I have my grandfather’s hunting knife. 70-80 years old. It’s processed countless game. I still use it. Point is. I use it for what it’s designed for and don’t try to punch it through car doors to see if it cuts paper afterwards lol
Great vid on this subject. Every time I hear these arguments on steels, it take me back to a talk I had with someone. At the end, he said, "every steel has a specific purpose and how you should use it for specific tools." I watch channels put knives through more abuse than they would have ever been put under in real situations. In a true survival situation a knife might do anything, but in truth, even the ancient woodsmen carried a variety of tools when in the field (knifes, tomahawks, axes, woodworking tools). Their knives were precious and not meant for things other than cutting the usual things (cordage, meat, small stuff too small for an axe or tomahawk). I doubt most woodsmen of old would have ever abused their blades the way todays woodsmen/bushcrafters do. Just IMO. Take Care and Stay Safe.
I often hear people say to use the right tool for the job. In most cases what they mean is to use an axe to chop, not a knife. Or to pry with a prybar and not a knife etc. However I see that statement as something deeper and more nuanced. To choose the right tool also mean to choose the right steel for the job, the right grind for the job, the right hardness for the job, the right edge geometry for the job etc. The problem is oftentimes people choosing a knife with the wrong attributes for the use scenario, and then they blame the knife or the steel. I wouldn’t choose 80crv2 if I’m cutting abrasive materials all day long. But I wouldn’t mind having it in a larger outdoors knife that will baton and do small diameter chopping. And I have no problem with it in a sloyd knife or a puukko that will mostly do woodcrafting.
True However 80crv2 isn't necessarily the "wrong" steel for anything. Nobody cuts abrasives all day every day and 80crv2 is so easy to strop back that it really doesn't matter much.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I don’t know if people actually cut large amounts of abrasives during a days work, but many people at least give that impression online. In such a scenario, I can see that other steels than 80crv2 is preferred. But I do agree, harder 80crv2 and a thin geometry I think would work well enough if one is cutting a lot of cardboard for example. And the ease of bringing the edge back speaks in its favor.
What is crazy (and amazing) is people reference Dr Thomas saying the exact opposite of what he says and demonstrates, and the man works so hard to make everything transparent that anyone can find and read what he says. There is no excuse to act like you learned secret knowledge from the guys at the for front of the industry- Without actually going and reading lol
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors yea I watched a few videos and it was absolutely cringey. Though as bad as the content was the people commenting was even worse
Absolutely. I have stated multiple times... I am most happy with simple steels I know exactly how to abuse it. I like steels that I know it's attributes like an extension of my own. So... I prefer 5160, 154CM, and 1095. (As well as it's neighboring steel cousins). Super Steels are nice and all but I rather get the mileage for a couple dollars instead of the bougie steels.
@gwashington65 that's a loaded question. I have often thought of 80crv2 as cpm3v that is easier to sharpen less corrosion resistant. That isn't TOTALLY accurate but I am happy with either steel and I like NOT having corrosion resistance a lot of the times because I like earned a nice, dark patina.
@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I'm a new subscriber. Thanks for your videos. I first saw your video on Tim kennedy and Shawn ryan show. FYI, I just looked over the utube comments on that SRS video and couldn't find a single negative comment. Shawn completely scrubbed those comments. I just unfollowed SRS. Really sad how it's all so fake and g*y.
Definitely true toughness is about more than lateral strength. For example Supershock 7 (S7) lacks edge stability which can cause it to “rip”. With that said, I love S7.
13c28/ 14c28n/ aebl are absolutely pinnacle steels with only magnacut being better now- but without the market saturation, availability, and knowledge available for those other steels. If there were only 2 knife steels in the world and 1 was 8670, 15n20, 52100, or 80crv2, and the other was 13c28, 14c28n, or aebl the market would be better for it.
I thought that as well until I saw some recent tests from a couple makers. that stuff is surprisingly easy to break in a vice which may not matter to you but it means i would not want to use it on a survival/chopper beater knife. also, the edge stability at an acute angle isnt as good as some other steels like magnacut to name 1. it is easy to sharpen and still tough tho so i still like it
@@drunknnirish for example he hasn’t ordered high carbon low alloy in ages but after that test he went ahead and ordered some sheets of 80crv2 and 52100. I have my name on a willow bush in 52100 can’t wait
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors n690 is also great I was just referring to n680 And older Bolger steel 0.2 % nitrogen ,fine grain structure Low Rockwell 57-58 Decently tough , cheap and with17% chromium, high stainless
Brother i could not agree more holy crap i just hear magmacut this and elmax that. If i take a hogue deka and tip test it it will snap its a thin blade and not the best heat treat lol. I would take a bk16 or a tops or a esee over wuite a bit of blades out there. Love your comments on steels man
Every performance on a steel,you may think you watched on UA-cam videos, is 90% edge geometry, heat treatment, how the knife was made, and even more than that believe it or not, how the knife was sharpened. You can have,even up to 100 times better edge retention, if you simply remove the burr properly, after sharpening. There isn't a good heat treatment, or a standard heat treatment, it's all way more complicated than youmight think. Steel, is the LAST thing, you shoud care about on a knife. It's all the other, that matter more. Even if a handle or sheath, is not proper, or simply doesn't fit your needs, you wont use that knife. However, if everything is perfect, no matter what steel it was made of, you WILL use that knife and yo'll be happy. You have to understand, that knives are tools meant for use (the most important ones too) Collecting is something completely different.Unfortunately, most people have fallen in the marketing trap of "Steel" is the most important, when in reallity, it's the opposite. UA-cam, is not the best place, to get an opinion about a specific knife or knives in general, because msot UA-camrs know very little, trying to convince you they are experts. (or you simply take that as granded) Well, humanity is a big mess at the moment, knives just walk the same way,as everything else..
On paper super steals might be fantastic, but what happens when you're out in the middle of the woods and you don't have your fancy electric workshop with guides to put that edge back on your super steel? That's why these old crusty steals still have a place!
also i was led to believe super steels were as tough overall as the basic high carbon low alloys. seeing a custom maker i follow do a recent test where he snapped knife blanks in a vice showed that 80CRV2 outperformed all the super steels by an insane margin. now thats not the only type of stress/toughness in a steel and maybe its not the most practical test but the results really were not what any1 was expecting. the toughest super steel he used a small like 5 in wrench on but most could be broken by hand. the 80crv2 needed a 15 in wrench to act as an insane amount of leverage and it was still hard to snap. crazy strong stuff blew 3v out of the water in that test
The knife steel snob in my wants to say no but truthfully it is at least an acceptable steel and with all of the modern honest testing coming to light showing the true performance of cheap steels it actually probably has the potential to be a great steel. With that said any knifes ht can be ruined and generally speaking when you are looking at 8cr knives you are looking at ultra mass produced knives so I wouldn't use the steel itself as any indicator of the blades performance but instead the brands reputation.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors ok the reason I was asking is I bought a Spyderco Bow River and it seems to hold an edge just as well as some of my other blades made in AEBL from LT Wright. So was just curious on your thoughts And opinion of the steel.
@joshlindsey296 yeah spyderco is going to do a good job. Also consider that edge geometry cuts- so even an inferior steel for edge holding will feel like it cuts efficiently much longer than a better steel depending on edge geo. The lt is likely also softer due to its intended use, and is a convexed edge.
@@joshlindsey296 LT Wright tends to under harden their blades so it makes sense the the Spyderco is keeping up with it. AEBL at 61.5 (my edc fixed from NRGSharp) is a completely different steel from AEBL at 58 (the hardness LTWK runs it at). Also that Spyderco is a Phil Wilson design so its made to cut.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors na there neither convex there both full flats and have been sharpened to 17 degrees on both sides. But I will agree the LT is a little larger blade for camping and woodscraft and the Spyderco is more of a fish and bird blade. So that being said the thickness at the primary bevel is a little thicker on the LT than the Spyderco. But there close.
Im half way through the vid and your dog comes up to you and straights making dog noises. And my dog is on the couch next to me confused as crap. Lookin around like where are the dogs? Also 80crv2 is irrelevant? Who in the world said that 😅
I don’t disagree. However price should reflect this. Asking for multiple hundreds for 80crv2 or 1095 is a scam. Especially when you justify it with “lifetime warranty”. I mean sure you are going to offer it, the blades costs you 12$ to produce and you sell it at 150$. I’m basically buying over ten knives at that price.
When you buy a car is the value based on the cost of the materials it was made from? Is a Ferrari cheaper than an f150 because it is lighter weight? If you base an items value solely off the value of the materials it is made from you have never had to earn money by being a producer. Wherever it is that you work you are ONLY paid because you MAKE more money than you are paid. Go MAKE something for yourself and use that as your sole source of income- ideally YOU should invest about $10,000 in equipment and years of practice, then sell knives for $50. You have clearly found a gap in the market by which you will become rich
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors that is an half-assed reasoning imo. An ESEE knives costs less than 12$ to make but it gets sold at 10x that because of “warranty”. Same with many others. Are we now comparing ESEE to Ferrari? Wow
@clintwestwood3539 you don't know what an Esee costs to make. Apparently you don't know what anything costs to make. Are you including debt? Unemployment insurance? Employees salaries? Electric? Water? Pto? The cost of shows? Marketing? Investment for growth? Esee pays more in shipping I'm sure every year that you and I make in a year combined. But we, and YOU specifically weren't speaking of Esee, you specified an 80crv2 knife that costs hundreds of dollars, and Esee doesn't have a single knife in 80crv2. You are moving the goal posts to argue about things that you literally know exactly nothing about. What do YOU get paid to do for a living?
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I do know because I make custom knives myself lmao. That’s the price of material, gas and such. Also consider they make them in mass-production. They don’t ht them piece by piece in Rowen. Probably it’s even less than 12$ but I wanted to be generous and this already proves my point. 80crv2 in Europe costs the exact same that 1095 costs in USA and yes, I specified both and ESEE was included when I talked about “lifetime warranty”. I’m not here you to make you less of a shmuck, that’s your life choice dude. No reason for you to get stressed over it. Thousands of people everyday get scammed. Nothing to be ashamed about.
1084,80crV2,8670, 15N20 and L6 are all crazy tough steels.
Yup!!!
Don’t forget 52100!
@drunknnirish 5160 as well!!! Hell AEB-L even though a stainless is extremely tough and easy to sharpen.
@@drunknnirishdoesnt compare
@@mariaconcepcionrodriguezhe2850 Are you saying 52100 is somehow inferior to the ones rawdog listed?
I just threw my 80crv2 blades in the trash since that's where they belong now! Trash steel goes in the trash can!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have my grandfather’s hunting knife. 70-80 years old. It’s processed countless game. I still use it. Point is. I use it for what it’s designed for and don’t try to punch it through car doors to see if it cuts paper afterwards lol
Great vid on this subject.
Every time I hear these arguments on steels, it take me back to a talk I had with someone. At the end, he said, "every steel has a specific purpose and how you should use it for specific tools."
I watch channels put knives through more abuse than they would have ever been put under in real situations. In a true survival situation a knife might do anything, but in truth, even the ancient woodsmen carried a variety of tools when in the field (knifes, tomahawks, axes, woodworking tools). Their knives were precious and not meant for things other than cutting the usual things (cordage, meat, small stuff too small for an axe or tomahawk). I doubt most woodsmen of old would have ever abused their blades the way todays woodsmen/bushcrafters do. Just IMO. Take Care and Stay Safe.
I often hear people say to use the right tool for the job. In most cases what they mean is to use an axe to chop, not a knife. Or to pry with a prybar and not a knife etc. However I see that statement as something deeper and more nuanced. To choose the right tool also mean to choose the right steel for the job, the right grind for the job, the right hardness for the job, the right edge geometry for the job etc. The problem is oftentimes people choosing a knife with the wrong attributes for the use scenario, and then they blame the knife or the steel. I wouldn’t choose 80crv2 if I’m cutting abrasive materials all day long. But I wouldn’t mind having it in a larger outdoors knife that will baton and do small diameter chopping. And I have no problem with it in a sloyd knife or a puukko that will mostly do woodcrafting.
True
However 80crv2 isn't necessarily the "wrong" steel for anything.
Nobody cuts abrasives all day every day and 80crv2 is so easy to strop back that it really doesn't matter much.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I don’t know if people actually cut large amounts of abrasives during a days work, but many people at least give that impression online. In such a scenario, I can see that other steels than 80crv2 is preferred. But I do agree, harder 80crv2 and a thin geometry I think would work well enough if one is cutting a lot of cardboard for example. And the ease of bringing the edge back speaks in its favor.
Dr. Thomas said this same thing in a video with Buck! So right! Love it! Great video!
What is crazy (and amazing) is people reference Dr Thomas saying the exact opposite of what he says and demonstrates, and the man works so hard to make everything transparent that anyone can find and read what he says.
There is no excuse to act like you learned secret knowledge from the guys at the for front of the industry-
Without actually going and reading lol
The Dixie and Dex intrusion had me cracking up 😂. From a quiet, composed steel discussion to total chaos in a split second.
Haha Dixie is a destroyer. And a love. Haha 🖤
But tackle box face said that carbon steels suck….. proved it by cutting them Amazon boxes open.
They aren’t what she likes and that is ok but what I take issue with is telling someone what they should charge for their labor.
What I can tell you after a brief exchange with her tonight is that she has absolutely no idea what she is talking about.
What a train wreck.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors yea I watched a few videos and it was absolutely cringey. Though as bad as the content was the people commenting was even worse
Absolutely.
I have stated multiple times... I am most happy with simple steels I know exactly how to abuse it. I like steels that I know it's attributes like an extension of my own.
So...
I prefer 5160, 154CM, and 1095. (As well as it's neighboring steel cousins).
Super Steels are nice and all but I rather get the mileage for a couple dollars instead of the bougie steels.
Even aus 8 is great outdoors
Do you prefer 80crv2 or 3v for a hard use woods knife? Thanks
@gwashington65 that's a loaded question.
I have often thought of 80crv2 as cpm3v that is easier to sharpen less corrosion resistant.
That isn't TOTALLY accurate but I am happy with either steel and I like NOT having corrosion resistance a lot of the times because I like earned a nice, dark patina.
@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I'm a new subscriber. Thanks for your videos. I first saw your video on Tim kennedy and Shawn ryan show. FYI, I just looked over the utube comments on that SRS video and couldn't find a single negative comment. Shawn completely scrubbed those comments. I just unfollowed SRS. Really sad how it's all so fake and g*y.
@@gwashington65 I couldn't agree more!
Definitely true toughness is about more than lateral strength. For example Supershock 7 (S7) lacks edge stability which can cause it to “rip”. With that said, I love S7.
S7 is so cool! I wish it were used more!
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors try a Gossman in S7.
@@drunknnirish someday
Thank you and well said Jacob 💪🏻
Call me old school but I prefer CruWear, 3V, 80CrV2, even 1095 over MagnaCut no little doubt.
I still think high hardness AEBL (61-62) is the best all around steel anyone could select.
13c28/ 14c28n/ aebl are absolutely pinnacle steels with only magnacut being better now- but without the market saturation, availability, and knowledge available for those other steels.
If there were only 2 knife steels in the world and 1 was 8670, 15n20, 52100, or 80crv2, and the other was 13c28, 14c28n, or aebl the market would be better for it.
I thought that as well until I saw some recent tests from a couple makers. that stuff is surprisingly easy to break in a vice which may not matter to you but it means i would not want to use it on a survival/chopper beater knife. also, the edge stability at an acute angle isnt as good as some other steels like magnacut to name 1. it is easy to sharpen and still tough tho so i still like it
I assume you are talking about Scott’s testing (a seedy lot), and he will tell you high hardness AEBL is one of his top choices for a woods knife.
@@drunknnirish yes but he also said he has reconsidered some things specifically for hard use knives. I have conversations with him regularly
@@drunknnirish for example he hasn’t ordered high carbon low alloy in ages but after that test he went ahead and ordered some sheets of 80crv2 and 52100. I have my name on a willow bush in 52100 can’t wait
Good video buddy, glad you did this video because you did it better than I could have
I always loved n680 for a high stainless steel
Not very well known now but super tough
I loved it
I agree with wat your saying about heat treat
I have tested and will be doing more testing in some n690co (I'm assuming that's what you are referring to, correct me if I'm wrong of course)
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors n690 is also great
I was just referring to n680
And older Bolger steel 0.2 % nitrogen ,fine grain structure
Low Rockwell 57-58
Decently tough , cheap and with17% chromium, high stainless
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors if fact I think n690 is the improved n680
But notb100% sure
@@Knifeandkompass77 well I am ignorant of the steel!
I will have to fix that, I learned something new!
My bad for assuming it was a typo!
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors oh no worries at all lol 😂 it’s so old of a steel now anyway haha
Excellent info, thanks, Jacob.
Brother i could not agree more holy crap i just hear magmacut this and elmax that. If i take a hogue deka and tip test it it will snap its a thin blade and not the best heat treat lol. I would take a bk16 or a tops or a esee over wuite a bit of blades out there. Love your comments on steels man
💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
amen!
Every performance on a steel,you may think you watched on UA-cam videos, is 90% edge geometry, heat treatment, how the knife was made, and even more than that believe it or not, how the knife was sharpened. You can have,even up to 100 times better edge retention, if you simply remove the burr properly, after sharpening. There isn't a good heat treatment, or a standard heat treatment, it's all way more complicated than youmight think. Steel, is the LAST thing, you shoud care about on a knife. It's all the other, that matter more. Even if a handle or sheath, is not proper, or simply doesn't fit your needs, you wont use that knife. However, if everything is perfect, no matter what steel it was made of, you WILL use that knife and yo'll be happy. You have to understand, that knives are tools meant for use (the most important ones too) Collecting is something completely different.Unfortunately, most people have fallen in the marketing trap of "Steel" is the most important, when in reallity, it's the opposite. UA-cam, is not the best place, to get an opinion about a specific knife or knives in general, because msot UA-camrs know very little, trying to convince you they are experts. (or you simply take that as granded) Well, humanity is a big mess at the moment, knives just walk the same way,as everything else..
You are right, especially on the last point!
Heat treating is all time and temperature it’s not really complicated at all.
@drunknnirish not all heats and times are easy, especially in large batches where variation can occur within the oven
I was talking from a custom maker stand point.
On paper super steals might be fantastic, but what happens when you're out in the middle of the woods and you don't have your fancy electric workshop with guides to put that edge back on your super steel? That's why these old crusty steals still have a place!
also i was led to believe super steels were as tough overall as the basic high carbon low alloys. seeing a custom maker i follow do a recent test where he snapped knife blanks in a vice showed that 80CRV2 outperformed all the super steels by an insane margin. now thats not the only type of stress/toughness in a steel and maybe its not the most practical test but the results really were not what any1 was expecting. the toughest super steel he used a small like 5 in wrench on but most could be broken by hand. the 80crv2 needed a 15 in wrench to act as an insane amount of leverage and it was still hard to snap. crazy strong stuff blew 3v out of the water in that test
200% correct
Is 8cr13mov a decent steel?
The knife steel snob in my wants to say no but truthfully it is at least an acceptable steel and with all of the modern honest testing coming to light showing the true performance of cheap steels it actually probably has the potential to be a great steel.
With that said any knifes ht can be ruined and generally speaking when you are looking at 8cr knives you are looking at ultra mass produced knives so I wouldn't use the steel itself as any indicator of the blades performance but instead the brands reputation.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors ok the reason I was asking is I bought a Spyderco Bow River and it seems to hold an edge just as well as some of my other blades made in AEBL from LT Wright. So was just curious on your thoughts And opinion of the steel.
@joshlindsey296 yeah spyderco is going to do a good job.
Also consider that edge geometry cuts- so even an inferior steel for edge holding will feel like it cuts efficiently much longer than a better steel depending on edge geo.
The lt is likely also softer due to its intended use, and is a convexed edge.
@@joshlindsey296 LT Wright tends to under harden their blades so it makes sense the the Spyderco is keeping up with it. AEBL at 61.5 (my edc fixed from NRGSharp) is a completely different steel from AEBL at 58 (the hardness LTWK runs it at).
Also that Spyderco is a Phil Wilson design so its made to cut.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors na there neither convex there both full flats and have been sharpened to 17 degrees on both sides. But I will agree the LT is a little larger blade for camping and woodscraft and the Spyderco is more of a fish and bird blade. So that being said the thickness at the primary bevel is a little thicker on the LT than the Spyderco. But there close.
Im half way through the vid and your dog comes up to you and straights making dog noises. And my dog is on the couch next to me confused as crap. Lookin around like where are the dogs? Also 80crv2 is irrelevant? Who in the world said that 😅
I guess some edc chic 🤷♂️
She's just silly.
Joe X has good videos but no one is going to smash their knife on a rock or a pole. If you need a knife that durable, you are simply using it wrong
That isn't the point
Joe X's tests and videos are completely pointless
I disagree but understand why you feel that way.
I don’t disagree. However price should reflect this. Asking for multiple hundreds for 80crv2 or 1095 is a scam.
Especially when you justify it with “lifetime warranty”. I mean sure you are going to offer it, the blades costs you 12$ to produce and you sell it at 150$. I’m basically buying over ten knives at that price.
When you buy a car is the value based on the cost of the materials it was made from?
Is a Ferrari cheaper than an f150 because it is lighter weight?
If you base an items value solely off the value of the materials it is made from you have never had to earn money by being a producer.
Wherever it is that you work you are ONLY paid because you MAKE more money than you are paid.
Go MAKE something for yourself and use that as your sole source of income- ideally YOU should invest about $10,000 in equipment and years of practice, then sell knives for $50. You have clearly found a gap in the market by which you will become rich
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors that is an half-assed reasoning imo. An ESEE knives costs less than 12$ to make but it gets sold at 10x that because of “warranty”. Same with many others.
Are we now comparing ESEE to Ferrari? Wow
@clintwestwood3539 you don't know what an Esee costs to make.
Apparently you don't know what anything costs to make. Are you including debt? Unemployment insurance? Employees salaries? Electric? Water? Pto? The cost of shows? Marketing? Investment for growth? Esee pays more in shipping I'm sure every year that you and I make in a year combined.
But we, and YOU specifically weren't speaking of Esee, you specified an 80crv2 knife that costs hundreds of dollars, and Esee doesn't have a single knife in 80crv2.
You are moving the goal posts to argue about things that you literally know exactly nothing about.
What do YOU get paid to do for a living?
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I do know because I make custom knives myself lmao.
That’s the price of material, gas and such. Also consider they make them in mass-production. They don’t ht them piece by piece in Rowen.
Probably it’s even less than 12$ but I wanted to be generous and this already proves my point.
80crv2 in Europe costs the exact same that 1095 costs in USA and yes, I specified both and ESEE was included when I talked about “lifetime warranty”.
I’m not here you to make you less of a shmuck, that’s your life choice dude. No reason for you to get stressed over it. Thousands of people everyday get scammed. Nothing to be ashamed about.
@clintwestwood3539 oh you make knives, great, where can we buy them?
🤣🤣🤣