Titanium blades

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Hello all :)

Just thought I would ask the question, about Ti being used on the blade.
Who here has one, & what're your thoughts regarding Ti on the blade. How does it sharpen up. Does it hold an edge like some of the steels getting around. S30V, VG10, SR-77 etc. Is it tough & robust?


Thanks in advance :D
 
The only Ti blades i have are Warren Thoman knives with a carbide edge and one misson knife i never use.

Ti would not be my first choice for a blade but i can see why people want to use it. It cant be hardned as much as steel and behaves differently so its not really fair to compair it to steel. (I know thats hard when it comes to knives though)

A pure Ti blade will cut stuff and can be pretty sharp but its not as good as steel. Unless you have specific requirements like no corrosion or low magnetic signature steel will always be better.
 
Titanium for blades isn't a good idea.

Here's some reading for you: titanium

besides not being able to hold an adequate edge, titanium is brittle and would shatter if you did anything like use it to split firewood (this is the part where you busse guys can smile). Additionally, it would have to have to have twice the girth to have the same strength of steel...imagine a 1/2" thick EDC.....not likely.
 
red96ta said:
Not to mention it can't be hardened past the 40's in RC
Click to expand...


Actually, the newer Beta Titanium knives like the Sea Sword are supposed to get to RC50-55 but Ti does not compare to steel and I don't recommend them for normal use

Main use of Ti blades seems to be in marine enviros for corrosion resistance and because they're lighter, are supposed too cause less strain for diving (when strapped on legs)

Ti handles are certainly a legit use and are offered on many knives including the Seb's. I know I prefer the feel of the Ti handles vs the LE's aluminium on my CRKT 13's, but maybe that's just because they cost more
 
i have a Ti knife made by justin gingrich.

it takes a great edge and holds it.i had a 154cm blade dull before the Ti blade did.

i was apprehensive about its edge taking capabilities at first.

what justin tols me was that no knife is made of pure titanium,it isnt feasible.any cutlery grade Ti will have a certain level of aluminum in it and that due to the aluminum you really need to strop the edge and knock that wire edge off their because that aluminum really folds over and leaves a wire edge on the blade that is so fine you really cant see or feel it.

i took his advice and i get a really sharp knife and it is so light.

in my experience the Ti will bend very easily and it will take a set very,very easily.i would not recommend any lateral prying with Ti blade from my experience.

almost seems soft which has me scratching my head regarding being fragile to impacts.seems almost gummy.
 
The only titanium I can recommend is the beta-Ti used by Mission. This is treated to about Rc 46, and has exceptionally high abrasion resistance.

Does it cut like steel? The Navy SEALs think so:
http://www.missionknives.com/articles/breakthrough.html

I have a Mission MPF1 with an A2 blade, but those with the beta-Ti tell me I should have gone with the Ti blade. Other than being much heavier, the A2 blade really doesn't offer anything more.

There will be a lot of negative press about any use of titanium, though, just as there is (was) about powdered steels, which can be made to just about any specification with elements more uniformly distributed throughout the alloy. Powdered steels, like laminates, have already "proven their metal"; it may take a bit more development with beta-Ti before there's a real turn around. Oh, yeah - and it's completely corrosion resistant and 40% lighter than its steel counterparts.
 
Halbie is dead-on. My Mission MPF has never let me down. You should sharpen the Ti as per instruction from Mission Knives and Tools.
The people who bash Titanium blades are comparing them to steel. You can't compare them. Sure steel cuts better but Beta Titanium is fantastic stuff!
 
Lycosa said:
Halbie is dead-on. My Mission MPF has never let me down. You should sharpen the Ti as per instruction from Mission Knives and Tools.
The people who bash Titanium blades are comparing them to steel. You can't compare them. Sure steel cuts better but Beta Titanium is fantastic stuff!
Click to expand...

Here's something from CulteryScience that speaks directly to the pros and cons of modern beta-Ti.

http://cutleryscience.com/reviews/blade_materials.html#betati
 
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