What are the advantages and disadvantages of ZDP-189?

I

initb2009

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Jul 7, 2009
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I've heard it's brittle,chips easly,is really hard to resharpen,and will shatter when it takes a really good beating.I've also heard how wonderful it is with edge retention.Is this true? What are the advantages and disadvantages of ZDP-189?
 
advantages: it is very hard, takes a very fine edge, and holds it for a very long time.

disadvantages: it is very hard, and may be frustrating for the beginner to sharpen. it also tends to be expensive.


any steel will "shatter" with the proper application of force. some have experienced chipping, many have not. if you're going to spend the extra $$ to get a knife with zdp, then don't try and cut stuff you shouldn't be cutting with a knife and you should be fine.
 
ZDP gets very sharp at thin angles and holds that edge a long time. It is expensive, not the most stainless of stainless steels, and can chip when you cut metal or have an edge too acute (like most every other steel, and it can takes edges several degrees thinner than most other stainless steels). If you use proper sharpening gear it is not hard to sharpen IMO as it doesn't burr much and takes very crisp edges. Personally I love it.

Mike
 
I've had both my Caly3 ZDP and my Kershaw Shallot ZDP, they both came extremely sharp. I have had to put very little time into sharpening them, they simply do not dull :) Granted, I don't exactly go around pushing them to the limit hehe, just basic EDC stuff.

Regardless, ZDP holds a crazy edge.
 
gunmike1 said:
ZDP gets very sharp at thin angles and holds that edge a long time. It is expensive, not the most stainless of stainless steels, and can chip when you cut metal or have an edge too acute (like most every other steel, and it can takes edges several degrees thinner than most other stainless steels). If you use proper sharpening gear it is not hard to sharpen IMO as it doesn't burr much and takes very crisp edges. Personally I love it.

Mike
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+1:thumbup: I use my Endura ZDP as a work knife on occasion. Never had any issues with it.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
advantages: it is very hard, takes a very fine edge, and holds it for a very long time.

disadvantages: it is very hard, and may be frustrating for the beginner to sharpen. it also tends to be expensive.


any steel will "shatter" with the proper application of force. some have experienced chipping, many have not. if you're going to spend the extra $$ to get a knife with zdp, then don't try and cut stuff you shouldn't be cutting with a knife and you should be fine.
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1+ for what he said!! :thumbup:

My knives with ZDP-189 are the SHARPEST knives I own bar none. :D
 
ZDP-189 can handle extremely thin edges and holds it for a long time. Not the most ductile of steels, but it's for a knife, not a prybar. There is more risk of chipping if you thin the edge out to much and then abuse the blade by torquing it into hard woods and plastics.

Personally I love it. It's the perfect edc steel. I sharpen on my Sharpmaker and it's not a problem if you touch it up once a week or so. There have been reports of staining but I haven't had a problem with that yet.
 
Just dont twist while cutting it will chip easy, I was trying to make a hole bigger in a plastic toy for my daugther, snap. Should have used a drill. Out of all my knives I have chipped more zdp then all all of them. So I learned and dont pry or twist with zdp anymore.
 
ericb445 said:
Just dont twist while cutting it will chip easy, I was trying to make a hole bigger in a plastic toy for my daugther, snap. Should have used a drill. Out of all my knives I have chipped more zdp then all all of them. So I learned and dont pry or twist with zdp anymore.
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Just curious what knife this was, as I remember the first run of ZDP Leeks having reports of tip snappings. Most knives edges will chip out when you laterally stress them like this unless they are thick and suck at cutting, or are in a very tough steel. I haven't had any undue chipping with Spyderco's ZDP-189, but I haven't used it as a drill or prybar either.

Mike
 
I tired of everybody telling me what I couldn't or shouldn't do with a knife, so I embrace patina, sharpen more often and stick with carbon blades ;)
 
ericb445 said:
Just dont twist while cutting it will chip easy, I was trying to make a hole bigger in a plastic toy for my daugther, snap. Should have used a drill. Out of all my knives I have chipped more zdp then all all of them. So I learned and dont pry or twist with zdp anymore.
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I remember this single case - it was all over bladeforum, and it was about very tip - millimeter or so on Kershaw Leek ZDP. Here is this knife:

Kershaw-Leek-ZDP189-003.jpg


I doubt it is valid case of ZDP brittleness. At least I will not complain it drilling plastic in outdoor slides (this is that plastic toy if I remember correctly) with it cause millimeter of tip to be snapped out. If you stick Leek tip into plastic and twist... it is not steel to blame...

So on my experience ZDP189 will chip instead of bend, but it will not chip easy, it will not chip when other steel will chip. I used ZDP189 on tree roots in the ground, drywall, aluminum... everything I can find and it does chip when it ht stone, but it chip less then other steels.

I am talking about Yuna Hard I and he did his HT in Japan - I think it is 65HRC.

Yuna-Hard-II-004.jpg


And I did some kind of drilling in wood and it stay just fine. However this is not delicate slicing tiny knife like Kershaw Leek.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
gunmike1 said:
Just curious what knife this was, as I remember the first run of ZDP Leeks having reports of tip snappings. Most knives edges will chip out when you laterally stress them like this unless they are thick and suck at cutting, or are in a very tough steel. I haven't had any undue chipping with Spyderco's ZDP-189, but I haven't used it as a drill or prybar either.

Mike
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It was ONE SINGLE report - that one, but it was all over bladeforums repeated many time so it was looks like reports.

I remember this perfectly.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Josh K said:
I must say Vassili, that is a beautiful knife.
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Yes, Yuna is my best knife, and most worked in hard condition - I was use any chance to "abuse" it's ZDP189 blade. Like I usually does not cut tree roots in sandy ground with some stones in it with fine custom made knives, but in this case I did this just to prove that it is well spend money - and it never fail me! And big part of it - ZDP189 steel blade.

Yuna-Hard-II-006.jpg


Thanks, Vassili.
 
I have a ZDP-189 Leek with a broken tip. I have no idea how the tip snapped...it was like that when I got it. It could be the very knife that was discussed here some years ago. Just the very tip was broken off. Here it is after coming back from Tom Krein.

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I like ZDP-189, on the other hand, if given the choice, I would prefer S90V on the stainless side or M4 on the non-stainless on any given knife.
 
LorenzoL said:
I like ZDP-189, on the other hand, if given the choice, I would prefer S90V on the stainless side or M4 on the non-stainless on any given knife.
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M4 is amazing, and S90V holds an incredible edge, but ZDP will take a finer edge then either of them. For finess ZDP wins out, for shear toughness and edge holding go with S90V.
 
I was originally one of the "ZDP chips easily" proponents. But I was convinced otherwise, particularly from Vassili's reviews of ZDP. Other than that one case of twisting into the plastic slide, which was a pretty valid concern considering that he did it with other Leeks that had different steels, I haven't seen any other cases that show ZDP to be more likely to chip than other steels. I don't think it would be an appropriate steel for a large chopper, but other than that I think it's a fine steel.
 
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