Who EDCs a Knife w/440A?

C

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My own experience with 440A has not been bad at all, yet many people don't seem well disposed towards it. Sure, I wish more blades were available in 440C, but many knife companies carry mostly 440A and AUS8. Although I have, and occasionally use, some Cold Steel 440A knives, like the Night Force, Pro-Lite and early Recon 1, my carrying knife has an AUS8 blade.

I can't speak for all the no-name brand 440A knives out there, but I can say the Cold Steel knives I've used that have 440A blades have come sharp right out of the box and they become wickedly sharp. Yes, I know that's the current "in" phrase right now, but it's literally true in these cases. Having said that, I talked to a CS rep several years ago and he seemed to not like the steel much at all. They'd bought a boat load of it and he said that after the Night Force and Pro-Lites were gone, they probably would not feature them again, at least not in 440A.

So I wondered who carries knife blades with this steel and how similar it is to the steel that Spiderco uses in its Byrd Cara Cara. (I understand it was initially 440C, but that it's now 8Cr13MoV.) It's also said to be a step up from AUS6, but not quite as good as AUS8.

Any comments?
 
I have found that any 440 or 420j2/hc steel is adequate as long as their heat treat is done properly, I have found the 8cr13mov in the Byrd models to be better than the AUS8 steel in the Boker Trance when reprofiled, the Byrd's don't rust as easily from what I have found, and I have found the 8cr13mov to hold their edge better when reprofiled.
 
I carry my mini mojo in 440a pretty frequently. Holds up fine for the sort of use it's made for.

I actually quite like AUS8. The couple AUS8 knives seemed very resistant to chipping...
 
I had a Kershaw Blur for a while that had 440A (lost it). Have an older rainbow Leek with 440A. Seemed to do ok, the Sandvik steels they use now are likely a good bit better. 440A will get sharp enough, but it doesn't hold that edge very long.
 
I used to EDC a Leek in 440A and it worked fine. I wonder if some people are under the impression that "cheaper" steels can't get as sharp as new high end steels. That's definitely not the case in my experience. The edge retention and the ease of sharpening are the main noticeable features between old and new steels. There's nothing wrong with 440A from reputable makers.
 
I carried a Schrade USA HO70 (Buck 110 clone) for about a year.

Fairly certain all stainless Schrade knives were 440a.

No complaints about that knife or the steel.
 
my 440a Kershaw blackout, and leek did fine, but the more I learned about steel, and used more steels, I learned that I'd rather carry 440C, 154CM, or VG-10. After using those a lot, 440a seemed to loose its edge real quickly, but thats just because it's not made to hold quite as good as the others I got used too. I don't usually carry those kershaws anymore. However properly heat treated 440a and especially 420HC (from Buck primarily) can be pretty dang good.

So far, I'm loving this 8cr13mov stuff. Totally better than aus8. Really close to 440C IMO. I would have liked to have one of those 440C cara caras tho.
 
I consider 440c, AUS8, 8Cr14MoV, and 13C26 Sandvik entry level steel (for me). Considering you can get those at $15+, those are decent for the money.

I've had bad experiences with 440a and b. Doesn't hold an edge well at all (in my exp).

I like 420hc from Buck and would trust it from Kershaw although I have no personal exp with 420hc from Kershaw.

Granted, heat treats make a big diff and not all 440a is equal.
 
When you think that you have to spend about $48 (discount) for a large Cold Steel Voyager, which I think is an astoundingly good knife, and only about half that or a little more for a Byrd Cara Cara (depending on grips), that would make the Byrd a much better deal if the blade steels were compatible.

Has anyone compared the two?

ByrdCaraCara_1.jpg


Byrd Cara Cara


ColdSteelVoyagerPE.jpg


Cold Steel Voyager, same blade size as the Cara Cara.


ColdSteelNightForce_1.jpg


The Cold Steel Night Force, w/440A.
 
I've used multiple "Wally World" Kershaws in 440A and it performs just fine. Is it an uber steel? No, you get what you pay for...however, it takes an edge super easy, and touches up even easier. I can take a dull edge to razor sharp in 5 minutes on a Sharp Maker. For frequent use, like cutting boxes, and daily tasks, its a great steel choice.
 
Stainless Douk-Douk,it's marked 440 no idea if it's A or C but it works fine.

I suspect it's 440A though.
 
I bought a Kershaw Scallion and Blur, both 440A, over five years ago. They were EDCed for years - and received a few 'touch-ups'. The Spydie 'Sharpmaker' does return them to duty quickly. They don't seem to last as long, edge sharpness wise, as Buck's Bos-heat-treated 420HC, however.

I did try an upgrade - a Benchmade 551 Gryptillian in 440C. It was super, physically, the 'Axis Lock' is impressive. Blade wise, it was horrid - the edge was just dull. It would cut whipped butter if you heated the blade first. It eventually got properly sharpened - on that Sharpmaker - but it seemed like a new career. Oddly, my only other BM - a fb 201 Activator+ in D2 - also came dull. Make that all Bucks, Kershaws, and Spydies delivered as shavers - my huge sampling of two BMs were dull.

I am not certain what Victorinox SAKs uses now, but it behaves similar to the Kershaw 440A. I guess my preferred higher end blade metal, considering edge retention and ease of returning the edge to shaving status, is S30V - or the new composite blades, like the Kershaw examples with D2 edges. You know, before I was 'enlightened', I was quite happy with 440A - and elated with Buck's 420HC.

Stainz
 
Some of the slip joints I EDC are 440A, and they have served me well. When 440A is heat treated right it 's a good user steel.
 
I've used the Cold Steel Pro-lite (drop-point) extensively while living in Namibia - lots of camping, cooking, some skinning & quartering of small buck & warthog. Served me well. Just needed a quick touch-up with a pocket ceramic rod and it's good to go!
Also have the Pro-lite with clip-point and the Night-force. They have great edges straight from the factory. Seems the CS heat-treat is really good.
 
I think the Schrade+ used in the old Uncle Henrys was 440A and some Kershaws I have. Good stuff if you ask me. Then again I've never been a steel freak I touch up the edges of my users every day whether they are s30v or 1095 or 440A.
 
I've made it a point to use my Cold Steel Night Force plain edge over the past few weeks and my conclusion is, I love the edge I can get initially; it holds the edge adequately well in moderate use for a week or more, and it's easy to field sharpen.

Comparing it to my Spyderco Native (S30V), the Native clearly holds an edge longer, but I am unable to quickly bring the edge to a super sharp capability. Although the edge stays put very well, it doesn't hold a bleeding sharp edge very long. With fairly moderate use, the edge goes to a very nice utility sharp blade and stays that way indefinitely. It also can be easily retained with a little time on a Sharpmaker. Getting it to stay bleeding sharp depends on what one cuts with it and how good of a sharpener the owner is.

I've found it's easier for me to use the 440A or AUS8 blades and keep them sharp than it is for me to use the Native for an extended period of time, then try to get the edge back. Other people with better tools or skills may feel differently.

Another observation: the knives with the 440A/AUS8 category steels tend to have larger blades, which extends edge life, ease of cutting and, again, ease of sharpening. The larger blades are a pain for some people to carry, but they're good self defense and emergency tools—and that is a plus for me. Even so, a Native is a wonderful little cutter. Lightweight, durable, great blade configuration and the grip goes right into the palm. It can be pressed into service as a tactical or emergency tool. (Note: The 440A blades found on cheap knives is notably different than that found in the CS knives I've used.)

I often carry both a Native and a larger knife. The Native doesn't tend to scare anyone and the choil makes cutting chores easy. Also, there's no reason a person can't carry both, or either. I went out of town once and carried only an Eddie Bauer six-dollar knife I bought at Target and, well, I survived. Any knife is better than no knife and I've found that I'm gaining an appreciation for all knives. I even have an eight dollar Maxum 5-inch folder stuffed in my glove box. I have a knife just like it that's always in a medium coat pocket (a coat I use for quick, unplanned outings, or yard work). I've used it to uproot weeds, cut back light vegetation and debark wood branches—also things I wouldn't use a better knife for. The 5-inch blade and steel reinforced G10 handles also make it a passable defense knife and pry bar. That and a $13 dollar fixed blade knife are almost worthless pieces of junk now, but in an emergency, even they might have some value.

CheapKnives_3.jpg
 
I carried a SOG in 440A as my EDC for a few years. It did everything I needed it to do very well, and that was back when I actually used a knife almost every day. I carry mostly 'uber steel' blades these days, but I think well done 440A could still serve almost all of my actual (as opposed to hypothetical) needs.
 
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