Rockwell hardness 1055 vs 5160

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Dogpiss

Joined
Oct 7, 2017
Messages
36
Yo, noob here.
Sorry if this is a dumb question.

I have a cold steel g.i. tanto, which does what I need and is fun, but would like to upgrade.
It's supposedly 56-58 on the Rockwell scale, made of 1055 steel.
I want to upgrade to the Ontario sp-48, which is 5160 at a Rockwell of 53-55.
Will it hold an edge worse, since it isn't as hard? Or better since it's a nicer steel, semi comparable to 1095 (from what I understand from internet research.)
To clarify, I want it to be a secondary knife I keep in my backpack, when I have a buck vantage pro in my pocket as edc. (S30v steel blade)
Ideally together, they'll made a nice pair.
Sorry if I wrote too much.
 
I would expect the harder steel to hold a better edge in this case, as I don't know that 5160 would produce enough hard carbides to make up the difference.

That said, I would probably go for the SP-48 if I was pairing it with a steel like S30V with high abrasion resistance. I like the handle better and it will be better at chopping and batoning due to the blade length, mass and ergos. You'll probably sacrifice some cutting geometry, but 5160 gives you loads of toughness to spare, and will roll rather than chip. Also, both will sharpen up very easily at home or in the field.

Welcome to the boards!
 
The GI Tanto is run at 54-55HRC. Basically you will not notice any appreciable difference between the two steels.
 
Numbers aside all I can say is 5160 has worked very well in my experience and has never let me down. .
 
5160 is a tough steel, and run down to 53 Rc it will be super tough, meaning the blade is more likely to bend than break and the edge is more likely to roll than chip. It's not a great steel for edge holding, and it will be even worse at this low hardness. So the 5160 will be tougher than the 1055 blade, but it won't hold an edge very well. But I doubt your 1055 holds an edge. Both will be easy to resharpen.
 
Twindog said:
5160 is a tough steel, and run down to 53 Rc it will be super tough, meaning the blade is more likely to bend than break and the edge is more likely to roll than chip. It's not a great steel for edge holding, and it will be even worse at this low hardness. So the 5160 will be tougher than the 1055 blade, but it won't hold an edge very well. But I doubt your 1055 holds an edge. Both will be easy to resharpen.
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So it'll likely be about the same, just tougher.
Could I potentially have someone re heat treat just the blade? Or would that likely ruin the handle?
Even if so, I'll likely get it, then save up for something in cpm 3v
 
Dogpiss said:
So it'll likely be about the same, just tougher.
Could I potentially have someone re heat treat just the blade? Or would that likely ruin the handle?
Even if so, I'll likely get it, then save up for something in cpm 3v
Click to expand...

It's a crapshoot to re-heat treat any blade. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.

I'd go with a 3V blade. 3V will be tougher than the steels you have an hold a better edge. It's a great steel.
 
equalizing the effects of heat treatment, hardening, and blade geometry, the harder steel can be sharpened more, but the one with more carbides (especially chrome and vanadium) will hold its edge longer.
 
I’d recommend a cold steel srk in 3v it’s not that much more than what you’re looking to get and it will hold up to just as much if not more and it will hold a great edge
 
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