caffrey 52100 bladed, differentially hardened, convex ground folder. But I would never use this knife in the kitchen. There are always compromises.
If anyone wants to know more about Talonite feel free to call me or talk to us at shows. Im hard to miss. Look for the big guy with the red shirt, Dockers, dark hair and beard.
George, have you ever worked with Talonite? Please provide empirical data showing 6K holds and edge better and resists acid better than Talonite. If this is your opinion please state it as such.
Talonite is available and it is expensive. It works great in specific circumstances like wet or corrosive environments. It does NOT make a good chopping or camp knife. Cutting flesh is what Talonite does best. Good uses are skinning knives, caping knives and taxidermy knives. I agree with marcangel that it would make a great fillet knife. Ive been thinking about having a piece of .125 wire EDM cut diagonally lengthwise. Then having the two pieces made into distil tapered fillet knives.
As far as edge holding goes I still have not found anything that holds an edge as long as my Ed Caffrey 52100 bladed, differentially hardened, convex ground folder. But I would never use this knife in the kitchen. There are always compromises.
If anyone wants to know more about Talonite feel free to call me or talk to us at shows. Im hard to miss. Look for the big guy with the red shirt, Dockers, dark hair and beard.
Chuck, I believe what George means is that he has fount Stellite to be better than liquid metal. At least that is how I understood his post.
As for why less is being said about Talonite, I think it is just because it is no longer a new material. You will always hear a lot of interest in a material when it is just being brought out, and being first used. S30V, and Liquid Metal are now some of the newer metals available to knifemakers. As a result we will hear more about them, but that doesn't mean Talonite is used any less, or that it is not a good material. It just means that it is no longer the newest and hottest thing around.
As for why less is being said about Talonite, I think it is just because it is no longer a new material. You will always hear a lot of interest in a material when it is just being brought out, and being first used. S30V, and Liquid Metal are now some of the newer metals available to knifemakers. As a result we will hear more about them, but that doesn't mean Talonite is used any less, or that it is not a good material. It just means that it is no longer the newest and hottest thing around.
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ErikD,
George's post could be interpreted either way. I'll wait for his reply to clarify the statement.
George's post could be interpreted either way. I'll wait for his reply to clarify the statement.
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- Apr 19, 1999
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- 3,560
The comparison was intended between Liquidmetal and Stellite 6K. I don't believe that there is enough difference between talonite and Stellite 6K to say one way or the other....when you get to that level of performance a few percentage points more or less doesn't matter. This material has the edge holding performance that other materials can only dream about.
I have never worked with Talonite Chuck but that is mainly due to its unavailability in the Canadian market at the time I decided to add a cobalt alloy to my line. I simply drove down to Belleville and picked some up at the factory. The Stellite folks suggested the 6K alloy over the 6B alloy (which is supposed to be closer to talonite) because it is one or two points harder on average, not really a lot actually.
I have made a few fish knives from 1/16" stock for a special customer and he is in seventh heaven with the results.
I will say that I much prefer grinding Stellite 6K over Liquidmetal or even 440C for that matter. It takes a long time but there is also a lot of time to think and finness the grind.
I have never worked with Talonite Chuck but that is mainly due to its unavailability in the Canadian market at the time I decided to add a cobalt alloy to my line. I simply drove down to Belleville and picked some up at the factory. The Stellite folks suggested the 6K alloy over the 6B alloy (which is supposed to be closer to talonite) because it is one or two points harder on average, not really a lot actually.
I have made a few fish knives from 1/16" stock for a special customer and he is in seventh heaven with the results.
I will say that I much prefer grinding Stellite 6K over Liquidmetal or even 440C for that matter. It takes a long time but there is also a lot of time to think and finness the grind.
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I personally love my Talonite knives. I have a Camillus Talonite EDC that I keep on my desk at home. It gets used quite a bit. The grind of the EDC is perfect for Talonite. Cutting efficiency has been maintained, yet I've never had a problem with chipping. I wouldnt want to hit any staples or nails, but the Talonite works well on average jobs. I dont think Ive had had to sharpen the EDC since I got it, and its mowed through quite a bit of cardboard and plastic packaging.
My other favorite is my Camillus Talonite Talon. This became my fishing knife this spring, and its almost scary. It lasers through flesh like you wouldnt believe. The only problem Ive had is some edge rollover when hitting a fishs spinal column too hard, but that has happened with most of my knives. I can leave my Talon all covered with blood and guts, and not have to worry about rust. My only gripe about the Talon is that the handle is a bit too small.
My other favorite is my Camillus Talonite Talon. This became my fishing knife this spring, and its almost scary. It lasers through flesh like you wouldnt believe. The only problem Ive had is some edge rollover when hitting a fishs spinal column too hard, but that has happened with most of my knives. I can leave my Talon all covered with blood and guts, and not have to worry about rust. My only gripe about the Talon is that the handle is a bit too small.
