14c28n Lets clear it out

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I found that old post in this forum archive from KennyB , but when that topic was discussed ,14c28n was not much used and was relatively new steel thus there was no clear answer to that topic and only rumors and feelings.
KennyB said:
I think they're about the same from what I've seen. The only real differences I've seen is that S30V has a little better wear resistance, but I like 14C's edge-holding capabilities when it comes to impact stress. I've had some gnarly deformations in S30V that took a long time to get out, whereas I dropped 14C on a honing stone and could not even see the deformation, and took it out in no time at all.
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Now i would like to clear it out , is that true that 14c28n steel holds its edge good against impacts ? For example after batoning or chopping it holds edge better than some other steels ? If yes than better than which steels ?

Also on the picture bellow you can see that 14c28n got rating 4 in hardness section while D2 got 8 . How is that D2 gets 2 times more rating while 14c28n can be hardened to 62 HRC and if im not wrong D2 too has the same limit ?

steel-chart1.jpg
 
That chart seems highly subjective, extremely vague, and thoroughly useless.

I don't have a whole lot of experience with 14C28N outside of a couple Kershaws that had it, but it seemed like a perfectly acceptable steel that could get very very sharp and hold it about as well as I'd expect a knife in that price range to. I'd say it's close to being something like well-done 440C, or 9Cr18MoV - but, admittedly, that's based on anecdotal experience and absolutely zero data.
 
These charts are 100% useless without context, and might be useless with it.

I like sharpening 14C28N. Fast and easy. You can leave it at a norton crystolon C/F and have a toothy aggressive edge, or you can polish it all the way up on waterstones or ceramics to get it to push cut. It’s a great steel.
 
I have a SG bad monkey in 14c28n and it takes a scary edge and holds it well and the tip can take abuse also.Watch the SG video where they punch it thru a 55 gallon drum with no ill effects--amazing.
 
Can't comment on the impact resistance

Not sure who made that chart you cited. But, it may be that they charted the hardness commonly found in production knives as opposed to what is possible with the alloy. I see more knives listed with a D2 hardness above 60 than I do knives in 14C28N. Because 14C28N can be fine blanked, it's usually found on less expensive knives, and they don't max out the hardness.

I've never done any comparison testing for edge retention on 14C28N, but Ankerson did:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...ed-on-edge-retention-cutting-5-8-rope.793481/
He found it comparable in edge retention to 154CM in his tests. Not a super steel, but considerably better than 420HC.
 
Dangerously said:
I like sharpening 14C28N. Fast and easy. You can leave it at a norton crystolon C/F and have a toothy aggressive edge, or you can polish it all the way up on waterstones or ceramics to get it to push cut. It’s a great steel.
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Another guy said (well meant) that S30V is good for toothy edge (it means 14c28n is not so much)

Hitzy said:
A superfine, shiney, mirror edge is great for a kitchen knife cutting soft things like vegetables and meats. A lower carbon stainless like 14c28n would shine here.
Start cutting twine, or nylon rope, duct tape, cardboard, moose hides, bones, etc and it's a whole new ballgame. S30V takes a pretty fine edge, but it also keeps some tooth for really slicing and sawing through the tough stuff. The high carbon keeps it cutting and cutting.

If i had to actually find two contrasting points, I would say that 14C holds an actual razor's edge a little longer than S30V does before it dulls, but S30V's edge just keeps on trucking while coarse whereas 14C jut gets dulled out.
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DocT said:
It can be run very hard and if so, it will hold a razor edge for a good long while, often longer than some super steels. However, once it loses that razor edge it dulls quickly.
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Also what about keeping edge against impact ? did anyone test cutting with 14c28n after batoning or chopping ?
 
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Absolutely! Lots of videos of Mora Garberg tests out there.
 
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That chart isn’t very useful. The image is a screenshot on my website from a Trek Warrior article that I wrote about unfavorably. If the toughness of 14C28N is similar to AEB-L (it should be) it is a rather tough steel.
upload_2018-12-2_18-46-46.jpeg
 
Personally it’s one of my favorites. It has attributes that work well for my personal tastes.

Takes impacts well for what it is. It’s not 5160 level, but for a stainless it’s great. Takes less damage than S30v in my uses. My S30v knives will chip more readily than the 14c28n models.

Sharpens very easily using a wide range of sharpeners.

Takes a very fine and even edge.

I would like to see it offered in traditional knives, as I like it more than 440c. It feels crisper and a bit less gummy.
 
Frotier76 said:
There's a pretty big gap in carbon between 14C28N and 440C...0.62% in the Sandvik...0.90-1.20% in 440C.Expect the 14C28N to sharpen up quicker but the 440C to stay sharp for a longer duration.In edge durability the 440C wins by a long shot-Sandvik's 13C26 and 14C28N has developed a reputation for chipping easily on pull cuts or cutting anything with density... they wear like a cheap box cutter blade.I'd call Sandvik a stainless mostly suited for sportsman use.
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As you see some people say that 14c28n chips easily while others say it has good thoughness thus not chipping. Now who to belive ? Thats why i made that topic to clear all those things out about that steel .

Larrin said:
That chart isn’t very useful. The image is a screenshot on my website from a Trek Warrior article that I wrote about unfavorably. If the toughness of 14C28N is similar to AEB-L (it should be) it is a rather tough steel.
View attachment 1030671
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19c27n ? Does that exist ? I hear first time about that Sendvic
 
I use 14c28n and 12C27 quite a bit and have not experienced chipping or tear out yet. These Sandvik steels are tough and hold up well.

Things I’ve used them for:

Chopping and batoning small branches up to 1.5 inches in width.

Stabbing tips into the ground, wood, or to open bags of soil, fertilizer, etc. Plastic containers too.

Regular edc tasks.

Cleaning game.

Kitchen duty using wood chopping board.

Whittling hardwoods.

No issues so far...
 
I see so many problems with the "information" in that chart for me to take it as anything other than a poorly thought out art project. No offense to whomever made it.
 
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I talked with Blackie Collins several years ago, and he was a big fan of the Sandvik stainless alloys. His reasoning was that they are very clean steels with a fine grain structure, are easy to heat treat in comparison to some of the more complex alloys, and they sharpen easily and hold an edge acceptably well. I personally have no experience with 14c28n, but the 12c27 blades that I have used seem to be exactly what he had described to me. I see no reason to doubt that 14c28n would be a good all-around steel. I'd prefer it for smaller blades or kitchen knives, as my preference for heavy-duty outdoorsy type blades runs toward carbon steels....
 
justjed said:
I talked with Blackie Collins several years ago, and he was a big fan of the Sandvik stainless alloys. His reasoning was that they are very clean steels with a fine grain structure, are easy to heat treat in comparison to some of the more complex alloys, and they sharpen easily and hold an edge acceptably well. I personally have no experience with 14c28n, but the 12c27 blades that I have used seem to be exactly what he had described to me. I see no reason to doubt that 14c28n would be a good all-around steel. I'd prefer it for smaller blades or kitchen knives, as my preference for heavy-duty outdoorsy type blades runs toward carbon steels....
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But if it's tough as many people say and edge holds good against impacts then why could't it be a good outdoor knife if made right geometry ? What i read about that steel states that its not bad for batoning or chopping (at least with medium size blades up to 6 inches). I right thickness 14c28n knife should do okey for batoning and chopping i guess.
 
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I didn't say it wouldn't make a decent outdoor knife, only that I personally have no experience with it. And that carbon steels are my personal preference for large choppers and brush knives.

That being said, another thing Blackie Collins said in our conversation is that there is no such thing as a bad knife steel. If an alloy can be hardened above about 55-56RC, it will make a decent knife, provided the maker does his part. That would be edge geometry and heat treatment. A properly heat-treated edge is the most important part of a blade, the rest of it is simply there to support that edge. The next most important aspect is the user interface, the handle. Get those two things right, and everything else just kind of follows...
 
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