but knifeguy, again, I just don't get it. I know it is good and "good enough" for some excellent makers but I just don't get it... I would think sr 101 would actually out do A2 (well, it does depend on the maker and I hear A2 has to have the perfect HT to really perfrom) in everything except ease of sharpening. it seems that it is a very well rounded steel at a great cost... is that why it's such a great knife steel??
I was just wondering because it was in one fo your "top" knife steels and I want to learn a bit about it.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
There are MANY "Relative" factors worth considering with most steels.
INFI is the best I know of for just about any fixed blade at any size. But, honestly not my first choice for a folder.
If Price were Never a factor for me, I would choose INFI every time. But, there is another issue with INFI - It is only made by Busse. So, design choices are limited to what Jerry makes. I like a lot of Jerry's knives (mostly mid-sized to larger). But, design is a VERY important aspect of my knife choice. The toughest and sharpest knife steel in the world doesn't mean much to me if I don't like how the over-all knife feels in my hand and how it functions for "MY" style of use and intended uses. Also, YES, price is a factor to me. As a knife enthuesiast, I "want" the best blade steel if I can get it, but I also want many certain knife designs for variety. And I just can't drop $300 - $800 on all my knives. So, my INFI variety is limited. I have owned about 10 or so pieces of INFI over the years, but only currently have 3
You mentioned "out do" - what does that mean? Many steels out-do another steel in one aspect, but not another. MANY steels "out do" the mighty INFI is some way or another. Many are more corrosion resistant. But, I don't have any issues with INFI's level of corrosion resistance. It will corrode, but I find INFI plenty easy enough for me to maintain. There are a few steels that have better edge retention than INFI. But, most of them are no-where near the toughness levels of INFI. Although, from what I can tell, 3V actually is worth mentioning as a contender. There is no indication that I have seen that 3V is as tough as INFI. But, I have owned 2 Fehrman blades and was very impressed with the edge sharpness and retention. I sold both Fehrmans I had the Last Chance and the Peace Maker.
The Last Chance was a 5.5" bladed knife that was too massive and bulky for it's usable blade length IMO. The handle was VERY comfortable, but very large. The handle on the Last Chance is much more suited for the MUCH larger Final Judgement with it's 9.5" blade - and they have the exact same handle. So, I would think the Final Judgement is likely an impressive knife. But, I am fine with my DFLE, Battle Rat and Golok for now. I use small knives more.
The Peace Maker was ironically the opposite. The handle was shorter than I preferred. But, otherwise another VERY impressive knife. I wish they had both worked for me. Fehrman's knives were very impressive to me in fit and finish and steel quality. But, size proportions were not right for me. Enough about Fehrman.
Back to A2 vs. SR-101:
You even you said yourself:
... it seems that it is a very well rounded steel at a great cost...
What else do you want in a knife steel?
I like toughness.
I like good edge properties (sharpness, retention, ability to sharpen, etc.)
I like "reasonable" corrosion resistance.
A2 is not the best in any one catagory. But, it is very good in all catagories. YES, it is "Well rounded" and why I like it.
Yes, I consider a "Very well rounded steel at a great cost" to be a very good knife steel. A2 is pretty darn tough. Is it as tough as SR-101?..... I don't really know. I have never broken either. And I haven't really seen any head-to-head comparisons. My guess is it comes down to the quality of heat-treatment.
I guess if there is a problem with "both" A2 and SR-101 (52100), it is that to get maximum performance, you really do need a very good heat treatment and quality of heat treatment seems to be more relevant with these two steels than most others.
Compared to many stainless steel blades on the market these days, neither holds an edge quite like some of the high-tech stainless steels. But, the high tech stainless steels are just not tough enough. (*** Unless you do a laminated steel blade like Fallkniven. - I think Fallkniven's (and a couple of other's) laminated blades are very impressive! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> )
Neither A2 or SR-101 are as corrosion resistant as INFI. But, A2 is much less prone to corrosion than SR-101 and one advantage for A2. But, this is not so much a concern for me as I have gotten better at maintaining my blades over the years and learning better ways to prevent corrossion. Still, both will stain in their own ways with certain types of use. A2 actually doesn't rust very easily. It does patina quite easily with acidic foods and such. But, it usuauly turns blue or gray and doesn't look like rust. It looks like patina.
SR-101 does rust and fairly easily in my book. There are worse. 1095, 0170-6, 5160, 01 and a few others are noticably worse. But, don't leave SR-101 wet. I have to give advantage to A2 in corrosion resistance. But, this is one of my last factors for consideration.
Both A2 and SR-101 are apparently fine grained and take an awesome edge, that they hold "reasonably" well. I don't mind loosing an edge over a "reasonable" amount of time, if it is easy to sharpen and can easily be made razor sharp. I find A2 and SR-101 are both easy to sharpen and can both be made RAZOR sharp fairly easily.
And both are (or can be) quite tough. Level of required toughness is a very relative thing. For my purposes, I find both steels make great fixed bladed knives from 3.5" blades up to 10" or so. I haven't had any SR-101 blades longer than my Battle Rat at about 9.5". But, the Rat Daddy was about 10.5" and seems to still have an excellent reputation for toughness without failure. I don't know of one having ever failed.
The longest A2 blade I have ever owned was about 7.5" - 8.0" or so. But, I am reasonably confident that A2 can hang with SR-101 in toughness if based on similar thickness, geometry, etc. - However, again, I really don't know which is toughest.
SR-77 is be all counts likely tougher than either. But, as I have said before, SR-101 (and A2) have better edge qualities IMO than SR-77 and if SR-101 and A2 are "Tough Enough" (on given blade sizes and types) then there are other factors to consider in my book.
Now if we are talking Goloks and Barongs and heavy duty beater blades, I am pretty interested in SR-77's MEGA-Toughness! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />
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