1055 Carbon Steel vs 420HC

[a Trexler Ranger]

OK so the steel from the Gerber Strongarm against say Cold Steel Gi Tanto. What are some attributes? Obviously Carbon and Stainless and the Tanto would be easier to sharpen then the Strongarm. What else?

 

[jbmonkey]

1055....not 1550, right?

 

[a Trexler Ranger]

1055....not 1550, right?

Correct. Sorry. Thanks for pointing that out

 

[jbmonkey]

Correct. Sorry. Thanks for pointing that out

no bother.

tantos are hard to sharpen and keep the two edges perfect compared to the gerber. ya got that part backwards in my opinion. gerber 420hc is pretty good. cold steels 1055 is pretty good as well. its just a battle of which knife do ya like better more than those two steel choices.

 

[a Trexler Ranger]

no bother.

tantos are hard to sharpen and keep the two edges perfect compared to the gerber. ya got that part backwards in my opinion. gerber 420hc is pretty good. cold steels 1055 is pretty good as well. its just a battle of which knife do ya like better more than those two steel choices.

I was wondering how the steels compared to each other sharpening, chip resistance etc. I already have a Strongarm (Fav fixed blade) and was looking for another cheapish knife to beat the crap out of.

Basically I have a shopping list this summer. Good sharpening kit, good beater, and a Mora Robust.

 

[jbmonkey]

gotcha.

1055 is a mid level in carbon steel used in some machetes and hard use tools and knives etc. it holds a decent edge but expect to sharpen often. easy to get sharp quickly if the bevels arent too obtuse, but thats another issue of discussion. i think you'll find it easier to keep sharp than 420hc, but not by much. pretty equal in feel on sharpening time all things equal of course. i've rolled it not chipped it, but it could be done i guess if ya hit a rock or whatnot hard enough. i haven't had any real issues with 1055 myself. it's pretty tough stuff, low on carbon but still decent all in all for what it is. hope thats helpful.

cold steels folks do a decent to pretty good job on heat treat so no real worries there.

 

[ThePeacent]

I was wondering how the steels compared to each other sharpening, chip resistance etc. I already have a Strongarm (Fav fixed blade) and was looking for another cheapish knife to beat the crap out of.

Basically I have a shopping list this summer. Good sharpening kit, good beater, and a Mora Robust.

cheapish tough fixed blades to beat on, quality made?

Schrade SCHF37, etc. series fixed blades
Glock 78/81
Cold Steel Peacekeeper
Condor Fixed Blades
Boker Fixed blades, Boker Arbolito fixed blades

 

[chiral.grolim]

I was wondering how the steels compared to each other sharpening, chip resistance etc. I already have a Strongarm (Fav fixed blade) and was looking for another cheapish knife to beat the crap out of.

Basically I have a shopping list this summer. Good sharpening kit, good beater, and a Mora Robust.

You could definitely beat on that GI Tanto without worry, it makes a good throwing-knife for a bit of fun as well. It is likely tempered a lot softer than the Gerber, so the apex with mush and roll if you grind it real thin or use it against really hard objects, and it will also acquire rust rather quickly in wet or humid environments. But you can sharpen it easily on a file, including a grooved kitchen-steel, allowing you to quickly push rolled sections back into alignment until they tear out. The GI Tanto is basically a knife-shaped piece of lawn-mower blade

The Gerber is stainless, will hold its edge better, is comfortable, lifetime warranty, and also very tough, although the handles are more susceptible to damage than that of the GI Tanto whose slabs can simply be replaced. But if you like the Strongarm, then you may also be interested in getting one of these for it (linked in my signature)

 

[me2]

Unless you're set on stainless, I'd go with 1055 from Cold Steel. It is difficult to describe how tough it is. I've hit rocks with my 1055 Cold Steel machetes and the edges just bend, no chips. Yet I've gone through multiple boards and they'd still shave my arm. They could also be filed to remove gross damage. I don't know if that applies to the GI Tanto though.

I've had good luck with Gerber stainless too though. Gets really sharp easily on $5 stones in less than 3 minutes, yes I timed it. Other than stainless properties, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference in use. The Gerber might chip, but you'd have to do something really unusual.

 

[a Trexler Ranger]

OK. Nice Kydex by the way I might get one when I have some spare cash. I was wondering about the Tanto cause I wanted something that I could throw and was usable. For clarification: I have Strongarm already and I was just wondering how the steels compared