Opinions on 8cr13mov.

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Hermit_Knight

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Mar 19, 2018
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G’day I’m looking to get one of Spydercos budget line like a resilience or tenacious or a Byrd. I am just wandering if anyone has any opinions about 8cr13mov steel, I am used to vg10 on my endura and it’s great and pretty damn tough. How is the heat treatment on the 8cr13mov? Is it tough, good edge retention etc? Thanks all.
 
IMO, 8cr13mov is junk, it doesn't matter who makes it or how it's heat treated. In this day in age where you are seeing a lot of $40-60 knives using 14C28N, BD-1, D2, and even VG-10, there is no reason anyone should be using 8cr13mov for knives that cost more than $20. I'm also not a big fan of Spyderco's chinese lineup, I seem to have an issue with each one I've picked up. For $10 more than a tenacious, you could get a Spyderco UK Penknife with BD-1 steel (albeit it's not a locking folder), or even a Spyderco Alcyone with BD-1 for $61. If you ventured outside of Spyderco, there are much better options price/performance wise.
 
In short, and from my experience with a single knife made from 8CR13MOV:

It gets plenty sharp, it stays sharp enough for me to field dress at least one deer. It doesn't stay as sharp as I'd like to field dress more than one deer (note: this includes using the same knife to split the rib cage).

In the end, it's better than Cold Steel's Krup 4116, not as good as Buck's 420HC, but it's easy to get really sharp.
 
8Cr, when treated right like Kershaw and Spyderco do, is passable. It performs slightly under AUS-8, but if the knife is under $40 it's an acceptable value. If the design really calls to you, then don't think any knife in this steel is garbage. If the design isn't the main draw of the knife in 8Cr, though, there are many options in the same price range that offer much better bang for the buck.
 
The tenacious is a great knife, the steel not so much. These days you can get M390 for 80$ or so. 8Cr will get rather sharp but it's back to being dull very fast
I'd rather get a M390 Kershaw or Steelwill cutjack.
 
Nowadays the price of higher-end steels has come down so much that it's hard to see 8CR as a good value at any price point. The only good thing about it is it's easy to get it very sharp. I don't find it to be all that great against corrosion either, even though it's a stainless.
 
It's a budget steel which was a good option several years ago. It performs in the same class (more or less) as AUS8, 4116 and 420HC. As said by others : easy to get a razor sharp edge, said edge doesn't last too long, the blade doesn't stain or rust (in average conditions). AG Russell makes several affordable knives in this steel, with great design and quality F&F. I definitely wouldn't shy away because of the 8Cr13Mov (I have several and like them a lot). Of course, VG10, D2, S30V and others, which are quite common nowadays, are a much better choice steel wise.
 
dkb45 said:
8Cr, when treated right like Kershaw and Spyderco do, is passable. It performs slightly under AUS-8, but if the knife is under $40 it's an acceptable value. If the design really calls to you, then don't think any knife in this steel is garbage. If the design isn't the main draw of the knife in 8Cr, though, there are many options in the same price range that offer much better bang for the buck.
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+1 I might change the $40 to a $30 value tho. I'm still baffled on how Ontario and Steel Will can produce D2 blades around $40ish but other companies can't/won't.

I have a Byrd Cara Cara. Solid value at $22. If you want to spend $25 or less, the Byrd line is fine.

If you are looking to spend $40+, I'd suggest an Ontario Rat 1/2 in D2 or Steel Will Modus/Cutjack. I'd take the handle scale downgrade (G10 -> FRN) to upgrade the blade steel (8Cr -> D2).
 
Snipe 1 said:
It seems like a lot of folks are concerned more with how a knife performs in relation to other knives instead of how the knife actually performs when carrying out tasks.
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As said the knife itself is great. Mine's developed some bladeplay over time but I don't really care. But the steel really kills it imo
 
I think going from VG-10 to 8cr will be a disappointment and I agree with the above statements that D2 and 14C28N and BD1 are available on a lot of lower priced knives.
 
I like 8cr13mov better than 14c28n and bd1 but guess I'm in tht minority. 14c28cn doesn't seem to hold a working edge as long, and bd1 feels about the same for more money (in Spyderco's lineup). I'll take vg10 over it any day, though I don't think an Endura is worth $25+ over a Resilience.
 
It's not VG-10 but it is a passable steel for use. I carried one for a long time before I knew what steels were available and why I should get something nicer. I wouldn't have known that it sucked until I tried something better, but it is obvious. However, it makes a nice working steel and I cut a lot of cardboard with 8cr in a byrd series knife without a problem. I think it holds an edge as well as most simple carbon steels and sharpens up fine but not as easily as carbon steels.

For a stainless, it's one of the only stainless steels I've ever been able to get to rust. However, that was also back when I didn't maintain my knives at all except sharpening with a pull-through sharpener.

Toughness shouldn't be a problem with 8cr.
 
Are you really saying 8Cr13Mov holds better an edge than 14C28N in your experience ? That's interesting. I rank 12C27 a little higher than 18Cr13Mov from my experience with those knives. I expected the 14C28N to be quite a step above... As far as VG10 is concerned : if it's well done, it's worth every dollar. Steel alone is not the end all, be all value. Buck is renowned for its very well done 420HC (a "lowly" steel). Spyderco and KAI do the VG10 extremely well. So, there's that...
 
For a knife under $40, yeah, it will work. That said, if I were spending $40, I'd spend a bit more and get an overall better knife like a Delica or Endura with VG 10 steel.
 
True. Light EDC is the playground for 8Cr13Mov and AUS8. Professional use requires some harder (and tougher) stuff. Benchgrinded and torchblower hardened saw blades have done some incredibly hard (and stupid, from a knifenut's point of view) jobs for me. L6 and 15N20 are still used and available from industrial and custom makers. They make for amazing knives. Just not stainless...
 
Snipe 1 said:
It seems like a lot of folks are concerned more with how a knife performs in relation to other knives instead of how the knife actually performs when carrying out tasks.
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Yes. Which is kind of silly. If I see a cheap knife design I like and the steel is VG-10 or D2 or whatever that's fantastic. If it's 8Cr13MoV I still buy it, especially from Spyderco. I'm all about the design.

Plus 8Cr13 is so easy to sharpen.
 
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