Why Sandvik steel for the Impulse?

P

phatch

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
Messages
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I haven't been able to find much commentary on this steel. I have found it's chemical makeup on various sites, so I know it's a stainless steel.

And it looks like it was selected to help keep the price down. As stated other places, a critical issue in most steels is the heat and cold treatments. How is the Impulse being treated?

But how does the steel perform?

Phil
 
We chose 12C27 for it's fine grain structure, edge holding, ability to sharpen and ability to fine blank the blades. Darrel Ralph, the designer of the Impulse, has used 12C27 in his hand made knives with very good results. Sandvik is a large Swedish hand tool company who also produces their own brand of various grades of stainless steel. The reason why many knife people have not heard about Sandvik is because Sandvik has made little or no effort marketing their steel to the US knife industry. Although 12C27 is a high performance knife steel, the knife industry is a small piece of the pie in the overall stainless steel market. Therefore Sandvik has not gone out of their way to sell their steel to knife companies.

Outdoor Edge Cutlery Corp.

 
Is this the same steel that Randell was /is using in their knives ? I know that they were using, at one time, some of this companies steel.
 
I don't know if Randall has used 12C27 however this was the primary steel used in all of Benchmark knives (Now out of business). I believe Spyderco has also used 12C27 but I don't know in which models.

Outdoor Edge Cutlery Corp.
 
I think I read somewhere that 12C27 is roughly equivalent to 440A. Is this true? What is the Impulse heat treated to on the Rockwell C scale?

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Glenn
 
I believe Benchmade's first lockback knife, long discontinued, the Monarch, used Sandvik steel.
How is this steel regarding corrosion resistance?
Jim
 
I consider 12C27 to be a better steel than 440A. However the heat treated grain structure is much finer than 440 so you can get a very keen finished edge. Therefore edge performance is different than 440A. The Maximum Rockwell hardness for 12C27 is 59. We plan to harden the Impulse in a range from 57-59. Corrosion resistance is comparible to AUS-8A or ATS-34. Unfortunately stainless steel that cuts well does not fair as well when it comes to corrosion resistance.

Outdoor Edge Cutlery Corp.
 
I think www.Ka-Bar.com will also use 12C27 in one of their new knives.

Have to re-check later, though, as their site is still under construction.
 
Kabar uses Sandvik 12C27 in their "Next Generation" tactical knives. It also shows up in many Scandinavian knives, from $11 Frosts of Sweden utility fixed blades to some fairly high grade knives from Brusletto and Helle, and a lot of folks who use their knives pretty hard are happy with the stuff.


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
 
I have experience with 12C27 in the old NCT Bodyguard, Benchmade butterfly knives, and the Delta Raider. It's great stuff, I think generally under-rated or just ignored. In my experience it performs much better than "the numbers" would make you guess. I'd probably take it over 440C or AUS-8. It sharpens easily to a thoroughly wicked edge and is very corrosion resistant, though edge-holding is only mediocre. Pretty-much what you'd expect from a steel I understand was developed for razors.

I'm excited about the Impulse. I've been trying for days to decide whether it fits my tip-down, all "holes" collection. Has anyone tried opening the knife with the "drop?"

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-Corduroy
(Why else would a bear want a pocket?)
 
To Corduroy:

The Impulse is most definitly, a tip down, grab the hole and drop opener. We have just recieved the first eight pre-production samples and are thrilled with the results. For $50 retail, the Impulse offers you a highly stylized folder with quality construction throughout.

Sincerely,
Outdoor Edge Cutlery Corp.


David Bloch,
President
 
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