What's 14C28N Steel and Should You Care?

 

Pouring Steel
(Library of Congress)

               I’m not a big premium steel guy and I don’t spend a lot on my knives. I see people out there calling two-hundred-dollar knives “budget.” To me, a Rough Ryder is a standard priced knife, Rosecraft is a premium brand and budget knives come from the thrift shop. I noticed the other day that Rosecraft Blades has switched from D2 steel to 14C28N. My first thought was, “well I’ll never remember that.” My second thought was, “let’s look it up.” So, I perused a bunch of web pages and watched a bunch of videos and discovered what I needed to know. I then looked through the few oddball knives in my collection to see if I had any of this alphabet soup steel.

I have to confess that every once in a while, under the cover of darkness, I will sneak out and buy a modern knife, and that’s where I found some 14C28N, in my Vosteed Corgi. Even better, I had recently done something stupid with it. I had to cut a security cable and moronically thought I’d use the Corgi. It didn’t work and the whole time I was trying to cut the cable I was thinking “I’m ruining my knife edge.” Why do I do such things? Anyway, the Corgi was sitting in a drawer, ruined for all I knew. I took it out and did the old paper test and it was pretty dull. I pulled out my trusty Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener and ran the edges over the ceramic hone and the leather strop. I was sure it wouldn’t be enough, but that Corgi was sharp again and that’s what I know about 14C28N.

My research bears this out (and yes, I’m aware of confirmation bias). Rosecraft says, “First and foremost, our customers asked for a stainless steel, and 14C28N fit that bill perfectly. It’s a stainless steel with high corrosion resistance which means you don’t have to be as careful about getting it completely dry like you might with D2. It also takes a very sharp edge and is easier to sharpen than other steels like D2.” Which is all true. They left out the part about how D2 keeps an edge significantly longer than 14C28N. However, I’m not sure that it will be a big issue with many knife users. The guy over at Neeves Knives cut cardboard 185 times with a Civivi sporting 14C28N before it got dull and the guy over at Cedric and Ada got 225 cuts through rope.

I do wonder, why do people have so many rusty knives that they need stainless steel? Growing up near the very humid Chesapeake Bay, with no AC, we never had any of our knives rust. Maybe it was all the antioxidants we ate, or our dry wit. Don’t get me wrong, I like stainless, mostly because I’m not crazy about patinas.

To answer the question: No, you shouldn’t be worried. It may even be fun to compare the two steels over time and wear. If you are interested in doing a little more research, there’s a good number of videos and articles out there on both steels.

Nigh On Perfect Barlows

 

We live in a golden age of manufacturing. Between the knowledge and capability supplied by science & technology combined with the oversite of a zillion observers on the WWW, it’s hard to make a bad product and stay in business very long. Of course, that doesn’t keep us from arguing about what’s the best. With that in mind, I would like to point out a few Barlow knives that are almost perfect, knives most anyone would be very happy to own. I’m going to start with a high bar and work my way up:

My first entry for consideration is the “Rough Ryder Reserve Red Jigged Bone Original Barlow Folding Knife RRR017RB.” This knife almost has it all, handsome red bone handles, one of the best blades for all round use, the spearpoint, and sturdy D2 steel. The action and feel of the thing screams quality. Any flaws? Just one, it only has a single blade. I can go a long way on a two bladed knife (one larger, the other smaller), before I have to deploy every folder’s more capable brother, the Victorinox. Of course, I knew it only had one blade when I bought it, but it seemed good enough to ignore that fact, and it is. One would be hard pressed to point out a better single blade Barlow.

May be the best looking traditional out there.

Two is the “RoseCraft Beaver Creek Barlow RCT006.” I think Rosecraft’s bourbon bone handles were a real homerun with most folks and they wrap some truly grand knives. I like the way Rosecraft can work within a traditional knife’s parameters and still come up with something that looks unique. Once our plumber asked me if I had a knife he could use. I handed him my Rosecraft Barlow, he looked distinctly unimpressed. Later, he asked me, “Do you still got that razor knife on you?” D2 will get you through. So what’s wrong with this one, besides the single blade? Nothing really, I’d just rather it was a different blade, I’m not crazy about the sheepsfoot.

A real looker.

Which brings us to the “Rosecraft Otter Creek Barlow RCT020.” So very close, I really wanted this one to be the best Barlow ever, and it almost is. The sandalwood handles serve to show off a great knife with a practical D2 Clip Point blade, and a front bolster with an otter paw print, just for giggles. So what’s wrong with this one, Mr. Picky Guy? The nail nick is too far back, I feel like a shorter swedge would have made for an easier opening blade. If you have occasional trouble with nail nicks, I’d look at this one in person before you buy. It could have been the GOAT.

Coulda been a contender.

This may raise some hackles but the “Rough Rider Bluegill Barlow Jigged Bone Folding Knife RR2632” and many of the other RR Barlows are nigh on perfect. Preserving that classic style, these two bladed 440 Barlows do everything a Barlow should do and do it in style. This is the point where I’m supposed to say it’s great “for its price.” I’m not going to say that, these are objectively good knives. (If you don’t like the low price, you can send me some money every time you buy one, that way we’ll both feel better.) Flaws? Just one: The models without nail nicks on the opposite sides can be very difficult to deploy. I hear they are changing that, but they won’t update the catalog pictures, so you’re buying at your own risk. (You know, once you buy a digital camera, the pictures are free.) I think anything new, like the Bluegill is a safe bet. And really, “you need a magnacut Barlow?” Why?

Named for another tiny powerhouse, the freshwater bluegill.

Finally, and this one may really be The Perfect Barlow. The Bear & Son Yellow Delrin Barlow with stainless steel blades is my nominee for perfection: classic scales, two 440 blades, and made in America. So what could be wrong about that? Just that I bought one from Red Hill Cutlery, about a hear and a half ago and haven’t seen any since. That may have been the last USA made Barlow for under 20 bucks in history. Good news though, the carbon steel version is readily available, though I can’t call it perfect because I have never used one. I suspect it may be the real deal.

Where is that bear? This is the carbon steel version.
The stainless model has a B&S medallion and "Barlow" written across the front bolster.

 

Rosecraft Modern Knives "Priced to Move."

Remember when Fred fell in with those bank robbers and one guy had a switchblade that opened into a full-sized meat clever? That's what the Ogee reminds me of.

Rosecraft Blades has “decided to move away from Modern Knives altogether.” This is news to me, though it seems to have been going on for a while, but it was news to me, maybe you too. There are still a good number left, and the discounts are good. I picked up an Ogee because it reminds me of an episode of the Flintstone’s.

My other Rosecraft modern model is the Castorea, which is, for all intents and purposes, a modern grandaddy Barlow. The name is interesting, some sites say castorea means “beaver,” and other sites say it’s a beaver’s scent gland. The blade does resemble a beaver’s tail. I don’t know what a beaver’s scent gland looks like.

Anway, if you like quality modern knives, or are just modern-curious, there’s plenty of bargains there.

"No, you cannot see my castorea!"

Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Neo-Barlow: What Hath God Wrought?

 

The Finch 1929

The classic American Barlow knife has a handle that’s about 3 ½ inches long, a long top bolster, and a subtle teardrop shape. A typical modern knife has a locking blade, a fast-opening mechanism, and a pocket clip. And never the twain shall meet, until lately. Or should I say finally. The modern and traditional knife worlds are coming together thanks to some innovative designers and some willing customers. If you are anything like me, you’ve been waiting for this. Traditional knives look great but can be, at times, inconvenient. On the other hand, modern knives have great conveniences but are ugly as sin.

There is no better example of a neo-Barlow than the Finch 1929. It has the right look, the right dimensions, and taking a bold leap into the Space Age, a pocket clip. It’s also a flipper with a locking blade. Heavens forefend. They don’t call it a Barlow, probably because they don’t want to get mired down in endless questions of genuine authenticity, but rest assured, it’s a Barlow. Come to think of it, if the guy who invented the Barlow had thought to himself, "wait, this is too modern for 1670," we never would have gotten such a grand old design to begin with.

Are there any drawbacks to this new design? None that I can see. I’ve been carrying one for months and it does everything my other 12 Barlows can do, but it’s faster to open and easier to find in my pocket. I do think the opening mechanism on a traditional slipjoint will probably last longer, long enough to leave to my grandson, but he can buy his own knife. Heck, by that time, they will probably be cuttings things with tiny lightsabers from the Smokey Mountain Laser Works.

The 1929 is a bit on the pricey side. I bought mine last year for $125.oo, but there are other, less expensive neo-Barlows out there. There is the Smith & Wesson “Executive Barlow” that the Amazon blurb says is for “Outdoor, Tactical, & Survival,” but I wouldn’t go that far. It is, however, a swanky little Barlow with, hold your breath now, assisted opening. "O brave new world!" It’s also dirt cheap, around 23 bucks.

Smith & Wesson Executive Barlow

Then there is the  Rosecraft Blades Castorea which is nothing more than a big ol’ Grandaddy Barlow that flips, locks, and pockets with the best of them. It sells for a mere twenty dollars. Yup, Rosecraft quality for a couple of sawbucks.

Rosecraft Castorea

There are even new Barlows out there with modern looks and old fashion mechanisms, though I’m not sure why. It reminds me of the time when Sarah Bernhardt, a famous beauty, met George Bernard Shaw, a famous intellect. She suggested they combine their glorious attributes by having a child. He answered, “But what if the child were born with my looks and your brain?” So, I will leave those recommendations to someone else.

Rice Krispies Knives: The Rise of the God Walkandtalka

 

The Rosecraft Appalachian Jack has the best walk and talk ever.

People who review knives have a tough job, there isn’t a whole lot to a knife. But they need to provide useful information and also to fill up the page/video. A two sentence review won’t cut it. Thus, they often cover critiques of a product’s more trivial aspects. One of these trivialities in traditional knife reviews is known as “walk and talk.” It’s an evaluation of the pull and noises made by a knife when being opened and closed. The triviality of the “talk” seems to have grown into a serious consideration of a knife’s overall desirability. I do like a snappy knife, even the ever-levelheaded Jon Gadget recently referred to the walk and talk in a Kansept Bevy as “strangely satisfying.” My Rosecraft Appalachian Jack is a personal favorite and has a great sound, though I use my virtually silent Rough Ryder Working Man Stockman more often at work because it has a pocket clip. Function trumps sound.

Sometimes sound matters. I remember, years ago, a friend was reading a gun magazine and laughing. I asked what was so funny, and he said an advertisement for Ninja Suits with Velcro pockets. “Can you imagine,” he chuckled, “a ninja spending hours stealthily stalking his target only to pierce the silence opening his 80 decibel Velcro pocket?”

It is useful to go back to the basics. A knife is a thin slab of metal with a sharpened edge used for cutting. The first knives were fixed blades and made no noise at all. Today, fixed blade knives are often considered the bestest and toughest knives available, but they still make no noise, nor are they hard to pull from the sheath. Why would anyone want a knife that’s hard to deploy?

 But the traditional folder is often rated superior if it is not only noisy, but difficult to open. This aspect is not as trivial in that I won’t buy a knife with a hard pull, to quote Colonel Stonehill, “…the world as it is, is vexing enough.” And yet many rate a hard pull as a virtue. The fellow on Baxter’s Blades, a man with common sense, usually, has come to the conclusion that all knives should have hard pulls and the reason they don’t is because of old men and their delicate fingernails. I would like to see some proof of this, maybe a study from the Institute of Old Guys or something, I know my own nails have toughened with age. Nevertheless, I will not take a knife with a hard pull to work. It’s not that opening it once is so bad but opening it many times throughout the day can get irritating. The problem is compounded by the fact that many knife reviewers are nice guys who don’t want to consign a knife or its maker to the infernal regions, so sometimes they gloss over a knife’s drawbacks. They mean well, but you have to read between the lines, such as when a reviewer says a knife is “a little hard to open,” BEWARE.

The Rough Ryder Working Man's Stockman isn't much on walk and talk but is a superior work knife.