You'd be almost crazy not to..I like D2 when it's well heat treated to spec but 14c is just too impressive as a steel and too attainable at a fair pricepoint not to prefer it...it also won't rust and is tough enough to take D2's lunch money😂
Agreed for all but good US produced D2 such as what Benchmade offers. I'm really excited about CJRBs AR-RPM9 though. My pyrite is proving to be superb, and a noticeable upgrade over 14C28N. Have you used it?
I think a lot of that list is questionable. I've owned two Magnacut knives for over a year now that get used heavily and they hold an edge way better than 5. Probably like 7.5. 14c also cannot be a 9 in toughness based on composition alone. It's probably more like a 7 and it gets a slight bump up to 5 in edge retention. But so much depends on grind. It's the most important thing for edge retention and toughness. A Scandi will dull far quicker than a convex.
@@RJT80 I'm sure your gut feeling is way more accurate than Dr. Larrin Thomas's pro grade CATRA edge testing machine that costs tens of thousands of dollars, lol.
This 12-minute video is one of the most informative and helpful I’ve ever watched, and I have watched at least hundreds. Your methodology is impeccable. Thank you very much.
Unbelievable!! I literally just opened youtube up to come look up this steels information! 1st video 😮.. I plan on buying the Civivi Qubit which i think is going to be a gem of a slicy small edc button lock.
I have the Knock off Kershaw Blade Steel Sandvik 14C28N. After 5Years of intense duty, I was contemplating its efficiency, durability, and great looks. So I decided to look into the Specs. And I'm surprised,and glad to find out about its quality. Good purchase for me. Thanks for the enlightenment.
I need to not do the next one late at night..I was kinda scatterbrained when I recorded it😂 thanks for showing love man! I want to make these better and better
Great vid, thank you. I love your spread sheet. I frequently stopped the video to study it more closely. Since you asked for opinions: I don't hate 14C28N, I am just a fan of 440C. D2 after that, but I prefer the corrosion resistance of 440C. Both are very affordable yet make good blades. Once you go beyond them, you seem to get a very high rating in one of the three categories, one average rating, and usually a low rating to okay rating in the third. Toughness in modern knives is a non issue for me. I don't need something that rates a 9 or 10 at the expense of other features. I take care of my knives and I don't abuse them, I have most of the knives that I purchased over the last 35 years, and they are all in very good condition. I don't NEED to ever buy another knife, but I like them, so I do. But an uber high toughness rating at the expense of edge retention, or even corrosion resistance, doesn't win me over. If the edge retention is extremely high, it will probably be a pain to sharpen. And half the super steels still rust as badly as D2. The cost to benefit ratio doesn't work for me for many of these new steels. I imagine that you could make the argument that with the right heat treatment and edge geometry, virtually any steel can perform better on edge retention than average. IMO, that argument cuts both ways, with the right edge geometry and heat treatment, toughness might also be even better than average on some knives. I personally value Edge Retention the most, within reason. Followed by corrosion resistance. Steel is hard stuff. It's as hard as ...steel. I am confident that just about any knife made of decent steel and with good edge retention will be tough enough for my purposes. I tend to be an outlier at times. I don't have to have the newest and shiniest thing available. I like stuff that works like it is supposed to, that doesn't break easily, and that is available at a fair price. Sometimes when you chase the latest and greatest thing, you end up paying for the Latest, but you compromise on the Greatest.
Yeah, the extra toughness might be useful in a sword or something that needs to bend a lot, but in a 3 inch knife pretty much any modern steel is tough enough for that.
I've had great experience with 14c so far, my favorite of the 4 I have right now is the miguron velona, the edge it took is amazing and it's stayed that way
Perfection! This video was awesome! Some custom knife makers have been able to get 14C up to 64HRC with a cryo, its strange but somehow it seems to perform far better than expected at high HRC. Also, 2 interesting things about LC200N. Most dont realize just how tough it actually is. AND in general these types of cut tests for edge retention are wrong, this is due to the creation of Nitrides which are softer than Silica (in the paper for testing) but still much harder than Chromium Carbides. It actually holds an edge on normal day to day materials closer to a 5/10 than a 3/10 The Catra Test unfortunately cant show that.
🙌 this series is a work in progress and I can't wait to make it better and better..LC200n in my opinion was done best by spyderco..their level of manufacturing ability to high standards is what gave that steel it's reputation...now we just need to get them to do more knives in 14c🤙
Steel snob checking in here, Roll. You've convinced me that not every knife in my collection has to be CPM Elmagnarexamet110v. I'm going to relax and enjoy my new Vosteed Acorn.
Some of the best performing custom knives are made out of high hardness AEB-L/13c26. The fine grained toughness and edge stability with high hardness work together to allow geometries that work very well and will out perform regular production s30v in edge retention while simultaneously being tougher and easier to sharpen. 14c28n is just that but with increased wear resistance and corrosion resistance.
Nono, supersteel needs to hold an edge. Hardness is often overviewed too, and that makes a real use difference. Toughness is good only because it allows thinner geometries (like civivi's) BUT because of softness, it won't hold a low angle, so do a microbevel on your 14c28n or it will roll. It sharpens great, for sure, but that means you need to keep an abrasive with you if you travel or whatever. I love sharpening it though, so easy slicey !
With A higher hrc 14c has edge retention similar to s30v granted the likelihood of manufacturers taking the steel passed 62 is probably not super common on folding knives(santonku kitchen knives with 14c will perform more like s30)
@@Rollshamboit's too bad that companies are scared to go above the dreaded 60 Rockwell. Even for brutes like AEB-L and 14c28n, which have toughness on par with 52100 at the same HRC.
Great video overall I feel like 14C28N is the new "D2" aka hype steel but I agree it's definitely a steel I prefer in the budget category! You're not finding A2 under $100. 1095 would a better choice than A2. AEB-L would also be a better choice granted you can't find those under $100. And those three steels are typically fixed blades. I'm a little biased A2 favorite steel done right (specific hand made etc). 14C28N is just phenomenal for the price though and seems to be easy for manufacturers to work with.
14c28n is a slightly modified aebl. It's a tiny bit less tough for a decent boost to stain resistance. Both aebl and 14c28n are better than 1095 and a2 in every way. They have better edge retention, toughness, and are stainless. The only advantage of 1095 or a2 is that they are more easily forgable than aebl. If you want an easy forging steel I'd still prefer 52100 though.
I actually got a Miguron velona with 14c28n blade steel yesterday. Lol. It seems to be a really good knife, it came super sharp and the action is comparable to my Shirogorov 111. Not quite as good but very close. I think it's the best $47 I've ever spent.
Yes Yes Yes to 14C28N. I have been waiting for this video. I love 14C28N, for all its properties but mostly because its so much easier to sharpen than D2 the other cursed popular budget steel. In fact I am a fan of some of the best budget steels for user knives. But that list for another time. I like budget steels mostly because of the ease of sharpening compared to like S90V. Although I carry a Manly WASP in S90V, I have never sharpened it, just stropped it and its as sharp as when I first got it. Again S90V a story for another time. What I would like to see next is 9Cr. I have had so many ups and downs with that steel. Some very good experiences, some really bad. But is it the heat treating on individual knives or the steel itself? Inquiring minds want to know...
@@jeremynedrow7003 I’ve definitely been using mine a lot. I only have a couple knives in 154cm but I love those too. I have a Benchmade Mini Barrage in 154cm that I use heavily and it’s pretty awesome
Thanks for posting this useful information. I have been carrying a pocket knife for more than fifty years and the single most important thing about a knife is low replacement cost. In my experience if a pocket knife can be lost, sooner or later, it will be lost, or stolen. That is probably one of Murphy's laws or something. There are good knives for half the price of those with 14C28N blades so I will need to stay with those. After cost, toughness and edge retention are more important to mr than corrosion resistance. Back when I started carrying a pocket knife all of the affordable knives had a carbon steel blades that would rust if not kept oiled. So I oiled them every once in a while and rust was never a big problem. Blades snapping or chipping have been a real problem for me especially with inexpensive blades made from recycled steel. It is hard to find an affordable knife with consistent steel quality and nobody seems to be testing at least five knives chosen at random to see if the performance is consistent. A knife's real world performance is more important to me than its theoretical performance but theory is all that I can find.
I think before the steel, heat treatment is king. Period. I pick a good SK-5 knife well heat treated over a super steel badly quenched. My favourite "budget" stainless steels are: AUS10 154CM 14C28N 440C Favourite Carbon steel for knives: SK-5 (SK-85) 1095
1095 is good, but I think lower carbon actually gives better performance with a good heat treatment. Steel with a tiny bit of chrome like 52100 or 80CrV2 get an amazing toughness to hardness combo for holding a thin bevel. That's not to say I hate 1095 or SK5/SK85. Both are great basic steels. I have a couple of knives in it, as well as 12c27 and Nitro-V.
@@RollshamboI have the bestech ascot with carbon fiber and wood scales and 14c28n. One of my best knives beats out my Benchmade better price. The action is perfect, big slicy blade, and so light. It’s a banger!
So it also depends on who makes the steel to begin with, if Sandvik(makes awesome tool steels)is the owner of the name and holds the patent, you may not get the same stuff if it is not made by them. in other words tool-steel ingredients are proprietary and it's not cheap to license it to manufacture. Sandvik more than likely has a offshore plant in China, but i doubt they are just letting anyone make their steels. eventually all stainless tools will oxidize or get surface rust, because most heat treatable stainless have a small iron content. great video... Been a machinist(job shop not production) for about 40 years now made a lot of replacement parts for all kinds of food processing, stamping, cutting, and manufacturing equipment.
Thank you for explaining the steel to me... think I'll choose this option over my D2 from now on when I can find it... reason for looking up this steel is because I'm looking at the qsp canary neck knife... I sweat like a hog I need something that's a little more corrosion-resistant... anyways definitely earned a subscription from me thank you for your time once again😎✌️
Love this video, love this steel. I have the Sitivien ST-138. Amazing slicer, great in kitchen. I believe 9cr is comparable, right? I know it is a Chinese kitchen steel also.
From my understanding, 9cr18mov is similar to 440b/440c...ish (9% carbon, 18% chromium), but the 440 series doesn't have vanadium or nickel which is in 9cr18mov. I really like the 9cr18mov on my baklash, solid user steel.
I have an older kershaw 7777 in 14c28n it was like $70 made in usa and sharpens beautifully. I use it mainly for fishing cause the slight hawk bill blade just works well for gutting fish.
Love 14c28n, very well balanced good bang for the buck steel. Ruike p801 and the Ruike p661 & p662 (same knife with two blade shapes, I really like the blade shape on the 662) are solid knives with 14c28n... and cost ~$30-35 USD. Edit: Btw BHQ and Knife center have some civivi riffles (14c28n) on sale atm for $42. It's a discontinued knife, so I presume when they're gone they're gone.
I still need to get a few Ruike knives to review for the channel I keep hearing people say good things about them, 14c is such a good steel and I would love it of it replaced D2 as the affordable standard, maybe then we would also get better better heat treated D2 and the knives that did come with it would also perform better(14c is easier to heat treat and to manufacture at its optimal levels)
It's a good steel but it's not the end of the world in steels. Personally I don't care what steel my knife is, in fact I prefer steels like 1095/sk5/8cr9mov/9cr/420hc/440/AUS8 which are all budget steels
When I think about the cost of knives with this steel it's the most accessible super steel dollar for dollar..it's the accessibility and ease of manufacturing that makes me like 14c so much
Notice the chart doesn't show Ease of resharpening. This is the problem with these so called, super steels. If you're in the field and you have to spend two hours trying to get an edge back on your knife it puts you into a bind. In addition, it isn't that hard to prevent a high-carbon steel from rusting. Dry the blade and coat it with oil before you put it away. It will take on a patina in time which also helps control rust.
It's kind of implied that if a steel has high wear resistance that it would be harder to sharpen which is why Dr Larrin Thomas didn't bother to include sharpening ease in his rating system..currently there is no steel that has extremely high edge retention(wear resistance) but is also easy to sharpen since these properties are diametrically opposed since sharpening a edge bevel is literally done by abraising the material..the debate between whether it's better to easily sharpen a knife or not have to sharpen it as often is a great topic though..I lean more towards higher edge retention because the more wear resistant steels can still be sharpened if you've invested in quality diamond abrasives
Not apparent to those who are new to metallurgy. The bottom line is that people are looking for a stainless steel that performs like high-carbon steel and yet doesn't rust. That's never going to happen. @@Rollshambo
@@Man_Cave that's a fair assessment and I do think there may be some value to potentially creating a video in this series that goes over things like this, thanks for the input
First time checking out your channel, subbed. Good stuff. I just wish that the knife companies would give us more details regarding their manufacturing processes. As the consumers, we're trusting their hrc numbers and how they got them there.
Welcome in brotha and for what it's worth I've had that same thought..we place an awful lot of trust that the manufacturers actually heat treated to optimal standards and not just enough to hold an edge..certain manufacturers have been tried and tested though and we know what their standards are like..reate and spyderco for example have some of the highest manufacturing standards
What i really do like on 14c28n is how you can get away with geometry absurdly heavy on slicing and still get reasonable tough blade on reasonable budget. This way you just have really awesome edge retention but dont spend ages sharpening it.
I think 14c28n is very great for a larger, fixed blade bushcrafting knife, but for a small edc, id much rather go with the n690 or 153cm for better edge retention.
It’s surprising to me that you don’t see many choppers being made from 14c28n. It seems like it would be a great steel for a tomahawk or a machete type knife.
I wish they made more 14c28n in LC200N... On a serious note, both steels are excellent and I've found that they hold an edge much better than their reputation. They are also very easy to QUICKLY strop sharpen to a very usable edge. For wilderness use, I will take toughness, corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening over edge retention every time...unless I'm going up into the mountains for a weekend of shaving my arm hair and slicing phone book paper.
I got in to pocket knives from the wrong end, i wanted a pocket knife and one of my friends was very in to knives, so he gifted me one for birthday, that knife was Spyderco PM2 Cru-Carta, one of my absolute favorites to this day, but that was my first taste, i started reading up on steel and wanted more knives, so as any sane person would i started buying some, but again as a sane person i couldn't go down in edge retention from my first knife could i? Ofcourse not, so s90v s110v, ZDP-189, Maxamet, newest craze on the block Magnacut and so on... But then something happened, even tho i was pretty ok at sharpening my knives, i caught my self seeing it more as a chore, something i dreaded, i got worse when i started jsut throwing the dull ones in a drawer jsut to one day haveing to resharpen all of them cuz i simply ran out, that's where knives with a bit less premium steel came in, i sharpened the cruware after sharpening s90v and it was so much easier, then s30v easier again, s35vn easy again, and then the dreaded Maxamet came, holy shit that one was aids (admittedly i used it for like 2.5 years at that point with still a factory edge on it), so i was like, hmm maybe next time i should get something i can sharpen quick and easy and thats where 14c28n came in, i love it, it sharpens on anything with no effort at all and holds the edge relatively well, but what truly caught my eye about it is how crazy sharp it can get with minimal effort, now my most carryd kives are all in 14c28n its amazin the civivi qubit is my hands down favorite atm, i still carry my crucarta pm2 a lot, still love malibu in magnacut, but other supersteels jsut gathering dust in a drawer.
Civivi does a very very good job on heat treatment for their 14C28N they Rockwell it at 59-60 I think 14 C gets a bad rap because Kershaw used it first and it was proprietary to them for a little while and they used to Rockwell between 57 and 59 If you’re familiar with Kershaw, they always run their blades a little softer. They’re blur in Elmax was ran a little soft too. Kershaw still uses 14C to day again if you want a really good 14c28n Civivi does a great job
Similar thoughts here too. Sharpens up great but I personally think it has a more drastic rolling effect than 420HC. I think the steel is less durable and easier to deform due to the lack of those basic alloying elements.
Agreed. 14C28N is a fantastic steel for knives, EDC blades in particular. It had become my go-to budget EDC steel. It HAD.....Until CJRB brought AR-RPM9 to the party. I'm very impressed with this new powder metallurgy steel, BUDGET powder metallurgy steel that is! 14C28N will always be a viable option for me but this new AR-RPM9, atleast in my own experience and initial findings, will prove noticeably superior. Admittedly I only own 1 knife in this steel, my CJRB pyrite Knife Center exclusive, but it has proven to be excellent! And I really like the edge that cones up, quite easily as well. In my experience, AR-RPM9 behaves much like CPM-154CM or CPM-S35VN on diamond plates and ceramic finishing stones during sharpening, quickly and easily producing a very fine edge with a very clean Apex yet edge aggression feels much like my all time favorite, CPM-M4! Edge retention seems surprisingly similar to CTS-XHP or a really good (read US produced) D2 and so far I haven't experienced any negative characteristics as far as edge rolling or chipping is concerned. It seems every bit as tough as 14C28N and then some. Corrosion resistance appears excellent as well although I haven't tested this directly via acidic or salty substance use. I have cut quite a bit of citrus fruits, tomatoes and other veggies but I always clean up immediately afterwards. I look forward to buying more knives in this fantastic powder metallurgy steel that just happens to come in well under my own $80 budget category. *Edit* Btw I've heard others say that AR-RPM9 is basically the same as 9CR18MOV, which is a good steel but not on the level of 14C28N imo. In my experience and admittedly of just one example, I find AR-RPM9 a very very good steel that compares with steels typically found in $100 to $160 knives. Anyone else have a similar experience?
Good D2 is good inexpensive but is difficult to hit that 62 hrc maximum Most D2 is 59-60hrc which does it no favors. In fact most knife steel below 62hrc is not doing the customer any favors unless you need a prybar instead of a knife edge. I prefer D2 because its inexpensive and middle of the road.
Love the KC exclusive pyrite. Good looks and performance. Zero stick on the button lock as well. I returned two Protech malibu's because they had terrible lock stick. Seems to be a common thing which is crazy because my mordax has no stick. 14c has definitely gotten a big following as one if not the best budget steel. Ar-rpm9 is right up there too. At the beginning of the year I decided to start selling off a good portion of my collection, I've sold 130 knives. Kept about 60 and that pyrite is one of them.
@@abc456f - yeah I recently sold about 40 of my knives. It's funny how us knife collectors do. We go through phases, into a certain style or brand for a while only to get bored with it or just change for whatever reason. I've learned that I bore quickly with the more racey, exotic, 'space cadet' or ultra modern styles while the more simple, elegant and traditional styles remain timeless for me. I've learned to not jump on the latest and greatest or wildest looking knife to come out and focus only on those very purpose driven, classic and 'function over form' styles. I'm a huge sucker for a simple, clean and graceful drop or clip point blade , metallic bolsters and well figured wood, micarta or G-10 scales. To this day my all time favorite folder that I own is my beautiful German made Boker titan worker. A rugged and heavily built titanium liner lock with a simple satin finished drop point blade in good old 440C, nicely shaped titanium bolsters and brown canvas micarta scales. The architecture of that knife just gives me the warm fuzziness. It's a rather straight, finger grooved handle with that gorgeous blade climbing up just slightly out of the frame before lazily sweeping back down to the point. It's simply PERFECTION in my eyes! Love that thing! My other very similar (my only video) German made Boker/Oberland Arms EDW.1 gives me wood as well with its dirty and gnarly acid stone washed blade looking like a galvanized fence post and its rugged canvas micarta scales with milled fuller just begging to be gripped! That's what lights my fire. The fancy schmancy 'boy racer' and 'space cadet' looking knives are cool but I end up selling them in the end. Now I just buy what I know I'll keep.
Not going to lie...edge retention is THE most impodtant factor- FOR ME. I do a lot of cutting at work. Plastic straps of varying thickness, cardboard, plastic...occasionally use it for prying... 14C28N doesn't have the edge retention I'm looking for with knives I've had...vs. D2. I have a bunch of D2 knives, and rusting isn't something that concerns me- I'm not a longshoreman or a sailor. Standard 14C28N just doesn't stack up to D2 in that department. It dulls a lot quicker and I habe to sharpen it a lot more often. Otherwise, I'd be putting the kids of the Vosteed fsctory workers through (at least) trade school.
Honestly heat treatment means far more than the steel content itself, you can have an M398 very high abrasion resistant steel and if it is not hardened properly then 440C will outcut it... Also edge geometry plays a huge factor as well
14c28n is fantastic, however like all knife steels in mass production, not every or most blades end up being hardness treated as it should. So, if you end up with a junker don't assume the steel isn't quality. More than likely you got the lemon, problem is in mass production not the steel type itself.
Very true..I think I should start offering examples of knives properly heat treated in these steels..for example the titanium kubey tityus in 14c is an excellent example of what the steel is capable of
Soon I saw one steel on the market, which I think it's new because didn't seen it before. The steel is ACX390 and I don't know nothing about it, now I explain it but if someone knows something for it please tell me. The knife I want to buy in this steel is Boker Arbolito Hunter!
14C28 has always been one of my favorites, it’s just so rare that makes it hard to find one comfortable to buy when Im used to using a2 and 3V. The mora garberg and joker nessmuk are 14c28 and on my list for adding to my arsenal of tools but until Victorinox released the venture, there wasn’t much else. The real steel bushcrafter is 14c28 too but it’s always out of stock and you have to be careful not to buy the d2 version 😂
Is that a typo at 8:23? I assumed it's supposed to be a 1-10 scale, but it has Maxamet and Rex121 rated at 11 & 12 respectively in edge retention. If it's not a 1-10 scale, then what is the highest possible rating?
Not a typo that is In fact how larrin Thomas rates the edge retention for those steels and my chart references his ratings directly...I believe what happened is that originally it was a 1-10 rating then he tested those steels and to reflect that they had better edge retention than steels that were prior rated at 10 gave them ratings that exceeded that...just a guess but feel free to dive into the knifesteelnerds.com website.lots of great info there
Imo lc200n has none of the properties I’m looking for. I want to try a spydiechief, but I won’t fork that cash out for a steel that’s sub par at everything besides not rusting
14c is incredibly corrosion resistant, that said it never hurts to keep your blade and pivot oiled specifically after hard use..but I wouldn't worry about it rusting on you even in wetter environments
This is an aside, but I'm surprised to see that 440C (and thereby I assume that 9cr18mov) is directly better than 154CM according to the chart (same toughness and edge retention, but with more corrosion resistance).
100% 440c is an excellent steel, but gotta pay attention to the "c" a lot of 440 that's out there doesn't specify the letter type at the end and undiscerning eyes might not catch it but there is a notable difference between 440c, 440a and 440hc
Yeah, the "C" really matters! What's interesting to me is that 440C (specified) and 9cr18mov (which is the Chinese chemical equivalent) can be found on much cheaper yet high quality knives under $50 (Sencut for example), yet 154CM (which I also like) is typically in the "premium budget" category between $60-$100. Yet, according to the chart, the 440C and equivalent are directly better than 154CM. Don't even get me started on Nitro-V... I think it's trendy just because it sounds cool 😂
A knife, should cut. But since we choose the material based on its toughness and corrosion resistance, is PVC plastic really the best choice? Personally, "super steel" to me means a knife that only needs sharpening once a year or two, even with daily city EDC use(there no hard work in city). And I don't need toughness at all, because for non-cutting tasks, I can always find a better tool than a knife.
Actually there are other materials knives are made out of, ceramic, g10, tungsten carbide.. that being said it all comes down to the use case scenario(edc/fishing and hunting/self defense etc) - for most general use cases steel itself remains undeniably king however I'll give you some insight into something I learned about the import of toughness in knife steel since I learned about it after making this video The toughness of a steel is important because edge geometry plays a bigger role in edge retention than the wear resistance properties of the steel itself because tougher steel can handle lower angle edges better, HRC is also important as well but saying you don't need a tough steel because you prize edge retention is kinda like saying you'd rather have a bigger engine in your car instead of a lighter car with a smaller engine that can go just as fast
@@Rollshambo I have some knifes with custom thermal processing: d2 61-63, m390(61-62hrc + crio), m398 63-64hrc. Also i have a lot of serial products of European, USA and China knofea almost a 70% of steel was showed in tables from this video. And due to yours table toughness 2-3 its quite enaf for my city EDC. I only have only 1 problem knife it's custom knife with D2 with something like Spyderco military shape(but from 4mm back side) on 61-63 and 17.5* per side. I should make lens sharpening with something like start from 17.5 to 25 per side or just usual regular V shape sharpening on 24-28 per side. On 17* my cutting edge just brakes from cutting different products on oak cutting board. So for me it's seems like steel with 2-3 tounghess from your rating is ok. Mb if it's some kind of outdoor i should take m4 or 3v but as a citizen my knife work its only, food, package(cardboard) and sometimes non-hard wood. And I agree that steel with bigger tounghess is quite good for big kitchen knives with back side like 1.5-2mm. On the same time I use Japanese knife with steel sandwich with hard carbon steel on ~63-65rhc and this Santoku have 1.7-1.8mm on back side P.s. sorry for my English it is not my native language
Meh....... 14c fanboy hype, just stick with super inexpensive D2 with a good heat treat and use diamond to sharpen/hone/strop and it wont break the bank and will still beat all those steels listed because of edge retention.
I like a well heat treated D2 a lot..that said 14c is rated to have some of the highest toughness you can get on a knife steel period as well as super steel level corrosion resistance at an affordable pricepoint, that said it all comes down to what you like in a steel and thats very subjective
Would take 14C28N over D2 on any knife.
You'd be almost crazy not to..I like D2 when it's well heat treated to spec but 14c is just too impressive as a steel and too attainable at a fair pricepoint not to prefer it...it also won't rust and is tough enough to take D2's lunch money😂
Agreed for all but good US produced D2 such as what Benchmade offers.
I'm really excited about CJRBs AR-RPM9 though. My pyrite is proving to be superb, and a noticeable upgrade over 14C28N.
Have you used it?
Yea I’m getting sick of D2. Not corrosion resistant enough for where I live. For some reason most of the knives that are my style happen to be D2.
i'll take Nitro-V over 14C28N tho
@@NoxiousButtSpray14C28N is better.
Dang. This makes me feel even better about my purchase yesterday. $67 shipped Kubey titanium Tityus with the Cryo treated 14c to 60-62.
Wow i never realized just how tough 14c28n is.
I think a lot of that list is questionable. I've owned two Magnacut knives for over a year now that get used heavily and they hold an edge way better than 5. Probably like 7.5. 14c also cannot be a 9 in toughness based on composition alone. It's probably more like a 7 and it gets a slight bump up to 5 in edge retention. But so much depends on grind. It's the most important thing for edge retention and toughness. A Scandi will dull far quicker than a convex.
@@RJT80 That list is created by Dr. Larryn Thomas. The man who created Magnacut. You missed out on some pretty important context throughout the video.
@@RJT80 I'm sure your gut feeling is way more accurate than Dr. Larrin Thomas's pro grade CATRA edge testing machine that costs tens of thousands of dollars, lol.
This 12-minute video is one of the most informative and helpful I’ve ever watched, and I have watched at least hundreds. Your methodology is impeccable. Thank you very much.
I own many knifes in 14C28N and Nitro V and I am impressed. At the point that I don't use my premium steel anymore😅
One of my favorite steels been using it and sharpening it for years wish it was more avalable on knives. Thanks for your rap.
Unbelievable!! I literally just opened youtube up to come look up this steels information! 1st video 😮.. I plan on buying the Civivi Qubit which i think is going to be a gem of a slicy small edc button lock.
Glad to have great timing! Congrats on the qubit!
I have the Knock off Kershaw
Blade Steel Sandvik 14C28N.
After 5Years of intense duty, I was contemplating its efficiency, durability, and great looks. So I decided to look into the Specs. And I'm surprised,and glad to find out about its quality. Good purchase for me.
Thanks for the enlightenment.
14c28n has quickly become one of my favorite steels. Really enjoy this series!
I need to not do the next one late at night..I was kinda scatterbrained when I recorded it😂 thanks for showing love man! I want to make these better and better
Great vid, thank you. I love your spread sheet. I frequently stopped the video to study it more closely.
Since you asked for opinions: I don't hate 14C28N, I am just a fan of 440C. D2 after that, but I prefer the corrosion resistance of 440C. Both are very affordable yet make good blades. Once you go beyond them, you seem to get a very high rating in one of the three categories, one average rating, and usually a low rating to okay rating in the third. Toughness in modern knives is a non issue for me. I don't need something that rates a 9 or 10 at the expense of other features. I take care of my knives and I don't abuse them, I have most of the knives that I purchased over the last 35 years, and they are all in very good condition. I don't NEED to ever buy another knife, but I like them, so I do. But an uber high toughness rating at the expense of edge retention, or even corrosion resistance, doesn't win me over. If the edge retention is extremely high, it will probably be a pain to sharpen. And half the super steels still rust as badly as D2. The cost to benefit ratio doesn't work for me for many of these new steels.
I imagine that you could make the argument that with the right heat treatment and edge geometry, virtually any steel can perform better on edge retention than average. IMO, that argument cuts both ways, with the right edge geometry and heat treatment, toughness might also be even better than average on some knives. I personally value Edge Retention the most, within reason. Followed by corrosion resistance. Steel is hard stuff. It's as hard as ...steel. I am confident that just about any knife made of decent steel and with good edge retention will be tough enough for my purposes.
I tend to be an outlier at times. I don't have to have the newest and shiniest thing available. I like stuff that works like it is supposed to, that doesn't break easily, and that is available at a fair price. Sometimes when you chase the latest and greatest thing, you end up paying for the Latest, but you compromise on the Greatest.
Yeah, the extra toughness might be useful in a sword or something that needs to bend a lot, but in a 3 inch knife pretty much any modern steel is tough enough for that.
@@Jake-bt3fc Agreed!
I've had great experience with 14c so far, my favorite of the 4 I have right now is the miguron velona, the edge it took is amazing and it's stayed that way
14c28n ha been a favorite of mine since back when it was Kershaws premium steel
Perfection! This video was awesome! Some custom knife makers have been able to get 14C up to 64HRC with a cryo, its strange but somehow it seems to perform far better than expected at high HRC. Also, 2 interesting things about LC200N. Most dont realize just how tough it actually is. AND in general these types of cut tests for edge retention are wrong, this is due to the creation of Nitrides which are softer than Silica (in the paper for testing) but still much harder than Chromium Carbides. It actually holds an edge on normal day to day materials closer to a 5/10 than a 3/10
The Catra Test unfortunately cant show that.
🙌 this series is a work in progress and I can't wait to make it better and better..LC200n in my opinion was done best by spyderco..their level of manufacturing ability to high standards is what gave that steel it's reputation...now we just need to get them to do more knives in 14c🤙
I find my Native 5 salt to do a very bad job at holding an edge. Not hard enough. Curious to see 14c at 64 though.
@Dayannah Kali if your using it on something like cardboard (has silica in it) yea definitely will wear faster.
Steel snob checking in here, Roll. You've convinced me that not every knife in my collection has to be CPM Elmagnarexamet110v. I'm going to relax and enjoy my new Vosteed Acorn.
The Acorn is pretty sweet! Love the action and that lockup click is pretty addictive😂
One of my favorite steels period
Some of the best performing custom knives are made out of high hardness AEB-L/13c26. The fine grained toughness and edge stability with high hardness work together to allow geometries that work very well and will out perform regular production s30v in edge retention while simultaneously being tougher and easier to sharpen. 14c28n is just that but with increased wear resistance and corrosion resistance.
Nono, supersteel needs to hold an edge. Hardness is often overviewed too, and that makes a real use difference. Toughness is good only because it allows thinner geometries (like civivi's) BUT because of softness, it won't hold a low angle, so do a microbevel on your 14c28n or it will roll. It sharpens great, for sure, but that means you need to keep an abrasive with you if you travel or whatever. I love sharpening it though, so easy slicey !
With A higher hrc 14c has edge retention similar to s30v granted the likelihood of manufacturers taking the steel passed 62 is probably not super common on folding knives(santonku kitchen knives with 14c will perform more like s30)
@@Rollshambo That makes sense, maxing out hrc because it is so tough we don't care loosing a bit...
@@Rollshamboit's too bad that companies are scared to go above the dreaded 60 Rockwell. Even for brutes like AEB-L and 14c28n, which have toughness on par with 52100 at the same HRC.
I like 14c28n for stainless an 1095 for carbon,, have both an use them endlessly, never have a problem with keeping them clean an sharp.
Great video overall
I feel like 14C28N is the new "D2" aka hype steel but I agree it's definitely a steel I prefer in the budget category!
You're not finding A2 under $100. 1095 would a better choice than A2. AEB-L would also be a better choice granted you can't find those under $100. And those three steels are typically fixed blades. I'm a little biased A2 favorite steel done right (specific hand made etc).
14C28N is just phenomenal for the price though and seems to be easy for manufacturers to work with.
14c28n is a slightly modified aebl. It's a tiny bit less tough for a decent boost to stain resistance. Both aebl and 14c28n are better than 1095 and a2 in every way. They have better edge retention, toughness, and are stainless.
The only advantage of 1095 or a2 is that they are more easily forgable than aebl. If you want an easy forging steel I'd still prefer 52100 though.
14c is great I think as far as getting really sharp and easy to touch up. NitroV is about the same for me. Strop and go.
Great video Roll!
I actually got a Miguron velona with 14c28n blade steel yesterday. Lol. It seems to be a really good knife, it came super sharp and the action is comparable to my Shirogorov 111. Not quite as good but very close. I think it's the best $47 I've ever spent.
Man you put a lot of info into such a short video. You taught me alot. Thx
Oh hey you weren't kidding! You do love 14C28N! Great video and I agree it's a great steel all around as long as you know how to sharpen
Great steel to learn how to sharpen blades.
Yes Yes Yes to 14C28N. I have been waiting for this video. I love 14C28N, for all its properties but mostly because its so much easier to sharpen than D2 the other cursed popular budget steel. In fact I am a fan of some of the best budget steels for user knives. But that list for another time. I like budget steels mostly because of the ease of sharpening compared to like S90V. Although I carry a Manly WASP in S90V, I have never sharpened it, just stropped it and its as sharp as when I first got it. Again S90V a story for another time. What I would like to see next is 9Cr. I have had so many ups and downs with that steel. Some very good experiences, some really bad. But is it the heat treating on individual knives or the steel itself? Inquiring minds want to know...
Just recently been getting into this steel. Very much one of my favorite steels. I have a Kershaw leek in it and it’s been really great.
Kershaw leek is a solid knife in a solid steel! 14c is probably my favorite steel dollar for dollar
14c28n has always been a great choice for a user steel.I really like 154cm or Cpm 154 for a user steel.
@@jeremynedrow7003 I’ve definitely been using mine a lot. I only have a couple knives in 154cm but I love those too. I have a Benchmade Mini Barrage in 154cm that I use heavily and it’s pretty awesome
Thanks for posting this useful information. I have been carrying a pocket knife for more than fifty years and the single most important thing about a knife is low replacement cost. In my experience if a pocket knife can be lost, sooner or later, it will be lost, or stolen. That is probably one of Murphy's laws or something. There are good knives for half the price of those with 14C28N blades so I will need to stay with those. After cost, toughness and edge retention are more important to mr than corrosion resistance. Back when I started carrying a pocket knife all of the affordable knives had a carbon steel blades that would rust if not kept oiled. So I oiled them every once in a while and rust was never a big problem. Blades snapping or chipping have been a real problem for me especially with inexpensive blades made from recycled steel. It is hard to find an affordable knife with consistent steel quality and nobody seems to be testing at least five knives chosen at random to see if the performance is consistent. A knife's real world performance is more important to me than its theoretical performance but theory is all that I can find.
I think before the steel, heat treatment is king. Period.
I pick a good SK-5 knife well heat treated over a super steel badly quenched.
My favourite "budget" stainless steels are:
AUS10
154CM
14C28N
440C
Favourite Carbon steel for knives:
SK-5 (SK-85)
1095
1095 is good, but I think lower carbon actually gives better performance with a good heat treatment. Steel with a tiny bit of chrome like 52100 or 80CrV2 get an amazing toughness to hardness combo for holding a thin bevel. That's not to say I hate 1095 or SK5/SK85. Both are great basic steels. I have a couple of knives in it, as well as 12c27 and Nitro-V.
I am for sure gonna pick up a few Bestech 14c28n blades. I have one and it’s amazing!
Bestech does a pretty good job on their 14c too..can't go wrong with that combo
@@RollshamboI have the bestech ascot with carbon fiber and wood scales and 14c28n. One of my best knives beats out my Benchmade better price. The action is perfect, big slicy blade, and so light. It’s a banger!
So it also depends on who makes the steel to begin with, if Sandvik(makes awesome tool steels)is the owner of the name and holds the patent, you may not get the same stuff if it is not made by them. in other words tool-steel ingredients are proprietary and it's not cheap to license it to manufacture. Sandvik more than likely has a offshore plant in China, but i doubt they are just letting anyone make their steels. eventually all stainless tools will oxidize or get surface rust, because most heat treatable stainless have a small iron content. great video... Been a machinist(job shop not production) for about 40 years now made a lot of replacement parts for all kinds of food processing, stamping, cutting, and manufacturing equipment.
D2, AR-RPM9 and 14C28N are what I use daily and the 14C always impresses me with its edge retention.
Thank you for explaining the steel to me... think I'll choose this option over my D2 from now on when I can find it... reason for looking up this steel is because I'm looking at the qsp canary neck knife... I sweat like a hog I need something that's a little more corrosion-resistant... anyways definitely earned a subscription from me thank you for your time once again😎✌️
Love this video, love this steel. I have the Sitivien ST-138. Amazing slicer, great in kitchen. I believe 9cr is comparable, right? I know it is a Chinese kitchen steel also.
Not sure..I think that 9cr might be a bit closer to nitro v than 14c..would have to dig deeper to find out
From my understanding, 9cr18mov is similar to 440b/440c...ish (9% carbon, 18% chromium), but the 440 series doesn't have vanadium or nickel which is in 9cr18mov. I really like the 9cr18mov on my baklash, solid user steel.
I have an older kershaw 7777 in 14c28n it was like $70 made in usa and sharpens beautifully. I use it mainly for fishing cause the slight hawk bill blade just works well for gutting fish.
I've been happy with 14C on my knives. Definitely look for it over D2
Love 14c28n, very well balanced good bang for the buck steel. Ruike p801 and the Ruike p661 & p662 (same knife with two blade shapes, I really like the blade shape on the 662) are solid knives with 14c28n... and cost ~$30-35 USD.
Edit: Btw BHQ and Knife center have some civivi riffles (14c28n) on sale atm for $42. It's a discontinued knife, so I presume when they're gone they're gone.
I still need to get a few Ruike knives to review for the channel I keep hearing people say good things about them, 14c is such a good steel and I would love it of it replaced D2 as the affordable standard, maybe then we would also get better better heat treated D2 and the knives that did come with it would also perform better(14c is easier to heat treat and to manufacture at its optimal levels)
AEB-L, 14C28N, CPM Cruwear, Magnacut. These are some of my favorites, especially for fixed blades.
Excellent review and explanation btw. Great info! Subbed.
14c28n is probably the best steel out there, an evolution/ brother of 13c26
Also the best steel imho should be sharpenable with a standard stone.
It's a good steel but it's not the end of the world in steels.
Personally I don't care what steel my knife is, in fact I prefer steels like 1095/sk5/8cr9mov/9cr/420hc/440/AUS8 which are all budget steels
When I think about the cost of knives with this steel it's the most accessible super steel dollar for dollar..it's the accessibility and ease of manufacturing that makes me like 14c so much
@@Rollshambo 1095 is my all time favorite. I don't care about corrosion, it's just so comfy.
Notice the chart doesn't show Ease of resharpening. This is the problem with these so called, super steels. If you're in the field and you have to spend two hours trying to get an edge back on your knife it puts you into a bind. In addition, it isn't that hard to prevent a high-carbon steel from rusting. Dry the blade and coat it with oil before you put it away. It will take on a patina in time which also helps control rust.
It's kind of implied that if a steel has high wear resistance that it would be harder to sharpen which is why Dr Larrin Thomas didn't bother to include sharpening ease in his rating system..currently there is no steel that has extremely high edge retention(wear resistance) but is also easy to sharpen since these properties are diametrically opposed since sharpening a edge bevel is literally done by abraising the material..the debate between whether it's better to easily sharpen a knife or not have to sharpen it as often is a great topic though..I lean more towards higher edge retention because the more wear resistant steels can still be sharpened if you've invested in quality diamond abrasives
Not apparent to those who are new to metallurgy. The bottom line is that people are looking for a stainless steel that performs like high-carbon steel and yet doesn't rust. That's never going to happen. @@Rollshambo
@@Man_Cave that's a fair assessment and I do think there may be some value to potentially creating a video in this series that goes over things like this, thanks for the input
First time checking out your channel, subbed. Good stuff. I just wish that the knife companies would give us more details regarding their manufacturing processes. As the consumers, we're trusting their hrc numbers and how they got them there.
Welcome in brotha and for what it's worth I've had that same thought..we place an awful lot of trust that the manufacturers actually heat treated to optimal standards and not just enough to hold an edge..certain manufacturers have been tried and tested though and we know what their standards are like..reate and spyderco for example have some of the highest manufacturing standards
What i really do like on 14c28n is how you can get away with geometry absurdly heavy on slicing and still get reasonable tough blade on reasonable budget. This way you just have really awesome edge retention but dont spend ages sharpening it.
I own a muela Tuareg with 14c28n but it’s cryogenically treated so it’s excellent at keeping an edge
I think 14c28n is very great for a larger, fixed blade bushcrafting knife, but for a small edc, id much rather go with the n690 or 153cm for better edge retention.
Application, what can you afford, so many things too consider. This is the steel I prefer for thin wall electrical conduit.
Thanks again,
It’s surprising to me that you don’t see many choppers being made from 14c28n. It seems like it would be a great steel for a tomahawk or a machete type knife.
It's true, there are a few but mainly you see 14c In folding knives and kitchen knives
Killer blade killer vid&killer series bro!!
Interesting background music!
I have a Joker fixed blade in 14C28N. I like it a lot.
I wish they made more 14c28n in LC200N... On a serious note, both steels are excellent and I've found that they hold an edge much better than their reputation. They are also very easy to QUICKLY strop sharpen to a very usable edge. For wilderness use, I will take toughness, corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening over edge retention every time...unless I'm going up into the mountains for a weekend of shaving my arm hair and slicing phone book paper.
샌드빅 금속이 좋은지 안좋은지 알 수 있는 사례.
오피넬이나 모라나이프가 주로 사용하는 금속.
Can't argue with the numbers. Would love 14c on more knives and save my $.
Everyone wants more LC200N...but 14c has been here this whole time!!!
Would take 14C28N on any knife over D2. Would trade a tiny bit less edge retention over rusting.
Super underated. Love it on my firewood prep hard use knife.
I got in to pocket knives from the wrong end, i wanted a pocket knife and one of my friends was very in to knives, so he gifted me one for birthday, that knife was Spyderco PM2 Cru-Carta, one of my absolute favorites to this day, but that was my first taste, i started reading up on steel and wanted more knives, so as any sane person would i started buying some, but again as a sane person i couldn't go down in edge retention from my first knife could i? Ofcourse not, so s90v s110v, ZDP-189, Maxamet, newest craze on the block Magnacut and so on... But then something happened, even tho i was pretty ok at sharpening my knives, i caught my self seeing it more as a chore, something i dreaded, i got worse when i started jsut throwing the dull ones in a drawer jsut to one day haveing to resharpen all of them cuz i simply ran out, that's where knives with a bit less premium steel came in, i sharpened the cruware after sharpening s90v and it was so much easier, then s30v easier again, s35vn easy again, and then the dreaded Maxamet came, holy shit that one was aids (admittedly i used it for like 2.5 years at that point with still a factory edge on it), so i was like, hmm maybe next time i should get something i can sharpen quick and easy and thats where 14c28n came in, i love it, it sharpens on anything with no effort at all and holds the edge relatively well, but what truly caught my eye about it is how crazy sharp it can get with minimal effort, now my most carryd kives are all in 14c28n its amazin the civivi qubit is my hands down favorite atm, i still carry my crucarta pm2 a lot, still love malibu in magnacut, but other supersteels jsut gathering dust in a drawer.
Civivi does a very very good job on heat treatment for their 14C28N they Rockwell it at 59-60 I think 14 C gets a bad rap because Kershaw used it first and it was proprietary to them for a little while and they used to Rockwell between 57 and 59 If you’re familiar with Kershaw, they always run their blades a little softer. They’re blur in Elmax was ran a little soft too. Kershaw still uses 14C to day again if you want a really good 14c28n Civivi does a great job
14C sharpens easy and razor sharp. It does not hold an edge. A couple of swipes on a stone and you are goo-to-go, BUT KEEP THAT STONE CLOSE.
Similar thoughts here too. Sharpens up great but I personally think it has a more drastic rolling effect than 420HC. I think the steel is less durable and easier to deform due to the lack of those basic alloying elements.
@@johnj6689 ,.. yep, great cheap Fidget Toy Steel that doesn’t see any work.
Agreed. 14C28N is a fantastic steel for knives, EDC blades in particular.
It had become my go-to budget EDC steel.
It HAD.....Until CJRB brought AR-RPM9 to the party. I'm very impressed with this new powder metallurgy steel, BUDGET powder metallurgy steel that is!
14C28N will always be a viable option for me but this new AR-RPM9, atleast in my own experience and initial findings, will prove noticeably superior.
Admittedly I only own 1 knife in this steel, my CJRB pyrite Knife Center exclusive, but it has proven to be excellent! And I really like the edge that cones up, quite easily as well.
In my experience, AR-RPM9 behaves much like CPM-154CM or CPM-S35VN on diamond plates and ceramic finishing stones during sharpening, quickly and easily producing a very fine edge with a very clean Apex yet edge aggression feels much like my all time favorite, CPM-M4! Edge retention seems surprisingly similar to CTS-XHP or a really good (read US produced) D2 and so far I haven't experienced any negative characteristics as far as edge rolling or chipping is concerned. It seems every bit as tough as 14C28N and then some. Corrosion resistance appears excellent as well although I haven't tested this directly via acidic or salty substance use. I have cut quite a bit of citrus fruits, tomatoes and other veggies but I always clean up immediately afterwards.
I look forward to buying more knives in this fantastic powder metallurgy steel that just happens to come in well under my own $80 budget category.
*Edit*
Btw I've heard others say that AR-RPM9 is basically the same as 9CR18MOV, which is a good steel but not on the level of 14C28N imo. In my experience and admittedly of just one example, I find AR-RPM9 a very very good steel that compares with steels typically found in $100 to $160 knives.
Anyone else have a similar experience?
Good D2 is good inexpensive but is difficult to hit that 62 hrc maximum
Most D2 is 59-60hrc which does it no favors.
In fact most knife steel below 62hrc is not doing the customer any favors unless you need a prybar instead of a knife edge.
I prefer D2 because its inexpensive and middle of the road.
Love the KC exclusive pyrite. Good looks and performance. Zero stick on the button lock as well. I returned two Protech malibu's because they had terrible lock stick. Seems to be a common thing which is crazy because my mordax has no stick. 14c has definitely gotten a big following as one if not the best budget steel. Ar-rpm9 is right up there too. At the beginning of the year I decided to start selling off a good portion of my collection, I've sold 130 knives.
Kept about 60 and that pyrite is one of them.
@@abc456f - yeah I recently sold about 40 of my knives. It's funny how us knife collectors do. We go through phases, into a certain style or brand for a while only to get bored with it or just change for whatever reason.
I've learned that I bore quickly with the more racey, exotic, 'space cadet' or ultra modern styles while the more simple, elegant and traditional styles remain timeless for me.
I've learned to not jump on the latest and greatest or wildest looking knife to come out and focus only on those very purpose driven, classic and 'function over form' styles.
I'm a huge sucker for a simple, clean and graceful drop or clip point blade , metallic bolsters and well figured wood, micarta or G-10 scales.
To this day my all time favorite folder that I own is my beautiful German made Boker titan worker. A rugged and heavily built titanium liner lock with a simple satin finished drop point blade in good old 440C, nicely shaped titanium bolsters and brown canvas micarta scales.
The architecture of that knife just gives me the warm fuzziness. It's a rather straight, finger grooved handle with that gorgeous blade climbing up just slightly out of the frame before lazily sweeping back down to the point. It's simply PERFECTION in my eyes! Love that thing!
My other very similar (my only video) German made Boker/Oberland Arms EDW.1 gives me wood as well with its dirty and gnarly acid stone washed blade looking like a galvanized fence post and its rugged canvas micarta scales with milled fuller just begging to be gripped! That's what lights my fire.
The fancy schmancy 'boy racer' and 'space cadet' looking knives are cool but I end up selling them in the end.
Now I just buy what I know I'll keep.
@@holdernewtshesrearin5471 I needed the money...lol.
Love this content. Thx!
I love how scary sharp you can get sandvik with the right geometry, and it strops back in seconds. Love the stuff!
nitro-v takes a sticky edge..that might be an advantage
Not going to lie...edge retention is THE most impodtant factor- FOR ME. I do a lot of cutting at work. Plastic straps of varying thickness, cardboard, plastic...occasionally use it for prying...
14C28N doesn't have the edge retention I'm looking for with knives I've had...vs. D2. I have a bunch of D2 knives, and rusting isn't something that concerns me- I'm not a longshoreman or a sailor.
Standard 14C28N just doesn't stack up to D2 in that department. It dulls a lot quicker and I habe to sharpen it a lot more often.
Otherwise, I'd be putting the kids of the Vosteed fsctory workers through (at least) trade school.
I would love to see one of these on S35VN.
Oh its definitely going to happen! Just a matter of time🙌
154CM > 14C28N > D2 in the land of budget blades.
Honestly heat treatment means far more than the steel content itself, you can have an M398 very high abrasion resistant steel and if it is not hardened properly then 440C will outcut it... Also edge geometry plays a huge factor as well
14c28n is fantastic, however like all knife steels in mass production, not every or most blades end up being hardness treated as it should.
So, if you end up with a junker don't assume the steel isn't quality. More than likely you got the lemon, problem is in mass production not the steel type itself.
Very true..I think I should start offering examples of knives properly heat treated in these steels..for example the titanium kubey tityus in 14c is an excellent example of what the steel is capable of
Good vid
Heat treatment is everything.
According to those numbers the steel is very similar to 420HC.
Similar for sure but 14c still edges it our in edge retention and corrosion resistance
Soon I saw one steel on the market, which I think it's new because didn't seen it before.
The steel is ACX390 and I don't know nothing about it, now I explain it but if someone knows something for it please tell me.
The knife I want to buy in this steel is Boker Arbolito Hunter!
just received the ruike hornet in 14c28n
14C28 has always been one of my favorites, it’s just so rare that makes it hard to find one comfortable to buy when Im used to using a2 and 3V. The mora garberg and joker nessmuk are 14c28 and on my list for adding to my arsenal of tools but until Victorinox released the venture, there wasn’t much else. The real steel bushcrafter is 14c28 too but it’s always out of stock and you have to be careful not to buy the d2 version 😂
I wish Joker would make the Nomad in 14c28n it would be perfect imo
@@Cz82 The n695 shouldn’t be too bad, but just get the campero in 14c28 if it’s a deal breaker
Is that a typo at 8:23? I assumed it's supposed to be a 1-10 scale, but it has Maxamet and Rex121 rated at 11 & 12 respectively in edge retention. If it's not a 1-10 scale, then what is the highest possible rating?
Not a typo that is In fact how larrin Thomas rates the edge retention for those steels and my chart references his ratings directly...I believe what happened is that originally it was a 1-10 rating then he tested those steels and to reflect that they had better edge retention than steels that were prior rated at 10 gave them ratings that exceeded that...just a guess but feel free to dive into the knifesteelnerds.com website.lots of great info there
Imo lc200n has none of the properties I’m looking for. I want to try a spydiechief, but I won’t fork that cash out for a steel that’s sub par at everything besides not rusting
Now can we get a video on Bohler N695 ?? 👍🏼
I got a knife made of 14C28N steel to use for my EDC. Should I apply WD occasionally, or is it not necessary?
14c is incredibly corrosion resistant, that said it never hurts to keep your blade and pivot oiled specifically after hard use..but I wouldn't worry about it rusting on you even in wetter environments
@@Rollshambo Thank you very much for the response, I'm new to this kind of thing, and I was unsure.
This is an aside, but I'm surprised to see that 440C (and thereby I assume that 9cr18mov) is directly better than 154CM according to the chart (same toughness and edge retention, but with more corrosion resistance).
100% 440c is an excellent steel, but gotta pay attention to the "c" a lot of 440 that's out there doesn't specify the letter type at the end and undiscerning eyes might not catch it but there is a notable difference between 440c, 440a and 440hc
Yeah, the "C" really matters! What's interesting to me is that 440C (specified) and 9cr18mov (which is the Chinese chemical equivalent) can be found on much cheaper yet high quality knives under $50 (Sencut for example), yet 154CM (which I also like) is typically in the "premium budget" category between $60-$100. Yet, according to the chart, the 440C and equivalent are directly better than 154CM. Don't even get me started on Nitro-V... I think it's trendy just because it sounds cool 😂
Carpenter , tool , steel. ? , worth sharpening ,
How does s35vn compare to 14C?
Great stuff
A knife, should cut. But since we choose the material based on its toughness and corrosion resistance, is PVC plastic really the best choice?
Personally, "super steel" to me means a knife that only needs sharpening once a year or two, even with daily city EDC use(there no hard work in city). And I don't need toughness at all, because for non-cutting tasks, I can always find a better tool than a knife.
Actually there are other materials knives are made out of, ceramic, g10, tungsten carbide.. that being said it all comes down to the use case scenario(edc/fishing and hunting/self defense etc) - for most general use cases steel itself remains undeniably king however I'll give you some insight into something I learned about the import of toughness in knife steel since I learned about it after making this video
The toughness of a steel is important because edge geometry plays a bigger role in edge retention than the wear resistance properties of the steel itself because tougher steel can handle lower angle edges better, HRC is also important as well but saying you don't need a tough steel because you prize edge retention is kinda like saying you'd rather have a bigger engine in your car instead of a lighter car with a smaller engine that can go just as fast
@@Rollshambo I have some knifes with custom thermal processing: d2 61-63, m390(61-62hrc + crio), m398 63-64hrc.
Also i have a lot of serial products of European, USA and China knofea almost a 70% of steel was showed in tables from this video. And due to yours table toughness 2-3 its quite enaf for my city EDC.
I only have only 1 problem knife it's custom knife with D2 with something like Spyderco military shape(but from 4mm back side) on 61-63 and 17.5* per side. I should make lens sharpening with something like start from 17.5 to 25 per side or just usual regular V shape sharpening on 24-28 per side. On 17* my cutting edge just brakes from cutting different products on oak cutting board.
So for me it's seems like steel with 2-3 tounghess from your rating is ok. Mb if it's some kind of outdoor i should take m4 or 3v but as a citizen my knife work its only, food, package(cardboard) and sometimes non-hard wood.
And I agree that steel with bigger tounghess is quite good for big kitchen knives with back side like 1.5-2mm. On the same time I use Japanese knife with steel sandwich with hard carbon steel on ~63-65rhc and this Santoku have 1.7-1.8mm on back side
P.s. sorry for my English it is not my native language
14C28N = 420HC ok thanks got it
I like 14c better than s35vn
Stop the Steel!!! 😂
Can't stop won't stop
not afan of 14C28 just at the moment since i was an idiot and cut my thumb nail real deep ;)
Serious, 14 C 28 is very good. Fine grained.
Damn.. crazy
Magnacut brother
Definitely doing an episode on magnacut!
I have more 14c than anything
Great video and terrible music.
So, you watch other TH-cam videos and then make a TH-cam video??
With squinty eyes?
Do you really talk like this?
I won't lie it was late and I was a bit scatter brained when I recorded it...I'll aim to be more collected next time😅
Meh....... 14c fanboy hype, just stick with super inexpensive D2 with a good heat treat and use diamond to sharpen/hone/strop and it wont break the bank and will still beat all those steels listed because of edge retention.
I like a well heat treated D2 a lot..that said 14c is rated to have some of the highest toughness you can get on a knife steel period as well as super steel level corrosion resistance at an affordable pricepoint, that said it all comes down to what you like in a steel and thats very subjective
@@Rollshambo Great point!
Too much steel hype to just use it to open fucking boxes.
What companies have the best heat treat on 14c?
Kubey and vosteed do a pretty bang up job..look for companies that do a Cryo treat..kubey does and targets 60-62 rc.