With its high chromium content it had a unique position in the stainless vs carbon steel debate. So in essence, 1095 steel would have more wear resistance, but would also be less tough. And how did it survive the competition against the new technology steels ? I own a condor filet knife that uses 420hc and was wondering primarily because I was thinking of getting a condor full tang hunting variant in the same steel. I got a lot of nameless steel knives... my bet is they're 420 and with a really poor HT). 440c is mid-range (that used to be a high-end) stainless steel that offers great corrosion resistance and great wear resistance, and will take a great mirror polish so the answer is YES, It’s a good steel for knives, but It has low toughness. 440c Toughness: 440c offers high wear resistance and corrosion resistance, in the cost of toughness (you can’t have the three in one steel), 440c is brittle steel with a decent toughness. With its high chromium content it had a unique position in the stainless vs carbon steel debate. Checkout Deals of the Day on Amazon, Best scout carry knife with horizontal Sheath. AUS8 Offers close edge retention, better toughness and lower corrosion resistance compared to the 440C Steel. 14c28n is stainless steel made by the Swedish company @Sandvik, its mainly made for knives, it’s high in Chromium for great corrosion resistance. The base data on both 440c and 420hc is actually pretty impressive to my eye. What is its chemical composition? 440c Sharpness: 440c is hard steel, so sharpening it wouldn’t be a simple task, but once sharpened, it will hold the edge for a long time. This is one of those most ubiquitous steels in knives. The 10XX (1045, 1095) Steels - 1095 is the most common 10XX steel (or \"high carbon\" steel) used for knife blades. D2 will beat both in edge retention but it might not be nearly as tough as 1075 and isn't as corrosion resistant as 440A. They have a very close chemical composition, both offer great corrosion resistance and good edge retention, they both fall in the same price range, and they’re both used in low/mid-entry knives (20-60 USD knives). Keep your blade oiled as D2 is prone to rusting and corrosion. An air-hardened "semi-stainless" steel, D2 has a relatively high chromium content (12 percent), which makes it more stain-resistant than other carbon steels. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. and honestly, it looks like, in general, whoever cares to use D2, bothers to the the HT right. 420HC Offers close edge retention, close toughness and the same level of corrosion resistance compared to the 440C Steel. D2, and 440C will be significant different in performance compared to D2, 440C from different makers/manufacturers. 440c Wear Resistance: Excellent Wear Resistance, the fine grain, and Carbide of the AEB L steel make it very hard steel. D2 however seems like most well rounded steel here. Is 9cr18MoV steel good for Knives? In this section, we’re going to compare our steel with other steels, and for this, I use four criteria; Edge Retention, Corrosion resistance, Ease of Sharpness, and Toughness, and I use a scale or note from 1 to 10. Looks like they are better at corrosion resistance and marginally worse at wear resistance. D2 has somewhat better wear resistance and toughness than 440C, the most commonly used stainless steel in the 70’s, so for makers who felt that the stain resistance of D2 was “good enough” it could offer superior properties. Find out how you can achieve more! Subscribe to our newsletter to get a free guide on ”your subject”. D2 is overly criticized by people who don't understand that different steels require different edge grinds. 440C. ), with 7” of blade and 5mm of thickness that’s a lag beefy knife!, the fit and finish of the knife is just perfect, the grind is on point, and it has the 440c stainless steel, all of this for a small price, and on top of this a Multiposition black leather sheath, I’m still confused is the company lowering the price to attract more clients, or we’re lucky enough to enjoy some good value for a little price!. The micro-structure of D2 does not lend itself to a fine edge and if ground too fine it will chip. 440C is a fine steel too. Its corrosion resistance is very good however. 14C28N VS 420HC; 14C28N VS D2; 14C28N VS 440C; Conclusion ; Reach your true potential; Reach your true potential ; What is 14c28n steel? Either one should be good not great, overall. D2 has somewhat better wear resistance and toughness than 440C, the most commonly used stainless steel in the 70’s, so for makers who felt that the stain resistance of D2 was “good enough” it could offer superior properties. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Hardness of either is not determined by steel type, but how hard they are heat treated to l, and what temp they are tempered at after heat treat. http://www.simplytoolsteel.com/420HC-stainless-steel-data-sheet.html. 440C is a mid-range Stainless Steel from the 440 Series (440 A, 440B and 440C) high in carbon (Has more than 1%, which makes the highest carbon steel of the 440 series), it offers excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance, used for budget and mid-range knives. Here are some salient points to ponder, particularly if you're one of those people that think that plain carbon steels are superior in performance to 440C. How hard is it? D2 steel is a tool steel often referred to as “semi-stainless” as it falls just short of the required amount of chromium (13%) to qualify as full stainless yet it still provides a good amount of resistance to corrosion. Keep your blade oiled as D2 is prone to rusting and corrosion. So my understanding is that D2 takes a better heat treatment, is that why it is prefered over these two other steel types for blades? http://puu.sh/q799n/b03af7df16.jpg. This is the main reason that knifemakers who hand forge do not use 440C; it's the wrong steel for that application. !, therefore I decided to make a 440c Steel Review. ... 440C is a good all-round steel that has now been overshadowed by many of the newer super-steels on the block. What is its hardness? Charts like this are rather useless in general because there is so much variance that can be obtained as a result of heat treatment. 440A is a bit tougher than 440C but holds an edge bit less. 440c Corrosion Resistance: 440c has excellent corrosion resistance thanks to the 17% of Chromium. (well, it's said that Buck does a really good job with 420HC). D2. It has shown excellent wear resistance and edge retention and is tougher than most stainless steels, such as ATS-34, although less so than other non-stainless grades. There’s no doubt—H1 is a specialty steel.