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(for a knife) is “440″ suppose to be good?

I bought this $15.00 knife from this outdoor goods company online. On the side of the knife it says “440 stainless”. I’m very ignorant when it comes to knives, so is that suppose to be good or is that a ripoff?

There is no such steel as 440. It’s a group of 3 different steels.

I’d bet 100$ it’s 440A or something similar and worse than that.

In 99% of the cases when the maker says 440 steel, it means 440A, the cheapest and worst performer out of 3 in 440 group, 440A, 440B, 440C.
Main difference is the carbon content – A (.75%) to B (.9%) to C (1.2%).

Similarly, when the makers says “surgical stainless” you can bet that it’s 420 series steel, 420J or worse.

Neither one is good choice for knife blade considering what’s available today for knifemakers.

440B makes ok choice when properly heat treated for knives intended to use in humid and corrosive environments.

440C used to be a top choice for stainless knives back in 1980s.. Then got replaced by 154CM/ATS-34, and now those are getting replaced by better steels too.
440C is pretty good for use in large blades too. Famous Rambo knife (from the movie First blood) was made out of 440C by famous maker Jimmy Lile, and for its time was a very good blade.

For more on steels check out the knife steel FAQ – http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml
More modern steels here – http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/kksteelp2.shtml

In the end, there is no magic, you get what you pay for. Steel costs money, heat treating it also costs money and better heat treatment costs more money. Then processing the hardened steel costs more money…
So, cheap knives skimp on all 3. Start with cheap steel, make is softer, saves you money on heat treatment ans sharpening.
So, you end up with the knife that won’t hold an edge for few hours of medium/light use.

Browning Competition Knife Outdoor Test Part 2

Filed under: Types of Knives