Which Is Better, Teflon or Titanium Coat?

[nozh2002]

My TiN and TiNi coated knives wore out faster than my teflon coated knife. While the TiN and TiNi may be tougher than teflon, it creates friction, the primary cause of scratches. Teflon creates less friction, thus making it more scratch resistant, and it is more than paint over a blade. If anything, TiN and TiNi are paint over a blade. What's the point of putting a black coating on a blade if it provides little function? I've used drill bits with TiN coatings on it, and it said 6x extended life. When a drill bit snaps, no coating is going to save it. Also, what's the point of a black coating if you're worried about scratches on it? With or without a coating, you're knife is going to get scratched with hard use.

Well, after Jim explained what is usual hardness of Teflon coating. Like pencil - resistance this testimony looks more strange that when it came first...

Again all my experience is about teflon being way more easy to scratch and Jim's explanation back it up.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[HoB]

My TiN and TiNi coated knives wore out faster than my teflon coated knife.

Are you sure, you haven't deposited stuff on the coating? This is a common misconception. People stick their TiN or DLC blades into an aluminum can and see scratches and think the coating is scratched. While in fact they have only deposited Aluminum on the much harder coating. It can be scrubbed of with a brush and lots of elbow grease.

 

[Will Power]

I have recently bought a Marttiini Skinner knife which is coated with a product called 'MARTEF' I suppose this is a derivative from Teflon?

The knife's ergonomics are excellent, rubberized handle gives total grip,has a nice bronze cossguard too.It claims to be dishwasher proof...aaarrrghh! I can't yet comment on its durability but the knife is excellently sharp,can't tell if it is carbon coated with Martef or stainless.What would be the point of coating a stainless blade though really. Knife looks very good and uses excellently,so far!

 

[missin_hobo]

jvan
There is the school of thought that says that coating of any kind impairs the cutting ability of the blade, I go to that school.

I ask more out of curiosity than skepticism; what's the reasoning behind that school?

 

[nozh2002]

I have many knives with coating - never have any reason to question their HT because of coating.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[SOLEIL]

Are you sure, you haven't deposited stuff on the coating? This is a common misconception. People stick their TiN or DLC blades into an aluminum can and see scratches and think the coating is scratched. While in fact they have only deposited Aluminum on the much harder coating. It can be scrubbed of with a brush and lots of elbow grease.

Many times my DNC or TiNi will look scratched but it is just as Hob stated. It is just residue left from what you were cutting, not scratches. These coatings are much harder than the blade steel is, Teflon is not.

 

[yoda4561]

It's been my experience as well that coatings do not reduce friction and more often increase it. Whereas a hard steel surface wedged in material will generally slide against cardboard or wood, a soft coating will let the material dig in and grab. Friction and wear generally go hand in hand, so if your coating wears fast there is friction there.

If cutting something like tomatos/vegetables/very soft vines coatings may help a little. When trimming bananna trees I've found the teflon coatings help due to the bananna tree juice being very sticky when in contact with steel, and in some cases reacting oddly with it and forming an extremely heavy fiberous purple coating (this was with talonite, I wish I had taken pictures of that since I no longer have that knife. ). When I use an O-1 blade on bananna trees the juice turns purple and coats the blade, though it wasn't nearly as bad as the talonite one.

It's my guess that the best use of a coating to reduce friction in normal use would be to mirror polish the blade and use one of the DLC/BC coatings on it.