H1 steel plain edge retention

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vivi
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#1

Post by vivi »

PE H1 doesn't have great edge retention, but for me it's always been enough to get the job done without stopping to sharpen. Takes a hair popping edge in seconds too, sharpens faster than VG10.
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JimP
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#2

Post by JimP »

I'm not a VG10 lover but have used it a bit, in my Pepsi challenge VG10 has better edge retention than H1 PE by a noticeable margin, now LC200N vs VG10 is a different story, they appear to be much closer.
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michaelm466
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#3

Post by michaelm466 »

I agree with Jim, I'd say more like 420HC, 440A/B, AUS6
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Evil D
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#4

Post by Evil D »

I don't mind it at all for a casually used knife, which is basically 95% of my needs. There is only that other 5% when it lets me down or I'm cutting enough to really dull it to the point that performance really suffers. It isn't a steel for people who are lazy about sharpening (as in people who expect to only sharpen once a month) but I bet over a long enough timeline you'll spend more time sharpening steels with better edge retention that are more difficult to sharpen, since you can have H1 at peak sharpness on a Sharpmaker in a matter of minutes. It's a fine steel for people who maintain their edges at the end of each day but if you use a pocket knife for something like cutting carpet there are way better options.
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#5

Post by Sumdumguy »

Can you not work harden the PE H1 with enough use and sharpening?

I seem to recall reading that somewhere, but I could be mistaken. I only have an SE PacSalt.
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Evil D
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#6

Post by Evil D »

Sumdumguy wrote:
Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:32 pm
Can you not work harden the PE H1 with enough use and sharpening?

I seem to recall reading that somewhere, but I could be mistaken. I only have an SE PacSalt.
Apparently on some technical level, yes, but it seems to exist more on paper than in real use.
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#7

Post by ZrowsN1s »

I agree with D, if you hate sharpening often, probably not a good choice. If you keep a pasted leather strop handy though. 10-30 seconds of stroping once a day keeps PE H1 ridiculously sharp. I would describe the sharp edge of PE H1 as 'easy come, easy go'.
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#8

Post by zhyla »

Luckily LC200N is the new hotness.
vivi
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#9

Post by vivi »

One thing that I suggest everyone try with PE H1 is giving it a low grit edge. I find that given a polish edge, it doesn't keep its bite for very long compared to a toothier edge. I like to finish with the brown rods on my sharpmaker or my coarse DMT stone. Get it shaving sharp off one of those and those micro teeth will help the edge last longer.

Also, most H1 PE knives ship with a pretty thick edge. Reprofiling to 30 degrees is a big help. I take mine even thinner, then microbevel at 30 degrees with the brown rods.
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#10

Post by Spydermane »

Let's just say after 1 day of cutting cardboard and dropping it once....
It was out for the count until I could hone it again
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sal
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#11

Post by sal »

Hi Sage 12,

Welcome to our forum.

H1 plain edge retention is not as good as VG-10. It takes a very sharp edge, but if worked hard, it will need to be sharpened. I use one as an EDC when I'm in Kauai, but I sharpen it almost daily if it gets a lot of use. In Kauai, it's very useful due to it's corrosion resistance.

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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#12

Post by Deadboxhero »

sal wrote:
Tue Aug 21, 2018 6:25 pm
Hi Sage 12,

Welcome to our forum.

H1 plain edge retention is not as good as VG-10. It takes a very sharp edge, but if worked hard, it will need to be sharpened. I use one as an EDC when I'm in Kauai, but I sharpen it almost daily if it gets a lot of use. In Kauai, it's very useful due to it's corrosion resistance.

sal
Would that change if it had a full flat grind? I remember a thread where someone asked why there was no FFG H1 blades and I heard something said about the steel work hardening making it very difficult to do.

Would the work hardening improve the performance like grinding does on the serrated edge?
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Evil D
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#13

Post by Evil D »

I've talked to at least two guys who had H1 blades reground FFG in hopes that the additional grinding process would have an effect on the hardness, and both reported that it made no difference. I don't know if they ground enough of the blade for it to make a difference where the actual edge is though. I've always wondered about grinding one into a chisel grind to see if that made a difference.
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#14

Post by Deadboxhero »

Evil D wrote:
Tue Aug 21, 2018 7:03 pm
I've talked to at least two guys who had H1 blades reground FFG in hopes that the additional grinding process would have an effect on the hardness, and both reported that it made no difference. I don't know if they ground enough of the blade for it to make a difference where the actual edge is though. I've always wondered about grinding one into a chisel grind to see if that made a difference.
interesting, maybe gong thinner behind the edge is key
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#15

Post by JD Spydo »

Vivi wrote:
Tue Aug 21, 2018 12:25 pm
PE H1 doesn't have great edge retention, but for me it's always been enough to get the job done without stopping to sharpen. Takes a hair popping edge in seconds too, sharpens faster than VG10.
Yeah that's kind of my take on H-1 in PE as well. With LC200N here to stay I really don't see any reason to have an H-1 blade in PE anymore. It's been proven that LC200N is far superior in edge retention in PE>> and with all the good fanfare that H-1 gets in Spyderedge again I don't see any reason for another H-1 PE blade.

I wish someone would put up a good argument about it but I doubt if they can. Actually I'm kind of surprised that H-1 is still with us especially as good as LC200N has turned out to be.
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#16

Post by cabfrank »

My PE Pac Salt is the sharpest knife I have. With just a couple minutes of touch up on the Sharpmaker, having not let it get too dull, it stays that way. I like it a lot.
Spydermane
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#17

Post by Spydermane »

H1 is play dough
vivi
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#18

Post by vivi »

JD Spydo wrote:
Tue Aug 21, 2018 7:39 pm
Vivi wrote:
Tue Aug 21, 2018 12:25 pm
PE H1 doesn't have great edge retention, but for me it's always been enough to get the job done without stopping to sharpen. Takes a hair popping edge in seconds too, sharpens faster than VG10.
Yeah that's kind of my take on H-1 in PE as well. With LC200N here to stay I really don't see any reason to have an H-1 blade in PE anymore. It's been proven that LC200N is far superior in edge retention in PE>> and with all the good fanfare that H-1 gets in Spyderedge again I don't see any reason for another H-1 PE blade.

I wish someone would put up a good argument about it but I doubt if they can. Actually I'm kind of surprised that H-1 is still with us especially as good as LC200N has turned out to be.
My argument is I already own a lot of PE H1. PE LC200N knives require me purchasing them :D

In all seriousness, is LC200N as tough as H1? I spent the past decade batoning, prying and chopping with my reprofiled Aqua Salt, and it's laughed at the abuse.
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#19

Post by Spydermane »

SpaceX will invent the next super steel before this NASA stuff gets released

I actually have a friend who works for SpaceX
I'll have to ask her for some spare steel
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Re: H1 steel plain edge retention

#20

Post by Knife Knut »

ByrdRench Please. Edit: OOps, wrong thread, sorry.
Last edited by Knife Knut on Fri Aug 24, 2018 5:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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