3cr VS 8cr13MoV

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finnman1

Joined
Mar 2, 2008
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I am the owner of a Spyderco Delica4 and have always owned Spyderco knives. I am looking to buy a cheap folder for my son to play around with on his projects with cutting paracord, arts and crafts, and some light camping duties.

I have come across 2 of the cheaper steels Spyderco offers and I am not able to get much information about them. I know the 8cr13MoV is similar to AUS8, however doesn't hold the edge as well; but I don't know much about the 3cr. I can assume the 3cr>8cr?

Will any guru care to share a bit of information?

Also, the standard bidirectional handle material is a bit rough against the back of my hand when i put it in my pocket and it slides against the handle. Is going to G-10 going to alleviate this issue? What are your experiences?

Thanks!
 
I am the owner of a Spyderco Delica4 and have always owned Spyderco knives. I am looking to buy a cheap folder for my son to play around with on his projects with cutting paracord, arts and crafts, and some light camping duties.

I have come across 2 of the cheaper steels Spyderco offers and I am not able to get much information about them. I know the 8cr13MoV is similar to AUS8, however doesn't hold the edge as well; but I don't know much about the 3cr. I can assume the 3cr>8cr?

Will any guru care to share a bit of information?

Also, the standard bidirectional handle material is a bit rough against the back of my hand when i put it in my pocket and it slides against the handle. Is going to G-10 going to alleviate this issue? What are your experiences?

Thanks!
 
I am the owner of a Spyderco Delica4 and have always owned Spyderco knives. I am looking to buy a cheap folder for my son to play around with on his projects with cutting paracord, arts and crafts, and some light camping duties.

I have come across 2 of the cheaper steels Spyderco offers and I am not able to get much information about them. I know the 8cr13MoV is similar to AUS8, however doesn't hold the edge as well; but I don't know much about the 3cr. I can assume the 3cr>8cr?

Will any guru care to share a bit of information?

Also, the standard bidirectional handle material is a bit rough against the back of my hand when i put it in my pocket and it slides against the handle. Is going to G-10 going to alleviate this issue? What are your folk's experiences?

Thanks!
 
in these chinese "alphabet" steels:

8Cr13MoV = 0.8% carbon, 13% chrome.
3Cr13 = 0.3% carbon, 13% chrome.

3Cr13 steel should be close to standard 420 steel. if you're not a fan of 8Cr13MoV, you're not going to be a fan of 3Cr13.

what knife do you have in 8Cr13MoV?


if you want to get your son a good crafts knife, why not get him and opinel (like a #6 or #7)?

the most important factor on how good a knife cuts is its geometry (design), the steel comes second.
 
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Thank you for educating me on what "CR" stands for. Is it safe to assume the .3% carbon will hold even less of an edge than the .8% carbon? The reasoning I don't really want the 8cr13moV is based on reviews, it is said to have a fast edge decay. I am used to using vg-10 and am not too sure about wanting to re-sharpen it for him every 10 minutes. You know what they say, a sharp knife is safer than a dull one.

Something tells me the 3cr13mov is Spyderco's bottom of the barrel steel.
 
finnman1 said:
Thank you for educating me on what "CR" stands for. Is it safe to assume the .3% carbon will hold even less of an edge than the .8% carbon? The reasoning I don't really want the 8cr13moV is based on reviews, it is said to have a fast edge decay. I am used to using vg-10 and am not too sure about wanting to re-sharpen it for him every 10 minutes. You know what they say, a sharp knife is safer than a dull one.
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the lower the carbon, the lower the hardness you can get from a heat treat. if you are use to spyderco's VG-10, you will be disappointed with 3Cr13.

both 8Cr13MoV and AUS-8 are pretty good steels, with a good heat treat of course.

edge geometry is more important than steel choice. if you have a knife with a really thin profile/edge, even if the edge is dull it will still cut like it's sharp.

for an inexpensive but good slicer, opinel is a good choice. i recommend looking at the opinel #6, #7 or #8 (i prefer the stainless versions).
 
I appreciate the suggestion, but I think we would both prefer something more on the stylish side.

In regards to the 8cr13MoV; if I were to be abusing the knife in so far as using a 2x4 as a hammer on the backside in an attempt to cut firewood in a camping situation; assuming a thick blade profile, and similarly heat-treated...how much farther would the vg-10 take me in comparison to the 8Cr?
 
finnman1 said:
I appreciate the suggestion, but I think we would both prefer something more on the stylish side.

In regards to the 8cr13MoV; if I were to be abusing the knife in so far as using a 2x4 as a hammer on the backside in an attempt to cut firewood in a camping situation; assuming a thick blade profile, and similarly heat-treated...how much farther would the vg-10 take me in comparison to the 8Cr?
Click to expand...

here's the thing, if you're batoning and impacting the blade, different properties in the steels will make one "better" than the other. i feel AUS-8 is tougher than VG-10, so for batoning i rather have AUS-8. but VG-10 is more wear resistant and can be taken to a higher hardness. so if i was to do a lot of cardboard cutting, i rather have VG-10 (especially if it's heat treated to a higher hardness).

it's best to pick a knife's design and steel depending on the tasks you want it to perform.

how much are you willing to spend?
 
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Honestly, it sounds like you should just get him a delica. But truth be told, a delica wouldn't be very good in a wood chopping situation so...i wouldn't base your decision on that. If what you want is a cheap, durable, well made knife with good steel that will hold an edge and cut like a demon then you already know what to get him...

The next thing would then be to teach him how to sharpen his own knives:rolleyes:
 
finnman1 said:
I appreciate the suggestion, but I think we would both prefer something more on the stylish side.

In regards to the 8cr13MoV; if I were to be abusing the knife in so far as using a 2x4 as a hammer on the backside in an attempt to cut firewood in a camping situation; assuming a thick blade profile, and similarly heat-treated...how much farther would the vg-10 take me in comparison to the 8Cr?
Click to expand...

I strongly advise against using a 3" folding knife as a hatchet, axe, machete, chopper, or wedge. YMMV.
 
I Have A Few Spyderco And Byrd Knives In 8CR13MoV Steel.
They Hold A Really Good Edge.
They Are Good Knives.
Your Son Would Love One.
I'd Go With A Spyderco Persistence.
 
The Spyderco Persistence is my recommendation too. IMO 8cr13mov will get razor sharp, holds an okay edge (speaking specifically to paracord since it can get hard to cut), and the size is good too. Compared to VG10 (.95-1.05 carbon) it is a step down. The Persistence is a beater knife, but it has a good look, great value considering the low cost, and a nice EDC size.

The G10 on the Persistence is near perfect. You may have to tweak open the belt clip so it's not too tight.

The liner lock is secure, the detent is excellent, and deployment is easy.

Another to consider is the Spyderco Cat. A little smaller, but excellent ergos, and 440C (1.0 carbon). It may be a little small around the camp site, but I think you may want to consider a cheap fixed blade for those chores.

Good luck.
 
Or A Spyderco UKPK If You Can Let Him Have A Slip Joint?
But Really... You Could Just Get Him A Delica 4 And He Can Carry What You Carry? He'd Be So Happy To Carry What His Dad Carries. It's How Kids Are.

But If Neither Of Those Options Tickle Your Fancy, I Would Go Persistence. He Would Really Like It I Believe. Mine Is A User Lol, But Holds Up Excellently And Holds It's Edge Very Well, I Put A Nice 23 Degree Edge On Mine And It Fits That Knife Well, I Can Use It For All Kinds Of Cutting Jobs And It Never Fails.
 
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