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The Debut of VG-10 steel.

C

carbonsteelfan

Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
382
Hey ; could some one please tell me from which year Spyderco started using VG-10 in it's folders ( Harpy ; Civilian ; Merlin ; etc) ? Which year did they start using VG-10 for the first time ? I appreciate the help.
 
After little search. The end of 2001 green Lum Chinese. Many blades 2002.
 
I remember I really liked the steel the first time I tried it. I think it was around 2002-2003.I can recall how sharp it got on the Sharpmaker and thought it took a screaming edge..VG-10 made me take a really deep look at the Spyderco lineup at the time.
 
The Deacon said:
According to Spydiewiki, 2002.
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Don't you guys think its a little odd ? The Calypso was first made in VG-10 in 1998; then for it seems that no other knives were made in VG-10 until 2002 ; even though it is far better than ATS-55. The Calypso was only made in 1 batch ( or so I've read). So basically VG-10 was only used in 1 model in 1998 and wasn't used in any knife until 2002. What made them take 4 years to make such a switch ?
 
I believe it was the mouse or lum. Spyderco brought vg10 to the US.
 
Not all that odd. There were problems with the Calypsos, many of the blades warped during production. I don't know it for a fact, but I suspect that having a considerable number of warped blades when trying out a new steel made Sal question the wisdom of a large-scale switch, so he probably went back to the drawing board rather than take that gamble. He had a batch of steel made to his specification (ATS-55) soon after, which was a pretty substantial investment, and they started making models in both steels. Even though VG-10 won out in the end, that ATS-55 had to be used up.
 
I agree with Jack that the C54 was the first Spyderco folder to use it. Less sure whether it, or the FB01 Moran fixed blade was the first Spyderco, and the first knife intended for the US market, to use it.
 
brownshoe said:
I believe you are right witht. The Moran.
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Is it possible that the knives made for the Japanese market might have started using VG-10 earlier ? Like maybe 2001 ? Or did they ; too start with the Lum Chinese at early 2002 just like the ones made for the US market ?
 
carbonsteelfan said:
Is it possible that the knives made for the Japanese market might have started using VG-10 earlier ? Like maybe 2001 ? Or did they ; too start with the Lum Chinese at early 2002 just like the ones made for the US market ?
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I severely doubt any Japanese market Spydercos were. The reason I said "intended for the US market" is that, from what I've heard, VG-10 was originally developed as a blade steel specifically for horticultural use in Japan. Specifically, for use in budding and grafting knives. Assuming that's true, it would have been used by Japanese knife companies, in knives intended primarily for the Japanese market, before Spyderco started using it.
 
It was the Moran. Bill Moran and I had many conversations on the types steel that he wanted to use on his model. We tested VG-10 in our lab and decided it would be a good steel for Bill's knife.

sal
 
The Moran was the debut of VG-10, but it isn't a folder, which is what the O.P. was asking about. There are many knives with no timelines on the spydiewiki (including the Moran), but I know of no other folders in VG-10 before the C54.
 
yablanowitz said:
The Moran was the debut of VG-10, but it isn't a folder, which is what the O.P. was asking about. There are many knives with no timelines on the spydiewiki (including the Moran), but I know of no other folders in VG-10 before the C54.
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Then is it safe to assume that both the USA market and japanese market Spyderco Harpys were first made with VG-10 steel in 2002 ? Or at least not before 2002 ?
 
carbonsteelfan said:
Then is it safe to assume that both the USA market and japanese market Spyderco Harpys were first made with VG-10 steel in 2002 ? Or at least not before 2002 ?
Click to expand...
As far as US market knives go, all I can be say for certain is that the 2001 Spyderco catalog lists the Harpy as using ATS-55, while the 2002 catalog shows it as VG-10. Changes in catalog descriptions sometimes precede changes in production, but they also sometimes echo changes that have already taken place. Given that a 2002 catalog would have been written in 2001, it's possible the change took place then as well. As for the JM versions, that's even harder to pin down. I doubt they would have changed first, but if G Sakai still had inventory of them in an older steel, they may not have needed another batch for a year or more. I don't recall having ever seen a PE Harpy in ATS-55, and have enough interest in PE Harpies that I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I had. That doesn't mean that none exist, but it is possible the transition there may have been straight from GIN-1 to VG-10.
 
I believe that Yab is correct on the folder. The steel was still a pretty new material for the maker and the C54 which was about the same time, ended up with warped blades. The reason given was the length of the blades so we stopped making such large blades until the maker became accustomed to working with the steel.

sal
 
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