I had never heard of it until I looked it up after your post. It does seem from what info that’s on the web that it is better than D2.
I seen some knife makers using it and they liked it but from what I read was the price was alot higher from comparable steel readily available.
That was a older post though. I have no experience with it for a opinion.
.
But knowing what I know about it and china knives, I would be very leery of it being true DC53 at a good hardness.
Think you are right about this knife. Huowen can’t be trusted. It’s probably 5Cr15MoV, a low-end stainless Steel (it’s a Chinese copy of the famous german X50CrMoV15. Though X50CrMoV15 is a pretty good budget steel, I dunno 5Cr15MoV, looks more like 420HC. 5Cr15MoV “lower end” steels, when it comes to edge holding, but for that it is extremely easy to sharpen. If so, this knife can’t compete with a D2 about edge retention, wear and toughness. A decent DC53 knife would probably be around 50-60 usd.
From another Huowen knife test. Steel result: Huowen Koenig Arius-inspired thing (not real D2, 5Cr15MoV instead)
Ref: ttps://www.reddit.com/r/chineseknives/comments/9qlaa5/steel_test_results_for_twosun_tuya_ch_knives/
Good catch. Lots of clones, counterfeits, and knives with fake steel stamps are either 3Cr13 or 5Cr15. Those steels are cheap and apparently easy to machine. (I can tell you from firsthand experience that they are very easy to sharpen.) The problem is that they tend to have abysmal edge retention. The lowest steels I’d consider in that range are 7Cr17 and 8Cr13 but even those are pretty easily outclassed in the current market. Coincidentally, 3Cr13 is sometimes used to make the liners for budget knives.
What’s about Kershaw?
They also use these low-end 3Cr13 and 4Cr14 blade steels at several models (for example Cinder, Decoy, Diode, Filter, Manifold, Cathode just to name a couple of them).
I was referring to the 3Cr13 and 4Cr14 balde steel case and not to the beaten to death “made in China” dilemma.
I see some kind of double standard and overheated patriotism here. It’s similar to the “8Cr13MoV case”. When Sanrenmu started to sell their first models (SRM 710 etc.) for $10 shipped with that blade steel it was considered as pot metal on the prestigious knife forums. Then US companies like Spyderco and Cold Steel also started to use it and suddenly 8Cr13MoV was considered as a decent, appropriate blade steel for budget knives even in the $50 - $60 price range.
Anyway I keep avoiding 3Cr13 and 4Cr, 5Cr blade steels regardles it’s used by a no-name company or a prestigious one because I don’t think heat treatment could make any wonder to such a low-end steel like 3Cr13.
Yes, Kershaw uses these in their bottom-tier such as the otherwise nice Walmart-exclusive Hotwire. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it lets you buy a $10 knife with Kershaw quality and a Kershaw warranty. That can be good for bulk gifts and such. However, I have to consider the price difference before they could have just used 8Cr13Mov. For instance, some of the more recent 4Cr14 knives from Kershaw have street prices over $20. That seems insane to me.
It’s not just that the “curve of diminishing returns” is steep and fruitful at this level. It’s that I can find knives in 8Cr13Mov for around the same price or less, including other Kershaws. I can find knives in Acuto 440, Chinese D2, or Sandvik steels for a tiny bit more. Generally, I have a hard time justifying 8Cr13Mov when the price tag rises too far over $20. I have trouble justifying 3Cr, 4Cr, or 5Cr at all.
I’ve carried a lot of Kershaw knives over the years. I’d say they do an okay job in heat treating but I have to wonder how much performance can be eked out of a steel like 3Cr13. The edge retention on my Hotwire would certainly qualify as “abysmal”. Sure, it was easy to sharpen and could be quickly touched up on the bottom of a coffee cup. The problem is how often it had to be touched up. It’s not a big deal if someone just wants to use it as a classic “letter opener” but packages, cardboard, or anything tougher produces rapid wear.
Believe or not I also have a couple of Kershaw folders and I also feel the urge to educate you.
I can’t see any significant difference between the performance of my China made Kershaws and my China made CRKTs with 8Cr… blade steel. They’re just as good as my Sanrenmu folders with the same blade steel. That summs up my oppinion about the superior heat treatment.
Some non-D2 knives I like, and consider to buy 1-2 of them. Bold Are favorites.
EDIT: —— LEMIFSHE PUTS FAKE STAMP ON THEIR KNIVES, DO NOT BUY!! ——
Worlds cheapest M390 knife, LEMIFSHE, 22 usd, https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000904690024.html
Removed the F76 from my list, as it’s doubtful real VG-10.
Would it be OK for me to post a pocket knife in the WTS forum?
I recently joined Reddit’s knife_swap community, but I am very unfamiliar with reddit and the posting process seems very overwhelming (also, I don’t think I can use image shack to post pics like I can on here) and Ive had several very good experiences selling here on BLF. I really favor this community, no offense to the knife_swap community. I have reached out to one of their moderator’s but I just figured i’d ask you all.