What is Cold Steel VG-1 San Mai Steel made of?

longbeachguy

longbeachguy

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Oct 11, 2005
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A discussion of the relative merits, or lack thereof, of CS VG-1 San Mai steel is starting to form in the Natchez Bowie thread, so I thought I'd start a new thread on that topic.

I'd always heard that VG-1 San Mai is basically AUS-8 sandwiched between layers of 420J2. However, I think I've only gotten that from anecdotal discussions, so I take it with a grain of salt.

Does anyone know what VG-1 San Mai is made of, based on reliable information?

Thanks.
 
I don't know. I was a fan of Carbon V, but I understand it is no longer available. I buy up all the Cold Steel Carbon V knives I can find, now. I am also partial to thier new 1055 Carbon Steel Knives.
 
Mmmh, unless there are some elements missing from the elemental composition list, there is really no other steel that VG-1 compares to. Someone said that VG-1 is the same as MBS-26, but the latter has a totally different composition, in particular less Moly, more Mg, and a decent amount of Si.

VG-1 really looks like a very basic steel, just like a simple carbon steel with enough Cr added to make it stainless. I don't know whether that is good or bad.
 
HoB said:
Mmmh, unless there are some elements missing from the elemental composition list, there is really no other steel that VG-1 compares to. Someone said that VG-1 is the same as MBS-26, but the latter has a totally different composition, in particular less Moly, more Mg, and a decent amount of Si.

VG-1 really looks like a very basic steel, just like a simple carbon steel with enough Cr added to make it stainless. I don't know whether that is good or bad.
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VG-1 and MBS-26 look almost exactly the same to me. The difference in moly is insignificant, I assume you mean Mn rather than Mg, they don't list the amount of Mn in VG-1, they're probably about the same, Si is generally not listed either, they probably have the same amount. Even if there were those differences, they wouldn't be "totally different." Both have a little under 1.00% C and 13-15% Cr with small amounts of any other elements.
 
Larrin said:
Both have a little under 1.00% C and 13-15% Cr with small amounts of any other elements.
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I am not as skilled as you, reading those composition lists. I thought the small amounts of other elements would make a bigger difference. Wouldn't your last sentence then also imply that AUS-10, MBS-26 and MBS-30 are essentially the same as well?
 
Some elements are added for machineability or other manufacturing purposes unrelated to knife uses.
 
HoB said:
VG-1 really looks like a very basic steel, just like a simple carbon steel with enough Cr added to make it stainless. I don't know whether that is good or bad.
Click to expand...

Basic is a good thing! look at the super stainlees zdp189. its purely made of carbon and chromium.
 
HoB said:
I am not as skilled as you, reading those composition lists. I thought the small amounts of other elements would make a bigger difference. Wouldn't your last sentence then also imply that AUS-10, MBS-26 and MBS-30 are essentially the same as well?
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At the very least they are in the same category, they all have differences. MBS-26 and VG-1 are essentially the same I would say though.
 
Thanks, guys!

I am familiar with the basic purposes of the alloying elements, but don't know at what quantity they become "important" or change their significance or even their primary purpose. Especially with elements like Si (oh, by the way, you were right Larrin, meant to type Mn, not Mg...big OOOOPS :o) which are clearly precipitants in a steel like H-1, I would have expected to play a bigger role even in non-precipitation hardening steels, so I am really surprised that it is often not even listed.

Thanks, HH, I downloaded the book already.
 
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