Treated / not treated steel blade?

[Henrik A]

Hey guys

Is it just me or is it hared and hared to get a knife with a not treaded blade?

I sit and look at knifes from Zero Tolerance: http://www.edenwebshops.de/de/ct/zero-tolerance.htm and guess what, all with some kind of treaded blades.

Why is that? Is it a question of fashion (trent)?


Imho there is nothing as beautiful as an no treaded blade, but they seems harder and harder to get.. Is there anyone one who can explain that?





Just love this blade one my SOG Tomcat

Regards Henrik Andersen

 

[tripnotemple]

You're asking about blade finishes, not heat treatment. Heat treatment is a blade hardening process (you want this!), and blades finishes change the "look" of the blade.

That being said, the knife you're showing DOES have a finish (looks like a satin finish to me).

So, I think your question is - why do you see more knives with blade finish options other than satin or polished? Though I'm no expert, I would say there are various reasons. Cost is one (certainly a polished blade is more costly to do than a stonewash). Also, some of the newer knife steels don't take a polished finish as well (like s90v). A "coated" blade has more corrosion resistance for knife steels which would otherwise rust easily. Some manufactures base their blade finishes on their "intended function". ZT knives are marketed as "hard use" knives for law enforcement and military, and in those environments, discretion/ a non-flashy blade would make sense. Blade finishes are also user preference. I prefer the look of a stonewashed blade, but that's me.

 

[Henrik A]

Yes my question was about finish Thank for clearing that up!

Every blade has some sort of finish i guess, and it is the polished blade i like

 

[KrisOK]

Personally, I think that it depends on the knife design. Some knives look better with an acid washed or stonewashed finish, some with a DLC or PVD coating, and some with a satin or polished blade. And there are knife designs that lend themselves to all of the above. Personally I mainly have either satin or polished blades in my collection. I'm not into 'Tacti-Cool' knives, which accounts for quite a lot of black coated knives. I DO think that a coating process will hide minor blemishes on a cheaper blade, so that may play a part in why there are so many inexpensive black bladed knives. On the other hand, a quality 'Hard Use' knife with a good quality black coating looks good and stays looking good with the proper care.