Blade Materials

[thorborg]

I don't know if I want a flint to be able to be struck on my blades. I know where I like them heat treat wise, but I can't say if tempering them takes them out of that zone. Personally I would rather have a guard have a flint striker if it has to be super hard. Easier to replace.

"Rather have" is always prime, personally I would prefer a lighter or match to start afire way before last effort knife abuse, I must not have emphasized the survival aspect of my opine enough.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

"Rather have" is always prime, personally I would prefer a lighter or match to start afire way before last effort knife abuse, I must not have emphasized the survival aspect of my opine enough.

But a striker on a very hardened guard I think is a very good idea, and I know I have seen it on some pre-match knives.

 

[Anti-Marxist]

I'm presently enamored with S35VN.

Do people have any criticisms of that steel given it's competition around that price point?

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I'm presently enamored with S35VN.

Do people have any criticisms of that steel given it's competition around that price point?

I'll let others more knowledgeable than me speak to steel specifics but that's a widely used and highly regarded steel. To me what's more important is blade geometry.

I've had thin hollow grind blades that perform amazingly well. Have one that I used basically as a machete for 1/4 mile trail clearing of blsckberries, then kiddo used it to carve 2 walking sticks, then I used it to cut delicate fruit. Never lost any sharpness. I was blown away and since then have tried to always get similar blades that use hollow grind to taper to a thin point. The concave hollow grind pushes away whatever you are cutting as you cut. And if that concave portion goes a long way, like almost to the spine, it is incredible at skinning or cutting most anything because you have a thin blade at the edge, enough strength as it gets thicker toward the spine, and almost the full length of the blade is pushing away whatever you are cutting. Think of it like pulling two ends of a rope as you are cutting. That is sort of what the concave surface does. That same steel in a thick blade is a pain in the bubblegum and never seems sharp enough.

Example of hollow grind blade where the concave portion goes almost all the way to the spine and thins down to a razor sharp edge.

 

[Anti-Marxist]

I'll let others more knowledgeable than me speak to steel specifics but that's a widely used and highly regarded steel. To me what's more important is blade geometry.

I've had thin hollow grind blades that perform amazingly well. Have one that I used basically as a machete for 1/4 mile trail clearing of blsckberries, then kiddo used it to carve 2 walking sticks, then I used it to cut delicate fruit. Never lost any sharpness. I was blown away and since then have tried to always get similar blades that use hollow grind to taper to a thin point. The concave hollow grind pushes away whatever you are cutting as you cut. And if that concave portion goes a long way, like almost to the spine, it is incredible at skinning or cutting most anything because you have a thin blade at the edge, enough strength as it gets thicker toward the spine, and almost the full length of the blade is pushing away whatever you are cutting. Think of it like pulling two ends of a rope as you are cutting. That is sort of what the concave surface does. That same steel in a thick blade is a pain in the bubblegum and never seems sharp enough.
View attachment 1950616
Example of hollow grind blade where the concave portion goes almost all the way to the spine and thins down to a razor sharp edge.
View attachment 1950620

Yeah. That's a good point. Since we're talking about other factors, the locking system on a folder is very important to me as well. That was big selling point for me in selecting the SOG Terminus. It uses what used to be the patent exclusive Axis lock system. I also have a Cold Steel Recon 1 Spear Point with their Tri-Ad lock.