Blade Materials

Knife makers today have a large selection of materials available when designing a knife.  Alloys of steel can be created to have almost any property.  At the same time, some metallurgical properties come with a trade-off.  For instance, most Stainless Steels are almost impervious to corrosion, but don’t hold an edge the way high-carbon or tool steels do.  One class of steel, called Powder Alloy Steel is formed by mixing different powdered metals, which are then melted under pressure to form a billet. This process produces amazing steel, but is more expensive.  Several companies make knives out of extremely hard ceramic materials, allowing for excellent sharpness and corrosion resistance.  Although the hardness of the ceramic allows a razor-sharp edge, it is hard to sharpen and prone to cracking.  The type of steel you want in a knife is entirely dependent on what you plan on doing with it.  For example, a knife used for SCUBA diving or in salt-water environments should be made from stainless steel or titanium.  On the other hand, if you need a knife for processing game, a high-carbon steel blade would be optimal.  In order to help you make an informed decision about future knife purchases, here is a chart of blade properties that I made with help from Cold Steel, Spyderco, Benchmade, and my own experience. 

Blade Materials Chart

SOG Knives on Sale

Howdy!  I want to cover two things here during my study break.

First, Amazon.com is having a sale on SOG knives (SOG Knives- 15% Off).  I've never owned a SOG knife, mostly because they are expensive.  That being said, I've heard excellent things about SOG as a company.  According to one of my friends at a local knife shop, SOG took an AK-47 and shot one of their knives 15 times, causing no apparent damage to the edge of the knife.

Secondly, as I mentioned, I'm taking a study break.  I would like to apologize for my lack of posting for the past few weeks. All of my classes had tests that stacked up for a few weeks straight...  After I finish my finals this week, I should be able to finish a post about the different types of steels involved in knife making.

Thanks for reading!

KA-BAR USMC Fighting Knife

Although it was first deployed in World War II, the KA-BAR USMC Fighting Knife is still in use today.  During WWII, KA-BAR (Then known as Union Cutlery Co.) was tasked with creating a replacement to the Mark 1 Trench Knife.  Union Cutlery Co’s name-change reportedly comes from a hardly-legible letter from a fur trapper, in which he describes killing a bear with one of their knives (the actual text read Kill A B’AR, which lead to KA-BAR).  Anyways, the USMC was looking for a knife that could be used for anything from fighting to cutting barbed wire to opening ration tins.  After comparing knives from multiple companies, the USMC came up with the USMC Fighting Knife that current Marines, hunters, and sportsmen alike use, enjoy, and depend upon. 

The Good: This knife is very well built!  It is probably the strongest knife I have ever used.  Although I own the shorter version (5.25” blade), the blade its self is just under 3/16” thick, making quick work of chopping, slicing, prying, or any other use.  The knife has a full, hidden tang, meaning the tail end of the blade runs the entire length through the handle (more to come on construction later).  The blade has a fuller, commonly called a blood channel, despite the fact that blood drainage isn’t the primary function.  A fuller serves to lighten a knife or sword by removing metal that doesn’t serve any structural purpose; just as bridges are constructed out of trusses instead of solid metal plates.  The USMC Fighting Knife has a powder coated blade (more info in a later post), which protects the metal and reduces blade glare.  Finally, this knife is made from 1095 High Carbon Steel, which is suitable for high-impact work.  The metal its self is easy to sharpen (although the design isn’t, see below) and is fairly wear resistant. 

The Bad: Since the blade is so thick, the bevels that slope down to the cutting edge are fairly steep.  This makes sharpening more difficult, at least if you want a razor-sharp edge.  Since this is a utility knife, edge durability is more important than sharpenability.  1095 is a high-carbon steel, which means it is heat treatable (leading to increased sharpness and wear resistance), but also means that this knife is susceptible to rust.  Carbon steels have much less chemical resistance than Stainless steels, and must be regularly oiled to prevent rust.  Finally, the pommel and cross guard are painted, not powder coated, making both easy to scratch.

KA-BAR pictured with synthetic and leather sheath.
Photo Credit: Gabe Johnson

Variations:  Although the original KA-BAR appears as pictured, many different styles are currently in production.  KA-BAR makes some with synthetic handles, synthetic sheaths (convenient in wet environments), and varying blade styles.  Although these knives are nice, my personal favorite is still the traditional KA-BAR, with the stacked leather handle, combination serrated-straight edge, Bowie style tip.  As a side-note, the full-size USMC KA-BAR is not legal for open carry in Texas, since it has a 7” blade.  For this reason, KA-BAR has several models available with a 5.25” blade, which is what I carry.  The KA-BAR USMC knife cost $65.00 new, regardless of style or size, and the synthetic sheath is available for $15.00 from several sellers, such as Amazon.com. 

Overall:  This is an excellent knife for anyone needing a durable, hardworking knife. With just a little bit of care, this knife will last a lifetime!

Thanks for reading, and check back sometime soon for my next post!

Gerber Paraframe Review

Gerber Paraframe

The Gerber Paraframe is an excellent knife. Over the years, I’ve owned 4 different variants of this knife. The overall design is well thought out, with many great features

Top to Bottom: Paraframe Mini, Paraframe I, Paraframe II.
Photo Credit: www.campman.com

The Good: It has an open handle design that cuts down on weight, allows for easy cleaning, and makes the knife well balanced. Some models are coated in thin film of Titanium Nitrate, applied through a process called Physical Vapor Deposition (More info in a later post). This coating protects the knife from rusting and scratching. Since the coating is a non-reflective black, it also helps prevent the knife from reflecting light(could be good or bad, depending on the situation: good if you’re trying to stay hidden, bad if you’re lost and need an improvised mirror to signal aplane).

The Bad: The steel that this knife is made from (a form of Stainless Steel) is easy to sharpen, but doesn’t hold an edge. When I was still using this knife, I had to sharpen it weekly to keep a usable edge on it. In addition, the hinge joint isn’t strong enough for prying (broke one of these this way), but that is to be expected with any folding knife. Finally, I would recommend against throwing this knife. As with most folding knives, the Gerber Paraframe II isn’t designed to be thrown (I broke 2 of these knives while throwing them).

Cost: The Gerber Paraframe II has always been relatively inexpensive. I picked mine up for around $15 each, although now they cost about $25. It is available in several different models, with both serrated and straight edges, coated and uncoated blades, and varying lengths. The Mini has a 2.25" blade, Paraframe I has a 3", and the Paraframe II has a 3.64" blade. I personally like the largest blade the most, but each has their benefits.

Overall: If I didn’t own several other knives, I would probably buy another Paraframe II, with the 3.6” serrated blade. The last one I had served me well for about a year, until I lost it. Despite the fact that it doesn’t hold an edgevery well, this knife still makes a good utility knife. Since the Paraframe is inexpensive, I really don’t mind using it for things I would never do with a nice knife, such as cutting fiberglass or metal, as a screwdriver, or a bottle opener. The bottom line is: as long is this knife is used as it is designed, it will give many years of service.

Introduction

This is officially my first blog post!  The purpose of this blog is to keep a running discussion about knives.  Over time, I will be writing reviews on various knives that I own or have owned in recent years.  I will also be discussing various aspects of knife making.  Finally, I plan to have several guests share their thoughts on knives. So, check back next week for my first review, the Gerber Paraframe II.