We constantly hear Vic blade steel is super soft...

Macchina

Macchina

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Apr 7, 2006
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I headed off on a 3000 mile roadtrip for work last week, got another week to go. I brought only a Vic Alox Cadet and Leatherman Bond, I forgot my Falkniven DC4 I usually bring. I have used the Cadet almost exclusively for all my cutting and am once again super impressed by their steel. No, it's not S30V or Maxemet, but it's still razor sharp after a lot of use with only a tiny dull spot. I am once again reminded that for a thousand years people used pure iron, bronze, etc as their knives and the steels used in even our simplest pocket knives are worlds better than the metals used when so much of our world was built.

A picture of my Cadet on a hike during my weekend break from the trip:

Vic Cadet.jpg
 
Your timing is perfect.

I built and replaced a bunch of screens for my house today, and used a Alox ElectricIan to cut all the screens and tubing. The bottle opener was also used to pry out all the older tubing.

A few passes on a fine stone and it's GTG.

Great tools.
 
People like to think of it as cheap and soft for some reason. At a reported 56hrc it’s definitely not anywhere near the super steel realm. However it’s right there with a very common and excellent EDC steel 420HC and the carbon steel everyone loves for bushcraft use 1095. Being a dream to sharpen and highly corrosion resistant make it perfect for a knife that rides in your pocket all day everyday in my opinion, eh maybe I’m a little biased ;)
 
Spikediesel said:
People like to think of it as cheap and soft for some reason. At a reported 56hrc it’s definitely not anywhere near the super steel realm. However it’s right there with a very common and excellent EDC steel 420HC and the carbon steel everyone loves for bushcraft use 1095. Being a dream to sharpen and highly corrosion resistant make it perfect for a knife that rides in your pocket all day everyday in my opinion, eh maybe I’m a little biased ;)
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Agreed. It's funny to think of all the super steels bunched at the top competing for the highest 10% of performance but just below that is steels like Vic's 1.1441, Buck 420HC, 1095, etc.
My realization is that in a week of normal use, they all stay sharp and therefore perform the same (a sharp edge is a sharp edge). I would not bring a Vic to break down 1000 boxes at an Amazon warehouse, but I've broken down many boxes with them and super steels and find other factors (like handle comfort) are far more important than steel type!
 
The internet tells us every day that our "stuff" isn't good enough. Our knives need to be tougher and stronger, our trucks need to be more powerful and our bodies need more testosterone. It's called consumerism and, once you know how you're being played, it's easier to ignore! Nice knife!
 
Spikediesel said:
People like to think of it as cheap and soft for some reason. At a reported 56hrc it’s definitely not anywhere near the super steel realm. However it’s right there with a very common and excellent EDC steel 420HC and the carbon steel everyone loves for bushcraft use 1095. Being a dream to sharpen and highly corrosion resistant make it perfect for a knife that rides in your pocket all day everyday in my opinion, eh maybe I’m a little biased ;)
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Spike, I think you nailed the crux of the thing!

No, its not up there with the wonder steel of the month that the blade snobs love to worship. BUT...its right up there with any of the pocket knives that real working people used in years past, like the 1095 in old Barlow knives and sodbusters, or the 420HC used by Buck with the Paul Bos heat treat. I think a lot of the knife nut world turn their nose up at 420HC, but many working folks use their Buck knives every day on real world jobs and have no complaints. Buck didn't get to be where they are by using poor steel.

Nuthin at all wrong with SAK steel, and a hell of a lot right with it. I got my first SAK in 1969, and its been a stable with me ever since. Theres aways a small SAK on board, not matter what else I may be carrying. It does the the bulk of work. With a SAK and an Opinel, do you really need anything else? Leave the steel snobbery in the waste bin where it belongs.
 
It’s been said already, but I’ll jump on the bandwagon.

I really like Vic steel. It says sharp long enough for me, but importantly it’s easy for me to get very sharp. I realized I won’t ever develop excellent sharpening skills, but I can get them stupid sharp and I really appreciate that. My sharpening skills amaze non knife people but are just average or worse among the knife nut crowd.

I do have a knife with fancier steel, and it’s pretty impressive, but my daily life really doesn’t need more than 1095 or Vic stainless.

I suspect 90% of the steel snobs on forums don’t use their knives any more than I do, but steel snobbery is part of the hobby for them so they tend to embellish their hard use to make their point. It’s ok, it’s part of their fun, but does get annoying when it makes others feel their blades must be inadequate.

Vic stainless is just fantastic. The 10 million knives they sell each year is all the evidence we need.
 
Much like other brands, I find Vic steel tends to perform best after a couple sharpenings. It also seems to do well when the edge is left with a coarser finish. I tend to set mine up using a coarse diamond plate. After that, I find it's just a matter of using a fine ceramic hone or a strop to maintain the edge.

I was into the super steels for a little bit, but I never found that I was getting the same performance in the real world that others were claiming. As others have said, Vic steel is a decent working steel, and is easy to sharpen and maintain without special stones or tools. I know I could probably do everything I need to do in my daily life with just a Vic of some sort, and not be left wanting.
 
I'd be interested to see what kind of edge retention you'd get on a SAK with a 30 degree edge (15 degrees per side).
 
Guy McVer said:
I'd be interested to see what kind of edge retention you'd get on a SAK with a 30 degree edge (15 degrees per side).
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I tend to sharpen mine at 17 degrees per side, and seem to have decent retention at that angle. I used to go lower, but found it wouldn't hold a working edge for all that long. It worked well for whittling though.
 
Stelth said:
I think guys (myself included) sometimes "fall in love" with numbers: 3V, .357 magnum, V8, etc. Sometimes we tend to overlook actual performance in favor of that sexier nomenclature.
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I think theres a huge amount of this going on. The Madison. Avenue folks have figured out the psychology of sales, and its powerful. It can make people buy something that is over kill for their needs and lifestyle.
 
StuntDouble said:
I tend to sharpen mine at 17 degrees per side, and seem to have decent retention at that angle. I used to go lower, but found it wouldn't hold a working edge for all that long. It worked well for whittling though.
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I have found very similar results. A vic blade seems to go forever with a 17-20 DPS edge. When I bring it down past that edge damage is possible if I'm cutting something like a thick zip tie.
I think where super steels have a definite edge to Vic steel is when the edge is brought down below 15 DPS. At those extreme angles the steel is too soft (similar to 420HC, most 1095, etc) and tends to deform under heavy use.

Having said that, a good durable edge on a Vic is plenty strong and even if it dulls slightly it still cuts really well for a long time.
Contrary to what others have said on here, I find it takes a keen polished edge very easily and better than many other steels. I'll run it as polished as possible and it does very well with a polished edge. I also find this type of edge is better for long term use as the toothy edge that is very sharp can be dulled quickly by cardboard and other abrasive materials.
 
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