My nephew came to me last weekend with an 8 inch fixed blade bowie style knife, has a simulated antler handle and nice looking brass pummel. The blade has a half saw on the back. When I tested the edge it felt like someone had been stabbing a gravel pile! So I said Id take it home 123 good as new. No way. This thing is garbage. It says 440 on it but it says Pakistan too, and it has a picture of a rose. Am I slipping? Help me impress my nephew.
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Trying to put an edge on the impossible
- Thread starter fister777
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I know this is a newbie thing to ask but, im 35 and a disabled vet I got a lotta knives and cant get around. Nobody else will tell me here. I have a 20 inch bowie that has a diamond on the blade with a snake sandwiched between the words cobra hunterII has a wooden handle very nice tan leather sheath that has the word brasil imprinted in it. Its one of my favorite blades ive seen some online but theyre all new this ones different
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What is the question?
Does 440 come out of Pakistan? Perhaps, but if the blade says 440, it may not mean anything, or it may indicate something other than steel type. At very least, we have no idea which 440 it is, and we have no idea if it was properly heat treated (or treated at all)
Unfortunately a lot of knives matching this description are for show (at best). If he likes the knife sharpen it with a more obtuse edge than the one that failed him and hope for the best.
Good luck.
Does 440 come out of Pakistan? Perhaps, but if the blade says 440, it may not mean anything, or it may indicate something other than steel type. At very least, we have no idea which 440 it is, and we have no idea if it was properly heat treated (or treated at all)
Unfortunately a lot of knives matching this description are for show (at best). If he likes the knife sharpen it with a more obtuse edge than the one that failed him and hope for the best.
Good luck.
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'440' is the most abused and overused cliché in knife blade stamping, so far as I'm concerned. Especially if/when it doesn't specify the 'A' or 'C' variants (and even that mark is abused by some vendors, I'm sure). I've grown to regard a simple '440' mark on a blade as a big, bold neon sign that says, "There's no way knowing what steel this is". It carries no meaning to me otherwise. If anything, when I see just '440' on a blade, I view it more as an identifier of a cheaply-made knife, from a maker that doesn't even know what the label really implies. A reputable maker that actually knows the difference between legitimate '440A' or '440C' or other steels, will generally make an effort to accurately label their blades accordingly, or document it in their sales literature, if the blade isn't stamped with steel type.
David
David
Last edited:
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I concur! If a blade is marked/advertised as 400 series, 440,420, Surgical stainless, it usually means that the manufacturer doiesn't want you to know what the blade is made from.
440C, properly heat treated makes an excellent knife. 420 HC, the same. But unless I know more than just 440, I'll pass.
Knives from Pakistan don't have a good reputation. Everything I've seen and heard is that the steel is very poor quality.
richard j refuses to put one on his paper sharpening wheels. I don't agree with him on everything, but I definitely do agree with him about this.
It's a shame that they don't use good steel. It can't be that much less costly to use garbage.
JMHO,
Allen
richard j refuses to put one on his paper sharpening wheels. I don't agree with him on everything, but I definitely do agree with him about this.
It's a shame that they don't use good steel. It can't be that much less costly to use garbage.
JMHO,
Allen
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I had a customer bring me a knife that looked just like what the OP posted. It normally takes me about 5 to 8 minutes to sharpen up a knife of this size with some good steel. I spent about 45 minutes on the blade to get it semi sharp and passable visually. I told him in as nice a way as I could that his knife was better for a mantel display than a real bushcraft user. He said it was for "home defense" only. Felt bad taking his money ($4) without being able to feel good about the job I had done. It also only had "440" on the blade.
Blessings,
Omar
Blessings,
Omar
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I agree! Made in Pakistan is J.U.N.K! A friend gave me a huge dagger to sharpen. Holy cow!
I had to stop before I really screwed it up because it was like sharpening tin foil!
I told him the same as above : display purposes only!
I had to stop before I really screwed it up because it was like sharpening tin foil!
I told him the same as above : display purposes only!
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- Jul 13, 2012
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- 293
Funny. Someone once gifted me a knife in a similar style(no saw though) with the rose logo and "440" stamp on the blade. It was made in Pakistan too, but the "Pakistan" stamp was already nearly faded away when it was new. It' s probably the worst knife I' ve ever seen. It' s impossible to get sharp. The only way to atleast make it appear sharp, is by putting a massive wire edge on it and never using it