Jerry sums it up pretty well. S77 is tougher than INFI. By how much? I'd say about twice. Most of us will never see that difference between both of these super tough steels.
No he did not say that read it again.
I don't think Jerry would mind if I copy this here. He posted it on Bladeforums today:
Is SR-77 as tough as INFI?. . . YES, it is every bit as tough as INFI in lateral bend tests!. . . Is it as strong?. . NO, but it's not that far behind!. . . Does it hold an edge as long as INFI?. . . NO! . . . Does it have to?. . . NO, it's edge holding ability is still far beyond most every other production big chopper out there! .
Jerry
I really don't see the DF and the FBM as competition for each other. People who buy the FBM will do so not because they require more performance than they can get from a DF, they'll do so because they're addicted to INFI. And once that INFI addiction sets in, there's not a whole lot you can do. Right, Cobalt?
yes. Even though the FBM offers a bit more performance in every category than the DF the difference is not commensurate with the price difference. INFI has some wierd properties to it that no other steel has. It has more lateral strength than S7 so in prying you will notice a difference. It will go to true when bent further as well. It has tons more edge holding and that you will notice. Well sharpened INFI seems to sharpen itself sometimes. I have blades I have used for years for slicing and cutting that still shave. Much more corrosion resistance.
So in overall performance INFI is still the winner. Price to performance the DF wins. Both are based off of Shock Steels. Pretty much there is nothing tougher than these two steels. The only commonly available steels that even come close in shock resistance are S7, A8 and L6, and none of thse can maintain a decent edge.
