"N690BO" steel?

R

Ravaillac

Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
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So Boehler's N690Co cobalt stainless steel is pretty well known. Used mostly by italian makers for "heavy duty" knives (extrema ratio, Fox) and by Spyderco for their fixed blade line (Hossoms).
Said to be comparable to 440C except sensibly tougher thanks to cobalt addition. Knife reviews seem to confirm.

Now latest Boker are advertised as "N690BO" steel which, if I understand well, would be optimised (better HT? elements added?) N690Co resulting from a Boker-Boehler cooperation.

So what's that steel exactly and how is it better than "plain" N690Co?
 
Absolutely no idea what it is, but if I'm reading the naming right, it's got boron and oxygen instead of the cobalt. That doesn't sound right though...:confused:
 
It's made in Austria.
Some compare it to 440C others qualify it simular to S30V.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=387521

This thread i found interesting.

Jerry Hossom uses it in his Spyderco Collab.
Kevin Wilkins uses it.
Ontario Fox and some others i can't think of right now.
If these ones and Boker use it it must be a good steel imo.

I think it is mainly used in fixed blades for its toughness.

I like the new Boker Savannah campknife which comes in this steel.
 
Not really questionning the N690co which does seem to be a very good steel, just wondering how N690"BO" is better.
 
Ravaillac,

I think it is not better. It is the same steel but coded different by Boker in its catalogue.Though it is the same steel with same specifics manufactured by Boehler send to Boker to encorparate in there knives.

;)
 
I quote Boker german website:
http://www.boker.de/index.php?c=12,10,&a=120620&p=&pp=0

"Die massive Klinge weist ein außergewöhnliches Two-Tone-Finish auf und wird aus dem kobaltlegierten Stahl N690BO gefertigt. Dieser speziell legierte Stahl ist in einem Kooperationsprojekt von Böker mit dem österreichischen Stahlhersteller Böhler entstanden und weist hervorragende Leistungsmerkmale auf."

which translates (thanks to google) into :

"The massive blade has an extraordinary two-tone finish and is from the cobalt steel N690BO manufactured. This special alloy steel is in a cooperation project between Böker with the Austrian steelmaker Boehler emerged and has excellent performance characteristics."

The N690"BO" is not a typo, as you can see on the markings of the knife displayed.

As I said earlier, they say it is a special joint project steel, which is somewhat different from common N690 or N690CO (which AFAIK are the same steel)...
 
I bet ricola71 is right, and Boker is just preening. It's like saying S30V was developed in collaboration with Chris Reeve (true) but neglecting to mention that the exact same S30V can be used by other companies as well.

Until someone at Boker or Boehler can tell us what was added or withdrawn from N690 Cobalt steel to make N690BO, it's BOgus. :)

However, it's still a great steel, and I'm glad they are using it!
 
http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelchart.php


I am sure some of you have seen this site before. So under N690 it lists all the N's. 690C0 690BO and a bunch of others. They say that N690 and I suppose all the others under N690 in general compare to VG-10. Now that is what this place says. I have no working experience with VG-10 but I just ordered a knife from Boker Some type of mini pry or pri something. Black Micarta with a red fiber spacer. Very deep grooved scales with a sheeps foot looking blade. Looks pretty stout. But it was not cheap. It says it uses that newfangled N690BO from Boker.

I went for the link This is the knife I ordered for my sons Birthday,
http://www.buymilspec.com/bok-120614.html

Now one of you better not show me a site that sells it for 80.00 bucks.

So I will soon see how this N690-Body Odor knife steel performs.

cheers
cajun

Old thread sorry. I thought this was a steel that just came out. Shows how much I know.
 
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This is what's in it:
C 1,05 /Cr17,0 /Mo 0,5 /Mn 0,4 /Si 0,4 / Co 1,5

seems the same as N 690; the alloy is similar to VG 10 but higher cromuim content.

oops, really an older thread. Maybe its all clear meanwhile.
 
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