What is 12 C 27

lagarto

lagarto

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Oct 26, 2001
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A few weeks ago I noticed the Gerber LMF II in the SHOT show news posting and it really strikes me as something I want to own eventually. However, the blade still was listed as being 12 C 27 Sandvik, and although I've heard of it, I know nothing about it. For all you "steel knowledgible" people out there, what is this stuff, and how does it compare to say 440 C or S30V in terms of edge holding, toughness, etc...

Lagarto
 
http://www.google.com

:D

It's one of those stainless steels that was engineered for cutlery. Sandvik claims that it's very hard, and highly resistant to wear and corrosion, but then, they make the steel, and you would expect them to say that. It's about .6% carbon, and according to the A.G. Russell steel link, it's comparable to 440A, and is commonly used in its homeland of Scandinavia for general cutlery. I would therefore hazard the guess that the majority of the quality in a 12C27 blade is derived from its heat treatment.
 
I've got Laguioles with blades of 12C27. Very nice; I prefer it to the 440A used in some of the others. Sharpens up real well and holds the edge. Bark River Knife & Tool is using it now, in addition to their usual A2.
 
I have a PJ Tomes single blade slip joint made with 12c27. Seems pretty good so far. But I haven't put it through a tough test yet.

Kevin
 
So what I think I'm hearing then, is that it's actually a fairly decent steel, which was specifically engineered with the cutlery industry in mind. I'd heard some bad things about Gerber's newer knives,and that they were moving to the lower quality "surgical steels" which is what made me wonder what this was. Thanks for the info, if this steel is actually decent stuff I think I'll have to get one of these once they come out.

Lagarto
 
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