ZDP for EDC questions

[40mm]

Hey folks. I am going to try a little one knife experiment this year and I'm almost done selling everything off to fund the knife I'm going to use. I have decided that I'm going to go with the good ol' Delica for this and am leaning heavily towards the ZDP version. I have a Sharpmaker and other stones so I'm not worried about touch-ups or sharpening and the need for a bit more maintenance than say VG-10 doesn't put me off. Just curious how others like using ZDP as an everyday carry? I've read a couple posts of people who say that have a patine on their ZDP blades but haven't seen pictures. Any photos of long term carry ZDP Delica are a bonus! Any feedback positive or negative is appreciated. Anyway, looking forward to this one knife experiment.

[Wartstein]

Since you are not worried about sharpening ZDP my input is not of too much worth.

But still: I sold my ZDP Endura and settled for a HAP 40 one, since the ZDP was a lot harder to sharpen for me at the time. Too hard tbh, or to put it better: I was not patient enough probably... :rolleyes:

Now that I have CBN rods for my SM and also my sharpening skills have improved a bit, I´d like to try ZDP once more. I USE I liked it a lot. Not too "brittle" in my experience, like I had read sometimes.

Go for it, enjoy it! :)

[40mm]

Thanks for the input Wartstein! Still not 100% but like I said I'm definitely leaning that way. Something different than what I've had in the past and I dig the green FRN scales.

Since you are not worried about sharpening ZDP my input is not of too much worth.

But still: I sold my ZDP Endura and settled for a HAP 40 one, since the ZDP was a lot harder to sharpen for me at the time. Too hard tbh, or to put it better: I was not patient enough probably... :rolleyes:

Now that I have CBN rods for my SM and also my sharpening skills have improved a bit, I´d like to try ZDP once more. I USE I liked it a lot. Not too "brittle" in my experience, like I had read sometimes.

Go for it, enjoy it! :)

[dan31]

Delica in ZDP-189 is a great choice! I have been carrying my Superblue Delica for years, probably 90% of the time. Now I trade with Endela SE. Just be patient sharpening. Light touch

[ABX2011]

If you can wait, Spyderco is going to make the Delica with K390. I'd rather have that. There was a recent thread about ZDP originating from an analysis by Larrin.
viewtopic.php?t=85647

[Jazz]

Weird how I never have problems sharpening ZDP. I use a double sided Norton stone freehand. Only steel to give me trouble ever was S110V. If you know how to sharpen, get the ZDP.

[kennethsime]

My first two Spydies were the ZDP Stretch and the ZDP Dragonfly 2. Excellent EDC, just takes some patience sharpening. No problems with corrosion or chipping, holds a very fine edge for a very long time. Great stuff!

[The Deacon]

Personally, I'll take VG-10 over ZDP-189 any day. That's based on having carried and used one version or another of the Stretch since November of 2004. While most of them have had VG-10 blades I did carry a ZDP-189 CF Stretch for well over a year. What I found was that, while it held an edge longer, it took longer to sharpen, so that was a wash. It also proved to be considerably less rust resistant, so I can't see paying a premium for it.

[spoonrobot]

I carried my ZDP FRN Stretch for a while and the liners actually rusted more than the steel, which included a lot of washing and use in and around water. Here's a thread I made a while ago that looks at some patina with both ZDP-189 and VG-10 as well as general EDC corrosion resistance. You can use a photobucket fix add-on to see the pics but I've included two here to show some of what I mentioned above.

viewtopic.php?t=40101




FWIW I'm about to start carrying a ZDP knife again for the first time in a decade and what I'm going to do is force a patina with apple cider vinegar - this increases surface corrosion resistance with only very minor change in blade appearance. Make sure to keep the blade clean - my experience was that washing the blade with water was better than wiping down or just trying to keep it dry all the time. Seems like corrosion came more from sweat that stayed on the blade than rinsing with water regularly.

Good luck. I like ZDP-189, there was a fair time investment in thinning out the edge but after that regular touch-up sharpening was on par with most other similar steels but at a higher sharpeness and edge holding comparatively.

[40mm]

Thanks for passing this along Spoon! From what I read, it seems like you experienced chipping in the edge after you patina'd the blade in apple cider vinegar correct? If that's the case, you still think you will go that route again? I'm very familiar with vinegar baths for knives and I love a patina on a blade but not at the expense of messing up the edge. Thanks again. Lots of good stuff to look through.
Oh, forgot to mention that I went ahead and took the plunge and grabbed a ZDP Delica off of Ebay. Looks to be in excellent used condition and I happily await it's arrival.

I carried my ZDP FRN Stretch for a while and the liners actually rusted more than the steel, which included a lot of washing and use in and around water. Here's a thread I made a while ago that looks at some patina with both ZDP-189 and VG-10 as well as general EDC corrosion resistance. You can use a photobucket fix add-on to see the pics but I've included two here to show some of what I mentioned above.

viewtopic.php?t=40101




FWIW I'm about to start carrying a ZDP knife again for the first time in a decade and what I'm going to do is force a patina with apple cider vinegar - this increases surface corrosion resistance with only very minor change in blade appearance. Make sure to keep the blade clean - my experience was that washing the blade with water was better than wiping down or just trying to keep it dry all the time. Seems like corrosion came more from sweat that stayed on the blade than rinsing with water regularly.

Good luck. I like ZDP-189, there was a fair time investment in thinning out the edge but after that regular touch-up sharpening was on par with most other similar steels but at a higher sharpeness and edge holding comparatively.

[spoonrobot]

I feel the chipping was the trade off for the corrosion protection from the patina. It sharpened away fine and did not re-appear so I think it was a one time issue, assuming long-term contact with vinegar is not in your normal use case.

ACV was/is my preferred medium because it does not really affect the appearance of the blade very much. I don't like a heavy forced patina.

[40mm]

Got it. Thanks again, very helpful.

[Cycletroll]

I have a ZDP Delica I've had for at least 5years. With CBN rods thinning out the edge is no big deal. Incredible edge retention and no issues with rust. Very slight patina though not as much as on my ZDP Endura which has seen more use. I do live in the desert however.
I personally feel ZDP is one is the best all around edc steels for a lightweight folder. It's not super tough but doesn't need to be in that form factor.

[40mm]

I'd love to see photos of the ZDP patina if you have time and are able. Thanks for your input on this knife and steel.

I have a ZDP Delica I've had for at least 5years. With CBN rods thinning out the edge is no big deal. Incredible edge retention and no issues with rust. Very slight patina though not as much as on my ZDP Endura which has seen more use. I do live in the desert however.
I personally feel ZDP is one is the best all around edc steels for a lightweight folder. It's not super tough but doesn't need to be in that form factor.

[Cycletroll]

I'll post some pics when I get off duty tomorrow and get home. Assuming I can photograph it properly. Discoloration is very subtle.

[40mm]

Thank you sir! Look forward to it!

I'll post some pics when I get off duty tomorrow and get home. Assuming I can photograph it properly. Discoloration is very subtle.

[Bill1170]

In my experience ZDP is perfect for my “Gentleman’s knives” but not for construction work. It excels at taking and holding a very fine edge. Of course, my lighter use folders in ZDP are both FRN, one Delica and one Stretch. Both are reprofiled to about 20-25 degrees inclusive, and offer great performance in lighter tasks. I prefer M390 and S110V for my work knives. I’ve never had corrosion issues with it, but that’s light use, remember.

[Cambertree]

I’ve used a Dragonfly in ZDP189 as a work knife for a few years. It’s an outstanding knife and an excellent combination of model and steel type IMHO.

It cuts mainly fairly large amounts of heavy industrial cardboard and plastic pallet strapping, as well as peeling and slicing fruit and veg and opening packages etc. for my lunch (and dinner when working late).

I thinned out the edge area a fair bit and run it with a barely visible 20dps microbevel, which I touch up on the Sharpmaker every few days, because I prefer an extremely sharp edge, over a long lasting ‘working edge’.

I like the steel a lot - it takes a very fine sharp edge and keeps it well. It’s been ‘tough enough’ for my use. I chipped a mm or two off the tip once when I knocked it off a steel bench onto concrete with the blade open, but that was to be expected.

I have had an all over orange ‘patina’ once when I had it clipped to my shorts pocket when out bicycling all day in hot weather. Also some surface rust from cutting citrus and fruit and leaving the blade unwashed. That just stropped off, and now I just wash and dry the blade after such use and don’t have any problems.

I also have a laminated ZDP189 Caly 3.5 which is another great knife and steel combo, but it tends to be my ‘suit knife’, and not having much call to wear full suits these days I don’t use it a great deal.

[Cycletroll]

Note the slight haze around the Spydie and hole. That's the only type of patina I've ever developed. ZDP may not be stainless but in dry climate with modest care it's fine.

[40mm]

Subtle indeed! Thanks for the photos. Once I get it I will see what kind of patina I start to get just naturally from use, but I wonder how long I will be able to hold off trying a little apple cider vinegar treatment. I'm also quickly realizing that the stones and standard rods that come with the Sharpmaker are probably not the best bet for sharpening ZDP. Would you guys recommend grabbing a set of the diamond rods to work with ZDP? Open to other suggestions as well.

Note the slight haze around the Spydie and hole. That's the only type of patina I've ever developed. ZDP may not be stainless but in dry climate with modest care it's fine.