I know what you mean about clips. A good clip is a wonderful thing but some knives are just more comfortable without them. Based on my experience with the Volt II, I’d probably carry the Knight without one.
You’re right that a proper heat treatment can make a big difference for a given steel. Hardness can be an indicator of a good heat treatment but it’s only part of the picture. The testing spreadsheet is a collaborative effort between LuvThemKnives and a few other YouTube channels. It is worth watching some of the videos where they discuss the tests and how hardness relates to real-world cut testing.
You’re also right about 440C. There seems to be a pretty wide range for 440C, depending on heat treatment and blade geometry. I’ve had both winners and stinkers on edge retention. The same is true of 9Cr18Mov. I’ve had 9Cr18Mov knives that weren’t much better than 8Cr13Mov. Then I got into Civivi and I’ve seen what can be done with 9Cr18Mov. It’s impressive.
It’s interesting to see 8Cr13Mov or 8Cr14Mov up near 60 HRC. Most manufacturers seem to run it softer, like 55-58 HRC. Those steels don’t have a great reputation and I’ve wondered how much the usual hardness has to do with it. Obviously, neither of those are going to turn into super steels at 60 HRC but I’m guessing they’ll hold a better edge. Even so, I’m still really bothered by Y-Start’s dishonesty on their steel content.
It’s bigger than the advertised size on Aliexpress because they can’t list knives over 100 mm blade length there. The real blade length is 4.21” / 107 mm and the overall length is 9.45” 240 mm.
