Why ATS-34?

[Andrew Lynch]

First off, I'm not trying to start a flame war here. This is just an honest question, and the reason I ask it is not to agitate anyone, nor to denigrate Strider Knives in any way. I am just curious why Strider uses ATS-34, especially for its larger knives. And yes, I know Strider's ATS-34 is supposed to be better than regular ATS, but it can't be that much better.

It seems like CPM-3V would be a significantly better choice, especially for Strider's larger knives. It's not stainless, but I don't see how that is a huge concern for a combat knife. Plus, ATS-34 isn't too stainless anyway.

Two other good steels seem to be A2 and A8. Again, not stainless, but that's about it.

Also, how about L6 or even 1095? All seem to me better choices for a hard-use combat knife than ATS-34.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think ATS-34 is a bad steel, except maybe for a large chopping knife. However, there seem to be several better choices available for a hard-use combat knife, like a Strider.

What am I missing?

 

[HAMMERHEAD2]

Andrew

If you search the Strider Forum you will find several questions very similar to the one you have posted here. Mr. Dwyer and Mr. Strider have both addressed them. If you search for comments by Mr. Bos you may also find interesting reading.

I have yet to find a stronger blade, I own Striders in ATS and BG42 and look forward to the SV30. Mr. Dwyer curently has a D-9 of mine in for G-10 grip scale replacement, I look forward to actually using this blade it will be cared for but by no means pampered.

 

[HAMMERHEAD2]

Hey,
Just a quick note. Yes we have a lot of CPMS30V right now. Yes we are making knives out of it. No, we are not yet selling them yet. This steel is great by the numbers and it is particl metallurgy. Two big plus's, but be advised, it is our feeling and I can qoute Paul Bos as well when saying, these differences are extremely small. For example, by the numbers the only real gain from CPMS30V is the Vanadium. Add 2.8% Vanadium and .2% Carbon and remove 2% Molybdenum and its BG42 without Particle Metallurgy. Will those changes have an impact? Absolutely. Will you notice them on a field use knife? Well, a whole bunch of people are going to respond to this I'm sure, but MOST people ... no.

I guess my point here is that there is no holy steel or absolute best steel and there are countless heros who have put their ass on the line out there with a knife made from materials that were never the greatest thing in the industry, and still they became heros.

Our commitment is to make a product, "with practicality of design and overkill of construction".tm
That includes working with the best PROVEN raw materials available.

So if it is your goal to have the FIRST Buzz Lightyear XM275RQ Titaniulite super knife ... you should skip Strider Knives.
We aren't done testing and evaluating yet.
But when we are ...

And re: your other question, the point made by my partner was simply that in an atmosphere as corrosive as the sea air less than 100 yards from the surf, the knife laying on Mick's balcony for an extended exposure did not suffer from corrosion under the handle wrap as was suggested. The exposed portion of the blade had a significant layer of oxidation by contrast. Had this tool been made of an alloy without corrosion resistance, it would have been catastrophic.
As it was, a re-blast and re-sharpen returned the tool to serviceability.

Technical point;
Corrosion is not only inhibited by alloy matrix. A VERY significant facet of corrosion resistance is "an uninterrupted surface". So, yes it is true that a perfectly surfaced, mirror polished knife of any given ferrous material will resist corrosion better than a blasted, tiger striped or satin finished version. It is a give and take relationship. Give a little corrosion resistance, get a lot of non-reflectivity. Give the non-reflective surface and get a little added corrosion resistance. (not an option for most of our clientelle)
Hope this helped,
Duane Dwyer

Until next time,
Duane Dwyer

 

[Andrew Lynch]

I did a search for ATS-34, and the only really relevant post I could find was this one .

It doesn't really address all of the issues I was hoping to learn about. All I really got from it was "It's (ATS-34) good enough".

Also, in regards to some of your commentary:

While I would say CPM-S30V is an improvement, I would still prefer other steels for a hard-use knife such as a Strider. As to rust resistance, if I was going to use a knife in and around the sea, I wouldn't want ATS-34 or any of the steels I mentioned anyway. 440-A does have its niche .

You mentioned that Strider doesn't high-polish finishes because they are highly reflective; why not just use a decent coating and get the best of both worlds (corrosion proofing actually)? Sorry that's another story, don't let me change the subject .

I still don't see that reduced edge retention (in some cases), edge integrity (esp. resistance to chipping), and overall toughness and shock resistance are good trade offs for increased corrosion resistance (in some cases not by much) in most environments.

If anyone can point me to any relevant threads, I'd appreciate it. I've read many now, and done several searches, but haven't found any real answers yet.

Thanks for the replies so far

 

[Jerry Hossom]

I use 154CM (same formula as ATS-34), S30V and CPM-3V and agree with most everything Duane has said. I may be a little further along in testing S30V with my own knives, but I will continue to use 154CM for a great many of my blades, including large combat knives.

In most instances blade geometry is more important than steel. That's why Strider knives look like Strider knives.