Damasteel vs. Chad Nichols Damascus

Damasteel is made using powder metallurgy and is a combination of RWL34, which is like CPM154, and 12C27, which is similar to AEB-L. Nichols uses AEB-L, 440C, nickel, and 304 for their stainless damascus and manufactures it by forging.

Pattern-welded steel typically performs like its component steels. I would expect 'better' performance from Damasteel, because both of its component steels are suitable for cutlery, while nickel and 304 are not hardenable by heat treat; but you truthfully may not notice.

Personally if I am buying stainless damascus, performance is a secondary concern. People don't buy damascus for performance, they buy it because it's pretty and for the pattern. But if you want performance, Damasteel is probably the best... and you'll pay for the best, for sure; it is substantially more expensive to get than Nichols or Vegas Forge stainless damascus.

Now, that isn't saying anything against Nichols or Vegas Forge. Both put out top quality steel, and a well-made knife out of either will be a well-made and serviceable knife. I own several knives in Nichols stainless.

I also want to caveat this by saying that Nichols also makes some harder-to-get damascus that is actually san mai with stainless damascus cladding over a cutting edge of high-alloy PM steels like Elmax or MagnaCut. Those will, assuming they are treated to optimize performance of the edge steel, probably perform 'better' given the same knife in different materials than Damasteel. But then you're right back in the argument of exactly how much difference you notice between the different high-end PM stainless steels used for cutlery.
 
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Have both, carry both, extremely satisfied with both.

I know what the paper says. In reality it's impossible to give a first place to either. Maybe if you had the same model in both.

It comes down to the design, edge and geometry of the blade. I feel like the DS holds that razor edge a bit longer, but the CN doesn't show or scratch as easy in my finish varieties.

More of a mood choice for me. Feeling slick and shiny or low key and classic today? :)
 
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jfk1110 said:
DamaSteel is the best looking stuff...........
Others don't even attract my eye balls after that all moot...
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Agree-
I've never been big in to Damascus blades or full dress knives in general.
I've had great experiences with Damasteel though. Their DS93x takes a wicked sharp edge and seems to last.
 
I like both. Both have their positives and negatives. Damasteel is one hell of a looker. It just always seems to look amazing no matter which company finishes the blade. There have been a lot of people that have EDC'd Nichols damascus on Sebenzas throughout the years. Here's a couple relevant threads to browse through. Devin Thomas makes some of my favorite damascus patterns personally.
kidcongo

Thread 'Damascus EDC, the start of a journey: Est. 2017 (w. Dec 2024 update).'

Hey all.

On August 1st I started carrying my Raindrop Damascus 21 daily, and plan on carrying it through to the end of December. 5 months of solid carry. The knife has already started to show some wear on the blade as well as lots of snail trails on the slabs (that never seem to show in photos). The typical lightening of the etch around the thumbstud has begun and I have several scratches on the blade.

I plan on using this knife for all of my work and weekend carry, with the exception of specific work-related electrical tasks where I need a sheepsfoot blade (such as skinning thick...
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badmatt

Thread 'Hot damn! One month challenge! Damascus edition!'

This challenge will consist of anybody who wants in on carrying their Damascus CRK for an entire month straight!

I'll start off with mine!
Day one!
PXL_20230125_145438320.jpg

Matt
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