I have a cutting tool about 1/2 the size of a credit card, sharpened on 2 sides, making a right angle cutting edge, and while it doesn't see too much use, it does have the Tungsten/Carb impregnated into one edge.. After years of riding in my wallet for unexpected cutting requirements (JUST in case I forget to put one of my rotation of pocket knives, knife selected generally determined by that days expected tasks.) I have never once needed to sharpen it at all. It has come to my rescue many times now. Definitely a Pull cutter, but generally my cuts are using a pull motion anyway. If the maker still made them I would pick up a spare without hesitation. I realize they aren't designed to blaze trails, but the Kestral, for example, will be a welcome addition to my ultralight bag. Yup, I'm one of those guys who cut their toothbrush handles in half. grams=ounces=pounds. My $0.02
Looking into these, will post an update when possible. In the meantime, does anyone know about blade treatments to help with titanium's edge retention issues? Carburizing has been mentioned but it'd be great to know if there are any other important treatments to look for.
True. A pure titanium is pretty soft, so in order to make it harder, alloys are used (the most common is 6AL4V). But even best alloys can't compete with steel in hardness (which is main requirement for a cutting edge material). Even chemically hardened titanium alloys are inferior to decent steel.
What I'd dearly love is an Emerson La Griffe, but they haven't made a titanium one for over ten years.
Think we could talk them into another run by smacking them in the face with a bundle of hundred-dollar bills? :D
http://emersonknives.com/shop/knives/la-griffe-bt/
Titanium isn't about hardness, its about weight. The Izula is almost three times as heavy as the Vargo or DFK. If you are a backpacker and going ultralight, every gram matters.
While certainly a good notice for those who are newer to knives, I personally like the idea of a titanium knife for their use in marine environments; salt water and sea side knife use can make for constant cleaning.
You may also be interested in looking into the Spyderco Salt series - they have a proprietary stainless steel that's as stainless as a kitchen sink, and holds an edge at least as well as 440.
Titanium is a very strong metal, but not remotely as hard as modern steel (strength != hardness). This means it makes a very poor choice for a knife, because it can't hold an edge. If you want this type of fixed-blade, ultra-light knife, what you want is the ESEE Izula. ESEE is a fantastic, American-made brand with a forever, no-questions-asked warranty on all their blades. I highly recommend you do NOT make a poll for a titanium knife, I get the feeling most people who buy into it will come away disappointed.
Here's a link to the Izula, which I won't post for voting since it doesn't technically fit the poll requirements: http://www.eseeknives.com/izula.htm
Titanium carbide / nitride is very hard: ~9 on the Mohs scale. This is approximately equal to sapphire. Diamond is 10 for reference. This is also much harder than most steels when hardened. This is why Carbides / nitrides are used in cutting tools for working hard metals such as steel. Most knife blades will have a Rockwell hardness between 50-60, this is about equal to 3-3.5 on the Mohs scale.
When one side of the is carbidized / nitrided, the soft side of the metal is continually worn down, exposing more and more carbides, forming what is essentially micro-serrations. In this sense it is self sharpening. I'm not sure any of these knives are treated this way however, and it is not a cheap process.
Because of the "micro-serrations" it may not seem like a sharp blade if you were to just touch it, but it functions as a sharp blade when slicing. For example, these knives would work well for slicing food, but not for whittling wood.
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