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hey guys i really don't like 440a steel. do i have a good reason for it or is it really not that bad? give me some pro and cons to it please. thanks.
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440a
- Thread starter thacheese16
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Why don't you like 440a steel? Do you have a reason? Or are you asking us to tell you why you don't like it?
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Could be a decent choice, it's cheap and very rust resistant so depending on the purpose and design of the knife, how often you would actually use the knife and how tough of a job, etc.
I don't mind low or low-medium level cutlery steel since I like both having money and sharpening, works for me. 440A (and 440B) would probably be seen as bottom barrel for most people but at the same time good enough for most people.
I don't mind low or low-medium level cutlery steel since I like both having money and sharpening, works for me. 440A (and 440B) would probably be seen as bottom barrel for most people but at the same time good enough for most people.
It depends on what you want it to do.
It is very tough and corrosion resistant, not the best on wear resistance/edge retention.
It can work well as a hard use field knife or a machete,
...may not be the best steel for a dedicated hunter.
Big Mike
Tsujigiri
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That's not a steel I'd particularly want in a knife, but if the knife is priced accordingly to its low end steel, heat treated properly, and is well-made, I don't see a problem with it. I'd also be a little more tolerant of lower end steel in a traditional folder, since that's the norm for that kind of knife.
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thanks guys. i think the reason why i kinda don't like it is that ive had some really crappy knives with 440a and they sucked but i think i'll give it another chance.
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Rough rider uses it. Good good stuff. Easy to sharpen, even with "primitive" methods as a pocket stone or a diamond/sapphire rod.
I prefer steels like 440A and 420HC. While they are limited in hardenability and edge retention, in real world use, they are very user friendly, durable and easy to maintain. If I could get any knife only in 440A, I would not find myself at any particular loss. In fact, I would not mind at all.
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I'd be ok with it as long as the price was $15 or less
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well the knife just ordered it with is the Ontario utillitac 1 which is $25 shipped.
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440A can be very decent stuff, if it is not treated by the manufacturer as a "cheap" steel.
Schrade and Camillus both used 440A, gave it a top heat treat and it performed well enough. Try one of the Kershaw knives in 440A, if you can find one. Kershaw does a good job with similar alloys such as 13C26. I'd bet their heat treat of 440A is pretty good.
However, if you buy a cheap knife with a 440A steel blade, you are unlikely to like it.
Schrade and Camillus both used 440A, gave it a top heat treat and it performed well enough. Try one of the Kershaw knives in 440A, if you can find one. Kershaw does a good job with similar alloys such as 13C26. I'd bet their heat treat of 440A is pretty good.
However, if you buy a cheap knife with a 440A steel blade, you are unlikely to like it.
jdm61
itinerant metal pounder
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While 13C26 and its step-brother AEB-L are also very old formulas and relatively inexpensive, I think that many would argue that they are significantly better knife steels compared to 440A. Some would probably even argue that they are superior to the "king" of the 440 family, 440C and by a fair margin if treated with care in the HT process.
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Indeed, Kershaw does and has done 440A quite well for years. I have a small Kershaw folder in 440A that has taken more work than I would have ever thought it would, and while it is hard to sharpen, it is hard to dull as well. Their 440A is great as a pocket knife steel. But I have another 25 year old Gerber folder in 440A, and it is just average. OK, but not in the same hardness/performance level as the Kershaw.
Just reiterating your point about the difference found from manufacturer to manufacturer. :thumbup:
Robert
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I will leave it at, "I completely disagree with that comment."
A moderator should not be earning chicklets through the use of coarse language.
jdm61
itinerant metal pounder
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Really? People like Verhoeven and the entire high end kitchen knife community would be more inclined to agree with me and not use coarse language. 
You should try lurking on some of the kitchen knife forums and see what people who actually use knives for a living have to say about properly made AEB-L/13C26 knives. Then, if you want to hear some REALLY coarse language, parrot the Cutco sales pitch about their 440A knives being the "best in the world."
You should try lurking on some of the kitchen knife forums and see what people who actually use knives for a living have to say about properly made AEB-L/13C26 knives. Then, if you want to hear some REALLY coarse language, parrot the Cutco sales pitch about their 440A knives being the "best in the world."
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Tsujigiri
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I'd generally agree with that. Although, I just got this for exactly $20 shipped, and I'm very impressed with it for the price. I haven't seen anyone post anything about this particular knife yet, so here's the Rough Rider basketweave pearl Trapper:
As others have stated when 440A is given a proper heat treat and left somewhere around 58 on the Rockwell hardness scale it can be more than serviceable. I own several inexpensive Rough Riders and while the edge retention is decent at best those little slipjoints can take a down right scary edge all in all while it isn't a super steel by any means it had the potential to be decent stuff.
A crappy knife is a crappy knife. It's not the steels fault it was chosen for a low budget blade. Geometry and heat treatment can have a much more profound effect than having or not having a specific steel.
Is 440A a good steel...hmm...that's an interesting question.I guess a better question would be 'is 440A being held back as a common steel offering for modern knives of today'?Most people of the slipjoint brands used 440A Stainless as their common stainless steel up to the late 90's/early 2000's.Just like every American knife manufacturer they normally end up dropping 440A because of cost...it's cheaper to switch to 420HC or even cheaper to go with Sandvik.I don't like Sandviks with a very fine edge because they wear easily.And they should-they may draw in higher rockwell ratings but they're low alloyed kitchen knife steels.Buck does good things with 420HC combined with their edge geometry so they can make it work.440A was a better steel because even at carbon content it's on par with the newer common steels of today.Very high rust resistance and 0.75% in molybdenum for wear resistance.You mostly only see the high end steels incorporating molybdenum into their compositions.It's no high end steel of course but of the slipjoint era it was probably the best steel to put alongside the old carbon steels that gave a combination of sharpening ease,rust resistance,and edge holding.440A is a very overlooked steel because of China using their comparison steels in it's place and stamping '440 Stainless' on the blades thus giving a poor outlook