Sandvik Cutlery Grade Steels Review

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Frotier76

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Dec 14, 2013
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For the past 6 or 7 years now I've been spending quite a bit of time with various grades of Sandvik as a sportsman's steel and as use around the homestead.I don't use it at work (I'll get to that later).To be quite frank I think these are excellent and am giving my critique from a long-time fan of carbon steel.Now I've read on the forums of others asking to compare say 13C26 or any other Sandvik in edge retention to another stainless and I feel it's more complex to judge against stainless.As a fine blanking stainless the purity of Sandvik just leans them more into carbon steel category as far as traits.Like a piece of 1075 or 1095 Carbon Tool Steel these Swedish stainless steels take a devilishly defined edge on the most inexpensive stones and sharpen quickly like a piece of carbon steel.And like carbon steel the Sandvik's possess a pretty hard edge that makes them naturally wear resistant and just performs so well.The 0.52% in carbon from 12C27 Mod by Sandvik for example doesn't sound exciting but sit down and test it against something similar in carbon like 420HC and you'll see how far a harder edge can really outperform.Through minimal alloying you can produce a steel to take on a harder state through heat treatment and that's the tie in with carbon steel blades.The only flaw I see in Sandvik steel is edge durability being that the edge is so hard that it's brittle.And this brittleness I'm pondering if it's the chromium contributing to it.I've noticed in the use of 13C26 and 14C28N pull cuts or applying high tension to the edge on anything synthetic and having density these two Sandvik steels micro-chip easily and the common alloyed stainless steels prove a point here.12C27 and 12C27 Mod I have experienced less edge durability issues as they aren't cut back as high in alloying as the other two in question.Hence the reason I don't like to use Sandvik at work because of how much edge damage I develop on my blade.Premium stainless steels were developed in a ratrace originally to compete against a simple inexpensive piece of tool steel that common stainless steel just couldn't match in edge retention.As time goes by they hold an edge equivalent and better with sharpening ease at a cost.Sandvik found a way around all this while not beating 1095 they let you experience the full carbon content of a rust resistant steel.If you're a fan of the older carbon steel blades don't be shy to try it out.It shouldn't replace all knives especially hard use fixed blades that have the blade spine hammered on to split logs with and the edge chipping problem I mentioned.But Sandvik is definitely my second favorite and feel it's going to gain it's recognition without unnecessary hype.
 
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Frotier76 said:
For the past 6 or 7 years now I've been spending quite a bit of time with various grades of Sandvik as a sportsman's steel and as use around the homestead. I don't use it at work (I'll get to that later). To be quite frank I think these are excellent and am giving my critique from a long-time fan of carbon steel.

Now I've read on the forums of others asking to compare say 13C26 or any other Sandvik in edge retention to another stainless and I feel it's more complex to judge against stainless. As a fine blanking stainless the purity of Sandvik just leans them more into carbon steel category as far as traits.

Like a piece of 1075 or 1095 Carbon Tool Steel these Swedish stainless steels take a devilishly defined edge on the most inexpensive stones and sharpen quickly like a piece of carbon steel. And like carbon steel the Sandvik's possess a pretty hard edge that makes them naturally wear resistant and just performs so well.

The 0.52% in carbon from 12C27 Mod by Sandvik for example doesn't sound exciting but sit down and test it against something similar in carbon like 420HC and you'll see how far a harder edge can really outperform. Through minimal alloying you can produce a steel to take on a harder state through heat treatment and that's the tie in with carbon steel blades.

The only flaw I see in Sandvik steel is edge durability being that the edge is so hard that it's brittle. And this brittleness I'm pondering if it's the chromium contributing to it. I've noticed in the use of 13C26 and 14C28N pull cuts or applying high tension to the edge on anything synthetic and having density these two Sandvik steels micro-chip easily and the common alloyed stainless steels prove a point here.

12C27 and 12C27 Mod I have experienced less edge durability issues as they aren't cut back as high in alloying as the other two in question. Hence the reason I don't like to use Sandvik at work because of how much edge damage I develop on my blade.

Premium stainless steels were developed in a ratrace originally to compete against a simple inexpensive piece of tool steel that common stainless steel just couldn't match in edge retention. As time goes by they hold an edge equivalent and better with sharpening ease at a cost. Sandvik found a way around all this while not beating 1095 they let you experience the full carbon content of a rust resistant steel.

If you're a fan of the older carbon steel blades don't be shy to try it out. It shouldn't replace all knives especially hard use fixed blades that have the blade spine hammered on to split logs with and the edge chipping problem I mentioned. But Sandvik is definitely my second favorite and feel it's going to gain it's recognition without unnecessary hype.
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Had to.
 
I'm a big fan of 14C28N. I've had a Skyline, Zing, and not how an RSK Gerfalcon with it. The combo of Sandvik, flat ground, and being a recurve makes it far and away the sliciest folder I've owned.
 
The new Mora , a heavy duty knife uses 14C28N [Garber ? ]
Their knife steels were developed for certain uses heat trated and handled certain ways and do a fine job for a decent price.!!
 
Dangerously said:
12C27 and 12C27 Mod I have experienced less edge durability issues as they aren't cut back as high in alloying as the other two in question. Hence the reason I don't like to use Sandvik at work because of how much edge damage I develop on my blade.
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That's not good. I heard from my local reseller that SanRenMu is starting a slow transition away from their standard 8Cr13MoV steel to 12C27. And now that China has started to impose a 40%import tax on certain steel types from EU, Japan and Korea in retaliation for European countries imposing an import tax on Chinese steel, it's going to affect me both in price and in edge concerns.

I have not developed any edge damage on my 8Cr13MoV blades, and I /hope this will remain the case on the new 12C27 SanRenMus.
 
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That import tax will end up being a good thing for most long term. I cannot see the overall tragedy when it comes to price, I mean SRM knives are all of about $15-$16 at their highest, not budget busters by any means. They are very, very low priced for a reason and a 40% increase is like an extra few bucks putting them at around $20 or so.
 
RevDevil said:
That import tax will end up being a good thing for most long term. I cannot see the overall tragedy when it comes to price, I mean SRM knives are all of about $15-$16 at their highest, not budget busters by any means. They are very, very low priced for a reason and a 40% increase is like an extra few bucks putting them at around $20 or so.
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Some SRMs already cost $20 or very close to it (the 9xxx series and a few of the 7xxx models in particular). A 40% import tax on foreign steel, coupled with manufacturer markup + profits may easily push the final price tag to a region of $30.

At that price, SRM loses a fair bit of its appeal. It's still cheaper than CRKT, decently made and has some really nice designs, but they are actually costing more than a fair portion of Taylor Schrade's lineup! And if you take into account that Taylor's overheads are greater (they have to pay their own staff on top of the lease for the chinese factory's time, production capacity and the chinese workers' salary as well), that's actually a big hit against SRM.

Of course, if SRM stays with 8Cr13MoV this may not come to pass. Besides, are there even any advantages to go with 12C27 instead or 8Cr13MoV?
 
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12C27 has been an absolute excellent steel for my everyday chores on any knives using it, from the 8.5" Helle Lappland to the 3" bladed ebony handled Opinel. It's a favourite among French cutlers, for some good reasons probably (including low cost and great performance). While I'm keen on trying new steels, I will never turn my nose on a 12C27 knife with an appealing design.
 
Etna said:
Some SRMs already cost $20 or very close to it (the 9xxx series and a few of the 7xxx models in particular). A 40% import tax on foreign steel, coupled with manufacturer markup + profits may easily push the final price tag to a region of $30.

At that price, SRM loses a fair bit of its appeal. It's still cheaper than CRKT, decently made and has some really nice designs, but they are actually costing more than a fair portion of Taylor Schrade's lineup! And if you take into account that Taylor's overheads are greater (they have to pay their own staff on top of the lease for the chinese factory's time, production capacity and the chinese workers' salary as well), that's actually a big hit against SRM.

Of course, if SRM stays with 8Cr13MoV this may not come to pass. Besides, are there even any advantages to go with 12C27 instead or 8Cr13MoV?
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I'd almost bet money Schrade pays very little overhead. They do like CRKT and pay companies like Sanrenmu to make knives for them. Sanrenmu is vastly superior to the other common Chinese brands like Enlan, Ganzo, etc. Hell, I think SRM is the only one that regularly uses bronze bushings instead of polymer. We won't even get started on their Reasteel line.

Which if this is true, that's where I'm unhappy to hear about it.
 
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