Why are modern daggers made from stainless steel?

H

Hermit_Knight

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Mar 19, 2018
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Just curious as to why modern military style daggers all seem to be made of stainless steel? I’m assuming the WW2 , Korean War and Vietnam war daggers besides perhaps the EK were made out of carbon steel. Regards Hermit.
 
Hermit_Knight said:
Just curious as to why modern military style daggers all seem to be made of stainless steel? I’m assuming the WW2 , Korean War and Vietnam war daggers besides perhaps the EK were made out of carbon steel. Regards Hermit.
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You can find modern daggers made from just about everything out there. Is there a specific brand or maker that you are concerned about?

n2s
 
Not a specific brand or maker I just see that most production daggers are stainless, but with the thin dagger profile style wouldn’t it be prone to snapping when used for its intended use?
 
Well I just saw a video of Lynn Thompson smashing an Aus 8 ti lite on a marble table, I really do underestimate the strength of stainless steel!
 
Most daggers probably end up being displayed on a shelf next to a pewter statue of a dragon holding a crystal, a couple of ninja throwing stars and a flea market katana that wont cut melted butter. Manufacturers know that most will never see any use, so they go for stainless to make sure the dagger looks pretty. There are lots of higher end daggers made of high quality steel that could be used, but most are made as display pieces.
 
The better question is why weren’t older daggers made from stainless steel.

Because stainless steels in the past didn’t have the toughness or properties of modern stainless which were required to make a good dagger. This is why a myth persists and many older folk still believe that stainless steel cannot make a good knife.

Modern stainless steels and heat treats allow for much better properties in stainless steels today that were relatively unknown in the past.
 
Hermit_Knight said:
Not a specific brand or maker I just see that most production daggers are stainless, but with the thin dagger profile style wouldn’t it be prone to snapping when used for its intended use?
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And what exactly is the intended use that would snap a dagger?

Also, you are aware that stainless steel is not made of glass, right? It doesn’t just shatter with mild-moderate impact.
 
Most people that aren't knowledgable about knives and or knife steel run fast from anything that isn't stainless ... and they think all stainless steel is equal anyway ...
 
Well you're a member of the forums ... the best place I know to learn whatever you want about knives ... and most here are great to help anyone that wants to learn ... so if you have questions people will help ...

you can also try the search upper right hand and search for certain steel types to learn about them ...

alot of people were in the same mindset until they dove deeper into knives ...
 
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