Kershaw 8Cr13Mov...

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Buck268

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Nov 5, 2006
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Picked up a pair of Kershaw's economy line AO's (I think the Burst 1970 and Compound 1940) in 8Cr13Mov for a fairly unbeatable price recently and was curious what everyone's opinion on this steel is? Would it be fairly comparable to that found in the Byrd line by spyderco or does Kershaw do in-house heat treating with resultant differences?

Similarly, would there be any tips for sharping medium or angle or just go with whats been working for my on other steels? :thumbup:
 
I'm a big fan of what Kershaw does with their 8Cr13MoV. I have a Kershaw Nerve, Spyderco Tenacious, and Ontario RAT-1 (AUS-8, which is very similar to the 8Cr13MoV on the other two) that I've used for a lot of the same tasks (cutting cardboard, opening boxes, etc.). I've rebeveled all three to about 30° inclusive on my Edge Pro and sharpened them to a mirror finish, and the Nerve has performed at least as well as the other two, and probably a bit better. Whatever Kershaw is doing with the HT on their 8Cr13MoV, I really like it. :thumbup:
 
I have the Crown, and I really like the 8Cr13MoV. It's easy to sharpen, and IMO holds an edge reasonably well. Was cutting some zip ties with it and it cut through them like butter. So easily in fact, that I damn near cut through the cable that I was zip tying! :D
 
Kershaw's use of the 8Cr13MoV steel is superb, but like the AUS-8 that I've used, you need to watch out for rust
Keep them oiled and you won't have to worry about it


As a side note, my Kershaw Tremor is my usual EDC at the moment
Usually shares some pocket time with my ZT 0400
 
Mmmm I'm a big fan of old AUS-8 knives made in the past from Kershaw (Japan stamped on the blade) and I'm asking why they switched to this China steel 8Cr13MoV if they are similar and no big improvement has been done using this.
I'd like to see scientifically how they go on the same knife with a CATRA testing machine this will be the definitive test ever made.
There are some new model I like but I'm a little skeptic about this steel.
By my infos AUS8 has more Cr more Mo and more V with a very less C than 8Cr13MoV.
 
I have sharpened quite a few 8Cr13MoV knives but I am not an end user (steel snob). I find that trying to take knives with this steel to a tighter angle and going all the way up to razor sharpness defeats the purpose and is actually taking this particular steel into territory where it does not shine. I generally stick with the factory edge geometry (or just abit thinner) to keep the edges tough b/c most of the ones I deal with on a regular basis get beat. I take the edges up to 300 and a quick strop on leather with flitz. This provides a very nice working edge and allows the steel to shine. It likes to work and it likes to have a bit of toothiness to it. I feel that if you go much over 300 (or maybe as high as 600) with 8Cr13MoV you are kinda wasting some of your time b/c it is going to wear back to it's toothy edge pretty quickly.

These are just my observations and experiences reducing everything cardboard, around my work bench, to piles of shreds... Your mileage will definitely vary :)
 
ive had nothing but good experiences with 8cr13mov.mostly with kershaw and crkt,but ive got a tenacious ive had for years and its a great knife as well.excellent low end steel that performs like high end.
 
Buck268 said:
Picked up a pair of Kershaw's economy line AO's (I think the Burst 1970 and Compound 1940) in 8Cr13Mov for a fairly unbeatable price recently and was curious what everyone's opinion on this steel is? Would it be fairly comparable to that found in the Byrd line by spyderco or does Kershaw do in-house heat treating with resultant differences?
Click to expand...
I believe you to be comparing HT's here in the states to those done in China. Unlike here, there is little wiggle room with HT's done in China. There pretty much all the same.
 
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