Coated Stainless: Another Silly Question.

jmforge

jmforge

Well-Known Member
So I have been seeing a number of the "high speed, low drag" type tactical knives for years that are made from stainless super steels like S30V, S35VN, Elmax, etc. The maker/manufacturer picks a very expensive PM stainless steel and then puts a coating on it. Why? Why not pick something that is tougher but has good abrasion resitance like say CPM 4V/Vanadis 4E, CPM M4, CPM 3V, ZWear, etc? Why would you give up the extra toughness in a hard use blade for corrosion resistance if you are going to coat the blade with a corrosion resistant substance? Just being that contrary old get off my lawn guy. ;)
 
The coatings also usually make the blade less susceptible to scratches and stuff on the surface, as well as darkening the surface. DLC and PVD coatings are extremely hard.
 
Taz575 said:
The coatings also usually make the blade less susceptible to scratches and stuff on the surface, as well as darkening the surface. DLC and PVD coatings are extremely hard.
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Like titanium nitride coatings on twist drills and milling cutters.

Sent from my Champion Forge using Tapatalk
 
I think it's mostly all marketing. some coatings like Cerakote are nice. as to doing it, I've never done it to a knife and don't really have an opinion.
it's certainly not for every style knife but it's all in the eye of the beholder.
 
Taz575 said:
The coatings also usually make the blade less susceptible to scratches and stuff on the surface, as well as darkening the surface. DLC and PVD coatings are extremely hard.
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Until you scratch off the coating. :D
 
bladegrinder said:
I think it's mostly all marketing. some coatings like Cerakote are nice. as to doing it, I've never done it to a knife and don't really have an opinion.
it's certainly not for every style knife but it's all in the eye of the beholder.
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Some of the coatings are kind of thick. I have heard some complain that the effect the cutting ability.
 
jmforge said:
So I have been seeing a number of the "high speed, low drag" type tactical knives for years that are made from stainless super steels like S30V, S35VN, Elmax, etc. The maker/manufacturer picks a very expensive PM stainless steel and then puts a coating on it. Why? Why not pick something that is tougher but has good abrasion resitance like say CPM 4V/Vanadis 4E, CPM M4, CPM 3V, ZWear, etc? Why would you give up the extra toughness in a hard use blade for corrosion resistance if you are going to coat the blade with a corrosion resistant substance? Just being that contrary old get off my lawn guy. ;)
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How big of a difference would losing the corrosion resistance make? Would it be getting rusty all the time or just need a light coat of oil every once in a while?
 
DLC and PVD are pretty durable coatings and resist scratches well because they are so hard. Those coatings don't seem to wear off as easily. I have a few Benchmades with those coatings and they hold up well, even with heavy use.

CeraCoat and Powder Coat are less durable. CeraCoat is supposed to last longer, but corners and sharp edges get worn still, especially in kydex. I tried Powder coating blades a long time ago, but they ended up looking ugly. It sure was nice to only have to grind to 120 grit though! LOL

I remember one company who sold Tiger Striped blades. It looked like they got the blades back from HT with the scale/black color still on them and basically bead blasted them to make a tiger stripped pattern. You could see the grinding scratches on the "black" portions where it was the HT color and even in some of the bead blasted areas. I was at a knife show in the early 2000's and the company was there. The reps were drinking beers early in the morning, bragging about their stuff and it looked horrible. They claimed to have a special heat treat for S30V, but Paul Bos told me it was the same as he used for everyone else! LOL.
 
Taz575 said:
DLC and PVD are pretty durable coatings and resist scratches well because they are so hard. Those coatings don't seem to wear off as easily. I have a few Benchmades with those coatings and they hold up well, even with heavy use.

CeraCoat and Powder Coat are less durable. CeraCoat is supposed to last longer, but corners and sharp edges get worn still, especially in kydex. I tried Powder coating blades a long time ago, but they ended up looking ugly. It sure was nice to only have to grind to 120 grit though! LOL

I remember one company who sold Tiger Striped blades. It looked like they got the blades back from HT with the scale/black color still on them and basically bead blasted them to make a tiger stripped pattern. You could see the grinding scratches on the "black" portions where it was the HT color and even in some of the bead blasted areas. I was at a knife show in the early 2000's and the company was there. The reps were drinking beers early in the morning, bragging about their stuff and it looked horrible. They claimed to have a special heat treat for S30V, but Paul Bos told me it was the same as he used for everyone else! LOL.
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Hmmmmm/ Wonder who that was? Strykes me as something I have heard before. :D
 
Lol. I laughed at them and walked away from their table. I was like 20 at the time, but knew they were full of it and other guys were fawning all over them. I felt sorry for the makers who had tables near them! They were loud and obnoxious! I remember getting some s30v from a very early batch from Crucible and Paul Bos did all of my HT back then. Bos even chuckled when I asked about the Special Heat Treat.
 
Taz575 said:
Lol. I laughed at them and walked away from their table. I was like 20 at the time, but knew they were full of it and other guys were fawning all over them. I felt sorry for the makers who had tables near them! They were loud and obnoxious! I remember getting some s30v from a very early batch from Crucible and Paul Bos did all of my HT back then. Bos even chuckled when I asked about the Special Heat Treat.
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So is Paul Bos still alive? Whenever I send blades their way for ht Paul Farner is who I deal with
 
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