Heat Treat: How steel doesn't guarantee performance (Knife Content)
Published: 3 years ago
Alright, lets be real:
There were issues a while back with a lot of smaller companies not being truthful with the steel used in their blades. By and large, this isn't much of an issue for established producers these days.
A lot of these guys also understand "steel fatigue" that collectors get. Being bored with everything being D2 or 14C28N which is creeping up there. They also understand that M390 is the buzzword of the knife industry these days. Also, the fact that it's European in origin rather than US, it's easier for them to get their hands on without excessive tariffs.
These powder metallurgy steels require a lot more finesse and time to get a proper heat treat out of them. A lot of these companies either don't have the expertise or equipment to do the job properly, but it also comes down to time. A heat treat isn't just raising metal to a certain degree than dunking it in water, but a lot more ingot steels do decently well this way.
So, we have a bunch of companies who are buying M390, cutting some corners during the heat treat to recoup some ROI (return on investment) and that comes out in inconsistent performance.
It's invisible to the naked eye, and unless someone has another, better treated blade for comparison, won't know their blade is under-performing for the price they paid.
This also happens with other newer or fancier steels (S90V, S110V, Nitro-V, M4, etc.)
There were issues a while back with a lot of smaller companies not being truthful with the steel used in their blades. By and large, this isn't much of an issue for established producers these days.
A lot of these guys also understand "steel fatigue" that collectors get. Being bored with everything being D2 or 14C28N which is creeping up there. They also understand that M390 is the buzzword of the knife industry these days. Also, the fact that it's European in origin rather than US, it's easier for them to get their hands on without excessive tariffs.
These powder metallurgy steels require a lot more finesse and time to get a proper heat treat out of them. A lot of these companies either don't have the expertise or equipment to do the job properly, but it also comes down to time. A heat treat isn't just raising metal to a certain degree than dunking it in water, but a lot more ingot steels do decently well this way.
So, we have a bunch of companies who are buying M390, cutting some corners during the heat treat to recoup some ROI (return on investment) and that comes out in inconsistent performance.
It's invisible to the naked eye, and unless someone has another, better treated blade for comparison, won't know their blade is under-performing for the price they paid.
This also happens with other newer or fancier steels (S90V, S110V, Nitro-V, M4, etc.)