Interview with Knifemaker Phil Wilson about Performance Blades

[Larrin]

Phil Wilson is a great guy and a great knifemaker. He has made many contributions to the knifemaking community from testing results to articles and of course excellent knives. In this interview he answers questions about his history with knives, how his background made him a better knifemaker, and what makes a good knife.

https://knifesteelnerds.com/2018/07/02/ ... th-knives/

[abbazaba]

Thanks!

[sinnyc]

Great stuff, Larrin. I particularly like the section where he (paraphrase) says there is no overall perfect knife, rather there are excellent choices for specific purposes. And this, "We have so many great steels now and as I work with them I find sometimes they are more alike than different. I think it works best to settle on a specific grade, develop the best overall process and optimize for the use."

Sometimes it seems that we move from "new shiny thing" to "new shiny thing" so fast we never really get to the root of what we already have. Maybe that's why a company like Buck still uses 420 HC (a steel many of us knife aficionados would turn their noses up at, me included) with their particularly refined heat treatment. They've found a steel and manufacturing process they liked and continued to refine it to the point that they've been able to fully realize it for the applications for which their knives are built.

That thought made me think about some of my old 440C knives and how much I love them. I'm gonna pull some of those old workhorses out tonight and give 'em a once-over with a fresh eye. Thanks for the good read and the food for thought.

[wrdwrght]

Great read, Larrin. Thanks.

And nice summary, sinnyc.

[J D Wijbenga]

Thanks for posting!

[Pelagic]

I always enjoy reading the opinions of knife experts like Mr. Wilson. It reminds me that I am an absolute PEON in the realm of knife knowledge. You can tell that Phil is extremely humble and down to earth. Very pleasurable read, thanks for sharing, and thank you for all your contributions.

[Larrin]

I always enjoy reading the opinions of knife experts like Mr. Wilson. It reminds me that I am an absolute PEON in the realm of knife knowledge. You can tell that Phil is extremely humble down to earth. Very pleasurable read, thanks for sharing, and thank you for all your contributions.

That's true; Phil rarely lets on all the things that he knows. And he always seems ready to change his mind based on new evidence.

[mb1]

I always enjoy learning about how a notable name got their start. Apparently it was in his blood! Thx for sharing.

[Tucson Tom]

Great interview, thanks for bringing this to our attention. I took particular note of his mention of A11 (10V) steel.

[ThePeacent]

THANKS!

Now I'm ever more excited for the Bow River :D

[Tdog]

Thanks for sharing. Phil's knife designs look and function like they are supposed to. Nice to read a bit of the history behind his knives. Also looking forward to the Bow River.

[Sharp Guy]

Thanks for the great read!

[Eli Chaps]

Cool. Thank you.

[sal]

Phil is a heat treating guru of mine.

sal

[Termite Toothpick]

Thanks, that was great.

[PaleMoon]

THANKS!

Now I'm ever more excited for the Bow River :D

Same here! Thanks Larrin for the great articles you put out.

[weeping minora]

Cheers for the article and the hard work Larrin!

[Bloke]

Great read! :cool:

Many Thanks! :)

[Larrin]

Thanks everyone.

[curlyhairedboy]

Great read, appreciate the effort!