Tool Steal vs Stainless ...

WillB said:
While all good points, I'd take a rust(ing) knife over a broken one. Having said that, as you say, stainless and semi stainless getting better and better and the differences are closing, if not closed. It's difficult but worthwhile to wade through all the info, much of which based on marketing and marketing pressures.
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One of my buddies broke a bk2 in half last year and I completed the job he started with a D2 blade and it was a piece of cake. I never had toughness concern abusing this knife in the most horrible way. Never had any problem with the steel itself but I did pop-up and shift the scales during this treatment. This blade went trough Black ash knots without any nicks or rolling while the other carbon steel blade I have where simply wrecked afterward. the worst was an Ontario Raider Bowie that ended with a choil in the middle of the blade loll. After a couples of experiment of that kind I was pleased to see that even D2 is "SUPER" compared to carbon steel. OK I admit the knife is a full fledged sharpened pry bar with the edge geometry of a splitting axe :D but it still push cut paper after making kindling wood for all winter :)... Now thats a survival knoife.
 
A knife has to be more than tough (resistance to chipping and breaking). It also needs strength (resistance to rolling, denting and bending). Those two qualities work together. And if you add in decent wear resistance, you have an excellent knife.

I've posted this before, but is shows how a super tough knife (like this Randall) can be lacking. Knives fail in more than one way.

2v2JVnWUSxAWtWs.jpg
 
Twindog said:
A knife has to be more than tough (resistance to chipping and breaking). It also needs strength (resistance to rolling, denting and bending). Those two qualities work together. And if you add in decent wear resistance, you have an excellent knife.

I've posted this before, but is shows how a super tough knife (like this Randall) can be lacking. Knives fail in more than one way.

2v2JVnWUSxAWtWs.jpg
Click to expand...

True it`s a super tough knife, but it`s grind is not really bushcraft / survival oriented. It looks hollow grind. I wouldn't use it for prying from fear of...

But it looks like it was an excellent small hunting knife :(...

Do you know witch steel is that one ?
 
SteelJunkee said:
One of my buddies broke a bk2 in half last year and I completed the job he started with a D2 blade and it was a piece of cake. I never had toughness concern abusing this knife in the most horrible way. Never had any problem with the steel itself but I did pop-up and shift the scales during this treatment. This blade went trough Black ash knots without any nicks or rolling while the other carbon steel blade I have where simply wrecked afterward. the worst was an Ontario Raider Bowie that ended with a choil in the middle of the blade loll. After a couples of experiment of that kind I was pleased to see that even D2 is "SUPER" compared to carbon steel. OK I admit the knife is a full fledged sharpened pry bar with the edge geometry of a splitting axe :D but it still push cut paper after making kindling wood for all winter :)... Now thats a survival knoife.
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What you do read consistently from smiths, etc who work a lot with D2 is, good D2 with a good HT is very tough steel, as tough or tougher anything else.
 
Twindog said:
A knife has to be more than tough (resistance to chipping and breaking). It also needs strength (resistance to rolling, denting and bending). Those two qualities work together. And if you add in decent wear resistance, you have an excellent knife.

I've posted this before, but is shows how a super tough knife (like this Randall) can be lacking. Knives fail in more than one way.

2v2JVnWUSxAWtWs.jpg
Click to expand...

Actually, I thought Randal had a bad rep for their HT on their steel.
 
SteelJunkee said:
True it`s a super tough knife, but it`s grind is not really bushcraft / survival oriented. It looks hollow grind. I wouldn't use it for prying from fear of...

But it looks like it was an excellent small hunting knife :(...

Do you know witch steel is that one ?
Click to expand...

I don't, but I presume it's one of the 440 blends. The design may have made of good hunting knife, but the heat treat was awful. I noticed it as soon as I used it.

I have lots of knives with grinds like that or more acute, and they don't fail like that. I had a fairly thick custom with a simple steel that didn't perform well, so I sacrificed it to abusive testing. It bent easily with hand pressure only. I repeated the test on a cheap trailing point hunter that I found on the road. It had a thinner grind and was made of some kind of stainless steel. It easily outperformed the custom. I could not bend it.
 
Twindog said:
I don't, but I presume it's one of the 440 blends. The design may have made of good hunting knife, but the heat treat was awful. I noticed it as soon as I used it.

I have lots of knives with grinds like that or more acute, and they don't fail like that. I had a fairly thick custom with a simple steel that didn't perform well, so I sacrificed it to abusive testing. It bent easily with hand pressure only. I repeated the test on a cheap trailing point hunter that I found on the road. It had a thinner grind and was made of some kind of stainless steel. It easily outperformed the custom. I could not bend it.
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:eek::eek::eek: What ??? Holy.... This is... ??? while I never bought one, I tough Randal Made Knives where very good :(:(:(
 
Twindog said:
You might be right. I hadn't heard that. But when I first posted that photo, CharlieMike said the same thing. I'll never buy another.
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I thought that was the consensus among the regulars here, but don't quote me on that. Maybe someone with more knowledge on that topic will comment.
 
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