TUSK MATERIALS AND DESIGN
Read about TUSK size, shape, materials and what they mean to you as user.
TUSK size
Why a 7" blade? Well, think of it this way: A big knife can do heavy tasks and small tasks. A small knife can do small tasks but it can NOT do heavy tasks.
So the choice is easy for us: in a survival situation you need the knife that gets more jobs done.
Blade shape
The carefully designed blade of TUSK is made with 0.20" thickness of 440c steel. The blade is a high flat grind so the grind area goes up close to the spine. There is still a good portion of the flat spine area to support the blade, limit lateral flexion, and support the point while the high grind will have decades of sharpening before the knife is used up. A good balance is made between weight, strength, longevity, mass, and the thinness that enables the knife user to keep his cutting edge angles low and sharp.
The slight curve in the blade adds weight to the point, wich is perfect for a chopper like this and give you more cutting lenght.
You can read more about TUSK shape in the TUSK Safety & Comfort blog post.
Drop point
The point of TUSK has the shape commonly known as drop point. The top of the blade drops down toward the tip, which creates a strong point, not too pointy, to prevent breakage, to help sheathing more easily and to minimize accidental puncturing while skinning.
The point is the weakest part of a knife and in a survival knife it is crucial that it can be used without fear of braking it. You can use your TUSK with all confidence because of its shape and thickness.
440c stainless steel
TUSK is a survival knife, that means it needs to be 100% reliable and to require little maintenance. And that is exactly what 440c steel delivers.
It has been used to make knives for decades and that is for one good reason: it works. You will find that 440c offers a perfect balance between strength, hardness and wear and corrosion resistance. So your knife won't break, won't rust and will also keep its edge longer between sharpening.
"440C is an excellent, high-end stainless steel, very tough and with good edge-holding. The general feeling is that 440a is just good enough for everyday use, 440b is a very solid performer and 440c is excellent"
What 440c steel does TUSK use?
TUSK is made specifically in Böhler N695 steel, a premium version of the 440c by the world leader Austrian steel company Böhler-Uddeholm (www.bucorp.com).
What's the composition of the N695 steel?
It's composed of these major alloy elements:
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Carbon: 1.05 This increases hardenability and wear resistance.
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Manganese: 0.40 This is added to reduce brittleness and improve forgeability, hardenability, and to reduce deformation.
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Silicon: 0.40 This is a deoxidizer and improves hot-forming properties.
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Chromium: 17.00 This improves hardenability, high wear resistance, toughness, and corrosion resistance.
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Molybdenum: 0.50 Improves deep hardening and toughness.
These basic elements (along with iron) are a combination that have worked together well for many decades.
What is the hardness of the steel on TUSK?
We carefully heat treat each blade to achieve an optimum 58 Rockwell hardness. Harder would be too brittle and softer it would lose its edge faster, so we look for a perfect balance.
"440C is a fine steel for hand knives, it's bright, beautiful, durable, and proven, when properly processed and finished. It excels in corrosion resistance, and is many times stronger than carbon steels, while being reasonably priced. It has high wear resistance, high toughness, and extremely high finish value"
What about 1095 and other carbon steels?
These steels have many advantages and are usually chosen because they are inexpensive. These carbon steels are easy to work and are ductile, so it is easy, cheap, and fast to make a knife from any of these steels.
But they have no corrosion resistance, and will quickly and easily rust and pit if not carefully treated or just left in the open air.
Their main benefit is said that they are easy to sharpen, and that is true but it is just because they are not so
wear resistant, they loose their edge quickly, so they are frequently dull and need frequent resharpening. And the more often it is resharpened, the less time it will last.
440c is stronger and wear resistant so it will remain sharp a lot longer than 1095 steel and will have a longer lifespan.
If you are on the field, hunting, fishing, on a military mission or in any survival situation your knife should be a solution and not a problem. You don't want to be constantly sharpening, oiling and taking care of your knife. And why choose that when there is stainless steel?
If you want to read more about carbon steel vs. stainless steel we strongly recomend you to read the website of Jay Fisher, one of the best custom knife makers in the world
Can you tell me more about 440c steel?
If you want more information about 440c steel we refer you once again to Jay Fisher's web page, where he writes about the pros and cons of this great steel.
Micarta handle
Micarta is a premium material for knife handles. From all the materials commonly used in the knives industry, Micarta is considered the best material for heavy use and abuse.
TUSK uses polished black linen Micarta. It's a composite of layers of linen cloth impregnated with phenolic resins and then cured under pressure and high temperature to produce laminates.
It has pleasant tactile properties and offers a firm grip under all circumstances. Micarta is durable, tough and it withstands cold, heat and moisture.
Quality finish
Most of the work of making a Loyal Blade knife is hand made by expert profesionals with more than 20 years of experience each. That's why TUSK can offer excelent finish like rounded edges in the finger choil and the Micarta handle, mirror-polished steel and polished Micarta handle. All the quality details demand more work and the need for expert hands but they mean more comfort and value for you.