What's up with 440c

MIKE MACINTOSH

MIKE MACINTOSH

Joined
Mar 31, 2006
Messages
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I have been reading a lot of posts of late that seem to down grade 440c as a cheap steel of not very good quality. in my youth I recall this steel as the one that better knives were made of, RANDALL MADE Stainless knives to name one.what has changed if it was excelent than why isn't it good now. feeble mind's want to know :D
 
440C is an excellent cutlery steel. It has alot going for it such as edge holding, ease of sharpening, and corrosion resistance. It is not one of the new "miracle steels" the market has been saturated with. I have an older entrek made with 440C and it is one of the best all around knives I've ever owned. I have knives in ATS34, 154CM, S30V, and CPM154, and my entrek performs as well as any of them. At the end of the day, it's all about what you want in a knife. Some steels are more corrosion resistant, some hold an edge longer, some are easier to sharpen....for me, 440C meets my needs just fine..
 
I thimk it's just that a lot of the folks here are into the supersteels. i often use knives in the 420 and 440 ranges just fine.
 
There’s nothing wrong with 440C, I find it to be decently stain resistant and capable of holding an edge well. I think 440C has gets overlooked because it is no longer the latest and greatest stainless super steel of the month and that so many junk knives are stamped 440 or 440C when they are almost certainly not 440 much less 440C and are not likely to be heat treated properly (if they are heat treated at all).




Frank
 
I think many people discussing 440C hear the "440" and discount the "C". 440C is one of the first of the supersteels and it still performs well, backed up by the experience so many manufacturers now have in heat treating it.

It's 440A that's the low end of that scale, but even 440A can be effective, also since manufacturers are familiar with it.

Did Randall use 440C or 440B?
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I think many people discussing 440C hear the "440" and discount the "C". 440C is one of the first of the supersteels and it still performs well, backed up by the experience so many manufacturers now have in heat treating it.

It's 440A that's the low end of that scale, but even 440A can be effective, also since manufacturers are familiar with it.

Did Randall use 440C or 440B?
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ESAV
your right about 440b for Randall Made Knives
I have read often that a poorer steel with a excelent heat treat will often out perform a excelent steel with a good heat treat
Mike
 
There is also the fact that 440c is not the latest supersteel anymore, so most reputable maufacturers don't offer it. Now there is a lot of companies of questionable QC that's putting the 440 or 440c stamp on the steel but not heat treating it right (heat treat...what's that?), especially blades from China that's totally putting a bad rap on a good steel. If you want good 440c you have to get it from Entrek, or Benchmade (I think they're the only two manufacturers that still puts a decent heat treat on it).
 
440C has always been one of my favorite steels. It has very good corosion resistance and when cryo treated it holds a super edge. I use it on my smaller folders and have never had a single complaint.

STR
 
440C is great steel in a good heat treat. Try some examples from Buck or Spyderco.
 
Smith & Wesson knives use Chinese 440C and though they're much maligned, I have a number of S&W knives that have had excellent edge retention. But I've had others that I couldn't get sharp no matter how much I tried. It wasn't that they'd be sharp then lose the sharpness; it was that they couldn't get sharp.

Often companies advertise 440, but they almost universally mean 440A. I've used 440A knives from Cold Steel that have had very good edge retention and AUS6 knives from CRKT that have had acceptable edge retention. I have a CRKT knife with an ATS-34 blade and it has excellent edge retention. Very few cutting jobs require a scary sharp blade. Often edges that don't seem hair splitting sharp do okay with cutting cord, wood, plastic and cardboard. This is most commonly known as a working edge.

I've had blades that have bitten me the first time I tested an edge with my thumb. My Cold Steel Night Force was one of those. It held that edge for awhile and when it dulled it quickly sharpened right up again. Some of their Voyagers had the same sharp blades and they held their edges very well.
 
I have a 440C Gerber Magnum Folding Hunter that is 20+ years old. It's the only stainless steel blade that I have ever liked.

(Although I must admit that I've never had a blade made of S30V or 154 CM, or several of the other "super" steels)

I have had blades made of 420, 440A, Aus 6 and Aus8A, and in my experience, 440C is head and shoulders better than any of them.

(:D But I still prefer D2 :D)
 
440-C is a fine steel. If it wasn't, crucible would never have used it to be the basic of 154-cm. 154-cm and its Japanese equivalent is modified 440-c.

Chinese 440-c? I don't think so. Don't believe every thing you read. Carpenters Steel Co. Does not manufacture it's steel in China.
 
Ben Dover said:
I have a 440C Gerber Magnum Folding Hunter that is 20+ years old. It's the only stainless steel blade that I have ever liked.

(Although I must admit that I've never had a blade made of S30V or 154 CM, or several of the other "super" steels)

I have had blades made of 420, 440A, Aus 6 and Aus8A, and in my experience, 440C is head and shoulders better than any of them.

(:D But I still prefer D2 :D)
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Don't let Cliff Stamp hear you say that!:jerkit: But you are correct. :)
 
440C is still an excellent steel...it's just that some of the newer wonder steels have overshadowed it.
 
Michael Lovett said:
Chinese 440-c? I don't think so. Don't believe every thing you read. Carpenters Steel Co. Does not manufacture it's steel in China.
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Mike, I personally dealt with Chinese factories claiming that they were supplying 440C, obviously, I was highly suspect of that claim.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
tidefan said:
440C is an excellent cutlery steel. It has alot going for it such as edge holding, ease of sharpening, and corrosion resistance. It is not one of the new "miracle steels" the market has been saturated with. I have an older entrek made with 440C and it is one of the best all around knives I've ever owned. I have knives in ATS34, 154CM, S30V, and CPM154, and my entrek performs as well as any of them. At the end of the day, it's all about what you want in a knife. Some steels are more corrosion resistant, some hold an edge longer, some are easier to sharpen....for me, 440C meets my needs just fine..
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I have an older Entrek Cobra, and the 440C on that thing is great.:thumbup:
I've had other knives in 440C, and the steel sucked.
...Once again, it's all about the heat treat.
 
Nothing wrong with 440C. I think its an excellent steel. Remembering back a decade at the ECCKS, spoke with a few folder makers who actually didn't care to switch to ATS-34. Market trends I guess. Anyone notice 440C has somewhat of an "older" following?
 
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