Hey guys. I hear people mention that company X made some really good steel, or that company Y really made some nice thin grinds. So I'm wondering, which traditional knife company do you feel made the overall best cutting blades? In my very limited experience, I have found that my USA made Schrade Old Timers are the best slicers that I have come across.
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Which traditional knife company makes/made the best cutting blades?
- Thread starter mdsmith
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Planterz
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For slicing, it's hard to beat the main blade on any Swiss Army Knife. They got it right decades ago, and never needed to change it.
But to be frank and honest, most any traditional knife has a great blade or blades. These days the focus with knives is all about big, heavy duty knives. Hard use. Folding prybars. The focus seems to be on what the knife can take, rather what the knife can actually do. I used to carry big "tactical" folding knives. Spyderco Military, Benchmade 710, Severtech (now that's a brick). It's my turn in the ZT 0560 passaround. It's a great knife. But it's way more than I need. At work, my hat had a loose bit of thread on the brim that was bugging me because it was in my line of vision, so I whipped out the 0560 to trim it off. It felt ridiculous. I sliced open some boxes from the side with it, and it was far less efficient than the Hayn' Helper sheepsfoot jack I've been carrying. The thick(er) blade just didn't glide through the cardboard like a thin blade will, despite being armhair-shaving sharp.
I don't mean to toot my own horn, but at my young age, I'm glad I've wisened up. I used to carry certain knives because I thought they were cool, not because they fit my needs. I still own and carry modern knives. Primarily a BM 940D2CF and a Spyderco Caly 3. They're slicers. I don't need a folding prybar. I don't need a blade that feels like a folding machete. I get far more use out of a 2-4 blade traditional knife than I do a big honkin' tactical.
Now, I'm not saying that just because I don't have a use for thick bladed, bank-vault lockup tactical knives that other people don't. I'm just saying that people that carry those, but have never carried a SAK or a Schrade 34OT or a Case Peanut, are missing out and don't understand how useful a thin, smaller, more controllable blade can be.
But to be frank and honest, most any traditional knife has a great blade or blades. These days the focus with knives is all about big, heavy duty knives. Hard use. Folding prybars. The focus seems to be on what the knife can take, rather what the knife can actually do. I used to carry big "tactical" folding knives. Spyderco Military, Benchmade 710, Severtech (now that's a brick). It's my turn in the ZT 0560 passaround. It's a great knife. But it's way more than I need. At work, my hat had a loose bit of thread on the brim that was bugging me because it was in my line of vision, so I whipped out the 0560 to trim it off. It felt ridiculous. I sliced open some boxes from the side with it, and it was far less efficient than the Hayn' Helper sheepsfoot jack I've been carrying. The thick(er) blade just didn't glide through the cardboard like a thin blade will, despite being armhair-shaving sharp.
I don't mean to toot my own horn, but at my young age, I'm glad I've wisened up. I used to carry certain knives because I thought they were cool, not because they fit my needs. I still own and carry modern knives. Primarily a BM 940D2CF and a Spyderco Caly 3. They're slicers. I don't need a folding prybar. I don't need a blade that feels like a folding machete. I get far more use out of a 2-4 blade traditional knife than I do a big honkin' tactical.
Now, I'm not saying that just because I don't have a use for thick bladed, bank-vault lockup tactical knives that other people don't. I'm just saying that people that carry those, but have never carried a SAK or a Schrade 34OT or a Case Peanut, are missing out and don't understand how useful a thin, smaller, more controllable blade can be.
black mamba
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Nothing is certain with production knives, especially edge bevels. But Queen's D2 is still tops for cutting, even if you need to sharpen it up a bit.
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I have found that you can sharpen about any steel to a shaving edge. Now how long that edge will last is another issue. I have seen annealed medium carbon steel sharpened and as a test cut free hanging 1 inch fiber rope. Again it dulled very fast.
I thing it all comes down to a steel that sharpens relatively easily but holds an edge long enough for complete the job. I like 1095 and always have. Im more of a simple steel fan. Leaving the well being of the steel to my fastidiousness rather than it being able to be immersed in salt water for a month without rusting. I also love the tool steels...01 D2 52100 etc.
I thing it all comes down to a steel that sharpens relatively easily but holds an edge long enough for complete the job. I like 1095 and always have. Im more of a simple steel fan. Leaving the well being of the steel to my fastidiousness rather than it being able to be immersed in salt water for a month without rusting. I also love the tool steels...01 D2 52100 etc.
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I have to second this. Queen's D2 is the best steel I've found in any production pocket knife.
Best cutting?
So much can vary to affect this. Geometry of the blade from thickness, type of grind down to the edge from the spine, width of the blade. Of course a thin wide blade with either full flat grind or a convex grind is going to be great. Best slicing? I have to g with an Opinel of number 8 or larger. I've got a number 12 in the kitchen drawer that is downright scary right off a stone or strop. I swear a sharp Opinel can circumcise a knat.
Carl.
So much can vary to affect this. Geometry of the blade from thickness, type of grind down to the edge from the spine, width of the blade. Of course a thin wide blade with either full flat grind or a convex grind is going to be great. Best slicing? I have to g with an Opinel of number 8 or larger. I've got a number 12 in the kitchen drawer that is downright scary right off a stone or strop. I swear a sharp Opinel can circumcise a knat.
Carl.
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Too many variables to reach real conclusions. Let me use this picture to illustrate.
Both knives were made by the same company. The half-whittler is a wondrous cutter, but that has as much to do with blade stock as it does with sharpness. You can't expect the moose to have the same cutting efficiency due to its thickness.
- Christian
Both knives were made by the same company. The half-whittler is a wondrous cutter, but that has as much to do with blade stock as it does with sharpness. You can't expect the moose to have the same cutting efficiency due to its thickness.
- Christian
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Too many variables to reach real conclusions. Let me use this picture to illustrate.
Both knives were made by the same company. The half-whittler is a wondrous cutter, but that has as much to do with blade stock as it does with sharpness. You can't expect the moose to have the same cutting efficiency due to its thickness.
- Christian
Nice illustration, Christian. The thing I have found is spine thickness makes little difference in most day to day work. I have knives .320" at the spine that melt through material just as well as knives under .100 at the spine. Its like Carl says, blade height (width) comes into play here also. Take the moose that you post a picture of and compare it's blade to that of the Scagel fruitport. The scagel has the edge. This is where, as you know, main blade grind geometry is key.
That is why for my answer I gave overall, GEC, CASE/BOSE and Scagel Fruitport. For the most part these companies execute the main blade grinds well and the spine thickness rarely matters.
Of course, IMHO, and I do realize you were illustrating you can find hit or miss performance with a certain company.
Kevin
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I like various blades/steels/makers for various reasons, but the absolute best combination of ease of sharpening, fineness of the finished edge and durability of the edge has come with this blade, on my Schrade USA 8OT. Especially in regard to edge fineness; it consistently tree-tops hair, with a minimum of sharpening effort given. It's the best slicer I've seen, and consequently the one that spends the most time in my pocket:
David
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They've both already been mentioned but I'd also like to throw my vote in for case and opinel knives. With their thin, flat ground blades opinels will glide through anything, and the case knives slice almost as well and tend to sport a slightly stouter blade.
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Opinels are actually a thin convex grind (if you lay a straight-edge alongside, you'll see it; it's somewhat visible in the pic below). They are probably the second-best slicers I have, though the edge on my 'carbone' model isn't quite as durable (I thinned it a bit) as with my Schrade's 1095 blade.
David
David
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Opinels are actually a thin convex grind (if you lay a straight-edge alongside, you'll see it; it's somewhat visible in the pic below). They are probably the second-best slicers I have, though the edge on my 'carbone' model isn't quite as durable (I thinned it a bit) as with my Schrade's 1095 blade.
David
Try a stainless Opinel made after 2001. They switched to Sandvik 12c27 and are carrying the RC higher to take advantage of the steel's specs.
Carl.
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I did, and fully agree.
I also bought a stainless (Sandvik 12c27Mod) No. 08 at the same time as the 'carbone' pictured above. Gave it essentially the same treatment, in thinning the edge and polishing the convex. Takes a little more work to get it 'there'. But it is more durable than the 'carbone', and I've been pretty darn happy with it.
David
paulhilborn
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All knives listed above "brand wise" are all great cutters. I just seem to think that OLD carbon seems (again to me) to take such a wicked edge---CASE, BOKER, SCHRADE, CAMILLUS etc... and so many others I'll forget to mention:thumbup:
Paul
Paul
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I still sometimes wonder if there was some real 'magic' in older carbon blades, as they do seem to really sing. I also have an old Case 6265 SAB Folding Hunter, about ~1965 vintage, and the steel in it's blades has really impressed me as well. Seems oddly 'soft' on today's more aggressive sharpening media, but still takes and holds a great edge.
David
Regarding Opinels carbon, I've been playing with putting a graduated set bevels on mine with my Lansky ( 17, 20, 25) followed by a strop. I got visible folding when I stopped at 20 and noticeably tougher edge when I added the 25 deg bevel.
Carl, where did you see the Rc numbers for their stainless. May need to try that but have feared it was mor like the Victorinox INOX.
Carl, where did you see the Rc numbers for their stainless. May need to try that but have feared it was mor like the Victorinox INOX.