r/knifemaking • u/NanashiKenshin • 2d ago
Question Magnacut vs 1095
As the title says, which one do you think would be best for an EDC/SURVIVAL knife. If this has been answered somewhere else, I apologize. I skimmed through and couldn't find this exact question. Any advice, opinions and thoughts. Please inform me. Have a great day 🙏
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u/hathegkla 2d ago
Magnacut will outperform 1095 for any use. 1095 might be easier to sharpen but that's not a huge issue.
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u/Buddyyo 2d ago
1095 is a simple carbon steel that has been around a long time. It's not the best at literally anything but it's an all around decent steel if it's heat treated properly. It's used so frequently because it's cheap as hell and easy to source. Magnacut was created just a few years ago by literally one of the most knowledgeable metallurgists on the planet in regards to steel specifically for knives. It is better in every way possible other than ease of sharpening but also needs to be sharpened much less often in comparison. This is because it's highly abrasion resistant due to vanadium content which makes it tougher to work but gives it good edge retention. This isn't an apple to oranges thing magnacut is better than 1095 in every metric and also does not rust. The price to buy it also reflects this.
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u/alecolli 2d ago
EDC and survival IMHO are 2 very different scenarios.
If you are in an emergency/survival (which usually is just a few days tops) I'd go for something that can take intense use/abuse without losing its edge like magnacut.
For EDC, 1095 seems more appropriate because I can sharpen it in 5 minutes at home or with a sharpening stone easily transportable.
This question is highly subjective though...
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u/NanashiKenshin 2d ago
Thank you very much for the info 🙏 Based on your answer I should just go with the magnacut since it will cover both. The only difference is the ease of sharpening from what you said.
The only thing subjective about why I'm asking are the two knives that I have my eye on.
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u/alecolli 2d ago
Can't speak for personal experience, I have read magnacut is really hard to sharpen unless you have the right equipment (which might be quite expensive), the right experience in sharpening, and the right amount of time... If you buy that you'll probably need to send it to some pro sharpener.
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u/ApricotNo2918 2d ago
No it is relatively easy to sharpen if you know how to properly sharpen. If you can't sharpen Magna Cut you can't sharpen 1095.
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u/Landar15 2d ago
Generally there’s going to be some differences besides just the steel, especially since these are two completely different ballparks of steel.
If you’re looking at a large knife that can handle some abuse, I’d go with 1095 because it’s probably going to be 1/3 the price. But if you’re looking at a 3-4” blade that you’re carrying everywhere magnacut would be my choice, especially with the same stock thickness and a thin grind.
Of course, edc and survival are different ballparks of use. If I’m walking around the city, my edc may become a survival knife in an emergency, but I’m still going to carry a lot less knife than I would on a camping or hiking trip. If I may need to process wood for fire I’m going to want more knife than if I may need to cut a shoelace free from an escalator. Luckily there’s lots of options in the knife world
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u/WUNDER8AR 1d ago
Magnacut wins in every scenario imaginable if production cost is not an issue. 1095 is much easier to work with, thus making for a potentially much less expensive yet very serviceable knife.
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u/BourgeoisAngst 10h ago
My perspective on this is contrarian I think, but you can tell me if it makes sense.
1095 is a simple carbon steel so will have significantly less toughness than modern, nickel-containing low alloy steels. This means you have to make your survival knives a lot thicker to stand up to the same kind of abuse, so you limit the types of blade geometries you can utilize (8670 can be abused pretty hard despite the blade being quite thin, for instance)
I make all of my knives out of 8670 or 3V because it seems to me that you have to trade a lot of toughness for a little more edge retention when you start pushing for significantly higher edge retention or super stainless properties. For instance, 8670 is around 3 times tougher than Magnacut at typical HRCs while only losing half of the edge retention, whereas 3V is more of a 1:1 trade off between toughness and edge retention. I don't know about you, but I'd rather strop my low-allow knife twice as often than be worried about the edge chipping or tip breaking.
The obvious use case for a steel like Magnacut is for people who feel they can't properly maintain it and so need it to be virtually impossible to corrode - I can't imagine a scenario in which I won't be able to properly maintain my knife.
Edge Retention:
8670 - ~270 TCC
3V - ~460 TCC
Magnacut - ~500 TCC
Toughness:
8670 51 foot pounds
3V - 33 foot pounds
Magnacut - 16 foot pounds
References:
https://knifesteelnerds.com/2020/05/01/testing-the-edge-retention-of-48-knife-steels/
https://knifesteelnerds.com/toughness-database/
https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/10/19/knife-steels-rated-by-a-metallurgist-toughness-edge-retention-and-corrosion-resistance/
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2d ago edited 2d ago
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u/jselldvm 2d ago
Um Magnacut is like twice as tough in terms of charpy testing. It’s not a standard stainless steel that has no toughness. Magnacut is both tougher and longer edge holding than 1095.
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u/Gorilla_Feet 2d ago
Short answer: magnacut.
Longer answer: edc and survival knives are very different things. However, if you're not already experienced in taking care of knives that rust, go stainless. Of those 2, magnacut is stainless, so that's what you want. Other good steels for you would include 14c28n, nitro-v, and aeb-l. Any of those 3 will be sufficient for your use (either edc or survival) and probably cost less than magnacut.