8cr13mov, why so much hate?

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yepimonfire

Joined
Nov 7, 2013
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I've seen many mentions of wishing knife manufacturers would stop using it, but I don't get what's so bad about it? Sure it's no supersteel but...it hardens between 58-60hrc, doesn't break easily, sharpens easily, no burr problems, and holds an edge reasonably. Have two knives in it and one I edced for over a year, with moderate use only needed touched up every 1-2 weeks, and I was cutting things like cardboard, foam, tubing and even aluminum wires without chipping/rolling. Only once have I done a full resharpening because it touches up easily. Other knife was a large fixed blade, used it to chop two tree limbs up hatchet style and baton one log and it'd still shave, though not as cleanly. Never broke.

What's so bad about it?
 
Properly treated it uses very well. I started my son out on 8C Byrd knives for hard use at his job, as well as beginning sharpening. It's great to learn on. I still occasionally use one of my Byrds along with my higher end knives. They take nice edges pretty easily.
 
I hate 8cr13mov because it cant hold an edge at all. I rather use a Victorinox than any knife that is in 8cr13mov...
 
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Country of origin has a lot to do with it.
 
It is not that bad of a steel. The question is, how much am I gonna pay for it. Not much.
 
In my experience, it's easy to sharpen and takes a decent edge, but it rusts really easily. Doesn't help that most cheap blades with 8cr13mov are bead blasted, too.
 
It all comes down to consistency. I've seen it over hardened and chippy, and I've seen it under treated and soft. Kershaw (Harnds), or Spyderco (Sanrenmu) it doesn't seem to matter. While better odds than the $5 knife bin brands, you have a better chance of getting an improperly treated 8CR/9CR steel as opposed to a domestically produced steel. Hence why one guy says it sucks, another says its okay, and another says its a great budget steel.

It's not a bad steel if you get a good example. 3CR however is arguably the worst steel you'll find in a pocket knife.
 
It sharpens easily and dulls just as easily. If I were to consider a knife in 8Cr- which isn't likely- it would have to be cheaper than a Rat 1. I've found AUS-8 to be a better all around cheapo steel. Although, I admit, 8Cr is better than the 3Cr that has, for some reason, become popular in budget knives. That has all the edge retention of a stick of butter.
 
I don't hate 8Cr13MoV. I have several blades made from it and I like it because it's easy to modify and sharpen. It's not my favorite for hard use, however.

If you like it, buy it and use it and don't worry about what anyone else thinks about it.
 
Revolverrodger said:
Why buy that crap when a couple of extra dollars can get you much better quality
Click to expand...

A lot of pretty cool knives come only in 8cr13mov. The Kershaw/Emersons, for example. Sure you can get a Skyline with 14c28n for a few bucks more but if you want the wave...
 
I'm no steel expert and I get a thousand yard stare when the minutia of various steel compositions comes up. But for the everyday knife user, 8Cr13MoV is okay. It's not comparable to today's super steels but it's not claiming to be. It's a good, everyday steel that sharpens easily (and gets really sharp) and retains the edge fairly well--great for working knives, not so great for show pieces. Knives using it don't cost a lot so knife knuts generally overlook them. Frankly, most knives today are made with good performing steel in the blades no matter where they're manufactured. I certainly can't find much to complain about in Kershaw and Spyderco models using 8Cr.
 
Ace Krampus said:
A lot of pretty cool knives come only in 8cr13mov. The Kershaw/Emersons, for example. Sure you can get a Skyline with 14c28n for a few bucks more but if you want the wave...
Click to expand...

I love my Kershaw CQC6k, but I wish the blade was at least Sandvik. I have to touch the blade up more often with this 8cr stuff just to keep it sharp.
 
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