Isn't 8Cr13MoV a higher steel (harder) than 440C and should hold an edge better or am I thinking wrong?
hardness is mostly defined by the heat treatment.
for example plain spring steel (1095) can go from about 40 to 63 rockwell
Also in a 1 to 1 test it is impossible to find diffrences in edge retention between for example 440A and 440C or AUS6 and AUS8 (same knife brand same edge)
Some of the Sanrenmu blades were tested on an other forum and the hardness was 59-60 (ok for smaller blades/to hard for larger blades)
Absolutely, and the question is -why not? American knife companies decided a while ago that they needed low cost, foreign-made knives to compete with counterfeits and knockoffs coming out of China with their names on them, and one of the biggest costs for a knife is the steel (the other is the maintenance costs for machining).
I've had a LOT of experience with 8Cr13MoV steel and it's quite good - not as good as say, VG-10, or 154CM, or S30V steel, but a single machined blank of those steels costs as much as a good quality, lifetime warranty foreign made Kershaw knife from a retail store.
8Cr13MoV is also miles and away better than the alternatives at the price point, steels like Sandvik 12c27, 440A, 420J2 or AUS 4 steel, or Gerber's crappy mystery steel.
My Mammut-Tool arrived that I ordered some time ago. Built quality is of cause not on the same level as my Leatherman Juice S2 or the Victorinox Swisstool CS plus from a friend, but considering the price paid (10.80$ ~ 8,11€) it is at reasonable quality. All metal parts are de-burred so that it is comfortable to hold. Most surprising is the solid lock on the external tools (knives,saw,file). The big pliers alone justify the purchase... pretty happy with it so far... time will tell if it holds up against my initial impressions. The friend with the Swisstool ordered the Gerberfake as a backup MT and I will take a look at that too.
I tried the can opener on the Mammut this evening and it works pretty good, even when it looks a bit flimsy compared to the Victorinox-style ones. The thumbstuds on the blades are too long for my taste, but it fits good in the padded Ganzo pouches that I ordered from exduct along with some knives, much better than the one that came with the MT.
Took a look at that Gerberfake and I have to say that it is inferior in almost every respect to the Mammut.
Pliers on the Gerberfake are wobbly and rattle horizontal and vertically- both in open and closed position
Pike is very dangerous and you can easily hurt yourself accidentally with it, bad choice to copy this special MT
outer locking activation plate is plastic and isn't very trustworthy, the actual lock is metal, but when the activation plate is broken that doesn't help.
Overall very poor built quality on that Gerberfake, it lets me appreciate my Mammut even more.
Hey all, after doing some reading and research, an inexpensive multitool company to look at may be Tekut. They're a Chinese maker and they OEM for a lot of store and American brands, including Coast. Coast offers lifetime warranties on all of their multitools, so Tekut does know how to do quality.
The big one also features "a stupid LED" . Seems to be their motto - all MTs ... now with stupid LEDs. Get your stupid LED now... if you have one with a clever LED, it ain't an original Tekut...
This one on Ali Express
looks very similar to the Huohou 19 in 1 at Banggood or the Bibury 18 in 1 on Amazon. They’re probably all made in the same factory. Build like a tank. Not too expensive. Must resist… Or I will be in multitools too
I use an old LM for small jobs on the properties I manage when I don’t have my tool bag with me. You have to be careful with MT’s. Many inexpensive off brands don’t have proper heat treat on the metals, if they are even tool steel, and strip, deform, break, etc. on relatively small jobs. I won’t even purchase new Sog MT’s because of the thin metal and reviews with twisted drivers. Meanwhile, I still have a Sog Paratool from almost 30 years ago that I sometimes used as a hammer and it still works fine (I only use it as a backup to my other MT’s now).
If you only use the tools in a pinch, then that’s the last thing you want to break.
I bought one of the Gerber labeled rip-offs. I don’t remember how much it cost but it was dirt-cheap. I bought it knowing that it was a joke of a multi-tool and wanted to show my buddy what kind of ill-labeled crap was out there. I figured I’d throw it in the glove-box eventually and it might someday come in useful….or probably not.
So I show it to my friend and he starts taunting me about how badly I got screwed.
Boy, that pissed me off. I don’t know why I ever liked him.
Shhhh, best kept secret on Multitools is Schrade. When they were made in NY they were the highest priced USA mfg multitool sold. I “think” the list price was $90 something. (That was before Leatherman came out with their Titanium Charge). Schrade went out of business and a Chinese company bought them lock stock and barrel and moved production to Ghina. No joke, I thought that the quality improved. I have both the USA and Chinese versions. I believe I got the USA one for $65 (on sale) whereas the Chinese version was @$14. So I bought 4 of them, put one in each vehicle and gave out 2 for Christmas gifts. Amazon currently lists it for $16. “Schrade ST1NB 7in Stainless Steel 19 Piece Tough Multi-Tool with Can Opener, Pliers, Screwdrivers and Sheath for Outdoor Survival, Camping and EDC , Black”.
I think the steel is the same although Amazon reviews say it isn’t. I bought the black ones but they have a stainless version as well, about the same price. One caveat, the locking system works fine but is unlike anything you’ve seen on any other tool, and takes some memory muscles to remember how to unlock.
The Schrade out the front knife is a winner as well.
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