Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ugly Old Guy on August 21, 2017 at 11:20

Not sure if they have "the best steel" but the 420HC used by Buck sure has the best heat treat.
I've carried a 301 (or a 371) daily for a few years now, and have never had to do more than a couple swipes on a strop to keep them arm hair shaving sharp.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 24, 2017 at 18:29

Heat treat can be the ultimate "equalizer" in the steels.  It makes or breaks many companies, even those using quality steel.

Permalink Reply by Ugly Old Guy on August 27, 2017 at 14:05

Very true, Jan.
Come to that, it seems Rough Rider does a better job with their 440A than most. The old Taylor Schrade and Schrade USA did too. I saw on another forum a comparison between Case stockman with "True Sharp", a Taylor Scharde stockman, I think it was a 8OT, with 440A, and a Schrade USA stockman of the same model with 440A.
The test was cutting manila rope.
Both of the Schrades kept their edge noticeably longer than the Case.
All 3 were easy to resharpen.
I know I've not seen any difference in holding an edge or ease of sharpening between my Schrade USA 7OT, 6OT and Taylor Schrade 7OT or LB7.
I don't know how the BTI Schrade knives would compare, since they use the Chinese equivalent of 440A and 440C (depending on model. I know the 858OTB has the 9CR18MoV(?) with the 858OT using 7CR17MoV now.) I would guess they still do the heat treat right, though.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 28, 2017 at 19:59

Steve,

In another discussion I recently talked about how RR amazes me with its heat treat.  I realize they are all made in the same factory but face it rough rider uses many different steels.  It does not seem to matter, they heat treat correctly.  Although they are the offshore company that comes to mind for most, AG Russel always comes to mind for me also.  I know that he and his wife and manager made many trips and worked hard at making sure HT and steels were done top notch before making the decision to go offshore with some production.  They still, years down the line, hand inspect every knife before it is sold.

Offshore no longer has to be a death sentence for knife companies but managing QC from here can be challenging

Permalink Reply by Ugly Old Guy on August 28, 2017 at 22:31

Agree. I don't know how many Rough Rider/SMKW, AG Russell or Buck offshore knives are rejected, but I know they are all inspected before being packaged and sent to the dealers and distributors, or put on the shelf.
To do otherwise would be foolish.

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by black mamba knives on August 22, 2026 at 4:17

Steel is one of those things I keep noticing more the longer I handle knives. Two blades can look almost identical but feel completely different when sharpening and using them. I still enjoy trying older carbon steels because they have a character that some newer steels just do not have.

Permalink Reply by Kevin D on August 22, 2026 at 8:28

This is a question that I think has a different answer depending on who and when it gets asked.

The chemical composition of the steels have been improved so much lately.  But in the end, the selection of the steel needs to be tailored to the foreseen use of the blade.  Some steels can be heat treated incredibly hard, but will be quite brittle.  Others are just super tough, but aren't that hard to really realize the edge holding characteristic.  Its a trade off.

The older carbon steels, even if though they are now considered low alloy steels, certainly have their place.  As BMK noted, they all 'feel' different when using or sharpening them.  Of course the person using them has their own preference as well.

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