Aitor knife steel

W

W.T. Beck

Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Messages
1,411
Over the past year I have bought three Aitor knives. I like the designs, and have found reviews of Aitor knives to be very positive.

Still, one thing bothers me about Aitor advertising. I am not sure if I should believe their claims about the stainless steel used for their blades. I have seen this steel described as "similar to 440V" and "an improvement over 440C".

From what I have read about high grade stainless steels, it is difficult and expensive to make knives from it. Dies are worn out quickly or cannot be used to stamp out the blades, so production costs are high.

Now all of the Aitor knives I have bought have cost less than $100. I recently purchased a large bolo style Aitor knife for only $67 plus shipping.

My question therefore is this: how can Aitor make big knives from premium stainless steel that sell for less than some knives made of 420HC? Is it really possible for a company to make a large knife of steel "similar to 440V" that sells for only $67?
 
I would have to see how this steel was made before I would be able to say whether I would think it could be similar to CPM 440V, but I doubt it very much. If they have figured out a way to make this steel and sell finished knives for far less than bar CPM 440v I would be amazed. They tend to advertise their steel as being an improvement on 440C, I am not sure I would even go that far.

Aitor make good knives with what looks to be very good steel. That is as much as I will give them. Of course they are going to say that their steel is better the competition.
 
I need to correct one mistake in my post above. I said that all of the Aitor knives I have bought cost less than $100. I meant to say each of them cost less than $100.

Thanks for your reply, KWM. Aitor's advertising is just inconsistent with all I have read about the cost of making knives from high grade stainless steel.
 
Hello King Grinch,

The Aitor knives are made in Spain. Aitor makes knives for the Spanish military, as well as other European armies and police forces. They are often said to be the top knife company in Spain.

I doubt low wages explains their prices. Spain is no longer a poor country. A co-worker lived and worked in Madrid for awhile, and she told me the cost of living there is very high.
 
In a Cutlery Shoppe catalogue that I have, from maybe 1996, the few Aitor blades in it are described as 440B.

I have no Aitor knives but I do have a few Muela knives, another Spanish brand of pretty good quality, and seemingly similar to Aitor. I don't know what steel they use.
 
The current internet ads for Aitor knives describe the blade steel as an improvement over 440C. I read the claim of similarity to 440V in an article on Aitor knives in the November 2001 issue of Tactical Knives Magazine:

The manufacturer stated the steel is very similar to 440V.
Click to expand...

This was said in reference to the Aitor Jungle King model, but I think the bowies and bolo I bought are supposed to be maded from the same steel, which Aitor calls "Moly-Vanadium stainless".

I had tended to believe the claims about this "Moly-Vanadium stainless" until recently. The comments I have read from Aitor owners on these forums are almost entirely positive. However, some reading I have done recently on the difficulty and cost of making knife blades from high-end stainless steels have led me to wonder how a company could possibly make knives of such steel and sell them for low prices?

Also, I have come to wonder how much weight one should give in general to casual comments from non-experts on knife steel. For example, lately I have read ringing endorsements of knives made from 420HC. One forumite even went as far as to state that there is no discernible difference between two versions of the same knife - one with a blade of 420HC, and another with a blade of ATS-34.

I will hasten to add that I have not actually used my Aitor knives so I cannot give any personal observations on their performance. I tend to collect knives far more than I use them. When I do use a knife for light household chores, it is usually my Greco Companion.
 
Hi,

Aitor knives steel is 440C, plus special treatment of molybdene and vanadium. This type of steel is used by Aitor and Nieto. Other makers like Muela use 440A + moly-van.

Even high quality (production) knives are VERY cheap here in Spain - don't surprise :D

Greetings from Albacete (Spain).
 
Thanks for the information, jorgean. It is interesting how prices can vary from country to country. I once went to Germany, and the only thing I did not like about that country was having to buy water to drink. I was quite expensive, also. In the US a glass of water is ususally provided free in restuarants, and in rare cases for a very small charge.

I was quite suprised when I went into a gunshop in Mainz,Germany. The prices for guns there were a fraction of US prices. Of course, I am sure it was far more difficult to get permission to buy a gun in Germany.
 
US companies do tend to charge a lot for their products, even domestically.

I've been looking at a lot of knives lately, and the Muelas and Aitors have caught my eye. I too question the steel, as well as some of the gilt they apply to the pommels and guards. (Some of the pieces border on the Frost-type "Dundee" and "Rambo" 'bowies', as far as over-the-top decoration, etc.)

How do they hold up? Some of them certainly are beautiful. Do they cut? Are they full tang construction?

Who says you need to buy $300 knives?

-- PG
 
I have to agree with ParaGlock about the gilt applied to guards and pommels on some Aitor models. It does make the knives look "cheap", like some Pakistani or Chinese knives. Fortunately my Aitor Nato Bowie has a black guard and pommel.

I am one of those who collects far more than uses knives. I have not yet tried out my Aitor knives, but have read older posts by Aitor users which were very positive. These posts as well as the claims about the stainless steel was what persuaded me to buy my Aitor knives.
 
How about the printing on the blades? Is it silk screened or etched?

Some of the knives look extremely interesting, except for the big writing on the side (ref. the Cuchilla El Montero Bowie). Is it as bad up close as it is in the ads? Can I polish it off?

I'm with Mr. Beck on the collection vs. use idea. I've got knives in my kitchen for cooking, in the garage and shed for working, and in my dresser drawer for fawning over. :)

And why am I getting this sudden liking for "stamina wood", which I'd never heard of before Tuesday? :)

-- PG
 
Hello ParaGlock,

Not sure about the writing on the knife you have in mind. My Aitor Nato Bowie has very faint writing on the blade, and I think it could be polished off. This is the standard Nato Bowie, with a satin finished blade and black, military looking guard and pommel. The blade is 7.25 inches.

I know they have some civilian versions of this knife, which has the tacky gilt guard and pommel, and wooden handle. Perhaps those have some exaggerated writing to ruin the appearance, as if the gilt parts weren't bad enough!
 
Keep in mind tough that Aitor as wel as muela have a few different lines they produce knives with.. For one, I know Nieto stamps blades.

And their steel is not really comparable to Say SOG's 440A. They do their best, and they certainly make quality stuff, but you can look at them like Smith & Wesson of european cutlery. The have their use, and they make nice things... but there are better.

They also have a tricky way to mount knives sometimes. they make a cast alu or brass bolster, and butt, and then drill about 2 inch down to stick the tang in. It looks like a full tang knife, but it isn't even fully a stick tang.

I've seen some of their higher end stuff, and indeed, they use 440C... they also have a procedure to add vanadium to the upper layers, same as moly. it holds an edge... but not for too long. Compared to Spydies ATS-55 or AUS-8, I'd prefer the spydies.
And they maintain about benchmade ATS-34 toughness, strong hard steel, but please don't do a bend test. Cold steel's AUS-8 really shines here. Not to mention their carbon V :D

Let's just say.. buy 'm if you like, they make good stuff.

But for a knifenut like me.. it's a tad too low quality.

greetz and take care, Bart.
 
Hello Bart,

Thanks for your comments, which are more critical than others I have seen on Aitor knives. However I am a bit confused, as you mentioned Muela and Nieto in addition to Aitor. I am not sure just which brand you were refering to in some of your comments, such as the one about the phony full tangs.
 
Hello Again, Bart,

After some examination I don't think my Aitor's can be the ones you were refering to having cast aluminum bolsters and butts. They have plastic handles and do not have the appearance of having full tangs.


Also, if the steel is not as good as Aus8, I am assuming the heat treatment must be very poor.
 
I wasn't very clear on which knife with which manufactererm because I didn't wanted to be.
Why? Simple they have a high-end, midlle class and low end line. and they do use several different steels, and that goes for about each of these manufacterers.
If you got a high end muela ( I think that one was the one with the fake tang) or aitor, it can serve you well. If you got a low end.. well expect 420J2 performance.

greetz and take care, bart.
 
Hello Bart,

Thanks for the clarification. Another factor that convinced me to buy Aitor knives is the claim that they make the Spanish Army's issue knife and also sell knives to other European military and police organizations. The NATO Bowie appeared to be much like the Spanish Army bolo style knife, except for the blade shape. I also like knives with big double guards, and the NATO Bowies have this feature.
The fact that the Aitor was designed with traditional military features was a big factor in my decision.

As for Muela knives, I will no longer buy any knife made with 440A stainless steel.
 
I bought a Muela knife several years ago, when I was young and knew nothing about steel quality, edge retention, blade geometry or any other performance factor, I just liked the look of the knife and I needed to handle some blade bigger than those on my SAK. I still have and use that knife. According to some advertising I saw once it's made of 440C stainless steel, it didn't had a lanyard hole so I drilled one by myself and found what seemed a full tang under the kraton handle.

Performance? 6 1/4 inches in a recurved blade and a good ergonomics in the handle have been good for light chopping on palms and thin branches but I have never tried nothing harder (and now I don't expect be amazed if I have to), it has acceptable edge retention and ease of sharpening (no surprise given the steel).

Here in Mexico Muela and Aitor knives are very popular for camping uses, in general terms they're good knives for the price.
 
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