Hey all,

I'm debating whether or not I should strip some of my SY blades and perhaps my CGSOD as well when it comes in (I won't have to strip my SODLE). What might perhaps make or break my decision is the possibility of the logo disappearing/not disappearing when I strip the blade. So, can the SY logo be removed when you strip the blade or is the etching (I assume it's a laser etch) go completely through the coating? I really want the logos to remain in-tact if I do end up getting rid of the finish but i guess in that case I might as well have splurged and purchased the LE's instead. Oh well, my decision rests in the hands of the logo gods....

Aloha!

Well, if you have sprung for an LE I would not be in a rush to strip the combat grades. In my experience the work needed on the steel underneath means that you will lose the logo.

The other side of not stripping is that if you have a sand version...then in the environment it is intended for there is nothing as good as the coating to protect glare in a dessert. A D/C finish can still catch the light.

If you have a black on black....OK....it is doable...but wait for the LE to come before deciding. The new coatings have stuff under the paint which is much harder to remove...a sort of powder coating...which can be different on one side than the other...or was with my Busse NMFBM...which whilst still being removeable with effort...means a lot of effort by hand...or losing a fair bit of steel if using a belt sander. The belt sander convexes the side of the blade....due to "give" in the belt...this means a fair bit of steel comes off the spine and the edge before you get the bit in the middle finished to the same level of smoothness. In short...it equates with a lot of years of sharpening and re-sharpening in terms of edge removal and it thins the blade.

On SYKCO blades which are well priced for a Satin finish compared to a Busse...I would use the LE and if you want collector knives...have the coated ones for this. The Sand one will always look better coated IMO and will work better that way.