Spyderco Forums

is it steel? what is all the rage about this stuf, and is it really as good as people have made it out to be?

Talonite is technically not a steel, as it contains only ~3% iron by weight. It's extremely easy to sharpen, holds an edge very well, and will not corrode due to its low iron content.

The main problem with Talonite is cost. It contains a high percentage of cobalt, which is very expensive. A secondary problem is impact resistance. While it's great for wear resistance, the nature of the cobalt matrix hurts its impact resistance.

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.

SandS,

In my experience, Talonite seems to have pretty good toughness (impact resistance). Where it comes up way short for me is in strength. We've had a few stories about the lack of strength causing problems. Makers who know their talonite tend to leave a thicker edge on their talonite knives than on their steel knives, to make up for the strength.

Joe

very good points: doesnt rust, holds edge well

Joe- I've always heard that impact resistance was the major problem, but thanks for the correction.

I haven't had much experience with the stuff, so it's good to have someone a bit more experienced helping out.

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.

I have a couple knives in it. I like it, and really appreciate the fact that it doesn't rust, but as far as edgeholding, I wasn't that impressed, it tends to be more along the lines of the rest of the high end steels, not something godlike... I might just need more time with it though. I have only carried one of the knives I have in Talonite, and only 3-4 months at that. If you live/work in humid or salty environments, then you will appreciate the fact that it won't rust, and edge holding is always good, but you have to remember not to abuse it.

There's been a lot of hype about Talonite. It's been touted as some sort of super blade material. First off, there is no reason to expect it to take an outstanding edge - it is NOT a hard material. A Talonite blade has an RC typically of 48 or so. It does not have the potential to take or hold an edge as well as top-of-the-line knife steels.

Talonite has only slightly more than half the strength of premium steels, so it is less able to withstand rough use and abuse. These are NOT just my opinions, you can check out the material properties yourself.

Given that, the material will NOT corrode. It holds an edge very well for certain types of cutting, such as fiberous materials like cardboard, but NOT hard materials.

It has its uses, but it is VERY expensive. And, yes, I own two Talonite-bladed knives and can talk form personal experience as well.

a quote from off of bladeforums:
Talonite is an amazing blade material. It has the strange property of really good edge retention, and easy sharpening. Usually you have to choose one or the other. It will not rust. It also seems to cut cut cut cut long after it feels dull and long after other steels are long done.

It is quite a bit more expensive than even the best steels out there, so the question is, is talonite worth it for *you*. That can be a hard question to answer.
_______________________________
I have had a talonite blade and this seems to be the case, and stellite 6k is said to be almost identical with lower cost


Edited by - mschwoeb on 3/14/2002 8:54:04 PM

Dear Wiley Sharp ;
From the A.G.Russell spring
2002 catalog, Pg 3 :

"Talonite is a cobalt alloy much like Stellite
which has been priced out of the knife market. Talonite will hold an edge as well as
the Stellite. A friend of mine, who is a long time hunting guide and user of Morseth knives, says "In field dressing use, the Talonite blade will perform similer to the
Morseth blade of Laminated Norwegian steel,
which has always been my favorite.""

I seriously doubt <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> will ever produce a
Talonite clip-it, if that's what you're
driving at. But I may stand corrected.<img src="tongue.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

All Hail <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> !
Switchblades BAD, <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>"s GOOD !11

ATE ( alias A.E.T. )

I have been carrying around one of the Camillus CUDA EDC folders with the Talonite blade for several months now (In addition to my Spydie!)... it is an interesting knive. The side of the blade has a textured feel to it... there are very fine parallel groves that run from edge to spine...this isn't something that is ground into the blade (I think) -- it's more like a "grain" in the metal. The knive does cut very very and is easy to sharpen. I do agree that it will continue to cut everyday sorts of things quite well even after it won't shave.

--gordon

I have 2 Talonite blades and while I am pleased with them, I seriously question the bottom line "cost effectivenes" of the material. I think in most cases, a high-end stainless will do the job at far less cost.

I can see that if ultimately it's cost comes down, some truly awesome fishing knives could be crafted from it due to it's extreme corrosion resistence.

Just my 2 cents.

Dick AKTI #A001365

I have 2 neck knives made from Talonite. I feel that Talonite is the right choice in a necker as it can't corrode/rust. The stuff does cut fibrous materials really well. A Talonite neck knife compliments my Micarta Calypso Jr. really well. ...Ed.

Darn it! Haven't done that in a while...
(Double Post)

Edited by - Ed Gordon on 3/20/2002 7:10:46 PM

One anecdote I have read is that if you use it to cut a soda bottle, it will strip off the soft edge of the blade.
I do agree it that it does have its place in specialty situations.

Knife Knut on a shoestring budget. <P>RKBA

There is also the alternative of the Stellite (6k or 3k), also cobalt based alloy, but harder than the Talonite. Of course, it is also harder to sharpen, but no problem for the Spyderco sharpeners.

<font color=blue>I'll be back!</font>