SAK blade vs. special steel folders

[Raukodur]

Has anyone conducted, or does anyone know of any tests people have conducted of how SAK blades measure up to more special steel bladed folders?

[detron]

this one will help

[ducttapetech]

Out of personal experience, sak blades are pretty good. But, the edge does not hold up as long as other blades.

That's us mobile.

[Raukodur]

Yeah, like that rope cutting video (thanks Detron), would be interesting to see if he did that test with more expensive steel knives.

But going further than that, looking at what those videos and such tests are meant to simulate, and that is real life usage over time.

Like the 6 month test Grathr is carrying out with a budget and more expensive Spyderco, I would be interesting in seeing how a SAK blade holds up compared to more expensive offerings.

Anyone done, or interested in doing such a test?

[detron]

Yeah, like that rope cutting video (thanks Detron), would be interesting to see if he did that test with more expensive steel knives.

But going further than that, looking at what those videos and such tests are meant to simulate, and that is real life usage over time.

Like the 6 month test Grathr is carrying out with a budget and more expensive Spyderco, I would be interesting in seeing how a SAK blade holds up compared to more expensive offerings.

Anyone done, or interested in doing such a test?

he did it with several others

[comis]

Another interesting knife review test to attest how good is the Vic blade wear resistance:

Vic Compact cut thru 250 ft of cardboard
http://www.thetruthaboutknives.com/2014/06/knife-review-victorinox-compact/

vs

Kershaw S30V Blur cut thru 160+ ft of cardboard
http://www.thetruthaboutknives.com/2014/01/knife-review-kershaw-blur-s30v/

It may not be conclusive to just look at the cardboard cutting test as a benchmark for blade performance, but it does shown Vic steel is pretty decent in some aspect.

[dks]

You can also get the Victorinox knives  that come with the SS Damascus blade, which is made from harder steel (61RC I think), if you like to use a SAK with better blade steel.

[Raukodur]

You can also get the Victorinox knives  that come with the SS Damascus blade, which is made from harder steel (61RC I think), if you like to use a SAK with better blade steel.

That is true, but for me that defeats the purpose of the SAK blade, which is high performance for budget price. Having said that, if I was paying a premium, I would pay a premium for a damasteel SAK, but for me, it is all about performance for cost, since I do not NEED a knife very often.

[Raukodur]

Thanks for those links guys, I will have to see what they show, and how the SAK compares to more expensive folders.

[Raukodur]

So i've been watching those rope cutting videos, in which he uses all sorts of knives and steels, and then I rewatched the SAK test, and what it reinforces is that the steel itself is only one factor in what makes a knife, the heat treatment, the blade angle, the blade shape, and the material that is being cut, all of these also play as significant a role in making a knife what it is.

All in all, the SAK blade holds up well. For the price, I don't think it can be bettered, it seems to hit well above its weight.

[enki_ck]

...

All in all, the SAK blade holds up well. For the price, I don't think it can be bettered, it seems to hit well above its weight.

Well they've had 130 years and billions of knives of experiance to refine it.

No other maker comes even close to those numbers.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

They have such lovely keen edges and such a steep grind that they cut phenomenally IMO

And you can buy at least 5 farmers for the price of one reasonably exotic steel bladed knife

[zoidberg]

They have such lovely keen edges and such a steep grind that they cut phenomenally IMO

And you can buy at least 5 farmers for the price of one reasonably exotic steel bladed knife

Also you can buy just the one farmer easier than 1/5th of an exotic steel bladed knife. 

[Etherealicer]

They have such lovely keen edges and such a steep grind that they cut phenomenally IMO

And you can buy at least 5 farmers for the price of one reasonably exotic steel bladed knife

Why would you bribe a farmer? Go buy an ambassador...

[Raukodur]

I initially began thinking of this when I was researching what kitchen knives to buy. In the budget market you have so many to choose from, all from nameless companies, all claiming to be awesome, generally they all have poor edge retention, poor cutting functionality, poor build quality, poor handle ergonomics; but you get what you pay for.

And then at the other end of the market you can spend however much you want getting very high quality steel knives, and again, you get what you pay for, but they are out of the price range of most of us.

And then I saw the Victorinox offerings, and was very pleased with their price range (in the budget range), but given Victorinox have been making knives for so long, thought these have got to be good, and if nothing else, the quality will be outstanding. And then reading the reviews people leave for those knives, including professional chefs, that just sealed the deal. And experiencing them first hand, they are a pleasure to use and to sharpen. And so easy to replace if the need arises.

And I believe the same applies for their penknives. And then you add into that that you can get ALL the other tools in such a compact package...what more can you want.

[sir_mike]

There is also a guy "Anderson" on Blade Forums that has done extensive testing with all kinds of blade steels, no saks but all kinds of folders and some fixed blade.  He ranks them in catagories.  Its a great thread to check out!

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/793481-Ranking-of-Steels-in-Categories-based-on-Edge-Retention-cutting-5-8-quot-rope

[Raukodur]

There is also a guy "Anderson" on Blade Forums that has done extensive testing with all kinds of blade steels, no saks but all kinds of folders and some fixed blade.  He ranks them in catagories.  Its a great thread to check out!

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/793481-Ranking-of-Steels-in-Categories-based-on-Edge-Retention-cutting-5-8-quot-rope

91 pages of bladeforums  too much for me to handle. Admirable amount of testing and information though.

[sir_mike]

There is also a guy "Anderson" on Blade Forums that has done extensive testing with all kinds of blade steels, no saks but all kinds of folders and some fixed blade.  He ranks them in catagories.  Its a great thread to check out!

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/793481-Ranking-of-Steels-in-Categories-based-on-Edge-Retention-cutting-5-8-quot-rope

91 pages of bladeforums  too much for me to handle. Admirable amount of testing and information though.

Just look at the first page, first post where he puts them all in the catagories!