Why are newbs obsessed with 1095

[Justin Schmidt]

As mentioned above it stems from big name well respected companies like esee and ka-bar. The soul purpose of me getting into knife making was to make my own izula which is (drumroll) 1095. Also alot if older advice in threads recommends 1095. So from a newbie mindset "I like this knife I wanna make a knife like this a few people say I can easily HT it at home so let's do it!" But if your smart you will realize 1084 is probably the better option if you want to HT at home and if your gonna send it out then your options become unlimited and 1095 becomes a distant memory. BUT then again most new guys don't take the time to due their du-diligence to realize they're are better steels for roughly the same price.
This is spoken from a newbie who has yet to complete a real knife due to finance so literally all I do is read and slightly obsess with knife making.
-Justin Schmidt

 

[AVigil]

The reality is many makers do not want to pound down W2 from round stock. A maker can get 1095 in various flat stock prices and crank out many blades with much less work then W2.

I greatly prefer W2 that is for sure.

There are many reasons 1095 is popular and they all add up to those who use it.

There is nothing wrong with the steel and for some there is no reason to change.

 

[Lo/Rez]

I've got a stick of AEB-L I need to make something out of it the way it's been talked about lately.

You don't know what you are missing. Heat treat it to 62Rc and you will really like it.

 

[Willie71]

I think it's as simple as name recognition and a lot of bad advice out there. I'm sure there are thousands of 1095 blades out there below Rc50 from backyard heat treat into used motor oil.

 

[Jack O'Neill]

Really , I've got a 700 BDL with a medium weight barrel , punch holes at 500 yards easily .
sorry to change the subject . Cost 350.00

 

[Bigfattyt]

Have you not heard?

1095 is the be all end all steel. It is the strongest, hardest, edge-iest-retention-iest steel ever invented!


No other steel has all the edge packing, toothy ness, carbide banding alloy that can flex past all other steels. It's samauri steel for the modern age.




Now, what were we talking about?

 

[kuraki]

Really , I've got a 700 BDL with a medium weight barrel , punch holes at 500 yards easily .
sorry to change the subject . Cost 350.00

I won't derail this thread. If you're happy with it great. That's the point of my analogy.

 

[scott.livesey]

i think folks don't want to shop. if they are looking for carbon steel and Nifesteel'R'us has 1095, case closed. I have been using O1 for several years because it is easy to find, inexpensive, and available as PGFS in thickness from 1/32" to 1" by 64s. with controlled heat source, HT is simple and straight forward. It will take and hold a good edge at Rc61 thru Rc65. I buy PGFS from known sources that are ISO9000 certified, so i know the lot I bought today will grind, drill, HT and finish like the lot I bought six months ago.
scott

 

[Drew Riley]

1095 is a bigger number than 1075, 1080, or 1084, so it MUST be more better.....

Here is a question that I have. If W2 is a pretty tough steel at 60Rc or higher, why does 1095 have to be left at hardness levels as low as 55 Rc? Same with 5160. We know that it is quite tough at 58-59, yet we see it sold by these "big knife companies" as soft was 54Rc. Why is my 1084 tough at 60-61Rc using the old reliable 1500/400 recipe and Parks #50 when it has less carbon than 1095? Sorry, but this sounds like folks chasing cost, not performance.

More carbon doesn't necessary equate to more "toughness" however that metric might be measured or defined. At any rate, there are a lot of variables at play, heat treat and blade geometry not being the least of them.

As for why the bigger companies heat treat their blades a bit on the softer side, I imagine there are a number of considerations for that as well, but a couple I might guess at, off the top of my head: Most of today's knife users (that are buying the types of knives in question) want knives that are easy to sharpen and don't chip out on the edge. I also imagine it's ultimately a little bit easier on tooling and machinery cost to work slightly softer blades.

 

[i4Marc]

Newbs obsessed with 1095? I was under the impression they were obsessed with files and lawn mower blades.

 

[JTknives]

Hamons

Some people and makers like it because it is a good carbon steel that is easy to get a hamon with.

I have used it, I like it.

But I really do not obsess over the aesthetics of a hamon and rather have A2 cryoed for a working blade.

Currently I like AEB-L due to its super fine grain, edge holding and toughness. It is stainless that sharpens like a high carbon blade.

My wife LOVES A2, I made her a little pearing knife sized fillet that's ground crazy thin. That thing is like a chicken light saber. I sharpen it once every 6 months or so and she uses it every day to cut meat.

 

[buckfynn]

The popularity of 1095 is all about marketing IMO. Some of the more well known names in the knife industry have promoted 1095 to death. And as long as their knives keep selling, they are going to continue offering blades made out of 1095.

Your average Joe has no clue when it comes to O1, A2, 80CRV2, 15N20, 52100, AEB-L, ATS 34, CPM S30V, CPM S35VN, CPM 3V, and so on. But most of them have at least heard of 1095. It is "if it is good enough for the big names it must be good enough for me" mentality why I think they go for it.

 

[jdm61]

I was being a bit silly and sarcastic about the carbon content. The 1084 that I have is very early Aldo stuff which had a bit more vanadium and some of the NOS Schrade 1 x 1/4 round edge stock that Aldo got from the bankruptcy auction. i tend to use both for damascus but they do make a very nice monosteel blade. The Schrade stuff probably etches as dark as any steel short of O2. That is why when it comes time down the road a bit to order more steel for damascus, I plan to get a sheet or three of O2 from Bestar in Atlanta.

1095 is a bigger number than 1075, 1080, or 1084, so it MUST be more better.....



More carbon doesn't necessary equate to more "toughness" however that metric might be measured or defined. At any rate, there are a lot of variables at play, heat treat and blade geometry not being the least of them.

As for why the bigger companies heat treat their blades a bit on the softer side, I imagine there are a number of considerations for that as well, but a couple I might guess at, off the top of my head: Most of today's knife users (that are buying the types of knives in question) want knives that are easy to sharpen and don't chip out on the edge. I also imagine it's ultimately a little bit easier on tooling and machinery cost to work slightly softer blades.

 

[Natlek]

Almost all good file a made from 1095 , why ?

 

[BKT]

I have never even used 1095. Just about everything I do is 1084, W2, or O1.

But I will say for some reason 1095 was the only carbon steel I could say by name before I started making knives. Its a marketing thing I guess.

 

[scott.livesey]

1095 is a bigger number than 1075, 1080, or 1084, so it MUST be more better.....

As for why the bigger companies heat treat their blades a bit on the softer side, I imagine there are a number of considerations for that as well, but a couple I might guess at, off the top of my head: Most of today's knife users (that are buying the types of knives in question) want knives that are easy to sharpen and don't chip out on the edge. I also imagine it's ultimately a little bit easier on tooling and machinery cost to work slightly softer blades.

it is probably a lot easier on equipment. anyone who does their own heat treat knows the difference in grinding a blade at Rc58 and the same blade at Rc64. a look inside knife making machines will show row upon row of abrasive wheels that are chosen for longest life, they will take time to replace and realign. if sharpened knives aren't coming out the end, you are losing money. ease of HT, if Rc56 is my goal the seconds between leaving the furnace and entering the quench are less critical, the type of quench and how long it will last will also be factored in. if your line was set up to 120 blades per hour and if you were able to save a second a blade, now you are at 125 an hour.

obsessed with 1095? maybe don't know about other steels would be better.
scott

 

[BKT]

Newbs obsessed with 1095? I was under the impression they were obsessed with files and lawn mower blades.

If I get sent one more picture of a knife make from a file, wrench, lawn mower blade, railroad spike, <insert random metal object here> I am going to throw up. I dont have the heart to tell these people that more than likely the knife they sent me is a piece of crap and wouldnt hold an edge to wet paper. Yes I guess it is "cool" because they recycled whatever object into a knife shaped object but honestly I think most of the time that person just ruined a perfectly good wrench to make a less than ideal knife.

 

[Kevin McGovern]

I actually want to make my dad a knife from a railroad spike, but that's just because he comes from a long line of railroad men. It would be for display only, as I'm sure most railroad spike knives are. At least the ones that are still recognizable as a spike. I can't imagine carrying anything that heavy and unbalanced.

 

[Natlek]

it is probably a lot easier on equipment. anyone who does their own heat treat knows the difference in grinding a blade at Rc58 and the same blade at Rc64. a look inside knife making machines will show row upon row of abrasive wheels that are chosen for longest life, they will take time to replace and realign. if sharpened knives aren't coming out the end, you are losing money. ease of HT, if Rc56 is my goal the seconds between leaving the furnace and entering the quench are less critical, the type of quench and how long it will last will also be factored in. if your line was set up to 120 blades per hour and if you were able to save a second a blade, now you are at 125 an hour.

obsessed with 1095? maybe don't know about other steels would be better.
scott

So , you recommended to everybody to sell knife from 1095 because there a better steel ? May I ask which steels is better ? Because I also know that there is even better steel from that =better= from 1095 ..................

 

[noseoil]

To return to the original question I would have to say, price, availability, market recognition & saturation. It's a good steel for blades. Are there better ones? Yes, most certainly.

A newbie (like myself) will tend to go in a direction already traveled by others. In fact I have some 1095 I'm going to be using to make a couple of new blades I've designed. So far I've used D2, 5160 & O1, but I'm just getting my feet wet on this stuff.

(Obligatory waste of band width & snarky comments inserted here)