What's the deal with MagnaCut?

Seedy Lot said:
I really like Magnacut and have no issues with the knives i have made but I am also not pushing the hardness to the max and running super thin bte.
Click to expand...
This is me too. I’ve got a lot of MC knives and each is a breeze to touch up and haven’t chipped anything yet……however I don’t often do much to “push” a knife beyond regular cutting.
 
LostCause said:
Thanks for responses.

So it so far seems to be bad HT (too hard), poor edge geometry (too thin) and maybe even abuse.

LionSteel has a reputation of keeping some steels softer, so if I go for a MagnaCut knife - I'll probs get LionSteel or maybe Bradford Guardian as some here reccomended.

I'm curious to hear more real life experiences tho.
Click to expand...
The end hardness of a steel isn't what makes or breaks it, it's the protocol itself that's more important. I never understood why people obsess over hardness so much like 1-2 HRC would make a perceivable difference with the vast majority of users. Hinderer and CRK are also known to be on the lower end of hardness, but their 20CV and S35VN are easily the best performing in my personal experience.
 
When I judge MagnaCut from Larrin's own data, I like it about 60-61 Rc, because it is so tough at that hardness. Amazingly tough for a stainless steel. When you take it harder, it loses that roughness for only a small gain in edge retention.

However, Bluntcut sent me a MagnaCut test knife with a custom heat treat and a final hardness of 63 Rc. The blade and edge were super acute -- about 0.009 inches BTE and something like 10 dps. It's difficult to measure when edges get that acute.

When it did a number of hard-use tests, including chopping, the steel was amazing. It held an edge extremely well and did not chip or deform until I made the tests very difficult-- way past responsible use -- just to see where the limits were.

With a custom heat treat from a master like Luong, this steel can be an amazing performer.
 
Many people call it a super steel without qualifying what they mean by the term super steel. That leaves it to the reader to apply their interpretation of super steel to Magnacut. I think this has caused much confusion and incorrect assumptions being made.
 
My experience with Magnacut steel is limited to one of Buck’s Stealth runs. It is a model 501 and my experience has been very good. I also have a model 501 from their custom shop with S30 blade steel. I have carried both knives for several months and the Magnacut seems similar to S30 when it comes to ease of sharpening. What does stand out with the Magnacut blade is how much longer I can go between touching up the edge. To be fair, the 501 is not a heavy duty knife and I am an office worker. My cutting needs are not all that demanding so take it for what it is worth.
 
Last edited:
I think it is an interesting steel in its ability to use a wide range of heat treats. It definitely seems like the intended use and heat treat the maker uses can vary alot, especially since it's so popular. I appreciate the manufacturers like benchmade, crk, Kershaw etc, that openly tell you what they're making it to and then you can decide if that suits your needs. I'd also bet your going to see a larger sample size of folks giving reports about the steel due to its popularity so theres going to be folks out there giving it negative feedback, especially when it couldn't baton a railroad in half without damage. I think if you know what your buying and are realistic it'd be good to go.

Right now, I don't really need a stainless knife. But you can bet my next stainless knife will be a roughly 63ish magnacut folder, just cuz that's what I think I'd like and am willing to spend my dollars to find out. Id thought s90v would be my next stainless knife for a long time. But am favoring higher hrc and edge stability nowadays over raw wear resistance.
 
Last edited:
All eight of mine, on a spectrum of hardness, are performers. Granted, they are light to medium duty.

Two of the technicians that work in my shop have been using a BM CLA and a Deadrecon Ridgeback with MC, for six months or so. Silly hard use all day and regular sharpening. I've seen one of the break blades in several other steels. They LOVE them.
 
Part of it is that the current trend seems to be on hardness, whether that's the best hardness or not. People bash companies like Benchmade for making their Magnacut blades "only" around 60-62. Right at what is considered optimal, the best balance of toughness and edge retention. Where it seems to be a stainless Cruwear. But since people want hard blades, companies are giving it to them. Magnacut at 64 is about as tough as S35 a few points lower, but not as tough. So when you test it as if it were at it's tougher hardness it's going to chip more.
I'd be happy Spartan lowered the hardness of their larger blades like the Difensa to 60-61 from 61-63 to have a tougher blade in what's meant to be a hard use knife. It does have about a 23 or 24 degree per side edge and isn't super thin so that should prevent chipping with any reasonable (and slightly unreasonable) use. I'm not going to be batoning a steel pan. And if I can chop down an 8 inch tree (it was coming down anyway) with a simple Ka-bar, I'm pretty sure this can handle a lot more.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Also when something is Pumped up as much as this steel has been, I'm sure some are pushing it beyond its limits.
I'm thinking it's the "Gunslingger Syndrome"
When you are the biggest and baddest in town, everyone is looking for a fight. And bringing it....Ha!I
Click to expand...

Great point. MagnaCut has been shouted from the rooftops for the past few years, with, in my opinion, good reason. But all that attention as you said is going to draw skeptics as well.

Chronovore Chronovore messaged me shortly after MagnaCut was announced, and I hadn't yet see the news. He asked if I was going to use it, so I looked into it, and when I saw that it had been developed by Larrin, it seemed like a no brainer. And now that I've made some hundred or so MagnaCut blades, I heartily endorse its use on any kind of knife you could want. Do I think it's overkill or not economical for some things? Yes. Like choppers. Or fighters. But it can do both exceptionally well. I made the largest MagnaCut knife in the world and had Peter's shoot for 58 HRC and skip cryo, and the silly thing came out very tough and proved itself chopping logs in half with no damage. But at that point it's not a practical knife, but a status symbol.

If there is "one" thing I think Magnacut is actually perfect for, both functionally, and within the realm of economically justifiable in relation to the properties it brings to the table, it's just about any knife smaller than a fighter. Heat treatment will vary depending on the role, of course.
 
David Mary said:
Great point. MagnaCut has been shouted from the rooftops for the past few years, with, in my opinion, good reason. But all that attention as you said is going to draw skeptics as well.

Chronovore Chronovore messaged me shortly after MagnaCut was announced, and I hadn't yet see the news. He asked if I was going to use it, so I looked into it, and when I saw that it had been developed by Larrin, it seemed like a no brainer. And now that I've made some hundred or so MagnaCut blades, I heartily endorse its use on any kind of knife you could want. Do I think it's overkill or not economical for some things? Yes. Like choppers. Or fighters. But it can do both exceptionally well. I made the largest MagnaCut knife in the world and had Peter's shoot for 58 HRC and skip cryo, and the silly thing came out very tough and proved itself chopping logs in half with no damage. But at that point it's not a practical knife, but a status symbol.

If there is "one" thing I think Magnacut is actually perfect for, both functionally, and within the realm of economically justifiable in relation to the properties it brings to the table, it's just about any knife smaller than a fighter. Heat treatment will vary depending on the role, of course.
Click to expand...

I surely enjoy what you do with it! This one gets used often.

20240731_173635.jpg
 
I love my knives in MagnaCut. Even a great heat treat can have a lousy knife turned out if the blade was heated too much during grinding or sharpening.
 
I thought the advantage of magnacut was supposed to be its performance as a good knife steel while providing better than normal corrosion resistance.
 
bdmicarta said:
I thought the advantage of magnacut was supposed to be its performance as a good knife steel while providing better than normal corrosion resistance.
Click to expand...

On a user level, it's special as a steel that combines good edge retention and exceptional corrosion resistance with high toughness. On a technical level, it's special as a steel that selectively forms vanadium carbides while maintaining plenty of chromium for exceptional corrosion resistance.
 
I’ve got a sebenza MC and use it quite a bit. After putting a good edge on it, I’m quite happy with it. It’s gets really sharp, and holds that keen edge for awhile (light to medium use here). Doesn’t stain, at all. And it’s quite tough. I bounced it off my granite countertop the other day, edge straight into the stone, cutting something. Not a roll, chip or change in the edge.
 
Was going to get a knife in MC but decided I needed more info to spend more for something I didn’t know a lot about, letting the hype convince me I needed it, but now I am waiting, and I have been learning that higher hardness may seem better, if it is too hard then it chips and is beyond the optimal combination of hardness and durability. So, that being said, I can wait until all the hype dies down, hear from others with more experience with the steel, and hear the different heat treats methodology that makers are using, It sounds like a great steel but there is the the right balance that needs to be worked out. Until then, I have a lot of knives in different steels, grinds and thicknesses to try out. I remember when ATS 34 was the latest thing, was able to wait then too and got a little more edumacated. 😀 I am also realizing my needs are being met by some already good steel, simple and modern.
 
I've used a Meglio Gyuto in MC for a couple years now (I work in a commercial food entity).
I've used various low alloy carbon steels at work, to the expected results. I had a VG10 chefs knife for a while that was ok but could be chippy.
For several years I used a Phil Wheeler chefs knife in S35vn. Never had any issue with corrosion- though like s30v, it never stayed laser sharp for long, but would stay working sharp practically indefinitely (or until there was just too much micro-rolling at the edge).

Magnacut has been the best of all worlds thus far. Absolutely zero corrosion or staining (and I've put it up "rode hard and wet".
It gets as fine and sharp as any low allow I've used, maintains a high level of sharpness for long periods, and I've never noticed any real issue with rolling or chipping (even at its higher hardness).
The design of the Meglio isn't PERFECT in my opinion, but the blade performs so well im in no hurry to switch.

Magnacut is great in various settings but i think it shines brightest in the kitchen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top