- Joined
- Jul 13, 2014
- Messages
- 1,947
I made a few comments about the DT blades when I first got my CF DT small 21, and now I've been carrying it every day for 3 weeks. Let me start off by saying that, when you're comparing blades/steels available from a company like CRK, it's all preference; you can't really go wrong. When I got my first Sebenza, only a few short months ago, I was in love with it immediately. I had no complaints with S35VN and couldn't have been happier with my purchase. I sold that Sebenza to try something different, not because I didn't like it. Right, on to the DT blades.
Although I haven't had this knife very long, I've gotten a good feel for the steel and would like to share my thoughts. Devin Thomas' stainless damascus really is something else. Prior to owning this blade, I've always thought of modern damascus as decorative, rather than highly functional. This blade has proven me wrong. The reason I bought this particular knife was to own a "higher end" Sebenza that I don't carry every day. That didn't really pan out, and for good reasons.
Edge retention: My first Sebenza came to me ridiculously dull, brand new. That is uncommon for CRK but it is what it is. The DT blade was the exact opposite. It was extremely sharp right out of the box, as one should expect. Not only did it come super sharp, it has held up remarkably. I am not one of those "hard use" guys because I really don't know what "hard use" you're going to encounter on a day to day basis unless you're like...Rambo...or something. Having said that, I use the knife like a tool, not some piece of jewelry that needs to be babied and kept locked away from the dangers of dust and air lol. The knife comes out daily, whether I'm in the yard making sure everything is neat, or out camping taking care of setup and other chores. I've used it to cut harsh stuff too, like wire mesh, zip ties, etc. It took 3 weeks to notice any kind of dulling and even at that point, I could've easily gone another 3 weeks without stropping this knife and it'd stay working sharp at absolute worst. It could still shave a little yesterday before I sharpened it. In my experience, the edge retention on the DT has been far superior to S35VN.
Edge quality: S35VN is extremely easy to sharpen, and it takes a great edge. It's not rocket science getting an S35VN blade up to silly sharp but, the DT blade is on another level. The DT blade takes on a ridiculously fine edge with almost no effort at all. BF member Unit advised that I back off on the pressure while sharpening and I did just that and was amazed at the resulting edge. This doesn't mean I think that the S35VN blades currently offered have lower edge quality, they are just different. In my opinion, if you sharpen them both with a fine edge in mind, the DT will be much finer and it will be easier to get there.
Durability of the finish: This was my biggest concern. A plain stonewashed/polished blade that takes on wear won't look too bad. Usually you just get some fine scratching that doesn't stand out too bad against a normal blade. What about the DT blades? If use I it, and it takes on wear, will it look like a coated blade with hideous high contrast scratches and scuffs? These are the questions I asked myself, and I again have been pleasantly surprised. No matter what I've cut, the finish on the damascus blade has stayed beautiful. I was pretty worried when I was cutting wire mesh recently. I thought "this is it, today is the day my blade gets it's first mark". I was wrong, it is still flawless. The durability on the finish isn't going to be as good as the standard blades, but it's pretty damn good. Definitely not something you need to worry about.
Maintenance: Nothing special here. Keep it oiled, wipe it down when you're done with it, and enjoy it. This stuff is TOUGH!
I hope someone who is considering purchasing a CRK with DT blade finds this useful. Thanks again to Unit for encouraging me to pick up this knife, and giving me info on it prior to my purchase. Below are some pictures of the newly refined edge, and some anodizing work I did to, yet again, make this knife "my own". If I ever get tired of the new anodizing, it is all reversible, and I've manage to find the voltage needed to color match CRK blue on my particular power supply, with the methods I personally use.
Thanks for reading and making me feel welcome around here, BF CRK-sub members. Unit, Kidcongo, Tmack, biggerjon, I have enjoyed the little bit of back and forth conversation we have shared regarding these knives. You guys are alright!
note: I am not using the clip below on any of my knives. This is a "decayed" finish with some pitting that was done on request for someone else. Just showing it because, why not?
Although I haven't had this knife very long, I've gotten a good feel for the steel and would like to share my thoughts. Devin Thomas' stainless damascus really is something else. Prior to owning this blade, I've always thought of modern damascus as decorative, rather than highly functional. This blade has proven me wrong. The reason I bought this particular knife was to own a "higher end" Sebenza that I don't carry every day. That didn't really pan out, and for good reasons.
Edge retention: My first Sebenza came to me ridiculously dull, brand new. That is uncommon for CRK but it is what it is. The DT blade was the exact opposite. It was extremely sharp right out of the box, as one should expect. Not only did it come super sharp, it has held up remarkably. I am not one of those "hard use" guys because I really don't know what "hard use" you're going to encounter on a day to day basis unless you're like...Rambo...or something. Having said that, I use the knife like a tool, not some piece of jewelry that needs to be babied and kept locked away from the dangers of dust and air lol. The knife comes out daily, whether I'm in the yard making sure everything is neat, or out camping taking care of setup and other chores. I've used it to cut harsh stuff too, like wire mesh, zip ties, etc. It took 3 weeks to notice any kind of dulling and even at that point, I could've easily gone another 3 weeks without stropping this knife and it'd stay working sharp at absolute worst. It could still shave a little yesterday before I sharpened it. In my experience, the edge retention on the DT has been far superior to S35VN.
Edge quality: S35VN is extremely easy to sharpen, and it takes a great edge. It's not rocket science getting an S35VN blade up to silly sharp but, the DT blade is on another level. The DT blade takes on a ridiculously fine edge with almost no effort at all. BF member Unit advised that I back off on the pressure while sharpening and I did just that and was amazed at the resulting edge. This doesn't mean I think that the S35VN blades currently offered have lower edge quality, they are just different. In my opinion, if you sharpen them both with a fine edge in mind, the DT will be much finer and it will be easier to get there.
Durability of the finish: This was my biggest concern. A plain stonewashed/polished blade that takes on wear won't look too bad. Usually you just get some fine scratching that doesn't stand out too bad against a normal blade. What about the DT blades? If use I it, and it takes on wear, will it look like a coated blade with hideous high contrast scratches and scuffs? These are the questions I asked myself, and I again have been pleasantly surprised. No matter what I've cut, the finish on the damascus blade has stayed beautiful. I was pretty worried when I was cutting wire mesh recently. I thought "this is it, today is the day my blade gets it's first mark". I was wrong, it is still flawless. The durability on the finish isn't going to be as good as the standard blades, but it's pretty damn good. Definitely not something you need to worry about.
Maintenance: Nothing special here. Keep it oiled, wipe it down when you're done with it, and enjoy it. This stuff is TOUGH!
I hope someone who is considering purchasing a CRK with DT blade finds this useful. Thanks again to Unit for encouraging me to pick up this knife, and giving me info on it prior to my purchase. Below are some pictures of the newly refined edge, and some anodizing work I did to, yet again, make this knife "my own". If I ever get tired of the new anodizing, it is all reversible, and I've manage to find the voltage needed to color match CRK blue on my particular power supply, with the methods I personally use.
Thanks for reading and making me feel welcome around here, BF CRK-sub members. Unit, Kidcongo, Tmack, biggerjon, I have enjoyed the little bit of back and forth conversation we have shared regarding these knives. You guys are alright!
note: I am not using the clip below on any of my knives. This is a "decayed" finish with some pitting that was done on request for someone else. Just showing it because, why not?
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