Who else is using Carbon-V and San-Mai steel ?

Santi

Santi

Joined
Sep 12, 2000
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From what I knew, there's nobody else apart from ColdSteel.

Thus, I curious if the steel is SO good, as ColdSteel always said, how come nobody else is using it?
Or is there such a thing as Patented steel?

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I know that Carbon V is a trademarked name and that Cold Steel has switched what Carbon V is in the past. It is no one specific steel.

I have no idea about San-Mai.
 
Carbon V seems to be 0170-6C I think it's called, which is a high carbon chrome-vanadium steel. The reason for the Carbon V designaation is evidently a proprietary manufacturing process which results in a fine grain. A guess would be some sort of cold finishing, which seems like it would result in properties of a directional nature. 0170-6C is pretty similar to 50100B but it's also not a common steel. One very common chrome-vanadium steel is 6150, which is evidently used to make most tools advertised as being chrome-vanadium.
 
Cold Steel doesn't go into its heat treatment specifically but gives some details on its website. I am a fan of Carbon V, at least as CS treats it. Easy to sharpen, holds an edge a long time, very tough, flexible (see the video) and affordable. I have a Marble's fieldcraft in 52100, which is very similar, and which has been cryogenically treated; it may hold an edge a bit better but may not be as tough. However, I use my knives as cutting tools, not prybars.
 
I dug this up in a report written by Joe Talmadge, May 1998. This answers some of your questions about what is or what is not Carbon-V.

"Carbon V is a trademarked term by Cold Steel, and as such is not necessarily one particular kind of steel; rather, it describes whatever steel Cold Steel happens to be using, and there is an indication they do change steels from time to time. Carbon V performs roughly between 1095-ish and O-1-ish, in my opinion, and rusts like O-1 as well. I've heard rumors that Carbon V is O-1 (which I now think is unlikely) or 1095. Numerous industry insiders insist it is 0170-6. Some spark tests done by a rec.knives reader seem to point the finger at 50100-B. Since 50100-B and 0170-6 are the same steel (see below), this is likely the current Carbon V."

 
In a book that I browsed recently, I haven't picked it up yet but will, a contributor to Blade magazine as I recall had a Carbon V knife analyzed. It looked like a better match with 0170-6C than 50100B or any other steel.
 
"...If the steel is SO good, as ColdSteel always said,...."

There is part of your answer already. Cold Steel says pretty much everything they have is SO good that everybody should be using it. Lots of hype from that company, but that's no different from Maytag, Chevrolet, or a hundred other companies I can name. Marketing is marketing.

As for San Mai, I had a medium ClipMate awhile back that was in San Mai III. I liked it just fine. The price was right, it was a good user, and I'm sure it is still performing well today. Nothing magical about it, just a steel to me.
 
San Mai just means three layers, aka laminated steel. There are some custom makers using the stuff. I forget the name of the one I know of, but he is a Canadian (I think) that makes blades over in Japan with one of the bog blade making families over there- he's a apprenice so to speak. In my latest Lee Valley catalog you could order some laminated blades which you stick your own handle on (they were a utility type, sor of pukko like blade) for a reasonable price. Laminated steel of the San Mai type is around, you just have to look for it. Notice that damascus steel is laminated steel, but that is a whole other ball game!

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"Come What May..."
 
San Mai is supposed to be AUS8 sandwiched between 420j, which is used on cheap cutlery but is supposed to be quite tough: the best of both worlds, in stainless. The laminated blades from Lee Valley Tools are from Frosts of Sweden; they are actually made in France, I understand from Ragnar of ragnarforge. I mounted one in a piece of moose horn taken on a hunting trip, and have a couple of their laminated woodworking blades. These are high carbon steel blades, and the core is supposed to be R62, very hard. These take a terrific edge and hold it, but are not ideal if you're going to pry instead of cut.
 
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