Satin VS Black Blades

[akheaps76]

I really appreciate all of your feedback regarding this topic. I was just going to replace my lost Para 3 G10 s30v with another just like the old one. I see that now they are using s45v in the Para 3 knife, so I guess that might be a slight upgrade.
I quite liked my old Para 3 with the satin finish, but I have been looking at the Para 3 G10 with the black blade and it really caught my eye. The black blade is a couple of bucks more and I wondered if maybe there might be a little higher quality with that one as far as corrosion goes. I think I might just go with the DLC coated black blade this time and try to take good care of it using proper cleaning techniques. Also, I think maybe I try getting a deep carry clip for the new Para 3 to possibly help not losing my knife anymore!
Thanks everyone. I appreciate you!

[Evil D]

also, it looks cool.

I've found in certain situations around certain people it also really helps to subdue the entire presence of the knife, which I guess technically is part of the whole point of it but I kind of assumed that people would think black was more aggressive but years ago my first DLC Para 2 was so under the radar I was able to use it whenever I wanted in a very anti-knife work environment.

[Holybotulism]

I always go for uncoated blades. More aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. I've always experienced a smoother action and less resistance while cutting with uncoated blades, but according to an earlier post, people's experiences vary.

[Netherend]

I like dlc coated blades and satin blades. DLC seems to age very well and does not show scratches as quickly as satin blades. Most of my satin blades have picked up scratches quickly. The satin salts seem to scratch the fastest (though none of this has hurt their performance). DLC does scratch, just not easily . DLC is seriously tough stuff. One downside to DLC blades is when you drop them in the woods or grass and have to find a non reflective blade. DLc looks great on flat ground knives. I actually have not seen DLc on a hollow grind in person .
Satin blades look cleaner and less murdery (for non knife folk) . Can you imagine someone freaking out over your blacked out tactical manbug? Lol You can use a small dlc coated blade without notice far easier than you could a satin blade.

my preference may also depend on the knife. I think that the native looks better in satin while the pm2 and para 3 look better in black. Knives like the native chief, shaman or Manix look cool in pretty much any color. I think that a black coated chaparral would be a bit weird but it might look cool with a fun handle color

I have been eyeing one of those hot pink handle and black blade Delicas for some time. It’s a unique combo with a handle bright enough to find
I cannot speak on ticn coated blades . I not had experience with them yet.

I strongly dislike black coatings that chip off easily like kabar uses in their 1095 steel knives. It looks like hot garbage and serves very little benefit. Spyderco does have bad coatings. Even the tenacious’s coating is very durable and ages well.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that you need to buy both

[Eli Chaps]

If you use your knife enough, and sharpen it enough, you'll need to thin it to maintain good geometry. Do you care if the coating doesn't look pretty anymore?

[vivi]

If you use your knife enough, and sharpen it enough, you'll need to thin it to maintain good geometry. Do you care if the coating doesn't look pretty anymore?

This doesn't hurt the coating. It's the same look with a wider bevel.



My old Para 2.

[Eli Chaps]

If you use your knife enough, and sharpen it enough, you'll need to thin it to maintain good geometry. Do you care if the coating doesn't look pretty anymore?

This doesn't hurt the coating. It's the same look with a wider bevel.



My old Para 2.

My approach to maintaining overall geometry on these FFG knives is to do some mild grinding of the entire blade grind and then focus on the edge bevel. That means grinding the coated part.

Leastwise that's how I like to do it.

[vivi]

Understandable. That gives the knife better geometry overall.

[Evil D]

If you use your knife enough, and sharpen it enough, you'll need to thin it to maintain good geometry. Do you care if the coating doesn't look pretty anymore?

Looking pretty in general is subjective. Coating is going to scratch and show use eventually whether it's from use or from sharpening. Like Vivi's Para 2, my Autonomy doesn't have one bit of the factory bevel left and I've sharpened away some of the DLC but you wouldn't know it from looking at it. I don't go around scraping my knife against concrete, but I do use it a lot and often hard and the DLC has help of very well, so much so that I consider any scratches to be a badge of honor. At least regarding the Golden DLC, it will take a beating.

[Mushroom]

It takes a beating so well because a DLC coating is harder than the blade steel it’s applied to.