Spyderco fanboy thread

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I happened upon this exclusive from Knifejoy and I'm not sure that I can live much longer without it. My only pause is that I'm not too familiar with Damascus steel. I know it's a blending/folding of two different steals but is it mostly for looks as a display knife or can it handle duty as an EDC knife?

Attachment 106530

https://www.knifejoy.com/products/sp...les-3-42-satin

For that model, the Damascus is purely decorative cladding, I believe, and there is a VG-10 core. VG-10 is pretty long in tooth these days, though perfectly serviceable in an EDC.

Spyderco’s Damascus is a laminated fifteen-layer steel with a Suminagashi pattern. The Damascus steel is composed of layers of erosive and non-erosive material over a VG-10 core center. The erosive layers are hard martensite stainless steel and the non-erosive layers are anti-corrosion nonferrous metal. These layers block carbon particles in the core from spreading to the outer layers. After layering the blade is forged to intentionally distort the layer-lines making a complicated, artistically beautiful pattern called Suminagashi. Suminagashi is the traditional Japanese art form of creating ripples of Chinese ink on the surface of water. This steel mimics the art form with interesting results on a knife blade. Once the layers are distorted, the blade is bathed in acid etching the pattern to vivid relief.

Known as D.P.S. 15, the blade material is produced by Takefu Special Steel Company, Ltd. in Japan. It consists of a VG-10 stainless steel core sandwiched between two outer layers of Damascus steel. Each of the Damascus layers is composed of 15 layers of forge-welded steel, beautifully patterned and etched to reveal the detail of the structure.

[Duelist]

I happened upon this exclusive from Knifejoy and I'm not sure that I can live much longer without it. My only pause is that I'm not too familiar with Damascus steel. I know it's a blending/folding of two different steals but is it mostly for looks as a display knife or can it handle duty as an EDC knife?

Attachment 106530

https://www.knifejoy.com/products/sp...les-3-42-satin

Damascus can handle EDC. Depending on what it is actually made from, and the processes used to create it, it *may* require more care to prevent rust, like any non-stainless blade would.

[Irelander]

For that model, the Damascus is purely decorative cladding, I believe, and there is a VG-10 core. VG-10 is pretty long in tooth these days, though perfectly serviceable in an EDC.

Spyderco’s Damascus is a laminated fifteen-layer steel with a Suminagashi pattern. The Damascus steel is composed of layers of erosive and non-erosive material over a VG-10 core center. The erosive layers are hard martensite stainless steel and the non-erosive layers are anti-corrosion nonferrous metal. These layers block carbon particles in the core from spreading to the outer layers. After layering the blade is forged to intentionally distort the layer-lines making a complicated, artistically beautiful pattern called Suminagashi. Suminagashi is the traditional Japanese art form of creating ripples of Chinese ink on the surface of water. This steel mimics the art form with interesting results on a knife blade. Once the layers are distorted, the blade is bathed in acid etching the pattern to vivid relief.

Known as D.P.S. 15, the blade material is produced by Takefu Special Steel Company, Ltd. in Japan. It consists of a VG-10 stainless steel core sandwiched between two outer layers of Damascus steel. Each of the Damascus layers is composed of 15 layers of forge-welded steel, beautifully patterned and etched to reveal the detail of the structure.

Thanks. I suppose it might be best to spring for the Endela with K390 steel. Decisions decisions.

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Thanks. I suppose it might be best to spring for the Endela with K390 steel. Decisions decisions.

K390 is a great steel for edge holding...but not the best for either corrosion resistance or for toughness. Really just depends upon your priorities and usage.

Consider how you will use it, and if you don't mind keeping up with a bit of maintenance, (or the appearance of patina on your blade).

If you do go with K390, and it's great steel, you should also avail yourself of diamond hones for sharpening...as it is very wear resistant.

[Duelist]

To someone who grew up with 420HC and CV/10xx series steels in his pocketknives, this talk of VG10 being a mediocre, long-in-the-tooth steel is odd.

I mean, 440C & 154CM/ATS34 were expensive, hot stuff back then. VG10 would have been a miracle steel. Quite corrosion resistant, good edge holding and toughness, it is as near an ideal EDC steel as I can think of. For me, a tie between it and S30V.

If another steel better suits, by all means, get it and enjoy, but don’t dismiss VG10 or some other steel just because it’s been around for a while. There are more similarities between modern performance steels than dramatic differences.

[Irelander]

I went with the damascus blade. Couldn't pass it up for just under $100.

[Default.mp3]

To someone who grew up with 420HC and CV/10xx series steels in his pocketknives, this talk of VG10 being a mediocre, long-in-the-tooth steel is odd.

I mean, 440C & 154CM/ATS34 were expensive, hot stuff back then. VG10 would have been a miracle steel. Quite corrosion resistant, good edge holding and toughness, it is as near an ideal EDC steel as I can think of. For me, a tie between it and S30V.

If another steel better suits, by all means, get it and enjoy, but don’t dismiss VG10 or some other steel just because it’s been around for a while. There are more similarities between modern performance steels than dramatic differences.

To be fair, VG-10 is old as fuck, it was developed in the late 1950s. I personally have never had a VG-10 knife, but I've always judged it to be about the same class as 154CM. But yes, VG-10 isn't a bad performer by any means, just that there are plenty of steels that are better now, even if we're not talking about revolutionary advances for the most part.

As for the "ideal EDC steel", the spec sheet would suggest CPM MagnaCut has somehow broken the code to be able to pick all three attributes of great corrosion resistance, toughness, and edge retention. I'm awaiting CRK to start making MagnaCut blades for retrofitting older knives, but for now, my S35VN blade will more than suffice.

[blues]

Some of you who are interested in the properties of various blade steels: Carbon / Low Alloy, High Alloy / Tool Steel, and Stainless, will find these charts available from Larrin Thomas, informative.

(Larrin is Devin Thomas' son, and the creator of MagnaCut. He is one of the preeminent voices when it comes to this area of metallurgy.)



https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/10/...on-resistance/

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Thank you very much for reminding me of this reference.

[EVP]

Some of you who are interested in the properties of various blade steels: Carbon / Low Alloy, High Alloy / Tool Steel, and Stainless, will find these charts available from Larrin Thomas, informative.

(Larrin is Devin Thomas' son, and the creator of MagnaCut. He is one of the preeminent voices when it comes to this area of metallurgy.)



https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/10/...on-resistance/

So awesome and goes into the details how the other factors are important and why sometimes you cannot just say x steel vs y steel. There really is a lot more to it.

Thanks for posting that!