| Steel Type | Characteristics | Approximate Rockwell Hardness |
|---|---|---|
| 54-56 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 420 HC | A high carbon version of 420 steel, this steel combines the excellent wear resistance of high carbon alloys with the corrosion resistance of chromium stainless steels. The high carbon content makes this steel harder to resharpen, but the tradeoff is better edge holding properties. | 58 |
| 440 A | A high carbon stainless steel, used in many production knives. A good balance of edge retention, easy resharpening and corrosion resistance. | 55-57 |
| 1095 | This is a plain carbon steel, which means it has low resistance to corrosion, and low to medium edge retention. The benefit of this steel is it's easy to sharpen, will take an extremely sharp edge and is generally available at a low cost. | 56-58 |
| 5150 | A medium carbon, low alloy steel that hardens well. This steel is ideally suited to blades with a very thick cross-section such as tomahawks and axes. Extremely tough and impact resistant, this steel is most often used on blades which are hafted and/or thrown. | 55-60 |
| 59 | ||
| CPM S30V® | This American made and engineered steel was created especially for the knife industry. It is a powder made steel with uniform structure and great corrosion resistance. Excellent edge retention and first rate toughness make this steel one of the best all-around knife steels, striking a balance between corrosion resistance, edge retention and sharpenability. | 58-60 |
| D2 | This air hardened tool steel is sometimes called a "semi-stainless" steel, because it contains 12% chromium. It offers decent corrosion resistance with exceptional edge retention. It is harder to sharpen than most, but can be finished to a high-polish shine. | 59-60 |
| Damascus | This steel is made from dissimilar steels folded or fused together with heat. It is often acid etched, which brings out the different steels in a striped pattern. Excellent toughness and edge holding capabilities make it a great blade, but the cost of production is high. Damascus is most often used in special applications like decorative blades. | Layers vary from 53-62 |
| M2 | This high-speed, tool grade steel is used primarily in cutting tools in industrial applications. This is metal used to cut metal. With excellent strength, enduring toughness and tremendous wear resistance, this is some of the toughest steel used to make knife blades. The tradeoff for all this toughness is that this steel is hard to sharpen, and it is highly susceptable to corrosion. All blades made from this steel will have a corrosion resistant coating applied, to give good corrosion resistance with such a tough steel. | 62 |
HANDLE MATERIALS |
| Material | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Carbon Fiber | This material is a woven composite of graphite fibers fused together with an epoxy resin. Providing ultra light weight and extreme tensile strength, it most often has a visible weave-like pattern. The weave pattern can be varied, as can the color of the epoxy used. |
| Delrin® | This lightweight and durable polymer was engineered for excellent long-term wear characteristics. It can be molded to form, and is used in many industries. |
| G-10 | G-10 is an epoxy filled woven "E" glass composite, reinforced with glass fibers for strength. Originally designed for circuit boards, it offers the knife industry a handle which is impervious to most elements like oils, water and acids. It can be made in many colors, and finished in a variety of ways, offering different amounts of texture matched to different end uses. |
| Kraton® | This black thermoplastic elastomer offers superb flexibility and memory elasticity even under harsh conditions. Most often molded onto a harder sub-structure, Kraton® offers excellent grip and comfort. |
| Micarta | Technically described as "fabric reinforced phenolic laminate", micarta is created by pouring a resin into a flat pan, then laying down a strip of linen or paper fabric, which gets saturated with the resin. This process is repeated until the desired thickness is achieved. It can be made in lots of colors, is lightweight and and can be finished in many ways including polishing to a high luster. |
| Noryl® GTX | A modern, engineered plastic offering extreme durability. It is impervious to harsh environments and chemicals and is very strong. It offers no flexibility, but can be molded to any shape and in any color. |
| Phenolic | This hard, ebony-colored compound is almost impervious to heat cold and shock, making it practically indestructible. |
| Valox® | A reinforced resin with exceptional stiffness, Valox® offers strength and dimensional stability. It has outstanding chemical and flame resistance, and is molded to form. |
| Zytel® | Zytel® is a material made up of fiberglass and nylon. The two are combined and heated to near 600°F and then injection molded to the desired form. Strong and lightweight, it offers excellent surface grip. |