Damascus Steel Knife

Damascus Steel Knife

Hunting knives...What steel do you like best and why?

I have had a couple Damascus steels, a couple 440C SS, and lately, purchased one with AUS 8 steel and one with San Mai III steel. I like the last 2 the best since they sharpen well and hold an edge very well, but is all the 'carbon' hype or whatever the new alloy name is, really worth the big bucks? My Cold Steel Hatamoto was almost $300 and just curious if the steel is worth all of that ching. Thanks everyone!

Lock and load. Keep your powder dry.
-Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is the muzzle flash-

-Brew
Nitro...gotcha. Here are some more details...

Mostly hunting/mid to large game=skinning, steaking. I don't have much use for my hunting knives other than that. My pocket knife is a little more versitile, but I'm not using it for a screwdriver and take very good care of them. Thanks! -hope this helps more.
Awesome Mr Gregg Andrews! Very much appreciated! -Any words on that San Mai III? Thanks!

Alright brew, good question that I can most definitely help you with.

Firstly, I try to avoid stainless steels, even the 440C pales in comparison to mid/high carbon steels such as 1075 in edge holding/durability. All of the knives I've made were from O1, W1, W2, 10XX series steels, 5160 (my favorite... leaf springs!!!), 52100 (PITA to work, but it's like 5160 with attitude), and finally L-6.

I love the plain "non-hype" steels that people don't like because they aren't "shiny" and aren't popular unless their yuppie friend has one and they want one exactly like it. I don't think the prices Cold Steel asks for their knives are too fair to tell you the truth. Hell, all of the damascus I've done was usually with L-6 (high nickel), and 1095! Great color contrast between two different steels (high nickel leaves bright bands and low carbon is eaten away, leaving the "etchings" from the ferric chloride, or etchant of choice).

Aus 8 is a great steel, a bit of a pain to work with, but nonetheless, is wonderful as far as edge holding goes. I found that it can be brittle sometimes.

Look for a Ka-bar (original USMC). 1095 will do all the same as the others, at far less the cost of all of that "hype" stuff.

Better yet, get a worn out file (old Nicholson or Welkd files are great), sit it in a wood stove overnight (in the embers... it will be annealed by the time you pull it out in the morning... trust me), sit down with a bench grinder, belt sander, files (non-worn), what have you... and make a nice blade from that. Files are usually 01, W1, W2... and will hold an edge a hell of a lot longer than everything else out there (providing you heat treat it correctly... oxy torch and can of oil for that). It's the way I started, and guess what? I still have a couple of those knives.

I'd like to continue on, but I might start rambling... plus I told my darlin' that I'd take her out to dinner (time for me to get my checkbook...)

Take care.

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Benchmade knife Company is a very good knife company. Located out of  Oregon City Oregon. It is Run by Roberta and Les De Asis.  Benchmade makes many different styles of knives, Products that are good for the military, law-enforcement, search and rescue, as well as most of your outdoor sports such as hunting , fishing , and camping. Benchmade knives also makes knives for cutlery. Many of these knives are pocket knives, folding knives and hunting knives.

Benchmade started in California in the year 1988. Then in 1990 moved to Clackamas Oregon, where it became a leader in the manufacturer of Butterfly knives. The Butterfly knives have some what become Benchmades trademark and in fact on there knives the have  a logo of a butterfly. Now in 2009 the company Benchmade employs around 150 people and has moved to Oregon City Oregon where they still produce over 90% of the company's knives, and  has expanded to making just about every sort of knife that you can think of. Plus many other tools.

Benchmade uses very good quality steel in there knives, and there products are more often then not on the high end of the knife market. Using steel such as 154CM, D2, and CPM S30V steel. Even thought Benchmade makes a good amount of income in the privet market, much of there income comes from military and to law enforcement. Benchmade makes auto, hunting, fishing and the list goes on and on but there balisongs are still at the core of there products.

Benchmade has a tradition of working with world renowned  knife makers. Names such as Ernest Emerson, Mel Pardue, mike snodu, Warren Osborne, Allen Elishewitz, and Bob Lum. Names in the knife world mean quality. So if you are thinking about getting a Benchmade knife be confident that it will be a good purchase and you will be more that happy with it. I know that I am total satisfied with mine.

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