Black blade coatings

K

KenHash

Joined
Sep 11, 2014
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The first black coated blade I bought was a Carbon V SRK back in 1989/90 the first year they were introduced. I do not recall what type of coating it was, maybe teflon, maybe epoxy..?
The coating has pretty much faded to an overall "grey" over time.

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I have an Cold Steel Trailmaster in 01 steel that I had "ceracoated". The coating does not look like it will last very long. At least it provides some protection to the bulk of the blade surface.

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I have a SOG Visionary II folder in VG10 with TiNi coating, which also did not last very long. Reading reviews of the black blade versions of the Fallkniven F1 as well as the SOG Seal Pup Elite all I see are folks saying that he black coating comes off very quickly.

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For Carbon Steel steel blades I can see the corrosion preventative aspect of a blade coating. But for Stainless blades I can only assume that the purpose is to look "tactical", a purpose that is very valid for military applications but rather questionable for civilian use. I have not yet tried this DLC to see if it holds any better than the others. Would like to hear other people's experiences with blade coatings on "user" knives.
 
I avoid coated blades. My only experiences with coated blades are with Boron Carbide and Titanium Nitride on vintage Microtech knives. These have held up much better than the current paint-like coating Microtech currently uses. It has also held up better than Benchmade's "BK1" coating, and better than Cerakote. I assume a PVD or Casidium treatment would do even better than either Boron Carbide or Titanium Nitride.
 
I usually get uncoated blades or strip them--I like the look of naked steel and don't mind the extra care/oiling when it comes to carbon steel. However, I recently purchased an Emerson Super Roadhouse with the coated blade, mostly because I liked the black uniformity of the blade/ handle. So, in this case, it was aesthetics... But typically, I go for uncoated.
 
I dislike coatings, especially on stainless steel. I have zero desire for anything I own to look "tactical".

On carbon steel I tend to like to force a patina. I prefer the look, and so far I've not had any of my patina'd knives develop rust of any kind (and I live on the coast), and the bare steel doesn't leave me worried that any coating came off in the food I was cutting, and also slides through wood that I'm batoning better.

However, if I strip a knife of its coating, I do keep the coating on under the handle, just to be safe.
 
The first Black-coated knife I bought was the SOG SealPup. The coating doesn't last very long. From what I've seen, the coating works well to protect a blade against corrosive environments (like saltwater.). I just recently acquired a brand-new KA-BAR USMC, and it has a black-coating on it as well. With good-quality blades, the black coating seems to be used as a protectant against corrosion from salts. I have really only seen black coatings on HC blades that were designed for use in water. From low-end companies, the black coating is likely just to make the blade look "tacticool", and may not serve much of a purpose at all.
 
The funniest thing is when companies have the "black tactical" coating available but then leave their liners raw and gleaming and their hardware satin...

If you're going to entertain such a silly premise, at least commit to it in a sensible way.
 
I've had great luck with Spyderco and ZT's DLC and Spartan Blades PVD coatings. They hardly wear at all, most of the 'wear' has turned out to be particles of whatever I was cutting that embedded in the coating and then washed off with soap and hot water.

Emerson's coating comes off, but looks good as it wears down.

asdf12345 said:
The funniest thing is when companies have the "black tactical" coating available but then leave their liners raw and gleaming and their hardware satin...

If you're going to entertain such a silly premise, at least commit to it in a sensible way.
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Great point.
 
All very good points, thanks. The CS TM is the only knife that I deliberately had "blackened".
It wasn't for any "tactical" purpose. I use it in my backyard when clearing brush and such, and I didn't
want the bratty little kids next door go sceaming into their house yellying "Mommy!! The guy next door is swinging
a HUUUUGE KNIFE".. LOL
Like most, I prefer regular polished blades, much easier to take care of and frankly, look better.
 
MatthewSB said:
I've had great luck with Spyderco and ZT's DLC and Spartan Blades PVD coatings. They hardly wear at all, most of the 'wear' has turned out to be particles of whatever I was cutting that embedded in the coating and then washed off with soap and hot water.

Emerson's coating comes off, but looks good as it wears down.



Great point.
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Yup the first time I thought I "scratched" DLC I was all "Awww man..." Then it washed off and I was all "Awww man! This stuff is tough!"
 
I avoid coated blades like I avoid partially serrated blades. I like the look of naked steel and I don't mind taking care of my blade.

I see all of my knives as tools and never as weapons that need to be "tactical". Frankly if you're not in the military or law enforcement "tactical" strikes me as juvenile....like putting spoilers and big muffler tips on a Honda....what for? The only black blades I own are knives that I wanted for collecting reasons but only come in black, like the new Spyderco PPT sprint run. Otherwise I would not own any.
 
ocnLogan said:
I dislike coatings, especially on stainless steel. I have zero desire for anything I own to look "tactical".

On carbon steel I tend to like to force a patina. I prefer the look, and so far I've not had any of my patina'd knives develop rust of any kind (and I live on the coast), and the bare steel doesn't leave me worried that any coating came off in the food I was cutting, and also slides through wood that I'm batoning better.

However, if I strip a knife of its coating, I do keep the coating on under the handle, just to be safe.
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Exactly what I do and exactly my experience with uncoated blades.
 
I am not a fan of coated blades. The only ones I own are an ESEE Izula and Becker BK-5.

I have owned in the past black bladed knives. Most of these Benchmades. My problem with them is that the treatment of the blade is fairly decent, but the screws and clip are covered in cheap black paint. The paint on the clip flakes off in no time flat.
 
I don't personally like any coatings except DLC. Some of the coatings out there are pathetic in the (lack of) durability, Benchmade's BK1 and Cold Steel's Teflon are the worst I have personally encountered. The BK1 coating is so poorly done that when I had my D2 Griptillian I once had the coating start to come off when I scrubbed it with Barkeepers' Friend (a very mild abrasive).

As to good coatings, I like DLC because it is molecularly bonded to the steel and I like the flat non reflective finish it creates. Also, it helps to reduce friction when cutting and on the rare chance that it comes off in food it won't cause any harm since it's just carbon, which is mostly what we are made of anyway. I do have some knives with coatings other than DLC, but only because I didn't have a choice. I ended up selling my D2 Griptillian and buying an uncoated 154CM model. When I have the choice, I typically go with uncoated over coated.
 
DLC is a great coating in the limited use I've had with it (had a Manix 2 with it), otherwise I don't usually care for a coating unless it's covering an otherwise rust-prone steel, like the D2 on an Adamas or the 1095 on an Ontario. If it wears well I think it looks better than a used non-coated blade (my mini Aegis was quite a looker in its well-used state), but the poor coatings like what Cold Steel has leaves me disappointed and not liking the knife in its used state.

One of the few knives where I willingly chose a coating when I had both options was a Bradford Guardian3 in their Nimbus coating, which is DLC that's been tumbled a bit, it looks quite a bit better than a normal stonewash.
 
You guys just made me feel a lot better. A couple of months ago I decided to strip the black coating off my two Kabars, because I detested the black look, and felt they would look a lot worse with wear. After a lot of work, the coating was gone and I suspected I had just ruined two knives. I like the bare metal blades, just figured I had created problems downstream. Now, it seems I'm not alone. Thanks.
 
I don't care too much for the coated blades really with one exception...I dig the coatings on my ESEE's and it aids with the corrosion issue. Of course as others mentioned even those can be stripped and a patina added and they look/function great. Other than that I prefer stone washed finishes, YMMV.

With the respect to the other coatings I would say the DLC ones look and hold up better than those hideous black painted monstrosities. Of course that's one of the beauties of knives. Plenty of flavors to fit every taste.
 
I have knives with both plain and black blades and really don't have a problem with both. If the black starts to wear, no biggee there either. Just comes with use.

I would make the point that the black blade on its own isn't really what makes it "tactical", but what the blade is attached to. For instance, I have a black bladed sheepsfoot Minigrip with the stock handles. To me, this isn't a 'tactical", or "tacticool" knife at all. I feel as though a Minigrip is probably one of the more sheeple friendly models of pocket clipped knives out there.

If I happen across a knife I like at a good/fair price, a black blade wouldn't be a deal breaker, for me anyways.
 
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