What steel is used in a Case M3F SSP?

Orion's Belt

Orion's Belt

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Mar 15, 2010
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My father bought this knife for me when I was younger and I have no idea what steel it uses. Looks to be a stainless, but my Google-fu isn't very strong today so I'm not positive.
 
Case presently uses two kinds of steel, Chrome Vanadium and what they call True Sharp Stainless. The age of the knife might also affect what steel it is. I'm sure case has gone through a few different steels over the years.
 
Thanks for the replies! I wonder what type of stainless it actually is. Seems to hold an edge pretty well. I use it mainly for trout and it does a pretty good job.
 
Orion's Belt said:
Thanks for the replies! I wonder what type of stainless it actually is. Seems to hold an edge pretty well. I use it mainly for trout and it does a pretty good job.
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The actual composition of Case "Tru-Sharp" has never been revealed.

The current models hold an edge about like 420HC.
 
knarfeng said:
The actual composition of Case "Tru-Sharp" has never been revealed.

The current models hold an edge about like 420HC.
Click to expand...

My experience with 420HC is pretty positive (Buck does a good job with it), but I feel that my M3F holds a better egde than that of the Buck 110 I have experience with. Maybe it's all a Jedi mind trick?
 
Orion's Belt said:
My experience with 420HC is pretty positive (Buck does a good job with it), but I feel that my M3F holds a better egde than that of the Buck 110 I have experience with. Maybe it's all a Jedi mind trick?
Click to expand...

That's why I used the term "current models" in describing the Case.
The current Case knives that I have tried held an edge not as well as Buck 420HC, but about as well as 420HC from other manufacturers. Buck takes their blades to a hardness of ~58. According to the AG Russel web site, current Case Tru-Sharp is run at ~55. Most other companies also run 420HC at about 55. The difference in hardness leads to a goodly difference in performance.

But that's with current Tru-Sharp blades. Yours is way older, so I can't say about yours. But you can, and have. She's a pretty thing and I'm glad she works good for you.
 
Orion's Belt said:
My father bought this knife for me when I was younger and I have no idea what steel it uses. Looks to be a stainless, but my Google-fu isn't very strong today so I'm not positive.
Click to expand...

The 'SSP' in the model/pattern name is the clue. The 'SS' indicates that it is, in fact, stainless steel. The 'P' refers to a polished finish on the blade. A non-stainless version of this knife would simply be labelled 'M3F' (minus the 'SSP').

As others have mentioned, Case's stainless is called 'Tru-Sharp Surgical Stainless', comparable to 420HC (at least in more recent knives). I like this steel, and I feel it performs very nicely at (what appears to be) relatively low RC.
 
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