Victorinox steel vs Buck 420j steel from China.....

[lonestar1979]

Which one is better,I love victorinox steel,and have few bucks made with chinese steel,but havent tested them.What are your experiences,which one performs better?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Don't know if you've already seen this. But the older thread linked below, from the Buck subforum here on BF, seems to have a pretty informative discussion on Buck's knives in 420j2.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bucks-420j2.1415586/

My own personal bias would tend to favor a steel with something higher in carbon content, like Victorinox's blades or from reputable brands in 420HC (Buck's domestic line, Case 'Tru-Sharp', etc.) all with carbon content at 0.5% or so. 420j2's carbon content is pretty low for a knife blade expected to hold a sharpened edge, at up to 0.3% carbon or so. That would limit how high it can be hardened by heat treat (to maybe 54-56 HRC at most) and therefore limit edge-holding. Buck's blades in 420HC can be hardened up to HRC 59, by their own spec.

Comparing to Victorinox, I think Vic's biggest advantage is in their beautifully thin grinds and their steel's excellent and well-known reputation for fine grain and purity. Their steel is probably hardened to HRC 56 or so, which wouldn't be much different as compared to 420j2's max hardness. The linked thread from the Buck subforum above seems to suggest it's a decent, serviceable steel for basic, light-duty EDC tasks. And the lower carbon content also makes it more extremely stainless, if that's a consideration for use around saltwater, for example. As relatively inexpensive as the imported Bucks in 420j2 are, there may not be a lot of risk in trying them out. If nothing else, Buck's reputation for decent quality has been pretty good and they've proven they can get the most out of their 420HC blades.

 

[Guy McVer]

Their steel is probably hardened to HRC 56 or so

I have no clue about how hard it actually is, but just from personal experience having spent some time filing through a few SAK blades... it's crazy hard, at least from the standpoint of having to work with it by hand. With power tools I'm sure it would be easy. Even with a diamond file it's a serious pain in the butt. If you intentionally snap the knife in two, then the composition on the inside of the blade is interesting as well. I don't know how to describe it but it's very rough and almost powdery and yet it takes a fine polish incredibly well and smooths out easily to a mirror finish. I don't know anything about metallurgy but it's really cool to work with it. Some people like to crap on SAK blade steel but it's really quite impressive to me. It sharpens easily, has an insane level of corrosion resistance, and it holds up to a lot more abuse than you'd think it would.

 

[sodak]

Considering the volume of sales that Victorinox enjoys, they definitely know what they are doing. Considering that volume, their fit, finish, and reliability are off the charts. Nothing wrong with their steel.

I hadn't heard of Buck's 420J, am going to check it out.

 

[lonestar1979]

Victorinox steel is my favourite ...,but their biggest strength is in thin blades and grinds,i wish these chinese bucks were ground thinner ,its 7 $knife lol,quality seems pretty good ,especially for price.

 

[TheOne45]

My own personal bias would tend to favor a steel with something higher in carbon content, like Victorinox's blades or from reputable brands in 420HC (Buck's domestic line, Case 'Tru-Sharp', etc.) all with carbon content at 0.5% or so. 420j2's carbon content is pretty low for a knife blade expected to hold a sharpened edge, at up to 0.3% carbon or so. That would limit how high it can be hardened by heat treat (to maybe 54-56 HRC at most) and therefore limit edge-holding.

Here and there I see some comments about ''crap'' steel and limited edge retention and similar.
So; what do you think about $1 knife at 50HRc? Looks like it holds the edge for very long if you can sharpen it properly.
Just saying...

 

[lonestar1979]

I tested it out little,its not crap steel at all,seems on par with victorinox steel....takes scary sharp edge easily as well....knife is quality made overall.