Initial Impressions of the New Proto Cut

[Mully]

Thanks for the update Phil, I’m excited about this new steel. I’ve heard great things about your heat treat on your knives, and respect your opinion. Hopefully the Crucible situation will not slow down the release as I would love to get a custom made out of it.

[Stuart Ackerman]

Will-Cut springs to mind...

[Scandi Grind]

Thanks for your thoughts, Phil! Deffinitely not more information than I like to hear. I may not be a knife maker, but maybe I will change that some day, and I always love getting as much info as I can on any knife related topic.

[Michael Janich]

Dear Mully:

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum.

Stay safe,

Mike

[Mully]

Dear Mully:

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum.

Stay safe,

Mike

Thank you for the greeting!

[msum]

Hi Msum,

That's what we're all waiting to find out?

sal

I get the honour of a reply from the big boss!

Thanks!

Any chance of a certain knife company taking over a certain steel producer…? ;-) Haha.

[sal]

That might be possible, but this particular knife maker doesn't have the horsepower to to do.

I'm still hoping that someone out there will see the overall value of retaining the US foundry, and not just the potential profit to be gained?

sal

[WilliamMunny]

That might be possible, but this particular knife maker doesn't have the horsepower to to do.

I'm still hoping that someone out there will see the overall value of retaining the US foundry, and not just the potential profit to be gained?

sal

Sal,

Would Spyderco, or for that matter any knife company ever buy a foundry like Crucible, even making an IPO to help fund it?

The knife company would have at cost access to the steels, increasing profits, plus selling the steel at a premium to other competitors.

[Deadboxhero]

Erasteel is trying to purchase Crucible.

They make PM steel for Europe, perhaps they will purchase Crucible with the intention of having a US based PM operation to be ahead of possible future tariffs. However, we don't know any details yet, only speculation.

Bob Shabala at NSM has been working hard to put fail safes in place to keep the flow of materials from being interrupted by duel sourcing popular steel grades but Crucible has also been doing what they can to help fill orders before shut down.

I guess we'll see what happens this February 2025 with the buying process.


Shut down is projected in March 2025.


Worst case scenario is new steel names.

In 2009, we could not have predicted Crucible's rise from the ashes. Perhaps they will return with a new buyer or not and we'll have different steel names.

[WilliamMunny]

Erasteel is trying to purchase Crucible.

They make PM steel for Europe, perhaps they will purchase Crucible with the intention of having a US based PM operation to be ahead of possible future tariffs. However, we don't know any details yet, only speculation.

Bob Shabala at NSM has been working hard to put fail safes in place to keep the flow of materials from being interrupted by duel sourcing popular steel grades but Crucible has also been doing what they can to help fill orders before shut down.

I guess we'll see what happens this February 2025 with the buying process.


Shut down is projected in March 2025.


Worst case scenario is new steel names.

In 2009, we could not have predicted Crucible's rise from the ashes. Perhaps they will return with a new buyer or not and we'll have different steel names.

Why is Crucible struggling? It doesn’t seem like there is a lot of direct competition for their product, or are they struggling against the surge of cheap Chinese steels? I just feel like any decent American knife company uses Crucible steel.

[Deadboxhero]

Erasteel is trying to purchase Crucible.

They make PM steel for Europe, perhaps they will purchase Crucible with the intention of having a US based PM operation to be ahead of possible future tariffs. However, we don't know any details yet, only speculation.

Bob Shabala at NSM has been working hard to put fail safes in place to keep the flow of materials from being interrupted by duel sourcing popular steel grades but Crucible has also been doing what they can to help fill orders before shut down.

I guess we'll see what happens this February 2025 with the buying process.


Shut down is projected in March 2025.


Worst case scenario is new steel names.

In 2009, we could not have predicted Crucible's rise from the ashes. Perhaps they will return with a new buyer or not and we'll have different steel names.

Why is Crucible struggling? It doesn’t seem like there is a lot of direct competition for their product, or are they struggling against the surge of cheap Chinese steels? I just feel like any decent American knife company uses Crucible steel.

From a perspective where knife steel is the hottest most lucrative product in the entire world steel industry I suppose it would be very confusing.

However, knife steel is not very lucrative in the grand scheme of the steel industry. Perhaps using exotic PM processes for something with lower returns is not sustainable nor lucrative enough to outpace costs and overhead year after year especially if the knife industry is the main buyer.

As far as why Crucible has been struggling , well, we don't have exact reasons short of opening the books and seeing whats been happening.

I'm not a fan of the trash talking about mismanagement without evidence and Crucible Industries LLC being a dump. Crucible Industries LLC was one of the few steel companies that gave a dang about the knife industry.

Really puts in perspective how special MangaCut is since it was innovation that was made directly for the knife industry and knife consumer/user.

In my opinion, it shouldn't be a surprise they were struggling if we look at how they have been downsizing since the 1980s from ~1500 employees to ~600 employees in 2009 to 158 employees in 2024. They aren't alone either, lots of US manufacturing is shrinking and going away and has been for decades.

Yes, the current global trend for the past several decades has been all manufacturing in the US is being replaced by moving overseas or just plain outcompeted by overseas competitors combined with foreign governments subsidizing costs which I feel ain't right.

However, I think this conversation is steering far away from the thread topic and getting too deep into speculation, politics and personal opinion.

I'm done.

[WilliamMunny]

Hi Phil,

Thanx much for chiming in. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this.

We've done a lot of testing in Golden, which is ongoing. I'm using a Mule every day for kitchen and general cutting. So far it's been quite impressive. We've done Corrosion tests in Golden, but Eric is now planning to do some Real World Testing in Salt Water.

Thanx much to Larrin for another well thought out blade steel,.

sal

Sal,

Any chance or plans to produce a Mule for us to test? I mean you can’t always have all the fun.

[sal]

Hi WilliamMunny,

If Crucible hangs around and will make it, then we'll proably Mule it. We have a good amount of it, though not enough for a Mule team run. Working on serrating some for testing.

Did you make that Mule handle shown?

sal

[WilliamMunny]

Hi WilliamMunny,

If Crucible hangs around and will make it, then we'll proably Mule it. We have a good amount of it, though not enough for a Mule team run. Working on serrating some for testing.

Did you make that Mule handle shown?

sal

Yes, did two MagnaCut mule teams. One in walnut and one in maple with contrasting G-10 liners. Gave one to each of my sons. A forum member sent me some really neat synthetic glow in the dark scale I want to use next. Just waiting for a neat new mule.

[sal]

Those are very nicely done.

sal

[Brock O Lee]

At this rate, Dr. Thomas might have to have a poll, for the best name.

Steely McSteelface

Those risky internet polls...

Would it be corrosion resistant enough for boaty-boats? https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... rch-vessel

[Skidoosh]

I'd love a Southfork and Sprig run in this steel when possible.