My Cart

Call us toll free: +1 305-504-7521

LIFETIME WARRANTY | FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $69.95

An In-depth Guide to the Steel Used in Automatic Knives

An In-depth Guide to the Steel Used in Automatic Knives

Having automatic knives with you at all times can prove beneficial in a lot of circumstances. The correct knives can safeguard you when you need something for self-defense and be of help when you immediately need to cut an item. But, the principal factor that makes these knives worth it, apart from the geometry and design, is its steel. Without the proper type of steel, no matter how costly the automatic knives are, it won’t come of use. Different types of steel offer multiple levels of durability and usability. That is why it is always useful to know about the various types of steel and the properties associated with them.

Properties of Steel in Automatic Knives
 
The variety in steel is created by the diverse additive elements, along with how the blade is heated and rolled. All these types show various degrees of a few major properties. They are:

An In-depth Guide to the Steel Used in Automatic Knives
  • Toughness: The ability to save itself from cracking or chipping easily when confronted with a sudden load is called toughness. While a few types of steel found in automatic knives can withstand a lot of pressure, some fail in just a few impacts. Experts say that the harder the steel is, the less tough it will be.
  • Hardness: Talking about the hardness, it refers to the time the steel takes for deforming, when there is enough force applied to it. Measured using the HRC or, the Rockwell C scale, you can easily co-relate the hardness in your automatic knives with strength.
  • Edge Retention Capability: This property talks about the duration a blade can maintain its sharpness when used frequently. The more the blade can retain it, the excellent the quality.
  • Wear Resistance: The durability of the knives, when it is subjected to a lot of adhesive and abrasive wear, constitute it to be wear-resistant. Adhesive wear talks about the time when the debris is dislodged from one surface and gets attached to another. Abrasive wear, on the other hand, speaks of the moment when the harder particles pass over a soft surface.
  • Corrosion Resistance: Rust is an enemy of steel, and that shows on your automatic knives as well. The better the steel can resist corrosion, the greater will be the edge performance.

Types of Steel Used in Automatic Knives

Keeping in mind these properties, there are a few well-known types used in automatic knives. They are:

  • Carbon Steel: This type is mostly found in survival knives where they have a fine edge that is easy to re-sharpen. It contains very low chromium and thus, is prone to rust. However, it is excellent for the times you want to buy automatic knives only for its durability and toughness.
  • Stainless Steel: An extremely popular form for everyday-carry (EDC) knives, this type is carbon steel, but with a lot more chromium that helps resist any kind of rust on its surface. There are other elements to increase the performance level of stainless steel knives as well, but the toughness factor reduces with the addition of each one of them.
  • Tool Steel: This is made up of a particularly hard steel alloy used in cutting knives. Automatic knives made up of tool steel is the best for camping purposes.

Conclusion: Knives made up of any steel is good till the time you can properly maintain and keep them sharp. To buy best quality battle-tested automatic knives from a legal online seller, you can contact Tacknives.

The TacKnivesUSA Blog

Actionable advice and the latest industry happenings from the OTFs

Whether you are an enthusiast or a seasoned collector, find out the latest talks, on the latest trends, designs and everything OTFs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TacKnives TK PRO

The TacKnives Blog

Actionable advice and the latest industry happenings from the OTFs

Whether you are an enthusiast or a seasoned collector, find out the latest talks, on the latest trends, designs and everything OTFs.