Cheapskate Heroes

I was thinking where I should post this one. I could have posted this picture in any of these topics:

1) Which knife or knives are you carrying today?
2) Everyone's latest acquisitions
3) Neck knives
4) Just pix of knives
5) Fixed blades
6) What id you do with your EDC today?
7) Pictures Of Your Cold Steel
8) What's your Cold Steel EDC today?
9) Grppy Handles
10) Choppers :D (kidding)

Did I miss anything? :D

And yeah, it's a good knife! I really like it

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Here it is – Ruike 118 Jager – check links below.
It was not so cheap at 78 euros but ….. All I can say is 'top notch'.
I have no complains. Machining is top notch, no hot spots, no sharp edges (except the cutting edge), no burrs and leftovers , no misalignments. Made good to the last detail.
What surprised me most was the shaving sharp edge. I looked under the microscope – it was sharpened and stropped.
I like it.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FCO4gKfUiIEVT48yso0MeWQNjBqqicBE/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F1ZsJZHsYgfEp-mdYexuGG2xSBSwyIj6/view?usp=drivesdk
 
The edge gets honed every day it gets carried, so I can't speak on it's retention other than that's it's never gotten dull. I believe BPS claims it's 1066. It's very similar to Condor in quality and construction. Certainly worth the money and right now there's a 10% coupon on that big river website😎
 
I was just looking at Brother fixed blade knives and wondering should I order one. They look like a good candidates for this thread.
Then I saw your BPS photo and went on their site to look what they have. I'm interested … I would like stainless blade but it seems they only use 5Cr14mov steel. I' not sure about this steel.
 
TheOne45 said:
I was just looking at Brother fixed blade knives and wondering should I order one. They look like a good candidates for this thread.
Then I saw your BPS photo and went on their site to look what they have. I'm interested … I would like stainless blade but it seems they only use 5Cr14mov steel. I' not sure about this steel.
Click to expand...

It looks pretty closely matched with AUS-8, although there are some slight differences that I'm not smart enough to understand. I'll bet the added chromium carbon is a good thing.

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oldmanwilly said:
It looks pretty closely matched with AUS-8, although there are some slight differences that I'm not smart enough to understand. I'll bet the added carbon is a good thing.

pOJDxdE.jpeg
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There isn't much difference in the stated compositions between 5Cr14Mov and 5Cr15Mov. As in the case with 8Cr13Mov and 8Cr14Mov, it might be a different packaging or processing of the same steel. (That said, 8Cr13Mov is the Chinese analog of Japanese AUS-8.)

5Cr15Mov is an analog of 4116. It's not the worst budget steel and it's easy enough to find in the kitchen knife section at Walmart. It has decent corrosion resistance but not much else going for it. Relative to modern budget EDC knives, 5Cr15Mov is pretty bad. For instance, 8Cr13Mov is much tougher and tends to offer noticeably better edge retention. As Nick Shabazz famously says of it, "8Cr13Mov is either barely adequate or barely inadequate." Personally, I put 8Cr13Mov on the "barely inadequate" side and 5Cr15 in the "hard pass" category.

That remains true when constrained to the realm of "cheapskate heros". While strictly better steels like 14C28N and 9Cr18Mov are available under $50, steels like 7Cr17Mov and 8Cr13Mov are widely available in the $15-30 range.

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Yes, I did a research on the net and looks like it's in the same category as Victorinox steel (4116). In this range of steels I'm more used to 12c27 (my Opinels) and 14c28n (my Ruike 118) which should be a little higher.
I don't have any knife in 4116 but I sharpen my fathers SAKs and I would say it's not bad steel at all.
 
Well, I think I can call this knife a gem. It's a cheap knife but not 'cheap' as poorly made with lousy materials. I think they messed up with the price and when discovered they didn't have the guts to correct the error.
This is a heavy beast made like a tank. I think you could use it for a crowbar if needed.
It opens smoothly despite the heavy blade (ball bearings, nice detent) and it does this special 'clunk' sound when the blade hits the stopping pin.
Perfectly centered, no vertical or side play in open or half open position. I can feel no space (play) between the pivot and the hole of the blade when the blade is in half open position. I wonder how they made it in so closed tolerances.
It's made to the last detail. I couldn't find any flaws or mistakes outside and inside if you know what I mean.
It slices very good despite the thick blade (3.9mm). I guess they hit the nail on the head with the geometry.
So, no complains... it's a keeper and... how it goes? Oh, yes... 'this knife will cut'.
And PF838 is the name.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JG05JYAVwdgwckcW9eJnSQE3YL4xJWpE/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IFbPLdESV5UzRM1kkAHAl0eLv6at5heE/view?usp=drivesdk
 
TheOne45 said:
Yes, I did a research on the net and looks like it's in the same category as Victorinox steel (4116). In this range of steels I'm more used to 12c27 (my Opinels) and 14c28n (my Ruike 118) which should be a little higher.
I don't have any knife in 4116 but I sharpen my fathers SAKs and I would say it's not bad steel at all.
Click to expand...

I also prefer 12C27 to 4116 or 5Cr15Mov. Sandvik 12C27 holds an okay edge, is exceptionally tough, and has good corrosion resistance. AFAIK, 12C27 has also been used to make the "blades" for higher-end ice skates.

Here is fun twist. The 12C27 in the Opinel knives isn't really 12C27. Their stainless is based on a modified recipe for 12C27, "12C27 Mod", which has even less carbon. While most of us would consider regular 12C27 to be a very user-friendly steel by today's standards, Opinel wanted it to be even easier to sharpen and maintain. It's the philosophy of an everyday "working man's steel" which could be quickly sharpened on a rock, the bottom of a coffee cup, etc.. The reason Opinel knives perform better than we might expect based on the steel is the blade geometry.

BTW, 14C28N is a solid step up from any of these steels. Specifically developed by Sandvik as a blade steel for Kershaw, it has an excellent balance of properties including high toughness, high corrosion resistance, and good edge retention relative to ease of sharpening.
 
TheOne45 said:
Well, I think I can call this knife a gem. It's a cheap knife but not 'cheap' as poorly made with lousy materials. I think they messed up with the price and when discovered they didn't have the guts to correct the error.
This is a heavy beast made like a tank. I think you could use it for a crowbar if needed.
It opens smoothly despite the heavy blade (ball bearings, nice detent) and it does this special 'clunk' sound when the blade hits the stopping pin.
Perfectly centered, no vertical or side play in open or half open position. I can feel no space (play) between the pivot and the hole of the blade when the blade is in half open position. I wonder how they made it in so closed tolerances.
It's made to the last detail. I couldn't find any flaws or mistakes outside and inside if you know what I mean.
It slices very good despite the thick blade (3.9mm). I guess they hit the nail on the head with the geometry.
So, no complains... it's a keeper and... how it goes? Oh, yes... 'this knife will cut'.
And PF838 is the name.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JG05JYAVwdgwckcW9eJnSQE3YL4xJWpE/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IFbPLdESV5UzRM1kkAHAl0eLv6at5heE/view?usp=drivesdk
Click to expand...

I have one of these. It's one of David Chen's more visually appealing designs. You're right about it being relatively sturdy for what it is. I see it as a big brother to the PF818, which was also designed by David Chen.

Coincidentally, Petrified Fish does one of the better heat treatments on Chinese D2. Overall, they've got a lot of models in the "best bang for the buck" category.
 
Cronovore, thanks for the info.
I didn't know about modified 12c27 for Opinels. I do have PF719 in 12c27 steel but haven't compare it directly to my Opinels. Oh, I forgot about two knives I also got.....Mora Companion which suppose to be 12c27 and Bahco 2446 which also say it's 12c27. I measured both and my Mora is shy of 56HRC and Bahco 59HRc.
I also have PF949 in K110 steel which showed 61HRc and holds the edge very good.
So, the best steel I have at the moment is this K110, chinese D2 on PF838 and 14c28n on my Ruike 118.
I had a wish to get a knife in one of those steels like s90v but if I'm honest I don't need such steel at the moment.
How I use my knives lately I don't have to sharpen them very often.
 
TheOne45 said:
I was just looking at Brother fixed blade knives and wondering should I order one. They look like a good candidates for this thread.
Then I saw your BPS photo and went on their site to look what they have. I'm interested … I would like stainless blade but it seems they only use 5Cr14mov steel. I' not sure about this steel.
Click to expand...
To you and all other on this subject,

The 5Cr14mov has a East European/Russian GOST name of 50X14 (50H14). It is a very common stainless knife steel in that region for a long time, along with 65X15 (extremely close AEB-L) and 95X18 (low carbon range of 440C, SAE 440C has very wide carbon range and correspond to more than 1 steel grade in different standards).

I don't understand why BPS uses alternative name for the steels that they use, like 1066 carbon steel is East European/GOST 65G.

Victorinox uses 1.4110, not 1.4116. They have has slight different in edge retention and toughness. 0.05% doesn't seem much, but in these low/medium carbon steel, it is does make some different, roughly 10% statistic different in carbon.
 
TheOne45 said:
I do have PF719 in 12c27 steel
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You are welcome.

I like all the knives I have in super steels but in reality, I could probably go the rest of my days with no complaint using just 14C28N.

BTW, the 719 is another cool knife that's priced right for this thread. With wood scales and no clip, but drop-shut action that flicks beautifully from the thumb stud; it fills an interesting space between modern and traditional. Mine either sits in my top desk drawer to open letters or rides in a cardigan pocket.
 
Deino said:
The 5Cr14mov has a East European/Russian GOST name of 50X14 (50H14).
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I was looking for a fixed blade knife for walks in the woods, some work around the house and some ''bushcrafting'' when doing grill on my yard.
After educating myself on Youtube watching all those former special forces survival guys and all those bushcraft experts I got a picture what kind of a knife should looking for.
Apparently my goal suppose to be a full tang knife with a decent steel to cope with all those demanding tasks I was going to put it through ( ;) ). But the knife should also look as I think the knife should look and I didn't want a plain carbon steel.

Well; I got the knife I was looking for but searching the knife I also saw, what's available at what price so that's why I wrote I'm somehow not convinced about their decision to use 5Cr14mov steel.

Deino said:
Victorinox uses 1.4110, not 1.4116.
Click to expand...
Their official site says they are using ''martensitic stainless steel''. I don't know why they don't just write the number of steel they use; it would be simpler with less typing.
Anyhow; I looked through the net and some other sources are mentioning 1.4110 steel, as you wrote.
I sharpen my fathers SAKs but nothing much else so I can't say much about this steel. Looks like our 'SAK using' friends from this forum love the steel. They say it's a good compromise between edge holding and edge maintenance.

But; as I see they used 14c28n for their Venture collection.
Makes you think.

Chronovore said:
BTW, the 719 is another cool knife that's priced right for this thread. With wood scales and no clip, but drop-shut action that flicks beautifully from the thumb stud; it fills an interesting space between modern and traditional. Mine either sits in my top desk drawer to open letters or rides in a cardigan pocket.
Click to expand...
When I saw this knife I liked it so much I instantly clicked on ''add to card'' button. I was not disappointed when I got it. Nicely done knife indeed.
Sadly I don't use it much lately but whenever I open it I'm surprised how the blade ejects to open position … like it's spring loaded or something.
I wish they would also make a drop point version of this knife.

Chronovore said:
I like all the knives I have in super steels but in reality, I could probably go the rest of my days with no complaint using just 14C28N.
Click to expand...
I must say I also like D2 steel. Must be somehow related to my work. In 30 years I designed tons of tooling in D2 and spring (1.8159) steel for operations I used to cover. Besides; there is lots of good knives out there in D2 steel at a very good price. If I add to that 12c27 and my last purchase in 14c28n steel all my cutting tasks and edge retention wishes are more or less covered. Besides; I don't mind some edge refreshing or sharpening from time to time.
I can't say I would not like to have a super steel knife. I just can't find the knife I would like at the price I would approve at the moment.
Was looking at Manly City in s90v steel. Good price but unfortunately the black version is unavailable at the moment around here.
 
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