What is surgical steel?

C

culter

Joined
Apr 22, 2001
Messages
121
What is meant by surgical steel? Any steel that could be used to make surgical instruments? Or does it imply a certain quality standard?
 
I've never seen the term applied to a specific standard.

Ususally, when a company advertises a blade as being made of "surgical steel", it's a very low quality steel. They don't want to identify the steel, so they use a cool sounding (but meaningless) name to sell it.

When I got a cut last year and went to the ER to get it stiched up, they let me keep all the surgical instruments they used. The nurse said that they just throw away the instruments after one use. They're made in Pakistan, and the nurse said that they're so cheap that it would cost more to disinfect them than to simply buy new ones.

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Cerulean

"The hairy-armed person who figured out how to put an edge on a suitable rock made it possible for us to be recognizably human in the first place." - J.K.M.

[This message has been edited by cerulean (edited 05-03-2001).]
 
It is a way of saying "cutlery grade steel that could have been used in the distant past to produce surgical instruments". It assumes that the steel also would survive frequent sterilizations and there fore is stainless to some degree.

It is a conversation opener and requires more specific information to properly evaluate the steel.

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com


 
My fixed blade is an EKA Nordic W11 which is made from Sandvik 12C27 steel (whatever that is). They claim it's surgical steel and I was just wondering what they meant by that.
 
If a manufacturer tools up with a tang stamp that reads ATS-34, then he has to use ATS-34 to make that knife every time. But, if he tools up with a tang stamp that reads "Surgical Steel" for which there is no specific definition, then he can use whatever steel is cheapest that day and yet still have some market appeal. It's charming to the unsophisticated.


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Thanks for the link Esav. But I can't read it. I clicked on the button which said 'English' but got the Swedish verson again. So I could only figure out some words.
 
If a manufacturer says their steel is 'surgical steel', I pretty much interpret that as 'really crappy stainless steel, so bad in fact that we do not want to actually admit what is really is'.

For an educated consumer, such phrases should be seen as meaningless marketing hype. Sadly, most buyers of knives made from 'surgical steel' probably do not care about what the steel is. And 'surgical steel' sounds a whole lot better than 440A.

The 12C27 sandvik steel just mentioned is a true blade steel, one that was specifically designed for use as a stainless blade material for making knife blades. It is a very good steel. Most steels used in making knives were designed with other applications in mind (bearings, sheet metal, springs, hardened tools, etc) and are adapted for use as knife blades.

Cutler, at least you know what your 'surgical steel' really is. 12C27 is a very good steel for making knives. Other 'surgical steels' are not.

Paracelsus

 
Gee, I always though "surgical steel" was made from baked peanut butter.
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I guess it just means "Cheapest possible steal - quality need not apply"
 
All Surgical Steel is is a term knife mfg's use to call any steel they are to ashamed to really list such as 420J. By calling crap steel fancy names they hope we the knife buying public will beat a path to their door to buy this wonder steel. Little do they know that we are on to them.
Bob
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Gollnick:
It's charming to the unsophisticated.
</font>
Click to expand...

Chuck,
Excellent turn of phrase.
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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
Cerulean; right you are. Most instruments today are cheap throw aways, especially all edged instruments such as scalpels. Even if you have a reusable scalpel handle, it will have a disposable blade in it.

There are, however, reusable instruments which are mostly used in the operating room. I remember being in medical school in the mid '70's. One of the surgeons had instruments (hemostats, scissors and clamps) which were 40 years old and still going strong. Come to think of it, the scissors were the only edged instruments I ever ran across which were reusable.

That the clamps could stand 40 years of being clamped and unclamped hundreds of thousands of times speaks well for the springieness of the stainless used.

Walt
 
While "surgical steel" may not mean much, 12C27 does. This alloy is simple and pure. What I would tend to call it is "high grade stainless razor steel". It can be hardened up to about 57 RC, it easily takes a fine razor edge. It isn't as hard as some alloys, but compares well within it's hardeness capacity.
 
It just confuses me a bit that if 12C27 is a good steel (is was pretty sure it was from some reviews otherwise I wouldn't have bought the knife) why does EKA bother calling it surgical steel. Maybe they want to get the best from both worlds - the 'unsophisticated' who say "12C27 what? Surgical steel, cool!" as well as people who really care what the knife is made of. Actually I was a bit irritated since I never considered using it for surgery
wink.gif


By the way Paracelsus it's culter (latin for knife) not cutler (it is funny that you mix it up 'cause I've been wondering if cutlery derives from the word culter)

[This message has been edited by culter (edited 05-03-2001).]
 
It's just marketing gobbledygook. It has about as much meaning as "New and Improved", or "Cutting Edge technology". "State of the art" and "all new formula" are a couple of other phrases that mean next to nothing, but get used all the time. Marketing in general tries to say as much about a product as possible, without ever really telling specific useful information.

As many people have already said, it pretty much means it has some sort of stainless steel in it. Luckily this term doesn't seem to be as popular as it once was.

Paul
 
I feel term is used to make people think , "If a surgeon uses it, it must be good enough for me". As others have said it is a loose term which keeps makers of cheap knives(not 12c27) from saying it is garbage.
Nick
 
One surgical steel - scapel blade steel - is Uddeholms (mill that makes Randalls O1 and many other fine steels) AEB-L. It contains 0.65% C, 18% Cr, 0.6% Mn, 0.02% P, 0.4% Si and 0.015% S. Mike Norris uses it in his D2 SS damascus steel. I think that at least this (afer looking the elemental composition) is about the same level steel as AUS-6 or 440A. Finding information opens eyes...

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"Good tools to sustain life, or at least make life more convenient"
-James Mattis
 
Well, boy, this has sure flummoxed me. I've been going along happily under the illusion that no Pakistani steel could be brought to any worthwhile sort of edge. Now I find out that the scalpel used on my great toe today could have been from that land, and that I could have kept it. Talk about destroying illusions! Damn! Worse, if it wasn't sharp then that beautiful portion of my anatomy -- only one left -- may be scarred for life! Any attorneys out there that can help me sue?

One thing I can say, and that is that my Impulse with Sandvik 12C27 is one sharp mother! (I take no credit for this, however.
Guess I'll give it to Darrel Ralph!)

Am going to be really pissed if this confusion brings on another migraine. Just when you think you know . . .



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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
This is REALLLY OT, but here goes...

Bugs3, did you just say you only have one big toe? If that means that you have one foot minus a big toe, can you answer a question?
I've heard that the big toe adds a great deal to balance, and without it you'd have trouble standing up, is that true? (no, I'm not kidding).
 
What knife makers use 12C27 steel? You guys have me interested now. I would like to get my hands on a folder made from this steel.

Let me know please...



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Lundo
 
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