MagnaCut Blades?

[Spike elk]

What are the pros and cons to a MagnaCut knife? I have used a Havalon for years and cannot count the animals that it has taken apart. I also cannot remember the last time that I broke a blade. I do use a folding Kershaw or Gerber for joints and backstraps. I have been thinking real hard on a MKC Speedgoat but really don't know anything about a MagnaCut vs normal blade. Is one easier to sharpen? That is a skill that I need refine. Please don't take my man card, but my sharpening skills have never graduated past a run-through Smith sharpener. I suck with a wet stone but am willing to figure that out as well.

 

[sndmn11]

Magnacut is not great with edge retention, it excels at stain resistance and is very tough for a stainless steel. You should have zero issues sharpening magnacut but will want to touch it up regularly. It should hold an edge and be similar in ease of sharpening to "normal blade".

 

[Marbles]

In my experience Magnacut holds an edge pretty good. I would tak it over the S30V, S90V, N380, D2, and 154CM that I have used.

It sharpens better than all of those as well.

Edge retention is more than just abrasion resistance, from pure abrasion perspective S30V, S90V, and N380 are better with S90V being the best, but they lack edge toughness and in daily use or use on an animal dull from chipping out.
Magnacut has worse abrasion resistance than those, but it does not chip out. In actual use, Magnacut holds a functional edge longer for me. Not only is the steel easier to sharpen, but an abrasion worn edge sharpens easier than a chipped out edge.

MKCs are nice, but North Arm makes blades that look at least as good and are more reasonably priced. https://northarmknives.com/product-category/outdoor-knives/

My sharpening ability is somewhere between good to great, and I like fixed blades in the field, but if you are happy with your Havalon, why replace it?

Edit: As a disclaimer, it takes about a year or two of use for my opinions on a steel to settle in. I have not used Magnacut that much yet. I Frankensteined a Hogue Deka, but did not like the belly geometry and ended up not carrying it much.

 

[Marbles]

I should also add, edge geometry matters, I may like my edge angles too sharp, which would result in worse chipping. I free hand, so cannot tell you the actual edge angles I use.

So, someone else could have a different experience for that reason alone. Add in heat treat between makers and there is lots of room for variation in experience. Most of my knives have been Benchmade. Magnacut I have used is Hogue and MKC.

 

[Shootstraight]

I Have read that magnacut is essentially a stainless version of vanadis 4e. If that is true, it should be excellent. I have used Com 4v and vanadis 4e in knives, and the edgeholding is superb, not chippy. But those steels are not stainless, which I don’t mind. My 4e and 4 v knives take ferocious edges, so if magnacut is similar, it should be very good. Not sure if the added chromium makes it a little tougher to sharpen.

 

[Spike elk]

I appreciate the feedback. @ Marbles- I will definitely check out the Lynx. I am not replacing my Havalon but would like to have a nicer knife than my EDC Kershaw or Gerber folders to help break down an animal. I generally use the Havalon for 90% of the work and my folder for the other. As I get older I also get a little more focused on being self sufficient, a good knife points me in that direction.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Disclaimer - I have not used a magnacut blade. But I have used and tested most steels listed in this thread so far. I am very fond of S30v, D2 and 154cm. All three of these were on blades that I made not store bought blades. 440, elmax, AEB-L and a few others leave me wanting more. The 154cm can be scary sharp but will need touching up regularly to maintain its bevel. The D2 is probably my favorite IF it is done right. Bad D2 is complete trash. S30v is a great stainless but it can be hell to sharpen with the average sharpening set up if it gets too dull.

Based of what I know about magnacut I’d expect great corrosion resistance and decent toughness but also expect to maintain the edge pretty regularly in order to keep as sharp as you want. All in all it should be a great utility steel for most people.

 

[intunegp]

As a knife enthusiast, I don't think edge retention is as huge of an issue in processing game as people make it out to be and would definitely be more focused on toughness. If you're unloading pallets, breaking down cardboard, cutting straps/rope, etc. all day, you notice your edge going away as you work. When I'm breaking down an animal, while I do notice a decline in sharpness, it's not much of an issue...meat is soft. On a mule deer, I can gut, skin, quarter, and remove and prep the head for euro with one Outdoor Edge blade. When I'm done it's significantly less sharp than when I started, but it still cuts meat.

If you're carrying anything besides replaceable blades, learning to sharpen and regularly touching up after use should be a thing you learn to love. It's much easier to keep a knife sharp than make a dull knife sharp again. Sharpeners are more effective and more portable than ever. With this philosophy it doesn't really matter if your knife can break down 10 elk without needing a touchup.

I used my Magnacut Speedgoat for the same mule deer breakdown I listed out above and was very happy with it's performance for the task. It was shaving sharp when I started, still reasonably sharp when I was done (definitely enough to do another animal or two), and was back to shaving sharp within about 30 seconds of sharpening back at camp.

 

[azflysurfer]

I've really enjoyed my magnacut speedgoat so far

 

[dlee56]

Depends a lot on what your goal is, magnacut is great for butchering since it’s stainless and easy to sharpen which is good because it’ll need re-sharpened before your finish out an elk.

I go for harder “super” steels (zmax, 10v, maxamet, 15v, etc) that will stay sharp through field dressing a whole elk, but they are harder to sharpen so I’m able to do it at home on my KME Sharpener (super fool-proof tool to do a near-pro job sharpening). A marble stone can touch them up in the field if they do get dull but I’ve had good luck getting through whole animals with these steels. As far as buying these steels look for some used Spyderco Mules in different steels and there’s great guys on instagram that build with these steels and are pretty affordable for what you’re getting (Stonehocker Blades, Deer Rock Knives).
I traded all my Havalons and Knives of Alaska classics for custom super steel knives from these guys and I’ve never looked back. Hooked for life.


Here’s a graph of toughness vs edge retention I got from “Knife Steel Nerds” website. Very informative website if you have the time. You can see how magnacut is a beast of a stainless steel (blues) but still can’t compete with some of the tool steels (oranges). You’ll never get the best of both worlds so when it comes to meat cutting I lean toward edge retention.



Edit: I’ll add that some folks like some guys above have a higher tolerance for cutting meat with a dull blade but it drives me nuts so this is what works for me. Also when it comes to edc I’d lean more toward the toughness side of the graph because these high edge retention steels can get chippy/brittle when breaking down pallets or batoning wood etc.

 

[Marbles]

Depends a lot on what your goal is, magnacut is great for butchering since it’s stainless and easy to sharpen which is good because it’ll need re-sharpened before your finish out an elk.

I go for harder “super” steels (zmax, 10v, maxamet, 15v, etc) that will stay sharp through field dressing a whole elk, but they are harder to sharpen so I’m able to do it at home on my KME Sharpener (super fool-proof tool to do a near-pro job sharpening). A marble stone can touch them up in the field if they do get dull but I’ve had good luck getting through whole animals with these steels. As far as buying these steels look for some used Spyderco Mules in different steels and there’s great guys on instagram that build with these steels and are pretty affordable for what you’re getting (Stonehocker Blades, Deer Rock Knives).
I traded all my Havalons and Knives of Alaska classics for custom super steel knives from these guys and I’ve never looked back. Hooked for life.
View attachment 646771

Here’s a graph of toughness vs edge retention I got from “Knife Steel Nerds” website. Very informative website if you have the time. You can see how magnacut is a beast of a stainless steel (blues) but still can’t compete with some of the tool steels (oranges). You’ll never get the best of both worlds so when it comes to meat cutting I lean toward edge retention.

View attachment 646768

Edit: I’ll add that some folks like some guys above have a higher tolerance for cutting meat with a dull blade but it drives me nuts so this is what works for me. Also when it comes to edc I’d lean more toward the toughness side of the graph because these high edge retention steels can get chippy/brittle when breaking down pallets or batoning wood etc.

Preference certainly plays a role and there is not a right or wrong. In this, my preferences differ.

S90V is a touch tougher than 15V (about as far above 5 as 15V is under it), and my complaint with it was the edge chipping out, especially on a dirty hide. I also tended to chip the edge on bone. It's abrasion resistance (Catra edge retention) is markedly lower than 15V (about 760), but abrasion resistance was not my complaint to start with.

I'm really liking Magnacut so far, but it takes a year or two for my opinion to really settle on a steel, I really liked S90V for a while too.

 

[dlee56]

Preference certainly plays a role and there is not a right or wrong. In this, my preferences differ.

S90V is a touch tougher than 15V (about as far above 5 as 15V is under it), and my complaint with it was the edge chipping out, especially on a dirty hide. I also tended to chip the edge on bone. It's abrasion resistance (Catra edge retention) is markedly lower than 15V (about 760), but abrasion resistance was not my complaint to start with.

I'm really liking Magnacut so far, but it takes a year or two for my opinion to really settle on a steel, I really liked S90V for a while too.

Preference definitely plays a big role. I liked S90V a lot but I felt like I was sawing hard on hide with it by the time I got 2/3 through a mule deer.

I haven’t had any chipping on harder steels yet but I’m pretty conscious around bones and mud clods. I keep a 3V knife on hand if I’m needing to pry on a joint or do any aggressive work like that and it’s been really awesome in that respect.

 

[Marbles]

Preference definitely plays a big role. I liked S90V a lot but I felt like I was sawing hard on hide with it by the time I got 2/3 through a mule deer.

I haven’t had any chipping on harder steels yet but I’m pretty conscious around bones and mud clods. I keep a 3V knife on hand if I’m needing to pry on a joint or do any aggressive work like that and it’s been really awesome in that respect.

Yeah, I want to use one knife to do it all. I would rather stop and touch up a blade than use two knives. It is just how I work, and a Spiderco Double Stuff stone weighs about what a second knife would. I'm sure I could relearn, but not sure it would be worth it.

Though, in discussing knives with people, I will have to remember that my preference may not be what makes someone else happy.