14C28N steel

It's a stainless steel first designed for razor blades if I remember correctly. Kershaw uses it widely, and it's a fairly good EDC steel. Takes a SUPER fine razor edge and holds it ok. Edge holding will fall just short of 154cm and VG-10 in my experience.
 
I'm pretty happy with it in my folders. Very easy to sharpen and takes a mirror polish well, but doesn't lose its edge too quickly. It's not as nice as, say, 154CM, but very good for the price. Not sure about how suited it is to a fixed blade...
 
It's a good steel. I find it to be about as good as VG-10 for my purposes, and Kershaw makes plenty of knives in the $20-$50 range which use it.
 
Shotgun said:
Anyone use this steel? I was perusing Zero Tolerence fixed blades and one of them caught my eye but it's made out of this steel that I've never seen before. How does it compare to 420C or 12C27?
Click to expand...

14C28N will hold an edge better than 420HC and should hold an edge better than 12C27, though I have never tried that alloy.
 
14C28N is a Sandvik stainless steel originally developed for razor blades. Easy to sharpen in my experience and will get a very fine razor edge that lasts for a reasonable amount of time.

Chemical properties:
.62% C
.2% Si
.6% Mn
14% Cr
.11% N
 
Was 14c28n really developed for razor blades? I thought that was 12c27, and 14c28n is Kershaw's proprietary steel made for them by Sandvik. It's supposed to be an improvement without a significant cost increase, and is one of the few steels out there developed specifically for knives.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Was 14c28n really developed for razor blades? I thought that was 12c27, and 14c28n is Kershaw's proprietary steel made for them by Sandvik. It's supposed to be an improvement without a significant cost increase, and is one of the few steels out there developed specifically for knives.
Click to expand...

You may be right, I checked Sandvik's website and it says 13C26 was developed for razors, and 12C27 and 14C28N are used for knife applications. 12C27 is also used for ice skates and ice drills. http://www.smt.sandvik.com/en/products/strip-steel-and-strip-based-products/strip-products/knife-steel/sandvik-knife-steels/
 
Thanks guys. Something approaching vg10 and 154cm would be a good steel for me I think.
 
Shotgun said:
Thanks guys. Something approaching vg10 and 154cm would be a good steel for me I think.
Click to expand...
In my own experience it gets sharp like nothing else. overall edge holding is one thing, but it's amazing at taking a razor edge and being able to be easily touched up.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Was 14c28n really developed for razor blades? I thought that was 12c27, and 14c28n is Kershaw's proprietary steel made for them by Sandvik. It's supposed to be an improvement without a significant cost increase, and is one of the few steels out there developed specifically for knives.
Click to expand...
Yep, exactly. The first Sandvik steel Kershaw used was originally a razor blade steel, but the one they now use (14C28N), although very much based on that earlier family of razor blade steels, was developed by Kershaw and Sandvik specifically for use in the sort of "sporting" cutlery they make (basically, the folders and fixed blades that we're into, as opposed to razor blades).

As for my impressions of 14C28N, I agree with some of the points made earlier. Befitting its razor blade steel ancestry, it takes an extremely fine edge and is very clean (almost no inclusions, etc.). IMHO, it's not really comparable to 154CM/VG-10 -- which in my experience have substantially higher wear resistance -- but as others have mentioned the flip side of that is that it's very quick and easy to touch up.
 
Last edited:
Shotgun said:
Thanks guys. Something approaching vg10 and 154cm would be a good steel for me I think.
Click to expand...

Edge holding is more on the order of AUS8, which is more than good enough for most everyday cutting chores. It is a couple of steps below the edge retention of 154CM.
I
 
I have 14C28N on my Microtech LUDT. Holds a decent edge and sharpens easily. I prefer 154CM though.
 
Kershaw used 13C26 and switched to 14C28N for higher corrosion resistance. It was said to be an exclusive arrangement at the time, if MT is using it then that must have expired.
 
Ontario is offering a line of knives made from 14C28N too.

It is called Robeson Cutlery and it is a kitchen knife line.
 
I use it everyday, great edc steel. Touch it up on the bottom of your coffee cup on the run and it will pop hairs. The alloy is basically a modifyed AUS8 and has similar properties bu takes a finer edge in my experiance. I also carry an AUS8 blade for edc, they are pretty interchangable for quality. If people say its close to VG10 and 154cm, they aren't using their knives hard enough :D. The difference is apparent in long term cutting tasks between touch-ups.


-xander
 
What is everyone personal preference between this and 13c27? I'm curious because I hear mixed reports about which steel performs better.
 
spyderco lover said:
What is everyone personal preference between this and 13c27? I'm curious because I hear mixed reports about which steel performs better.
Click to expand...

I think you made an error in the name.
I am aware of 12C27.
I am aware of 19C27
I am aware of 13C26

Never heard of 13C27.
Is this a new alloy? If not, which alloy did you mean?
 
knarfeng said:
I think you made an error in the name.
I am aware of 12C27.
I am aware of 19C27
I am aware of 13C26

Never heard of 13C27.
Is this a new alloy? If not, which alloy did you mean?
Click to expand...


My mistake sir, I meant 13C26. I'm trying to decide between a skyline and an NRG 1740 for an edc, but I wanted to find out people's preference between the two steels
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top