About Our Blade Steel
Here at Bone Tactical, we use a variety of proprietary materials and heat-treating processes. To understand how our steel differs from others in the industry, one must first understand three knife steel rules:
- Not all steel is created equal. Even within the same types of steel and molecular compositions, steel can differ greatly at the molecular level based on how it was produced and by whom. Even a simple high carbon steel like 1095 may contain impurities that lead to poor performance while that of a different manufacturer could have high internal cleanliness with a better atomic structure… this higher quality version would lead to a 1095 knife that can even outperform many much more expensive specialty steel knives. Production techniques and quality control have a massive impact on performance. We only use the highest quality steel available for each type, and we do extensive testing to assure the steels that we use to make knives represent proper distribution of elements at the atomic level. This is one of the reasons that we can guarantee the performance of our knives for life, and that neither stress fractures nor breakages will be a concern for our customers.
- The heat treatment process is more important than the type of steel itself. Even the best “super steel” if not properly heat treated will not perform as well as the cheapest knife steel that is properly heat treated. The qualities of a steel change based on heat treatment. A hard steel can be made soft, a soft steel hard… toughness can be added and taken away from any steel, via heat treatment processes. Therefore, heat treat of a particular steel must also vary based on the blades intended purpose, and the qualities of that same steel will also vary. Only through extensive experience can a knifemaker learn and adapt proper heat treat protocols in line with the design and purpose of each blade for each steel type. Our experience as users, designers, and producers of our edged weapons along with doing all work completely in house is what allows us to lead the industry in this area.
- Performance of a steel also depends on proper edge geometry for the intended use of the knife. A grind too obtuse will sacrifice sharpness for strength, and any grind too acute will sacrifice strength for sharpness. Again, our experience in knowledge of self-defense, martial arts, combatives, bushcraft, survival, and concealed carry along with engineering and manufacturing know how is what allows us to design and produce the world’s most effective edged weapons.
Now that we’ve covered the basic rules necessary for understanding knife steel, I’ll explain in detail each steel we use and what sets us apart:
We only use the highest quality steel from reputable manufacturers because steel quality precedes steel type. The way that a steel is produced is more important than the type of steel, because production quality determines blade quality. Errors in production or low-quality production techniques can negate potential positive characteristics of the steel produced. Steel type is basically a recipe, it only tells you the ingredients… it doesn’t tell you if those ingredients were mixed properly. You can make your grandmas famous chocolate chip cookies with the same ingredients, but they don’t always come out the same… why? Because your grandma is the expert, and she did it right. It’s the same with steel manufacturers. We can get steel from one factory that has poor composition at the molecular level and won’t perform as it should, or we can get the same steel from a steel manufacturer that we know produces quality. We choose the latter, the cost is higher, but it allows us to make a product we can stand behind. Furthermore, we put each steel and each blade for that matter through extensive testing and thermal cycling to ensure there are no discrepancies.
When a “new steel” or “super steel” is designed, it takes years if not decades of trial and error by master bladesmiths to determine the correct heat treatment processes so that the maximum amount of desired characteristics can be wrought out. Be wary of new steels, they’ll almost never perform as advertised in a real-world scenario. We’ve been developing our heat treat protocols for at least a decade, this is another factor that allows us to make the world’s strongest knives and tools. Yet still, every knife we produce gets a little bit better via continuous growth of knowledge and experience.
What steels do we use and why? Here we go:
Bone Tactical Super Steel (102CrV2) is a proprietary steel and heat-treat protocol developed by Greg Tambone. Knives made from this steel are ONLY available through Bone Tactical LLC. Bone Tactical Super Steel is the toughest steel on the market in its respective Rockwell range as we heat treat it. Our blades made from this steel also feature the highest lateral strength, shock resistance, and wear resistance in the industry. They are even able to be re-sharpened in the field relatively easily… a true unicorn in the area of knife steel characteristics. This steel does not have a high enough chromium content to be considered stainless, which is a good thing, because stainless steels generally sacrifice toughness for potential hardness and corrosion resistance. This is why our tool steel and carbon steel blades come with a corrosion resistant coating. Furthermore, any responsible blade owner knows to keep a blade clean and oil it occasionally… unless you’re operating in maritime environments, the corrosion resistance characteristics of steel should be of little concern. Specs (as heat treated for EDC MUTT):
Hardness: 10/10
Edge retention: 10/10
Toughness: 10/10
Field re-sharpen: 9/10
Corrosion resistance: 7/10
L6 Bainite is a variant of tool steel somewhat similar to our Super Steel. It’s well known for its ferrite-carbide aggregates that form in an intermediate temperature range overlapped by pearlite transformation and proeutectoid ferrite or cementite precipitation at higher temperatures along with martensite transformation at lower temperatures. With proper heat treat these unique structures contribute to superior toughness and wear resistance. However, L6 is extremely difficult to properly heat treat, and it can’t be done correctly in large batches. This is why not many makers use this steel, because they simply don’t have the skills necessary. Our tools featuring this steel are unparalleled in resilience and edge retention. This steel can even withstand some bending and warping that can come with heavy impacts during hard use.
Specs (as heat treated for Coup de Grâce Push Dagger):
Hardness: 9/10
Edge retention: 9/10
Toughness: 10/10
Field re-sharpen: 8/10
Corrosion resistance: 6/10
5160 is a high carbon chromium spring steel. Properly heat treated it can display outstanding toughness, ductility, flexibility, impact resistance, and fatigue resistance. 5160 is a time-honored legend in the knife steel world. It is particularly well suited for making highly effective large and hard use knives that can withstand the force of repeated impacts in tasks like chopping and batoning. Large manufacturers tend not to use 5160 due to the difficulty of heat treating this steel properly. It’s not well suited to heat treating in large batches as blades made from this steel should be quench hardened one at a time. Making 5160 a top choice for custom knives made by experienced bladesmiths.
Specs (as heat treated for Bushranger Bowie):
Hardness: 9/10
Edge retention: 8/10
Toughness: 10/10
Field re-sharpen: 8/10
Corrosion resistance: 7/10
The resounding theme with Bone Tactical is making the world’s strongest and sharpest edged weapons. 15n20 steel is known as the king of toughness… the relatively high nickel content (for blade steel) is what allows this material to present such incredible characteristics. Even allowing for heat treat to higher Rockwell hardness ratings without the steel being brittle. Because of the quality of 15n20 that we use and our advanced heat-treating protocols we can offer harder blades with thinner edge geometry than other manufacturers can offer without sacrificing strength. As we discussed earlier, harder edges with a more acute angle make for a sharper blade. This is only possible because of the extreme toughness of this material once properly heat treated.
15n20 Specs (as heat treated for EDC CANK):
Hardness: 9/10
Edge retention: 9/10
Toughness: 10/10
Field re-sharpen: 7/10
Corrosion resistance: 7/10
1095 may be the best overall general use knife steel out there. This is because it’s easy to work with, easy to heat treat, readily available, and when purchased from a quality manufacturer can be used to make highly effective blades. When quality 1095 is properly heat treated it is very wear resistant, quite tough, and easy to re-sharpen. We use 1095 on blades like the Tradecraft CANK because it allows us to offer a 100% handmade knife for around $100 delivered. Because the steel is relatively affordable and easy to work with, we can transfer the saving to the customer on these blades and offer a value otherwise unheard of in the high end custom knife world.
Specs (as heat treated for Tradecraft CANK):
Hardness: 8/10
Edge retention: 9/10
Toughness: 7/10
Field re-sharpen: 10/10
Corrosion resistance: 6/10
We use 4140 chromoly steel for our tomahawks primarily because it can be differentially hardened. It’s also tough, impact resistant, and very flexible when properly heat treated. By basically flame hardening the impact points and cutting edges we are able to create a highly effective full tang tomahawk that also features great shock absorption and resistance characteristics. Our skills in differentially hardening 4140 along with the incredible design and edge geometry is what allows us to make the world’s strongest and sharpest tomahawks.
Specs (as heat treated for Bone Hawk):
Hardness: 7/10
Edge retention: 8/10
Toughness: 9/10
Field re-sharpen: 10/10
Corrosion resistance: 7/10
420 stainless we use exclusively for the EDC Relentless. This knife is designed to be inexpensive and highly corrosion resistant. It won’t rust, even in saltwater environments (when properly cared for). It’s extremely easy to field re-sharpen and holds a decent edge. If you want a high-end full custom knife designed specifically for saltwater environments our TiCANK made from a proprietary beta-titanium with its own heat treat protocol is what we recommend.
Specs (as heat treated for EDC Relentless):
Hardness: 6/10
Edge retention: 6/10
Toughness: 8/10
Field re-sharpen: 10/10
Corrosion resistance: 10/10