what types of steel on a sak

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
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was just wondering what kind of steel the Vic saks are made out of and how it relates to other more common steels....I was just thinking about my vic camper my brother bought me when I was a kid a macgyver first came out.....I abused that knife and I don't think I ever sharpened it but it held up real nice.
 
Hi RR i have read that it should be a 420ss. But im not sure 100%. If it is a 420 and works so well (it seems that everyone has atlist one and loves them) what does it tell about all the fancy steels out there???

sasha
 
victorinox blades are made from inox which is similar to 12c27mod. i believe they harden it to 56 hrc. other parts like the cap lifter and screw drivers are likely made with lesser steels and hardened lower, 52-54. it's all in the faq's on sosak, so don't take my word for it.
 
I'm sorry but it doesn't works _that_ well.
It's a cheap chromium steel, hardened to 54HRC, so if you use the knife, it quickly losts the razor sharpness. But because the blade is so thin and the secondary edge starts from the spine, it will do its job.
 
I wonder why my SAK stays sharp so long if it is made from such cheap steel? I guess all my years of experience mean nothing. Hhmm.
 
Well, my SAK stays sharp, but sure as hell not shaving sharp, it loses that in about 2 days of regular cutting. But it will still cut, since the blade is so thin. It's a great steel for its particular configuration, and purpose.
 
I'm sure it's no ats-34 or whatever.... I'm just saying they hold up nicely for what they are.
 
I couldnt find anything on their site. I couldnt even find an email address. Now I am curious.
 
buck has been using 420 for years,its the quality in the heat treat that makes the difference.
 
amiga said:
I'm sorry but it doesn't works _that_ well.
It's a cheap chromium steel, hardened to 54HRC, so if you use the knife, it quickly losts the razor sharpness. But because the blade is so thin and the secondary edge starts from the spine, it will do its job.
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Except that it cuts everything you ever need it to and keeps doing it for quite a while. Id say that means it works well.

Werent their some SAKS made with BOSS treated S30V blades a while back? Maybee THOSe would be good enough for you to open the mail and trim strings with? :jerkit:
 
Their steel works fine. Its corrosion resistant, easily re-sharpens, has ok edge retention for light use, and its affordable. Great all-around steel,
works for me :thumbup:
 
Whatever else you want to theorize or say about a SAK, a Victorinox Soldier is the best twenty bucks you'll ever spend! :D Don't leave home without one.
 
Here's some information takin from Victorinox's collectors companion,

"The Blades in all the knives are made from a special stainless chrome molybdenum steel,mixed from carbon,chrome,molybdenum,magnese and silicum.They are hardened at 1,900f and annealed at 140f.The cutting blades are hardened to RC56,the wood saw,scissors and nail files have a hardness of RC53. The screwdrivers,tin openers and awls RC52,and the springs and corkscrew RC49."

They also state that the steel they use comes from Bonpertuis in France and from Germany.

I realy like the steel they use,and as others have stated,it works for me.Great way to spend $20!
 
mr.trooper said:
Except that it cuts everything you ever need it to and keeps doing it for quite a while. Id say that means it works well.

Werent their some SAKS made with BOSS treated S30V blades a while back? Maybee THOSe would be good enough for you to open the mail and trim strings with? :jerkit:
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Yep, it works well, but it's not the steel material, it's the blade form and thinness. And no, the BOSS treated S30V SAK would be way too expensive to do anything dangerous with it :) I have some saks and a swisstool and i love them, but not for their steel :) but for this price, they are best buy.
 
gpdawg said:
buck has been using 420 for years,its the quality in the heat treat that makes the difference.
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Also bear in mind that Buck uses 420HC, with more carbon in it. A higher grade, basically? No clue which one Vic uses. As with 440 series, if they don't specify, you can pretty much guess it's the cheaper one.

You're right though, proper heat-treat on a "mediocre" steel will probably out-perform a "high-end" steel with mediocre HT. Paul Bos sure seems to have the system down for Buck.

For what it's worth, I have a cheapo UC bowie made of low-end 420; after some pretty serious chopping tests it showed no chipping and minimal edge deformation. Easily sharpened up. I'm not saying it's a match for quality, well-treated carbon or stainless steel, but it does work.

You could have a custom maker build you a SAK out of BG-42 or INFI or whatever I guess... :D But a lot of folks use them and don't seem to have much trouble keeping them sharp.
 
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