Newer Old Hickory knives?

Paranrs said:
I found this old thread while doing a search. I recently discovered that Old Hickory knives are now made with 1075. No longer will they have the nice edge holding ability of 1095 steel. The company pitch is that 1075 is a tougher steel - of course it is. It's not as hard.
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I don't think all current production Old Hickory knives are made with 1075. I read it as specific new models are made with 1075. For instance, the new Kephart pattern knife is 1075 but the butcher knives are still 1095. I could be wrong.
 
Whether the newer Old Hickory knives are thinner than the old ones I have no idea. The 14” Old Hickory looks to be just as thick as the 18” Tramontina Bush Machete (a pretty stout piece) and thicker than the 14” Marbles (Imacasa) bolo. Without a caliper or micrometer handy, it is hard to say for sure, but I would not say they have gotten too flimsy. The 10” OH is a bit thinner than the 14, but is pretty close to the Marbles.
 
I love both my Old Hickory 5.5" Hunting Knife in 1095 from last year (it's my wife's "go-to" camp-kitchen knife) as well as my 4" Fish and Small Game (Kephart) in 1075. I was a bit bummed that Old Hickory switched from 1095 to 1075, but for what I use the knives for, it's not that big of a deal. As you can see, the "Old Hickory" stamps are still there. The blades are pretty thin (a good thing in my opinion), but I don't have experience with the older models to know if they changed the thickness of the stock. I am currently in the process of making new handles for both of mine so these are the only pics I have. Great knives for the price!

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Paranrs said:
I found this old thread while doing a search. I recently discovered that Old Hickory knives are now made with 1075. No longer will they have the nice edge holding ability of 1095 steel. The company pitch is that 1075 is a tougher steel - of course it is. It's not as hard.
Click to expand...
1075 is high enough carbon that it is considered to be a eutectoid steel and should be able to get to be pretty much as hard as 1095 can get if you heat treat it correctly so it shouldn't be any worse then 1095 at edge retention although it probably won't be noticeably tougher in the large butcher knife size range either both are good general purpose steels.
 
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My mother-in-law had an old Hickory but it never held an edge worth a damn. Good prying tool, but I think it must have been around 45-50 HRC.
 
That little Kephart is appealing, but comes dear at $32.95 after the 5.5” hunting knife sold for only $19.99. I think I will wait for the price to come down. In the meantime, the Green River fish knife is still the most appealing. Even after you buy a Kabar sheath to fit it, the total price is still several bucks less than the OH.
 
I can second Henry Beige Henry Beige on Green River knives, I don't have any experience with their hunting knife, but I do have a Skinner that I love to use, and an 8 inch butcher knife that rides in my bag. I'm also a big fan of their paring knives.
 
I need to get one of the Green Rivers for the heck of it. I also want to pick up the Condor butcher knife to compare with my OH stuff as well as my old Case kitchen knives. If I saw a Condor in Walmart, I'd probably buy it on the spot... cause I'm lazy....
 
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