Blade Hardness Measurements

Off-topic Chatter
1

Hey all,

Today I was able to do some hardness tests on a couple of knives that I had.

I used an Instron hardness tester, which makes an imprint on a sample and measures its hardness (or softness).

Calibration:

The hardness calibration block had a factory pre-defined value of 62.67 HRC. When tested with the machine, it measured 61.9 HRC, so it was very accurate.

So the knives I had were: Ganzo G704, Kershaw Speedbump, and a Morakniv Companion.

Morakniv Companion under test:

I tested each blade at two different locations (didn’t want to make too many dents) and here are the averaged results:

Kershaw Speedbump: 59.2 HRC
Morakniv Companion: 58.3 HRC
Ganzo G704: 57.6 HRC
Scotch Scissors: 49.5 HRC

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Chinese-made Speedbump and the G704 were up to advertised spec of 57-59 HRC as well as the Mora. Each measurement can have some deviations though, and many more tests would have been needed for an accurate result.

Really the steel of a mora is much better than srm, enlan, ganzo...? Would we must buy moras and no ganzos and similars?
2

Cool equipment access, thanks for the test!

3

Sweet test! 8)

4

Test a flashlight’s anodisation?

5

Thanks! :slight_smile:

Thanks, I knew you’d like it. :slight_smile:

That’s a good idea, I’ll try that. Maybe I can compare an anodized light with a surface without it.

6

Very cool bit of kit, I find myself wanting one very much but something that useful will be way beyond my budget.
Good luck testing the flashlights - and any more knives that you have/can borrow to give it dimples. :bigsmile:

7

I don’t have any more knives with me, but I do have a couple back at home. I’d be happy to test anything that comes this way though.

8

Very sweet. Thanks for sharing. Is that the stainless steel version of the Mora Companion?

9

It’s the carbon steel version. I’ve heard that carbon steel is both easier to resharpen as well as hold an edge better.

10

Your reading is within the range they advertize here but I was hoping they would actually tend towards 60. Thank you for the response. That is one real cool piece of equipment you got there. Congrats :)

11

Thanks, it’s in the Material Science Lab, and they have a bunch of cool stuff, including furnaces, hardness testers, optical microscopes, polishing benches, etc.

I also forgot to mention that I measured the 3M Scissors at 49.5 HRC. Not sure if the titanium coating helps that much.

12

Oh no. Tacticool scissors now, kitchen ninjas everywhere now!

13

I heard about the brinell tester in school but never got any hands on that is cool!

14

Thanks. Cheap does not always equate bad :slight_smile:

15

Thank you for testing these. I love my Ganzo G704 (have a few with different handle colors) :)

16

thanks for the test, well done!

hahahahaha :bigsmile:

that’s right!!! :slight_smile: