Experiences with Spydercos SERRATED 8cr13mov?

[Wartstein]

I really love my latest acquisition, the Tenacious LW in S35VN.
I prefer SE over PE though, and this model in this steel only comes in PE and CE.

The Tenacious LW in 8cr13mov though is available in full SE, and while I would not necessarily want that steel in PE, I wonder how it actually performs in full spyderedge?

Perhaps not bad at all?!

I mean, steels like VG10, H1, LC200N are just "good" in PE, but in my limited experience almost ideal for SE, since with "teeth" edge retention is increased anyway, toughness /"not-brittleness" is more of a concern and ease of sharpening gets more important? (Not because SE would be hard to sharpen technically (it is not at all), but since one normally can only use the corners/edges of rods or stones)

- Any real-life experiences with serrated 8cr13mov?
- How does it compare to 8cr in PE?
- How does it compare to other steels in SE?

[S-3 ranch]

I do prefer VG-10 SE , however haven’t been disappointed entirely with my 8cr it’s ok
And it’s a drive it till have to leave it in the ditch type steel IMO , buy a Byrd line and try it out

[Bill1170]

I have a Byrd rescue knife that lives in my car. It gets used to open food packages and little else. No data on edge retention or toughness, but it came incredibly sharp. The factory edge still push cuts paper and chip bags. Based on my PE experience with 8Cr it should perform well, being not too hard and moderately tough. These properties are common to steels that excel at SE performance.

[vivi]

I've have good but not great experiences with it.

Compared to SE H1, I experienced worse edge holding, toughness and corrosion resistance. Sharpening response was pretty similar. Teeth points more likely to roll VS H1.

Compared to PE 8Cr improved edge retention like you'd expect.

It isn't a bad steel by any means and if its the only way you can get a design you want in SE I wouldn't let that hold you back.

For my $$ I'd rather carry a Pacific Salt. But the CE Cara Cara makes a nice glove box knife.

[Menipo]

I carry a Byrd Cara Cara Rescue (SE 8Cr13Mov) in one of the compartments of the driver's door of my car.

I have never used it and I pray I never have to, because its only mission is to cut the seat belt in the event of an accident. :confused: :D For any other cut on the road I carry a Victorinox Rescue Tool in the glove compartment (and my EDC in my pocket).

So I can't give you any information ...

[z1r]

I've have good but not great experiences with it.

Compared to SE H1, I experienced worse edge holding, toughness and corrosion resistance. Sharpening response was pretty similar. Teeth points more likely to roll VS H1.

Compared to PE 8Cr improved edge retention like you'd expect.

It isn't a bad steel by any means and if its the only way you can get a design you want in SE I wouldn't let that hold you back.

For my $$ I'd rather carry a Pacific Salt. But the CE Cara Cara makes a nice glove box knife.

My First Spyderco was a Byrd Harrier 2 CE. Bought it specifically as a glovebox knife. Got a SS Robin SE for my seat bag on my commuter bike.

vivi's comments mirror my experience.

Both knives have served me well.

[skeeg11]

"Spyderco's" serrated 8Cr13MoV does yeoman's work. Touch-up is really, really easy.

[curlyhairedboy]

I’ve cut through a soda can with a serrated tenacious and had zero damage.

[The Meat man]

8Cr13MoV is a great steel for SE. I prefer it to H-1 in cases where extreme corrosion resistance isn't needed. In my experience, it seems slightly stronger and more resistant to edge deformation than H-1, while being super easy to sharpen.

[bjz]

I’ve had a Byrd meadowlark rescue living in my river pfd for what feels like 10 years. It’s dealt with annual desert sand, PNW basalt sand, has cut plenty of branches, tough outdoor fabrics, been used in minor first aid applications, opened beverage containers of all sorts and been used to prep countless meals and snacks.

I just acquired a sharpmaker to sharpen it for the first time, if that says anything. I also just acquired a SE tenacious LW for a massive landscaping endeavor at work over the next few months (ivy/blackberry forests and tons of woody wines and weeds) so I can provide some feedback soon, but so far my preliminary backyard testing made quick and easy work of this year’s laurel pruning with no apparent impact to the edges.

Hope that helps!

[Evil D]

It seems like an ideal steel for serrations, or at least what I want from serrations...easy to sharpen and easy to fix edge damage while being relatively tough and should be less likely to chip. The Tenacious is also a great platform for serrations, it's more or less a budget Caribbean.

[JD Spydo]

I do prefer VG-10 SE , however haven’t been disappointed entirely with my 8cr it’s ok
And it’s a drive it till have to leave it in the ditch type steel IMO , buy a Byrd line and try it out

I'm with you in agreement that VG-10 is a great blade steel for full SE models. And in my humble opinion it's one of the few blade steels that performs above average in full PE as well.

I've only used one blade made with "8cr13mov" and it was a plain edged unit and needless to say I didn't find it anything to get excited about Oh sure it's quite adequate for average cutlery needs but it will never even come close to performing like many of the blade steels that we here at Spyderville have gotten spoiled on :cool:

I've shared with you guys in the past that I've discovered that many of the blade steels that I find to be really good performers in full Spyderedge in many cases aren't all that great in PE. Even the ancient blade steel that Spyderco started out with which was known as GIN-1 ( G-2) and I could never get a decent performing edge on a plain edged blade with that steel>> however I find GIN-1 to be more than adequate in SE>> which I'm now wondering that this "8cr13moV" might be good in full SE. It wouldn't surprise me to discover that it would be.

I'm hoping at some point that Brother Larrin will do a side by side performance test with a few steels that I've found to be really good in SE. Because the steels that do well in SE are different animals compared to most of the steels that we brag about in PE.

[JD Spydo]

8Cr13MoV is a great steel for SE. I prefer it to H-1 in cases where extreme corrosion resistance isn't needed. In my experience, it seems slightly stronger and more resistant to edge deformation than H-1, while being super easy to sharpen.

I value your opinion on such issues Meat Man and I'm immediately wondering what you might have used it on with an SE blade?

The reason I ask is because is because it wouldn't be the first time I've found a particular blade steel that has dismal performance in PE but yet performs great in SE.

If this "8cr13moV" truly does exceed H-1 in hard use then I find that to be a really bold claim. Because I've had really good results in my full SE blades made with H-1>> and H-1 is another blade steel that I've found to be a real disappointment with PE blades.

[JMM]

I have a full SE Tenacious and it's a ridiculously powerful cutting tool, it will continue to cut really well past when I would ever re-sharpen it, which I don't think there is an easier steel (for me at least) to sharpen. I haven't had enough SE experience in terms of time, steels, or shapening, but I think 8cr13mov, VG10, and H1 are pretty similar performers with the things I have tried to do. I need to get some SE S30V time in as I am really curious how it will stack up. I only wish they would make *ONE* SE Resilience model. Between PE, CE, and SE there are what, a hundred Tenacious models? PLEASE Sal, just make one fully SE Resilience model, it would be amazing! :D :)

[Tgmr05]

The se tenacious is ffg, so it slices well. Blade length very similar to endura/pac salt2

[Bemo]

I know this may get me ex-communicated but for my hand, pretty much every Byrd handle works better for me than Spydie analog. Maybe it's because I'm a choil fan, but still. The Byrd line just doesn't get the love it deserves. The blade stock is about 2mm so it's a great slicer. Would love to have chamfered edges and better steel.

[Ngati Pom]

I have a Cara-Cara rescue and the equivalent Meadowlark and have used them for gardening, slicing vines, opening fertiliser bags, pruning and notching branches up to 1” (25mm).
They will do a days work without need of resharpening.
I’ll run them on the sharpmaker brown stones after that for a touch up. I’m pleased with their performance.
Admittedly I only have H1 to compare them to but I haven’t found 8cr13mov to be lacking.
I have to agree, I find Byrd handles suit me better for this use.

[Wartstein]

I know this may get me ex-communicated but for my hand, pretty much every Byrd handle works better for me than Spydie analog. Maybe it's because I'm a choil fan, but still. The Byrd line just doesn't get the love it deserves. The blade stock is about 2mm so it's a great slicer. Would love to have chamfered edges and better steel.

This I don't understand: The larger byrds have about 3mm bladestock and the smaller about 2.5mm, as far as I know.
So, yes, that's great, like Endura / Delica with Spyderco, and Byrd has no fat, small blades with up to 3.7mm, which is good too...

But still not "2mm" for all Byrds?

[skeeg11]

Don't get me wrong, I love serrated FFG LC200N and will continue to buy them because I can, but the Cara-Cara Rescue is one heckuva knife and it's hard to imagine a knife with more bang for the buck. :)

If comparing the way serrated H1 vs serrated *Cr13MoV cut, I can't tell the difference. I can tell the difference between my serrated FFG LC200N Pac Salt 2 and the other two as it seems to slice slicker and that may just be because of the geometry. As far as serrated edge retention between the three, I suspect that in the real world there isn't as much difference as one might be lead to believe. A lot goes into choosing a particular knife. If corrosion wasn't an issue, I'd have no problem choosing an 8Cr13MoV Cara-Cara Rescue over an H1 serrated Pac Salt. If weight is a factor then you might opt for the serrated H1 Pac Salt. If lock slop isn't your jam then the Cara-Cara Rescue is most assuredly the way to go. I still can't figure out how they get that drop shutty no play bank vault lockup for $35. As has been mentioned previously I do prefer the muted points of the finger grooves on the Cara-Cara Rescue to those on my serrated Pac Salt 2. Still, when I'm puttin' in the miles on the beach, the serrated LC200N Pac Salt 2 wins out.

[Salty Dog]

Apart from its corrosion resistance its a decent steel.
Its very strong, ive tried bending a slightly bent blade from the factory and flexed it a lot without breaking it.
It takes an edge very well and holds it ok, just not a great steel around salt or humidity.
Id suggest getting a blacked out version, ive found no rust on my blacked out ones yet.
Check out the Byrd hawkbill in the same steel, the serrations are fantastic on it, great little knife and rock solid too.