Is 8Cr13MoV Good Knife Steel? – [Complete Steel Guide]

The 8Cr13MoV knife is a type of Chinese steel knife that is quite similar to the AUS 8 of the Japanese steel knife manufacturing. It is not as high quality as the AUS 8, but it works just fine as a practical utility knife.

Moreover, the steel properties of this knife and other materials included will help us know the answer to the question: “Is 8cr13mov good knife steel for everyday use?”

There are many features of the 8Cr13MoV knife that we need to take into consideration to know how good it even is as a steel knife. So, let us get right into talking about the 8Cr13MoV knife in detail.

Features of the 8Cr13MoV Knife

The 8Cr13MoV knife is a common stainless steel knife made from Chinese steel. And the stainless steel used is also very low end or low budgeted steel since it has been created in China and inspired by another model of a knife originally made in Japan.

Some of the features of the 8Cr13MoV knife are given below to help you know if these knives are of good knife steel:

## Qualities

This particular stainless steel has been tempered through a range of 56 to 62 HRC,according to Rockwell's C scale of hardness. This means it has about a maximum amount of hardness.

It has a strong resistance to corrosion and has good edge retention. Sharpening up this sort of knife is also very easy and can be done easily. After sharpening, it stays sharp for quite a long time as well. Thus, it is not necessary to sharpen it up every single day before use.

## Distribution of Properties of the Elements in the Knife

Let us start with the carbon metal element the 8Cr13MoV knives have. It has about 0.8 percent of it. This makes the steel part become very hard and resist rust easily. These qualities do harm the strength of the blade itself, though.

Chromium of about 14.5 percent is included in its properties so that it can improve the corrosion resistance, improve the edge retention, and make it more durable so that the knife does not wear down so quickly. Having more than 12 percent of chromium alone accounts for the stainless steel having strength.

Among other components or elements used to make the 8Cr13MoV knife's blade, there are molybdenum of 0.3 percent, silicon of 1 percent, 1 percent of manganese, 0.04 percent of phosphorus, 0.2 percent of nickel, 0.04 percent of sulfur, 0.25 percent of vanadium and others.

All these components might be added in little percentages or little amounts, but they all help the 8Cr13MoV knife have more strength or toughness, become more brittle, have increased hardness, and have an increase in the machinability of the knife.

The durability and wear resistance also comes in an increased amount because of these elements.

## Advantages of the 8Cr13MoV Steep Knives

A good thing about these knives is that they are the perfect knife option for starters or beginners. The knives are pretty small and fit in your hand or your pocket easily. And the handles on these knives have really good gripping textures so that you will not have any difficulties when holding it or switching it from one hand to another.

Another good advantage is that most of these 8Cr13MoV knives are available at very low or reasonable prices. You can afford a knife from these types without hurting your budget or savings. They may be cheap and manufactured in China with Chinese raw materials, but they are still high-quality stainless steel.

They have all the right components mixed in to make the stainless steel blade along with the right proportions of each component too. The steel is very hard and strong, can be sharpened easily, and it also prevents corrosion. Altogether these qualities make the steel more durable and wear-resistant.

## Usage of the 8Cr13MoV Steel Knives

The 8Cr13MoV knives are not that popular for ordinary household work like kitchen cooking reasons, arts and crafts stationery, or anything else that would be counted as domestic tasks. These knives are more suited to be used for heavy work or jobs.

And the knives are pretty small themselves, so they might not be able to do heavy-duty tasks like cut into rocks or trees. But it can be used as assistance to such heavy-duty tasks.

For instance, during camping, hunting, or hiking trips, the 8Cr13MoV knife can be used to cut into ropes for tents, cut vines from trees carve marks on trees, so you do not get lost, and many other reasons.

If the task is more civil and professional, then it could be used to cut electrical wiring if you are an electrician or for any other repair type tasks. These are all good reasons where you can test out the steel of the 8Cr13MoV knives and know how good they are.

Popular 8Cr13MoV Knives

Here are some widely known 8cr13mov knives:

1. Spyderco Tenacious Folding Knife

This 8Cr13MoV knife is available at a pretty low or affordable price. It is very small and light in weight. The drop point plain edge knife blade it has is only about 3 to 4 inches in length. And the handles themselves are G 10 handles, which have good grips that are not slippery.

The inner lock of the Spyderco Tenacious knife is as solid as a rock. This makes it easy for you to use such a knife during outdoor hunting or camping trips. So even at a low price and with Chinese materials, this 8Cr13MoV knife is not that bad.

2. Kershaw Brawler Folding Knife

This 8Cr13MoV knife has about 3 inches and high-quality steel on the blade. And this stainless steel is black oxide finished steel. The handle is black in color and has glass-filled nylon scale designs on it that help it give a better gripping ability.

Overall, the Kershaw brawler folding knife is a great starter knife for different tasks during your camping or hunting trips.

3. Kershaw Cryo Pocket Knife

This is an 8Cr13MoV knife with a high-quality build. Despite that, it is pretty inexpensive. This knife is a flame lock knife that has a Rick Hinderer designed lock bar stabilizer.

The stainless steel blade portion of the knife itself has a titanium carbo-nitride matte coating in gray tint. And the same coating is also on the handle of the knife.

Such a knife can be a handy tool to carry around during wild hunting or hiking trips. Even if your profession requires you to get involved in the physical labor of repairs and fixtures, this Kershaw cryo pocket knife can also help you when it comes to cutting wires, strings, etc.

Final Words

The 8Cr13MoV knives offer really high-quality steel in their stainless steel blade.

If you were confused about if 8Cr13MoV is good knife steel or not, then do not worry. The above features will give you a clear understanding of the qualities and other attributes of the 8Cr13MoV steel knives so that you can know whether this type of knife is worth buying or not.

And if they get the job done right and do not cause many problems when you are using it, then it is no doubt a good knife and has strong steel components in its blade.