Blade material decides the effectiveness and durability of a knife.
The price a person pays for a blade will influence the materials used in it. Additionally, the purpose of the knife will determine what it is made of.
Likewise, different alloys and materials will influence the quality and reliability of your knife.
Kinds of Blade Material
Typically, knife steel is an alloy.
With modern alloy materials, knives have become sharper and more durable than ever. Knife Center is a popular online knife store that sells a variety of knives – from leatherman tools to cold steel and boker knives – with a variety of materials.
These materials include:
- Alloy Steels
- Chrome Steel
- Semi-Stainless Steel
- High-Speed Steel
- Super Stainless Steels
- Carbon Steels
- Ceramics
Why is Steel and Steel Alloys So Popular?
Steel is easily one of the most popular materials used to make a strong knife blade. Whether it’s pure steel or an alloy, this material is extremely durable and can be polished to a sharp blade.
Steel by itself, however, is harder to work with in terms of manufacturing. The use of alloys allows manufacturers to more easily manipulate the material in the fabrication process. These alloy materials also offer corrosion resistance, which is the ability of steel to resist deterioration regardless of its environment.
Steel also offers general wear resistance, as well as edge retention. A steel blade can more easily hold a sharp edge without requiring re-sharpening on a regular basis.
What Alloys are Used?
Alloys change the properties of steel that make a knife suitable for specific tasks. Below are some of the most popular alloy additions in knives.
Vanadium
Vanadium improves a steels hardenability, and it promotes finer grains in steel. The grain structure of steel determines the strength and resistant of the material, and the finer the grain, the better the knife.
Nickel
Nickel is a common material found on earth. It can be used to improve the toughness and durability of steel. It’s also ideal for resisting corrosion. This alloy is used often in dive knives.
Chromium
By using chromium with steel, it is possible to improve corrosion resistance, wear resistance, as well as hardenability. Martensitic stainless steels often use Chromium. Sport knives and cutlery us martensitic stainless steel.
Carbon
Carbon is technically not an alloy, because it is already present in a traditional carbon steel. However, some manufacturers will still increase the amount of carbon within their steel to improve hardness and durability in a knife.
Molybdenum
Molybdenum will offer improved tensile strength making knives extremely durable and long lasting. It also improves corrosion resistance, making knives ideal for outside use.
Trust Knife Experts to Find the Right Knife for You
Popular online knife stores will be able to provide you with a wide range of knives, with blades made from a variety of materials. Knife Depot is a great example of this kind of store.
In conclusion, if you want to find out more about the many different varieties of knives out there, you can also ask researchers for help.
