Titanium-BLADED Knives... Who else makes them besides Mission??

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anonymous

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Aug 23, 2003
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mission's knives are extremely run-of-the-mill looking.

i'm curious about who else makes titanium-bladed knives (many companies offer titanium handles/scales, but not many do blades in Ti)

thanks in advance for the links & the help.
 
I don't think that anyone 'cept for Mission Knives is dumb-enough to make a knife blade out of titanium.
 
Originally posted by glockman99
I don't think that anyone 'cept for Mission Knives is dumb-enough to make a knife blade out of titanium.
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lol

please elaborate, my "blunt" friend.

RDomina - thx.. i'll check out WT.
 
Titanium is not as hard as steel and wouldn't hold an edge very well. That being said, Dan Valois makes a belt-buckle knife made of titanium. It's meant to be worn often, used little. The titanium is light, and won't rust being kept close to the body for extended periods. I wear one of his steel versions. valoisknives.com I think is the website with pics.
 
Originally posted by manowar669
Titanium is not as hard as steel and wouldn't hold an edge very well...
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...And I have a feeling that a titanium blade would chip pretty easily.
 
Ti knives have two major markets:

Marine and especially diving where their outstanding resistance to salt water is a benefit.

and

Explosives where Ti's non-magnetic and non-sparking properties are more important than the sharpest edge.

Ti is also very light-weight. But, for a typical knife, changing the blade form steel to Ti will only save a few ounces and that's not usually a good tradeoff for the loss of edge sharpness and retention.


While Ti is non-magnetic, contrary to a common mis-conception it IS detected by all but the crudest of metal detectors.
 
Warren Thomas (as mentioned above), Pat Crawford, Emerson, Newt Livesay (Wicked Knife Co.), Steve Ryan...

RL
 
There is also new titanium alloy - liquid metal, harder then just titanium.
Thanks, Vassili
 
Originally posted by glockman99
...And I have a feeling that a titanium blade would chip pretty easily.
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first off, no one thus far in this thread has owned a titanium blade knife, so how would you know how well it holds an edge?

i have worked with titanium and know for a fact that it's waaay harder to grind/file than steel (i thought that this was common knowledge!!!). i haven't compared edge-holding abilities of titanium vs. steel, but i'd bet that since titanium is far tougher to grind or file down to shape, it would only stand to reason that a titanium blade would hold an edge better.

i also thought that it was common knowledge that titanium was stronger than steel.

anyway, thanks for the feedback everyone, keep the names coming.. set me straight knowledge-wise if needed.
 
Ti doesn't hold an edge better than steel. No, I don't have personal expereince to back that up. I did however talk with Pat and Wes Crawford at a show, and they told me that it didn't hold an edge as well as ATS-34. They make knives in ATS and Ti, so I would be inclined to believe them. HTH
 
Phantom Knives was & Ranger Knives is making Titanium Neck Knives.
 
i have worked with titanium and know for a fact that it's waaay harder to grind/file than steel (i thought that this was common knowledge!!!).
Click to expand...

For blades titanium far softer then usual knife steel (properly heat treated) - 45HRC. Too week even 420 beets it easy. You can cut titaniun knife with CPM S30V knife if you want this for some reason.

Only advantages titanium gives for knives - dielectric. It does not trigger sea magnetic mines. And usually nobody deals with this kind of things, but small number of navy specialists.

edited:
MPK and MPT are very attractive, but I prefer same model made from steel (they making them from A1?)

Thanks, Vassili.
 
I have used a MPK-Ti from Mission. Yes it is softer than steel and will flex easier. However the ductility is far greater which means while it will take a set, it does take much more force to break it than many steel knives. No it doesn't chip readily, the chip resistance is greater than many of ther tougher steels due to the high impact toughness and ductility.

The edge retention isn't that high on most materials (unless corrosion is a factor) because the edge will roll more easily as it is softer [this is also a problem with many of the cobalt alloys as well - I guess all those makers are dumb as well]. Mission does partial serrations on the knives which cut very fluid and have very long lifetimes.

More information is in the various reviews.

-Cliff
 
I thought that Comercially pure titanium has a harndess in the high Seventies of the Rockwell hardness scale.

My ventures with ti on my little Taig mill (like Sherline only steel) reveals very strange properties. One strange thing is that if you push on the edge with a HSS bit it is hard to make a ding, but if you LIGHTLY wack it, it will leave a BIG roll on the edge. Cutting is a b!tch. I'm using cobalt and carbide bits, and I have to say goodbye to either after cutting through a 1/2" piece of CP1. It's crazy how it "gums" up. I find it so interesting that I have hardly made anything. I just make cuts and look puzzled. Obviously, I have a lot to learn. BTW... anyone know a god place to get pre-made 1/4" cobalt lathe bits???
 
The Mission MPF I have takes a great edge, and while it does dull fairly quickly compared to steel, it also cuts for a long time after dulling.

I have never chipped the edge or damaged the MPF, so Ti, even at an RC of around 45-47, is just fine for me.
 
Titanium smears really quickly and is ugly to grind, it also forms a very hard oxide upon contact with the air almost instantly. You can file it rather easily though.

-Cliff
 
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