which steel for my military?

[ruxton]

Hi

I'm gonna buy a serrated military, it says at www.knifecenter.com that there are two different types of steel for the blade ATS 34 and 440V i have absolutely no idea what that means, any insight would be useful. Which is better? Which is harder? Which retains an edge better? etc. etc. on all my current spydercos it says ATS-55 on the blade, what does this mean? as i said ne insight is useful.

Mat

[ruxton]

please, anything at all, even if its just "i like mine and it has X type of steel" i don't have any idea as to the difference.
Mat

[jyork]

Rux-
Well it depends on alot of things. Your preference of steels, and looks. The older ones in ATS-34 have a different engraving on the blade. Some people don't like the looks on the new blade which is 440. ATS-34 is a good steel holds up pretty well but I personally like 440 for the edge. Plus I like the new engraving. So hope it helps a little. Just my 2 cents worth.

Jey

[The Stare]

ruxton -- Hi. I just spent about 30 minutes writing out some pretty basic info on steel for you, then stupidly forgot to copy it before I went looking for a URL for you to use. Failed at that too.

I can't bring myself to repeat it all. At the end of it, I referred you to the Steel FAQ at Blade Forums.com. Joe Talmadge, a real expert, has written a great deal about steel composition there. He also has written another FAQ on sharpening steel that you might find rewarding.

To summarize what I wrote at length, there are many varieties of steel. They are different because of their composition. Various elements added to steel give it different properties.

Of the 2 steels you're contemplating, the majority of people today would choose the CPM440V over the ATS34. This is mostly because it holds an edge longer, and also it is a bit more corrosion resistant than ATS34. It is, however, harder to sharpen at the same level of hardness in the steel, but 440V is usually made softer than the ATS34. Both steels are regarded as being better steels than is ATS55, tho it is a fine cutlery steel.

A search on the web for "steel composition" will yield several sites with charts exhibiting the composition of common steels. I couldn't find the site I just bookmarked yesterday, which has explanations of what the various elements contribute to steel when added to the mix.

Hope this helps. Be sure to read the steel FAQ. It can teach you a lot of what there is to know about steels.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't realize that there were cosmetic differences between the blades with the different steels.
Stare

Edited by - The Stare on 8/17/2001 4:49:00 PM

[ruxton]

hey ppl,
thank you both for replying, on balance i'll go for the 440V, i appreciate your input thanks again
mat

[Sword and Shield]

ATS-34 is generally easier to sharpen, but does not hold an edge as well, or resist corrosion as well as CPM 440V.

On the other hand, CPM 440V is a very hard steel and consequently is harder to sharpen than ATS-34. Therein lies the rub.

You have to decide which is more important: edge holding, or ease of sharpening. If you want edge holding, go for CPM 440V. If you want ease of sharpening, go for ATS-34.

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.

[ruxton]

thanx
is there any other difference between the two serrated militarys other than the blade steel? and should there be a price difference?
mat

Edited by - ruxton on 8/19/2001 10:19:09 PM