Will Magnacut become the only folding knife steel?

[Bob Denman]

Personally I don't own a single magnacut knife and amazingly I am still alive!

Somebody get this fella a knife catalog, and a phone!!
Hang in there: help is on the way!!

 

[TC]

The vast, vast majority of *all* knives made will still be well under $50. So, no, MagnaCut will remain a niche steel, except for many of the fine folks here and like-spirited elsewhere.

 

[The True North]

I remember when people said this about S30V.

 

[Greggy]

Talk to us in two years.

 

[Cobalt]

I remember when people said this about S30V.

The vast, vast majority of *all* knives made will still be well under $50. So, no, MagnaCut will remain a niche steel, except for many of the fine folks here and like-spirited elsewhere.

Agreed. The fact is that these super duper expensive steels are unnecessary on a folding knife. I remember when 440v and 420v came out to revolutionize the folding knife world and didn't, then s30v came out and didn't. This is no different.

Now if op would have asked if a cheaper steel like AEB-L would revolutionize the folder world, maybe.

 

[Blues]

Especially with the herbal heat treat you can't beat it!

I noticed when I pulled up that link yesterday that it was posted only a few days before 9/11 when so many of our lives would change forever...whether personally or professionally.

Enjoy your comrades and the laughs when and where you can.

(And now back to our regular programming...)

 

[Larrin]

Will Magnacut become the only folding knife steel?

No.

...it is fair to say that it might be the first generation of what could be termed hyper steel.

I don't think I am a fan of this term "hyper steel" you have coined.

I still recommend grouping steels by different property "categories," ie high toughness, balanced, high wear resistance. And then inside (or maybe outside) of those are other categories, like high corrosion resistance, or "forgeable." I also developed ApexUltra, after all. And that is without counting cost and other manufacturing considerations like fine blanking. I think it is fair to say that we are always going to need a range of products.

 

[Swp321]

While I am a huge fan of magnacut i think it’s useful in different tasks than other steels and the same goes for other steels compared to magnacut. I personally carry a knife in M4 everyday and it’s suited my needs for a while now, larin did a phenomenal job with putting together a universally well put together stainless and I applaud his dedication and time put into it. It’s a great steel all around and look forward to the continued developments and progress magnacut has, let’s not forget it’s a relatively new steel that I’m sure has even more potential.

 

[Chuck_Nunface]

One or two smaller manufacturers experienced some possibly heat treat related missteps when it first became available, but now that everyone knows the exact science behind getting the best ....

Bro, do you remember m390? Manufacturers are going to be farting out poorly treated magnacut for years. Many will never get it right, or care. Cuz we'll keep buying it

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Larrin has provided us with some very detail information about all types of steel, as he mentions, and rightly so, no one steel will do everything absolutely the best. Steel choice varies depending on the type of knife and tasks it is intended for. But for now, as we see things, Magnacut certainly has the attention of most of the knife buying public at the moment.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

not a chance

 

[Murphy Slaw]

That's just crazy talk.

 

[Dickie Watty]

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Clearly not. As others have said, there are a ton of "obsolete" steels out there. There are a lot of folks who do like the near mythical Venn diagram of properties that Magnacut offers. I don't own anything in the steel yet, but I'm looking to replace my misplaced Salt folder before a beach trip this coming summer, and a Native in Magnacut is really high on my list. Also, I'll most likely purchase a Leatherman Arc when my current EDC rotation wanes from traditionals back to something more one-handed.

That said, even taking the higher cost of the steel out of the equation for the budget line of knives, some folks just LIKE the wear and patina of a good carbon steel.

The nice thing about all technology is that it tends to advance. I'll be very curious what steel, polymer, and ceramic formulas are discovered in the next decade as AI is allowed to noodle on things.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Nah. Nothing's going to surpass good ol' bog iron hammered out with a rock over a charcoal forge.

 

[norcalAF]

Awesome response. I don't fully agree with all of your points, but on the whole, I think we're ultimately on the same page. I remember when I think S30V and S35VN were first of the powder steels and was in everything. I hated them.

I still love all my ZT S35VN models!

 

[norcalAF]

My favorite thing about magnacut is how it has made all the previous models of SHF, CRK, and LG come down in price

 

[A.L.]

 

[Blues]

Okay, now that we've moved on from the substantive part of the discussion, let's just remember to keep it family friendly in the discussion forums per the site rules for the next thread where we solve all things knife related. Thank you.