Help Me Pick the Next Fell Beast Steel: Z Tuff Vs. 52100

Which Steel do you want?

  • Z Tuff 61+ RC $549

    Votes: 15 71.4%

  • 52100 with DHT $399

    Votes: 6 28.6%
  • Total voters
    21
Brummie said:
I still have a selection of Huntsman machetes (12”, 18”, and the 16” lite machete) as well as a variety of dedicated choppers, so not in the market for a new Fell Beast.

I’m interested to see the direction the Tyrant Bowie goes, though. If it looks like it will be a nimble blade, rather than just an out&out chopper, then would be tempting as a first knife in Z-Tuff.
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While the Tyrant Bowie is going to be massive, (it has to live up to its name afterall) my goal is for it to be a usable, functional knife that will slice well and excel at camp tasks. Its also going to be long enough and light enough to be a short machete and should pack a punch as a chopper but will certainly not be a dedicated chopper. A bowie should always be a knife first. I think we all agree there are better designs for a pure chopper. I can't wait to get the prototype in and see how it feels in hand. My OG prototype was super lightweight and nimble. Aiming to replicate that feeling with the new model.

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Huntsman Knife Co. said:
I have a massive run of 100 Fell Beasts underway that will be ready some time in late May and want some feedback on the steel and price-point.

This model is going to be called the Fell Beast Legacy Prime. It builds on the past 10 years of feedback with this model. The Legacy Prime will have similar dimensions to the original but will be made from beefed up .135in stock, will have more highly contoured Terotuf scales, and feature a fuller + higher grind for improved geometry and weight reduction. This thing will SLAP.

In the mean time, I have a small run of heavy 3V Fell Beasts that will be available over the next few weeks.

Over the past 3 years, the cost of everything knife related has gone through the roof. I cannot even make a Fell Beast for what I used to sell one for. 🤮Unfortantely, these blades will cost alot more than they used to, BUT you will be getting an overall superior product with the Legacy Prime. With that said, I want to be conscious of cost and always deliver maximum value which is why steel choice is important.

Onto the Steel

We all know 3V is king but I don't want to use it for the Legacy Prime for a few reasons. 1. 3V is insanely expensive in all aspects and using it puts the cost of a Fell Beast Legacy Prime at well over $650 which is just too expensive. 2. 3V has a bad propensity for warpage which is time consuming and difficult to correct and leads to a high scrap rate, further increasing the price. 3. All the extra vanadium can really work against you if you need to sharpen an 18in blade in the field by hand.

With that in mind, the two steels I will be using are good old 52100 and Z Tuff from Zapp.

52100 is my old faithful. It has great edge stability, gets sharp easily, has no HT issues, and with a DHT its tough as hell. Its also affordable. The downside is ZERO stain resistance.

Z tuff is shaping up to be a mega steel for a big blade. It's effectively stainless, has good wear resistance, tops the charts in toughness even at 61+ RC and is simple to heat treat. It's the perfect machete steel. Cost is my only concern. Using Z tuff brings the price up dramatically due to the material cost, blanchard grinding, and extra tooling and finishing costs. I also have to have the sheets custom rolled from Zapp to fit the length of the machete which further adds cost.

I am going to run both 52100 and Z Tuff but I'd love to get some feedback on which steel you guys will prefer so I can order the right quantities.

So cast a vote and let me know which steel you would like. Is the extra performance worth the extra cost to you?

52100 with DHT at $399

Z Tuff at 61+ RC at $549

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Huntsman Knife Co. said:
I will post these in the Knifemakers for sale area when they are ready and will give everyone a heads up here beforehand.
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Thank you sir, appreciate the stuff you’re doing, take care.
 
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