How tough is 8Cr13MoV??

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B.B.M

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Dec 3, 2009
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I was looking at some of the scrhade fixed blades (really like the schf24) and noticed the smaller ones are 8Cr13MoV. Is the steel tough enough for light prying and battoning? I have several folders in 8Cr13MoV and the edge retention and resharpening is fine but was curious on how tough it is.

Thanks for any info:)
 
Ive heard it's similar to aus 8. Don't know about schrades heat treat.
 
It is going to be all about heat treat. And even then a good first sharpening will be needed to get past the factory edge for verification. I've had good and bad 8cr. There is no way to tell unless we hear from someone with first hand experience. Good thing is, it won't break the bank so why not give it a shot if you like the design.
 
My edc is a SCH211 in 8cr13mov. First thing I noticed is the edge lasts much longer than AUS8 so it's not fair to compare it to it. It makes AUS8 sound like a better steel than it is. Don't get me wrong, aus8 is great steel but the Schrade 8cr13mov is done right. Sharpens real easy, takes a fine super sharp edge that lasts longer then the last two AUS8 blades I had that cost way more. I just got done shaving some sharp edges from some aluminum from another household tool. The edge on the blade is still sharp, just put it back in my pocket. AUS8 blades I had in the past would have needed a touch up.

That knife and that steel will serve you just fine.
 
Schrade is made by Taylor Cutlery, same as old timers and smith & wesson, and while they're a "cheapo" mass production blade company, they can be hit or miss due to I imagine shear volume, their 8cr13mov (as well as their 440c) in my experience isn't bad.

It is comparable to aus8 and 440a, heat treat being done proper most avg. Folk wouldn't be able to tell the difference; all things considered equal its a minimal difference at best. It takes a wicked sharp edge but like its counterparts it doesn't hold it very long. Good basic stainless for a blade though, my personal favorite of the 3 as I've had better luck with it. I own a couple CRKT's, Kershaw's, and Schrade's in 8cr13mov and I have no complaints. While 440c i love, I won't buy knives in 440 (which is almost always 440A), i'll consider knives in Aus8 if I really like 'em, but I got no issues buying a knife in 8cr13mov (from a reputable source)... Because so many companies are outsourcing to china , is why you're seeing more of the Chinese version on the market, even in "better" brands. Taylor isn't necessarily a "better" brand by any stretch but they are a legit knife company with years of experience doing it decent for the price.

When I need a cheap blade, I buy schrade (lol, their new company slogan).
 
AUS8 and 8Cr are very similar in many ways, but I have found a few key differences:

- AUS8 loses the fine edge quickly, but maintains a working edge longer. The softer steel also makes for quick honing, bringing that fine edge back in no time flat.
- 8Cr is harder and holds the fine edge longer (obviously, as per the previous statement), but is more forgiving when sharpening / honing as you can make more mis-angled passes without completely beefing the edge. As a tradeoff, when it goes dull... Man, does it go dull. I think that's a side-effect of the higher hardness.
- Being harder, 8Cr is more likely to chip than AUS8 under stresses of impact and lateral stress.

I would generally choose AUS8 for fixed blades over 8Cr, but it's so minor of a difference that I doubt you'd be able to tell unless you spent hours comparing steels to steels like I do because I have too much free time on my hands. It really is a super minor difference when being used.
 
B.B.M said:
I was looking at some of the scrhade fixed blades (really like the schf24) and noticed the smaller ones are 8Cr13MoV. Is the steel tough enough for light prying and battoning? .......was curious on how tough it is.

Thanks for any info:)
Click to expand...

To answer you specific question, your not going to get the durability out of it that you would out of a good carbon steel, (1095, 1075, 5160, etc) or what you would from some of the Boker+ 440c blades even, but for general "light" chores, you shouldn't have a problem with it...
 
Honestly, I would not recommend batoning or prying with a 8CRMov blade. Ditto for anything made by Shrade.

I would suggest getting a good, well made, and known blade like a Esee or something. The price difference is not really that big and you're getting quality for your money.
 
ooitzoo said:
Honestly, I would not recommend batoning or prying with a 8CRMov blade. Ditto for anything made by Shrade.

I would suggest getting a good, well made, and known blade like a Esee or something. The price difference is not really that big and you're getting quality for your money.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you've had some sort of failure prying and batoning with one. I'd be interested in hearing about it.
 
We're talking toughness here.

To those saying it's inferior to the carbon steels, well of course but that doesn't show the full picture. To be clearer, dont just suggest NOT batoning/hammeringwith 8cr but many other stainless steels as well.

An apples to apples comparison in terms of stainless steels....... Is it tougher than S110v? S30v?
 
Stays Sharp said:
We're talking toughness here.

To those saying it's inferior to the carbon steels, well of course but that doesn't show the full picture. To be clearer, dont just suggest NOT batoning/hammeringwith 8cr but many other stainless steels as well.

An apples to apples comparison in terms of stainless steels....... Is it tougher than S110v? S30v?
Click to expand...

Comparing 8cr13mov to s30-110v isn't apples to apples either, totally different level steel...
Generally speaking, 8cr means your looking at "affordable" range knives, and truthfully, I wouldn't "recommend" battoning or prying with any lower grade stainless knife persay, something like154cm, or 3v would be much better suited in a stainless blade, or even 440c; as mentioned above by someone even aus8 might be slightly better for that purpose (or even a 440, aus6 or 420 or 3-5cr13), because its slightly softer properties.

Now I'm no metallurgist, But I do know for daily light duties around the house, It will surely do the job as would most any half decent knife steel, depending on your definition of "light". If your going to clear briars and weeds from an existing game trail, pry some weeds out of the dirt in your garden, and hack down some low hanging (small) branches around the house, an inch or so thick, the it wouldn't be an issue for most any reputable sourced steel including 8cr.

If your idea of "light" includes prying cement pavers up up from the walkway and clearing your own trails from scratch, bushwhacking through 3" saplings, and it breaks, warps, chips, etc. then you should've sprung for a more tried and trusted bushwhacking blade.
 
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strategy9 said:
Comparing 8cr13mov to s30-110v isn't apples to apples either, totally different level steel...
Generally speaking, 8cr means your looking at "affordable" range knives, and truthfully, I wouldn't "recommend" battoning or prying with any lower grade stainless knife persay, something like154cm, or 3v would be much better suited in a stainless blade, or even 440c; as mentioned above by someone even aus8 might be slightly better for that purpose (or even a 440, aus6 or 420 or 3-5cr13), because its slightly softer properties.

Now I'm no metallurgist, But I do know for daily light duties around the house, It will surely do the job as would most any half decent knife steel, depending on your definition of "light". If your going to clear briars and weeds from an existing game trail, pry some weeds out of the dirt in your garden, and hack down some low hanging (small) branches around the house, an inch or so thick, the it wouldn't be an issue for most any reputable sourced steel including 8cr.

If your idea of "light" includes prying cement pavers up up from the walkway and clearing your own trails from scratch, bushwhacking through 3" saplings, and it breaks, warps, chips, etc. then you should've sprung for a more tried and trusted bushwhacking blade.
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LOL

Here's a slab of 8cr13mov. Just so happens it did clear a shooting lane that day and was still straight, still sharp and still tough enough to ignore this twisted piece of hard dry wood.

174152.jpg


I won't gig someone's opinion. We all have them but from what I've seen it performs much better, in fact it performs stellar compared to online opinions of the steel.

I'm not seeing these faults in the steel in real world use. Sharpens easy, holds the edge as long as 1095 and does the same exact work with the same exact toughness.

Edit: wood from that same tree destroyed the edge on a Fallkniven F1. The edge had so many waves in it, it had to be re tasked to pry bar work. 8cr13mov is no joke, as many think or say it is without actually using it.
 
^ and there you have it...

Like I said initially, it is my favorite of the "lower end" budget steels, and while I've personally never had to hack with any of mine (yet), Boris' picture shows why I like it.
 
I only have experience with Kershaw's 8Cr13MoV. I really cannot make a sweeping generalization of this steel's general toughness since I have not used this steel with other makers' heat treatments. That being said, 8Cr13MoV cooked by Kershaw is not very tough. My dad has a Volt II that I keep sharp for him (he's not "afflicted" like the rest of us). He's a delivery driver and uses the knife to cut open boxes, straps, card board, etc. on a daily basis. Every two weeks or so, I have to grind all of the millimeter chips out of the blade. It looks as though he uses it to hack through bricks. And this damage is with a very stout ~22 dps convex secondary grind. YMMV with other makers.

Crow
 
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