And there are those of us who think something that is designed to work well (like an uncoated blade) is more beautiful that something whose function has been ignored.
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What's the Deal With Blade Coatings?
- Thread starter Swoop03
- Start date
And there are those of us who think something that is designed to work well (like an uncoated blade) is more beautiful that something whose function has been ignored.
So a black coated blade makes one "ninja," but a Digi Arctic Camo scale doesn't???? Talk about the pot calling the kettle Digi Arctic Camo! Or does a camo scale make one "Chairborne"?
Thanks for the "yinz" explanation....I take it you must be from southwest Pennsylvania. Got northeast Pennsylvania family roots myself.
It's not a question of sacrificing performance for looks since the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. One can have a knife that performs well and is aesthetically pleasing. The only difference between people is the degree to which the aesthetics of the knife have any value to the individual.
Buck offered blades coated with TiN, ZrN, TiCN, and TiAlN. The Titanium Nitride coat was Gold colored. The Zirconium Nitride coat was champagne colored. The Titanium Carbonitride was purple. The Titanium Aluminum Nitride was charcoal. These coatings were 82, 85, 88, and 92 HRC (hardness Rockwell C) respectively. The Buckcote blades were chisel sharpened (single bevel) so that the coating was exposed on the micro edge. In use, the substrate (420HC steel) wore away in preference to the coating. So the blades were self sharpening.
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So a black coated blade makes one "ninja," but a Digi Arctic Camo scale doesn't???? Talk about the pot calling the kettle Digi Arctic Camo! Or does a camo scale make one "Chairborne"?
Thanks for the "yinz" explanation....I take it you must be from southwest Pennsylvania. Got northeast Pennsylvania family roots myself.
Not all black blades are "ninja" some are and some aren't to me. I'm picky I guess you'd say. The only reason I have a black para 2 is because that was what bladehq had in stock when i bought it. I wanted it bad enough that the coating didn't bother me. I've come to like the dlc coating actually. I also never said the scales aren't "ninja ish" I am by no means a mall ninja or tacticool guy, I just happen to think that those particular scales would fit my particular PM2 better than the digi cam that came on it. I've often thought about sanding away the camo layer so I'm left with just jade G10.
Welcome and you'd be right, I am from southwest pa.
We also say yunz too, varies from person to person. Some say creek some say crick. Some say pop others say soda some say cola. I saw a picture once from a local radio station with all the slang words from this area and I was surprised. A lot of them I thought more people said, turns out they're only said here I guess. Or at least came from here.I wouldn't go assuming that every knife company that coats it's blades black is doing so in order to make them "tactical" or that they are trying to appeal to the "tacticool" crowd. Not every knife manufacturer puts a perfect finish on their blades and giving them a coating hides the blemishes. And since most knives are bought by men, what color is more likely to be purchased by men.
Personally, I prefer black pocket clips on my folders. I replace any shiny clips with black ones. And this has absolutely nothing to do with being "tactical". In fact, I prefer a lot of the things I own to be black (motorcycles, leather jackets, boots, jeans, etc), and none of that has anything to do with being "tactical".
I don't care for black blades, but I wouldn't go assuming that people who like them are ninja-wannabes any more than I would assume that people who like a mirror finish on their blades are effeminine (what do you need a mirror finish for, to check your makeup). I say, to each their own, and without any judgment from me.
By the way, I actually like mirror finishes. Sometimes I like shiny knives.
Personally, I prefer black pocket clips on my folders. I replace any shiny clips with black ones. And this has absolutely nothing to do with being "tactical". In fact, I prefer a lot of the things I own to be black (motorcycles, leather jackets, boots, jeans, etc), and none of that has anything to do with being "tactical".
I don't care for black blades, but I wouldn't go assuming that people who like them are ninja-wannabes any more than I would assume that people who like a mirror finish on their blades are effeminine (what do you need a mirror finish for, to check your makeup
). I say, to each their own, and without any judgment from me.By the way, I actually like mirror finishes. Sometimes I like shiny knives.
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- Mar 24, 2012
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Didn't read the 3 pages of analysis on blade coatings, so I apologise if this has been said but afik black coated blades stem from military demand that the blade not be reflective, for obvious reasons. Like most military tech it filters down to civilian use from ELU demand, same reason people like blue scales, purely cosmetic in that sense as it serves no 'real' purpose in most people's day to day.
There can be a huge difference in performance in coating a blade, or surface treating the steel - which is what Nitriding does. It's NOT a coating that can be scraped off, it's actually impregnating the surface of the steel and bonding more atoms into the structure. You have to machine nitriding to remove it, and dimensionally reduce the thickness. Coatings always add to it, and the right abrasive will remove them.
I've got a lot of nitrided blades, the first dates back to the late '90's, and it's still relatively fresh and unscratched. I've used it to cut shipping tubes with heavy cardboard walls, and it handles them ok, with almost no scuffing on the surface. On the other hand, the first tube I cut up, I used a Benchmade CQC7 with teflon coating and took off 25% of it in less than three minutes of sawing.
Cerakote, paints, polymers, even carbon steel with parkerizing all come off with friction and abrasion. Those are coatings, all they can do is mechanically bond to the exterior of the substrate. As said, nitriding makes the surface harder, more scratch resistant - and comes in colors, if you like shades of grey - it's the current color used in the process and is added like a dye. Crankshafts and aircraft parts don't, they come out a dull silver.
I see coatings for looks, but nitriding as a performance enhancer, making the knife cut with less friction and keeping it's looks longer. If ESEE had a nitrided blade for the 6 I would order it in a NY minute. It wouldn't keep the edge from rusting, but the overall performance would be greatly improved. It would not rust under the grip, either - like Kabars do.
It's not just coatings, it's coatings vs nitriding, and they are two very different things.
I've got a lot of nitrided blades, the first dates back to the late '90's, and it's still relatively fresh and unscratched. I've used it to cut shipping tubes with heavy cardboard walls, and it handles them ok, with almost no scuffing on the surface. On the other hand, the first tube I cut up, I used a Benchmade CQC7 with teflon coating and took off 25% of it in less than three minutes of sawing.
Cerakote, paints, polymers, even carbon steel with parkerizing all come off with friction and abrasion. Those are coatings, all they can do is mechanically bond to the exterior of the substrate. As said, nitriding makes the surface harder, more scratch resistant - and comes in colors, if you like shades of grey - it's the current color used in the process and is added like a dye. Crankshafts and aircraft parts don't, they come out a dull silver.
I see coatings for looks, but nitriding as a performance enhancer, making the knife cut with less friction and keeping it's looks longer. If ESEE had a nitrided blade for the 6 I would order it in a NY minute. It wouldn't keep the edge from rusting, but the overall performance would be greatly improved. It would not rust under the grip, either - like Kabars do.
It's not just coatings, it's coatings vs nitriding, and they are two very different things.
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- Mar 7, 2012
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With respect to the "tactical-ness" of a knife, I think that whether the blade is coated black or not is about equal to how the knife is designed. Maybe even less than equal if you were talking about Mantis knives or something. Things like glass-breakers, multiple serrations, goofy blade shapes (recurve tantos) and techy nonsense handles play a bigger part in how serious a knife is. Coating it black is sort or just a given with those knives, but is not the determining factor on whether or not a knife is "tacticool"
I am probably in the minority here, but on a couple of my knives I prefer the black coating. Especially the ones that wear easily because I think that beat-up knives are aesthetically more pleasing.
I am probably in the minority here, but on a couple of my knives I prefer the black coating. Especially the ones that wear easily because I think that beat-up knives are aesthetically more pleasing.
There was a time when I liked blade coating...but the more used my knives, the less l appreciated the way it looks. Not all blade coatings are created equal - let me tell you. After I purchased my Hogue EX-F01 I decided to remove the coating (which is a KG™ 2400 Series GUN-KOTE), and force a simple patina. The paint stripper I use will normally dissolve any knife coating within 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes of leaving this paint stripper on my Hogue, I wiped it down and scraped at it, and nothing...it was like I never used the stripper at all. So, I checked it again after another 30, and still strong. Eventually after doing this for about 2 hours, I was determined to get this coating off; in the end I had to use a fine grit sand paper and a lot of elbow grease. That is one tough blade coating, but I think the patina looks much better.
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I never met a blade coating I liked until I bought this Knife:
Strider SnG with a black G-10 scale, acid rain titanium lock side and a tiger stripped S30V blade. I'm not sure what kind of coating it has, but it's tough and hasn't hindered it's cutting ability from what I can tell. I've grown to love this knife and, IMHO, it simply looks bad ass.
Strider SnG with a black G-10 scale, acid rain titanium lock side and a tiger stripped S30V blade. I'm not sure what kind of coating it has, but it's tough and hasn't hindered it's cutting ability from what I can tell. I've grown to love this knife and, IMHO, it simply looks bad ass.
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its just trends man... don't overthink it. there are very few people who need a "tactical knife" ...trust me, even in the military, and yes Special forces. Very few. Utility knives are what any man needs. properly designed sturdy knives that will do what you need. but slap "tactical" in the name and make it look matte black with a sharp pommel, and bam! you got a top seller
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