Can 8cr13mov hold a 30° edge?

[jzmtl]

I finally decided to get a tenacious to see how good is it. I would like to know however can 8cr13mov hold 30° edge (with 23° back bevel) reasonably well in moderate daily use? Nothing heavy duty like card board or carpet (well maybe occasionally). I recall 8cr13mov is pretty hard, hrc 61 to 62ish, but it's also said to be similar to aus 8, which doesn't seem to do well in 30°.

[dialex]

Given the properties of the 8Crwhatever I'd stick to 40 degrees. A more acute edge won't bring any improvement because it will dull easier, roll or chip.
You can have a shaving sharp edge at 40° without any problems.

[Lord vader]

I would also have to agree the 40 deg edge is good.

[jzmtl]

Thanks, looks like I'll stick to 40° on this one.

[araneae]

I finally decided to get a tenacious to see how good is it. I would like to know however can 8cr13mov hold 30° edge (with 23° back bevel) reasonably well in moderate daily use? Nothing heavy duty like card board or carpet (well maybe occasionally). I recall 8cr13mov is pretty hard, hrc 61 to 62ish, but it's also said to be similar to aus 8, which doesn't seem to do well in 30°.

I think it would be fine for moderate use. I have my Meadowlark down below factory bevel. I would guess 25 degrees with a microbevel and its been fine and is a better slicer than it was. No issues going through cardboard.

[vivi]

What? Blasphemy :D 8Cr13MoV would easily work at 30 degrees if you consider cardboard heavy duty.

I have my Tenacious at 5 degrees per side, or 10 degrees, with a 6 degree per side microbevel. It's held up to everything I've thrown at it except for batoning through wood, where the edge rolled, and pounding the knife through co-axial cable chipped the edge. But it's held up to carving wood, slicing cardboard, food prep, rope cutting, drywall cutting, light chopping of wood and opening mail without issue :D

I also have a SS robin flat to the stone. It sits on my desk for letters and packages. Cardboard has done nothing but slightly dull it. If you have any interest I could mail you this knife to try out the geometry I put on it.

I have a few Cara Cara's I also took flat to the stone then gave a 10 degree per side microbevel. It's chopped and batoned wood, been used to open cans of food, carved wood, sliced cardboard, cut thick plastic, cut drywall and pvc pipe etc. The edge has held up great.

Needless to say I've had great experiences with 8Cr13MoV at low angles. Here are some old photos of the Cara Cara when the grind was still unfinished and the edge was thicker than it is now.




Dialex, which 8Cr13MoV knives at 30 degrees did you test and find to behave as you described?

[jzmtl]

What? Blasphemy :D 8Cr13MoV would easily work at 30 degrees if you consider cardboard heavy duty.

I have my Tenacious at 5 degrees per side, or 10 degrees, with a 6 degree per side microbevel. It's held up to everything I've thrown at it except for batoning through wood, where the edge rolled, and pounding the knife through co-axial cable chipped the edge. But it's held up to carving wood, slicing cardboard, food prep, rope cutting, drywall cutting, light chopping of wood and opening mail without issue :D

Well 12°, I'll be damned, I don't even do that to zdp189. :eek: Guess I'll have to try myself if it'll hold 30° for my use!

[gaj999]

I've been happy with a 30 degree back bevel on mine. I like the edge the Byrds take.

Gordon

[prime77]

I'm bringing up an old thread to hear about other stories of how low people have taken 8cr13mov. I went to sharpen my Tenacious and made some mistakes with my stones so I had to go lower than I had originally planned to make it right. My guess is that I'm around 30ish inclusive now with a very polished mirror edge. I would like to hear how other peoples edges are holding up at such low angles with this steel.

[MountainManJim]

To answer you question, Yep! I gets scary sharp at that angle.

Jim

[prime77]

To answer you question, Yep! I gets scary sharp at that angle.

Jim

But how long will it hold that scary edge.

[c.joe]

Reprofiled my San-Ren-Mu 710 to 30 degrees inclusive. (if that counts) Been using it to open all my packages that I get in the mail (cardboard, hard plastic etc). And recently I've been ordering a LOT. So far I only have a minor chip on the edge close to the tip of the blade (probably from stabbing at hard to open packages). The edge is still pretty sharp but not hair shaving sharp. I haven't ran it on the sharpmaker or stones for a long time.

[FarmerSteve]

I've found the 8cr to loose the edge pretty quickly as compared to the more expensive, especially powdered steels, BUT it takes a great edge and sharpens very easily. I really like this steel all in all. I keep my Ten at about 30 deg because I love a sharp knife, but I know I'll have to sharpen it every month or so. It's the first Spyderco I bought, and the first knife I learned to sharpen with. I wish M4 or ZDP was as easy to work with. Prime, that's just about the most beautiful edge on a knife I've ever seen.

[prime77]

Prime, that's just about the most beautiful edge on a knife I've ever seen.

Thanks Man.

[jackknifeh]

8Cr13MoV has a Rc hardness of 58-59 according to A.G. Russell's steel guide as well as others. I would like to see the Rc on Spyderco's steel chart in Edge-U-Cation. I have had two knives with this steel. A Meadowlark which I liked but gave to a friend and now I have a Byrd Wings. I use that on my tool belt as a work knife. The steel does perform like AUS-8 IMO. It holds an edge fairly well but if it does need a quick touch up while working all you need is a small stone or ceramic steel as part of your tool set. I've never taken it down to below 30 degrees inclusive but had no problems with that angle.

Someone mentioned ZDP-189 at low angles. It does get very sharp and holds an edge forever under light to medium use. I've found that at very low angles ZDP chips very easily. Right now I have all my ZDP knives sharpened per Spyderco's example. 30 degree back bevel with a 40 degree edge bevel. Haven't had a chip in over a month. Also I got chips just using it for average use when the angles were as low as 12 deg. back bevel and 18 deg. edge.

Jack

Jack

[zvir]

prime77, very nice edge!

[jackknifeh]

I'm bringing up an old thread to hear about other stories of how low people have taken 8cr13mov. I went to sharpen my Tenacious and made some mistakes with my stones so I had to go lower than I had originally planned to make it right. My guess is that I'm around 30ish inclusive now with a very polished mirror edge. I would like to hear how other peoples edges are holding up at such low angles with this steel.

Beautiful edge! If you don't mind giving away secrets what did you use to get that mirror edge? I mean sharpening stones, strop, etc. I know it also takes patience. Can you tell me where I can buy some of that? :)

Jack

[VashHash]

Patience is now available at walmart. Right next to the check out line because at this time of year its what you'll need in walmart. That is a beautiful edge I have the 8cr mules and I find that they do get scarey sharp very easy but the steel is definitely prone to rolling in my experiences. So I would imagine the lower you take it the the easier it will roll. I once tried to cut some dry ray skin to make a tsuka maki style handle for one of my 8cr mules and it literally rolled the edge into the shape of the ray skin i'm not sure exactly what my bevel was but i'd say it was a little below factory. I think its a great steel for a work knife but unlesss you're just slicing I wouldn't go too low with it. Also that is a beautiful edge. Reminds me of the way the original morans came with a full polished blade and edge.

[unit]

I took a co worker's knife to 20 inclusive (same steel)...it whittled hair, and was failing to cut butter within 24 hours of his use. I then re beveled it to 30 inclusive and it was still shaving roughly after a few days. After 2 weeks he asked again, and this time I put on a 40 inclusive...again it would whittle hair (that stuff polishes like glass!), but this time it took about a month (including the last two days when his 12 year old son started using it to CHOP down trees in his back yard).

IMO that steel performs really well in a work environment and with a 40 inclusive that is regularly maintained with a strop. Strop that thing nightly (for about 30 seconds), and that edge will serve you well for a long time.

[dsmegst]

I use 30 degrees inclusive or all my 8Cr blades. I holds the edge long enough for my use and I'm using paper wheels to sharpen so it takes very little time.