i don't know if this topic has been brought up before. i did a search on here and google, but i couldn't find much (mainly just people talking about how they want the knife, no real comparison between the metals). i would like to know how the different metals compare to each other. i'm very new to knives, but i want to pick one up for my bro-in-law, as we just started hunting together. i really like the look of the damascus steel, and from what i understand, it's a mixture of metals. but i don't know what kind of metals esee uses and how it compares to their 1095 and 440c. i have also done simple searches to compare 1095 to 440c, but i would like to know about these two steels, specifically with esee. for example, i've read in a lot of places that esee's 1095 steel is of higher quality than ordinary 1095 steel. so, specific to esee steels, how do their damascus, stainless, and carbon steels compare to each other? i guess the important things i should be considering are strength, ease of sharpening, and how the steels hold their edge. any help would be appreciated, thanks!
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esee izula: damascus vs stainless vs carbon
- Thread starter zcher82
- Start date
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- Nov 22, 2013
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- 7,184
This is a good question. Im curious myself, prticularily their damascus vs 1095
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2009
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ESEE's 1095 is the same chemical makeup as most places, Rowen is said to do a good heat treat (though they leave it a little soft for their smaller knives IMO). As far as the damascus from a quick search I found somebody mentioning it was a mix of 5160, 203E, 52100, and 15N20, which is a pretty common damascus mixture. For a comparison I don't really know much about how damascus acts as I don't have any, but I can tell you how some of the steels compare.
1095 vs 440C:
Slightly better Edge retention 440C
Better Rust resistance: 440C
Better Toughness: 1095
Easier to Sharpen: 1095
5160 will be tougher than 1095 with less edge holding, about the same rust resistance and ease of sharpening
52100 will have better edge retention and about the same toughness, rust resistance and ease of sharpening
203E don't really know much about it other than its a tool steel like the others
15N20 a Band saw steel, judging by the carbon content, will perform somewhere in between 5160 and 52100
Bottom line:
If you want a bit more edge holding and stainlessness go with 440C
If you want extra toughness and ease of sharpening go with the 1095 or damascus (if you want it to look cool doing it and you have the extra $$)
1095 vs 440C:
Slightly better Edge retention 440C
Better Rust resistance: 440C
Better Toughness: 1095
Easier to Sharpen: 1095
5160 will be tougher than 1095 with less edge holding, about the same rust resistance and ease of sharpening
52100 will have better edge retention and about the same toughness, rust resistance and ease of sharpening
203E don't really know much about it other than its a tool steel like the others
15N20 a Band saw steel, judging by the carbon content, will perform somewhere in between 5160 and 52100
Bottom line:
If you want a bit more edge holding and stainlessness go with 440C
If you want extra toughness and ease of sharpening go with the 1095 or damascus (if you want it to look cool doing it and you have the extra $$)