X50CrMoV15, knowledge about it

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Sep 11, 2010
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Im looking at a brand of kitchen cutlery and they use x50CrMoV15 @ 58rc (they say 58, i think the range is actually 56-58)

I have no exp with this grade steel, i do with the -Cr--MoV line of steel but this one seems odd. following the way these steels are named i highly doubt that the kitchen cutlery has 5.0% carbon content.

just curious if anyone else has tinkered with it and how it compares to VG10 (my options are this or the shun knives by KAI)

thanks for the input

Brets-ftw
 
X50CrMoV15
- German steel. Very stain resistant. Other than that not much to speak of. The cryptic X50CrMoV15 stands for 0.5% carbon, the other 15% is composed of 14% or 14.5% of Cr, some Mo and V. I don't know who in German marketing came up with the idea to use X for Carbon, in periodic table it's C. 0.5% C content means, by definition X50CrMoV15 isn't a high carbon steel, despite of some marketing claims. In fact it has less C content compared to 440C steel. However, it's plenty tough and resists corrosion well. If you don't want to bother maintaining your knives this is a good choice. Except for the low edge holding ability of course. In the end, you end up sharpening it a lot more often, so low maintenance statement is really arguable. Used by Wusthof, Victorinix and others in their high end knives. Taken from this site here
 
My kitchen knives are made of this, I've let my chefs knifevsir in water all weekend and it's never rusted. Edge holding is ok, then again I sharpen them before each use.
 
It has a carbon content similar to that of 420HC, and will have similar performance.
 
Victorinox actually uses X55CrMoV14

x55CrMo14

C 0.48-0.60

Cr 13.0-15.0

Mo 0.50-0.80

V ≤ 0.15

Got it from their customer service.
 
There are subtle differences: X50CrMoV15 can be translated into 1.4116 steel (some Cold Steel knives come to mind), which is often used für kitchen cutlery even by well-known manufacturers like WMF. X55CrMo14 on the other hand is 1.4110, which is very similar to 1.4116 but not the same. Just a little help through the jungle of German steel designations. :)
 
cool thanks for the help guys, and after hearing about the content i think ill just go to some good ole vg10
 
cool thanks for the help guys, and after hearing about the content i think ill just go to some good ole vg10

I've had a set of Wusthof Trident knives in this steel for about 30 years. I don't use them heavily, but will use some of them several times a week. And, they do go in the dishwasher most of the time because I'm lazy. A few times. over the years. I have had to polish off a tiny deposit of surface rust with scouring powder on my fingertip; maybe 5 or 6 times in 30 years.

VG10 is much newer, and, from what I understand, a better knife steel. I haven't yet seen kitchen knives advertised with VG10, but Spyderco uses it in a lot of folders.
 
I sharpen knives for a butcher weekly and this is their most used knife. They do dull in just a week, but they're breaking down whole animals all day long. They take a nice edge but not sure how long they'll last. One of the guys says they're a little too bendy, so once in a while I see curved tips.
 
Henckels kitchen knives use this or something similar--it works just fine for kitchen work/ food prep etc.
 
old thread resurrection. Just found a nice LLBEAN knife that is in this steel. The price tag is 199... If it was a more premium steel, or less expensive I would be very interested. It is very nice looking knife.
 
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Have used it - very nice steel for its price tag, much better than any noname steel. Can be found on Ikea Vardagen and Vorda and maybe 365+ for 10-15$. Would definetly buy it again.
 
I used my kitchen knives a lot not only for myself, but for catering small events (less than 250 people). I am always looking for good bang-for-the-buck in knives as much lesser experienced assistance don't use knives correctly, and do all kinds of silly things with them just out of ignorance.

There's no reason for me to get stressed out because they don't do any better than they do. So my good knives stay at home and a tote with my cutting equipment and cutting boards in it. A couple of years ago I needed a good boning knife to trim down several pork butts before making a custom sausage for a customer. I was at the local Restaurant Depot and saw the X50 etc. NSF knives, and and 7 bucks for and decided to give it a try.

So far, the night has been great for a kitchen knife. It holds its edge surprisingly well and will hold it all day and the right hands. Very easy to sharpen and I found these knives to be a great value. At the same price as the white handled junk that is sold alongside them for nearly the same price these are a steal.

No doubt your mileage will vary depending on the maker using this inexpensive steel, but the brand name on the one side part is Eversharp.

Robert
 
Im looking at a brand of kitchen cutlery and they use x50CrMoV15 @ 58rc (they say 58, i think the range is actually 56-58)

I have no exp with this grade steel, i do with the -Cr--MoV line of steel but this one seems odd. following the way these steels are named i highly doubt that the kitchen cutlery has 5.0% carbon content.

just curious if anyone else has tinkered with it and how it compares to VG10 (my options are this or the shun knives by KAI)

thanks for the input

Brets-ftw
 
Im looking at a brand of kitchen cutlery and they use x50CrMoV15 @ 58rc (they say 58, i think the range is actually 56-58)

I have no exp with this grade steel, i do with the -Cr--MoV line of steel but this one seems odd. following the way these steels are named i highly doubt that the kitchen cutlery has 5.0% carbon content.

just curious if anyone else has tinkered with it and how it compares to VG10 (my options are this or the shun knives by KAI)

thanks for the input

Brets-ftw
 
I have Wusthoff knives in that steel and they are excellent. Bever had a chipped blade and the strop back to sharpness very quick
I tend to prefer that type of steel in the kitchen now
 
Perfect for kitchen use... I sharpened a whole set of kitchen knives in that steel and I was a bit wary of the "alphabet soup steel". Turns out, they were rather easy to sharpen to a razor edge and the owner hasn't called back over almost a year.
 
This is an 8-year necro if you are replying to the OP, btw.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Necro is bad, X50CrMoV15 is good.
 
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