Description
Extreme wear resistance steel with 9% vanadium. Among the best edge retention of any production knife steel. For those who never want to sharpen.
Properties
Chemical Composition
✓ Pros
Best edge retention in common production knives. Will outlast almost anything. Excellent for high-wear applications. Impressive hardness. Collectible appeal.
✗ Cons
Extremely difficult to sharpen. Poor toughness - chips easily. Slow to grind. Expensive. Not for hard use or impact. Requires diamond stones.
Grinding Notes
Extremely slow grinding. Very hard vanadium carbides. Ceramic belts only. Frequent belt changes. Very expensive to work with. Heat treat before grinding whenever possible.
Polishing Notes
Very difficult to polish. High carbide content causes streaking. Satin finish is more practical. Hand polishing is extremely time-consuming.