Just Bought a 8cr13mov Knife - What's your take?

JOELSM said:
Like most steels the performance will depend on the heat treat - all other things being equal. I don’t seek 8cr out, but I’ve learned not to let it deter me from buying a knife either. I have a drawer full of AGR with 8cr. They are beautifully executed budget knives. I didn’t expect much in terms of performance, but have been pleasantly surprised (shocked) at how well they do perform in reality. I suspect AGR manufacturers take extra care with their heat treatment (or something) in order to wring out every bit of blade performance.
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440C with a great heat treat is better than s30v with a decent heat treat or even 20cv with a bad heat treat. There is more to steel than the composition.
 
MyLegsAreOk said:
Yes sir, any of the steels what go in that format **cr**mov are a thumbs down to me because of quality for your money and it 90% of the time denotes a Chinese made knife. I dislike 8cr13mov in particular because my dad ,when he was still around, bought my mom a full Wusthoff set in that stuff and it was so bad. It scratches and lost an edge so fast, never rolled but chipped. So just on a personal note it irritates me so I hate it!
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I don't like 8Cr13Mov but it's okay in a $20 knife. I feel the same about 7Cr17Mov, which is marginally worse on edge retention but much better on corrosion resistance. Anything below that (5Cr15Mov, 4Cr14, etc.) is junk steel in my opinion.

9Cr18Mov is the exception. When done well, it's easily on par with 14C28N. Anyone who doubts it should try a Civivi in 9Cr18Mov. You'll get a fantastic knife in a decent budget steel, usually under $50. Honestly, I wish Civivi would release more knives in 9Cr18Mov instead of their more expensive Chinese D2.
 
these days nothing less than S30V...hard to go with anything less than M390...I do have a tenacious with 8CR that is tolerable thou...only steel I can't stand is AUS8
 
Not a "Deal Breaker" for me.
Heck, I have some 420J2 bladed knives that work just fine for my needs.

I don't really pay much attention to the blade steel wen I buy a knife. If I like the knife, I'll get it.

I figure for what I'm doing, I don't need a "super steel". The "obsolete" (note quotes) steels like 1095, 440A, 420HC, etc. cut everything I need to cut.
Why should I seek out "better" (note quotes) steels? (which are not usually used on the kind of knives I like, anyway)

I should mention I normally carry and use multi-blade slipjoint traditionals, along with a Buck 110 or Schrade 6OT/7OT lockback. (Though this month I am giving my 110 a vacation, and carrying a Marbles MR417 2 blade folding hunter (5,5 inches closed) slipjoint on my belt.)
Generally speaking, the "Super Steels" are not usually available in a multi-blade traditional slipjoint.

I've tried the modern one hand opener's and flippers. They ae not for me.
 
afishhunter said:
The "obsolete" (note quotes) steels like 1095, 440A, 420HC, etc. cut everything I need to cut.
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I personally wouldn't put 1095 in same ballpark with 440A or 420HC.
It might be closer to 440C, but 1095 is still mid-range steel while 400 series is in budget category. And well done 1095 (good heat treatment) outperforms anything from 400 series in terms of toughness, ease of sharpening... Only advantage 400 series steel has is corrosion resistance.
I get it what you want to say though, they'll all perform well for your needs.
 
I’m not a fan of 8cr but it works. I don’t let it stop me from buying a knife if I like the design and want to try it. It’s not a deal breaker but I would certainly prefer a better steel if I can get it.
 
Smiling said:
I personally wouldn't put 1095 in same ballpark with 440A or 420HC.
It might be closer to 440C, but 1095 is still mid-range steel while 400 series is in budget category. And well done 1095 (good heat treatment) outperforms anything from 400 series in terms of toughness, ease of sharpening... Only advantage 400 series steel has is corrosion resistance.
I get it what you want to say though, they'll all perform well for your needs.
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I was not comparing performance, or budgetary category.
Just that 1095 (or all of the 10xx series) of carbon steel, all of the 440 stainless steels, and 420 are looked down upon, and considered "obsolete" and not worth having by most knife nuts. (well ... maybe 1095 not so much as the 440 and 420 stainless steels.)
At least the nuts who think only the "latest and greatest" "super steel" is fit to be used for a blade steel; everything that came before it is now "obsolete", (note quotes) can no longer cut, or hold an edge, or whatever anymore; just like the Y2K predictions.*, and that knife companies should not use the older performance proven in the real world) steels.

It is not fair to compare carbon steel to stainless steel, anyway.
It is like comparing Grapefruit to Bacon. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, just like anything else. Both are good, and have their uses.​

*"Y2K" predictions: Aircraft would drop from the sky, power plants would shut down, all the bank accounts in the world would be empty or in the hole, and the world would end, because some old computer somewhere in the world that was connected to the Web, would "think" the date was 01/01/1900 at the stroke of midnight, unless the BIOS was updated to recognize (or count up to) the year 2000 and beyond.
(The BIOS in early computers could only count to 1999 for the year. Allegedly they would all crash on 01/01/2000, because they would start counting over, beginning at 01/01/1900.)
(when a computer was made mid 1970's to late 1980's no one thought that same computer would still be in use in the year 2000.)
 
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8cr is fine by me. It’ll cut what needs to be cut and when it needs to be resharpened, it won’t take 30 mins to do it.
 
I used not to understand why some of the major brand names are using 8cr or the like, but now I realize the less expensive steel do allow us knife enthusiasts to try out different knives and patterns without incurring too cost upfront. Don't get me wrong, I still love my M390, 20CV, or premium steel knives, but I do appreciate the option to try them in less expensive steel if offered(Kershaw Atmos and ZT470 are good example).
 
8Cr13MoV is a fantastic steel. Easy to sharpen, decently stainless and cheap. That last point is important though - paying $40-50+ for an 8Cr13MoV knife is where I draw the line.
 
Well, I agree with people here.
If you like the looks and it's cheap - go ahead.

I personally wouldn't since I use all knives I have.
 
I'm amazed that knife steel alloys are as good as they are. Yeah, some are over hardened, but even a mid-priced folding knife "feels" the same on the sharpening stones as one with a premium pedigree.

And just about any folder made after the 1970s has some properties of chromium. I hate to be a stickler, but if you research this alloy you get some alphabet soup like, "chromium-nickel-aluminum precipitation hardening stainless steel."
 
bemymonkey said:
8Cr13MoV is a fantastic steel. Easy to sharpen, decently stainless and cheap. That last point is important though - paying $40-50+ for an 8Cr13MoV knife is where I draw the line.
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I will pay 40 bucks for a 9cr knife but not much more.
 
As some other folks have said, I'm just simply past 8cr13mov imported knives at this stage of my knife collecting/enjoying hobby. I wouldn't knowingly purchase a knife using it, no matter how nice the design was. It would simply be a waste of money to me.
 
I truly think if someone took the same formula and changed the name from 8Cr13MoV people would think it was a pretty good user steel. It has a bad reputation because a few companies put a garbage heat treatment on it, and now people think that if it has a "Cr" in the name it then it must be horrible. Why do people sing the praises of 420HC as a great budget user steel but deride 8Cr13MoV? How easily so many forget that it's all in the process.

The fact remains it will never be a premium steel, it is not supposed to be. It's supposed to be an affordable user steel. If you aren't in the market for a budget knife, it's not aimed at you. I carry a Kershaw Atmos in 8Cr13MoV every day and have no issues with it. I like the knife and if it gets messed up, lost, dropped in the river, stolen, etc I can replace it, no big loss.

If you don't like it due to the country that produces it I understand fully, the human rights issues are as ugly as it gets.
 
dirc said:
once you go to 14c28n you can't go back ; )

they already make the leek (and skyline, k/o, blur, & bareknuckle), in it,
...wth don't they just do the whole 8cr13 line, I guarantee they'd sell like hotcakes, an atmos with sandvik - imagine
imho it would be a home run/td/gggggggooooooal for kershaw
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Two things wrong with this post.

First, you are giving more expensive usa made knives as examples when saying 8cr Chinese made knives should use a better steel. Those things don't equate.

Next, the reason budget Chinese Kershaws are made with a budget Chinese steel is because they are made for a budget market. In general, buyers in this market notice price over steel choice. Folks buying a cheap beater knife at Wally world don't care about steel. They will, however, not buy a more expensive knife. Kershaw makes their money selling inexpensive knives. What you are suggesting would drastically reduce their profitability.
 
I don't hate the 8cr family of steels. Unless an extra $10 breaks the bank, I still recommend an Onatrio Rat 1 or 2 in D2 for around $40. Artisan, Civivi, and others have hit the market on D2 steels for great prices. I have no first hand knowledge on their HT (which we all know is so important) but the initial responses seem to be good.

I don't buy a knife just because I like the design anymore. If it's a *cool* design, 8cr, and $30, I will pass.

I still don't have a knife with : Maxamet, M4, M390, S110, S90, ZDP 189, Elmax, or 20CV. Many are out of my price range.

I'm still mostly carrying D2, VG10, S30, S35, ATS 34, and 154CM.
 
I have a couple of knives with poorer steel than the 8cr series.
(AUS 6, IIRC). One is really poor,
440A!

But, most of mine are 154cm or better. Why take a step backwards?
 
Q: Question is, is 8cr a deal breaker for any of you guys?
A: No.
Longer answer: I have a few knives in that steel. One is a Spyderco Tenacious. One is a CRKT Batum. One is a CRKT Pangolin. That's also the order in which I like the knives. The Spyderco is a great, low cost, well-made piece of machinery. Sure, it doesn't hold a razor edge as long as, say, the M390 steel on one of my other blades, but holds enough of an edge long enough to get me through a few days of routine cutting before sharpening. The Batum was a cheap way to try out a Jesper Voxnaes design which, in general, I like -- except for the silly choil that I've discovered I simply don't like (well, and the frame lock, which I discovered I also don't care for). The Pangolin was a chance to try out a little fixed blade for slightly more than twenty bucks but, unfortunately, it loses its edge instantly upon cutting. Those things said about each of the knives, I continue to find value in the steel, and even in those knives, because I know what to expect from each in terms of how long I can use them, and for what kinds of tasks, before I have to sharpen them again.
 
MarkN86 said:
I truly think if someone took the same formula and changed the name from 8Cr13MoV people would think it was a pretty good user steel. It has a bad reputation because a few companies put a garbage heat treatment on it, and now people think that if it has a "Cr" in the name it then it must be horrible. Why do people sing the praises of 420HC as a great budget user steel but deride 8Cr13MoV? How easily so many forget that it's all in the process...
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This presents the question. Why doesn't anyone make a "good" 8Cr13Mov? The process-based praise for 420HC exists because Buck has brought it to market. Given the proliferation of Chinese companies using either 8Cr13Mov or 8Cr14Mov, I imagine that somebody would have stepped up with that better version by now. It might be something that's technically possible but cost-prohibitive versus just starting with a better budget steel.

That said, 9Cr18Mov has a "good version". Years ago, I tried 9Cr18Mov from Schrade and a few other budget brands. It might have been more stainless but I didn't notice a big difference in edge retention from 8Cr13Mov. Then last year, I tried Civivi's 9Cr18Mov. It's at least as good as any 14C28N I've had.
 
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