Magnacut…worth it?

[brca005]

Magnacut is a good steel, is it the worth the price knife makers are charging for it? No, but what is worth the price these days for what a lot of companies are charging for products.

I personally think AEB-L is an underrated steel, it's cheaper, will hold an edge, easy to sharpen and pretty corrosion resistant.

Mind you, I've got 3 Magnacut knives, so while I don't think they are worth the price, I've still bought 3 because I like knives and want to be part of the cool kids club.

I also own 2 AEB-L knives, one of them has been with me almost everyday I've left the house in the last few years and neither of them show any show of corrosion or rust. I haven't added any wax or oil to them either.

 

[jimh406]

For those of you who have blades made of it, is it with the extra money? My uses will be general utility, fire starts, regular carry, and meat processing.

What steel are you comparing to?

 

[Taudisio]

But you arent comparing a real benchmade or the steel you think it is.

I only buy knives from BladeHQ. You cant even trust amazon. So many fakes on there for benchmade and microtech.

Knifecenter is another good one.

 

[intunegp]

That’s obvious, but curiosity got this cat. Had to compare Flyway and Mini Bugout that I currently own


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Compare what exactly? Whether or not buying counterfeit goods is a legitimate alternative to the real thing from the American company that the design is stolen from?


edit: As far as retailers go, BladeHQ, KnifeCenter, and DLT Trading (my favorite) all have great customer service, fast shipping, and just about everything your heart could ever desire.

 

[Reburn]

Compare what exactly? Whether or not buying counterfeit goods is a legitimate alternative to the real thing from the American company that the design is stolen from?


edit: As far as retailers go, BladeHQ, KnifeCenter, and DLT Trading (my favorite) all have great customer service, fast shipping, and just about everything your heart could ever desire.

And worth noting that they get their knives directly from the makers so the chances of counterfit goods are near 0.

 

[S-3 ranch]

You guy's are nerds over steel

Yep , steel and design, geometry are my hobby along with hunting and fishing

 

[ElPollo]

I do think that the steel itself is just one factor in how a knife performs. The geometry of the blade and the heat treat probably have more effect on performance than steel. MagnaCut is great stuff. But if you are considering dropping big money on a knife in that steel expecting it to be Excalibur, you may be disappointed. There are lots of steels out there that hold an edge longer than MagnaCut. It is relatively easy to sharpen, it’s pretty durable, and it’s very corrosion resistant. But I personally would take a D-2 or AEB-L blade with good ergos, edge geometry and heat treat over any MagnaCut blade without.

 

[intunegp]

I do think that the steel itself is just one factor in how a knife performs. The geometry of the blade and the heat treat probably have more effect on performance than steel. MagnaCut is great stuff. But if you are considering dropping big money on a knife in that steel expecting it to be Excalibur, you may be disappointed. There are lots of steels out there that hold an edge longer than MagnaCut. It is relatively easy to sharpen, it’s pretty durable, and it’s very corrosion resistant. But I personally would take a D-2 or AEB-L blade with good ergos, edge geometry and heat treat over any MagnaCut blade without.

There's no argument about it...geometry wins the day. The nuance comes down to a powder metallurgy super steel with okay geometry versus a more traditional material with great geometry. The cream of the crop are high performance steels with outstanding cutting geometry.

When it comes to steel alone, the metrics to be concerned about are toughness, wear resistance (edge retention), and corrosion resistance. Historically you were picking two of the three at the expense of the other. As metallurgy advances and new compositions are explored, the performance of all three aspects can improve and become more equal with less sacrifice to any given metric.

As a side note for the steel nerds, some may know the Crucible Particle Metallurgy (manufacturer of Magnacut as well as many other super steels used in knife making) went bankrupt and was acquired by Erasteel of Sweden. Because Erasteel implements newer generation powder metallurgy technology, their Magnacut outperforms the Magnacut that was made by CPM. With more steels designed specifically for knives coming down the pipeline from Dr. Larrin Thomas, the performance will be pushed even further. MagnaMax is the next big one to be excited about in my opinion.

 

[S-3 ranch]

There's no argument about it...geometry wins the day. The nuance comes down to a powder metallurgy super steel with okay geometry versus a more traditional material with great geometry. The cream of the crop are high performance steels with outstanding cutting geometry.

When it comes to steel alone, the metrics to be concerned about are toughness, wear resistance (edge retention), and corrosion resistance. Historically you were picking two of the three at the expense of the other. As metallurgy advances and new compositions are explored, the performance of all three aspects can improve and become more equal with less sacrifice to any given metric.

As a side note for the steel nerds, some may know the Crucible Particle Metallurgy (manufacturer of Magnacut as well as many other super steels used in knife making) went bankrupt and was acquired by Erasteel of Sweden. Because Erasteel implements newer generation powder metallurgy technology, their Magnacut outperforms the Magnacut that was made by CPM. With more steels designed specifically for knives coming down the pipeline from Dr. Larrin Thomas, the performance will be pushed even further. MagnaMax is the next big one to be excited about in my opinion.

Yes ! But your going to pay a premium price for those two for sure

 

[ElPollo]

There's no argument about it...geometry wins the day. The nuance comes down to a powder metallurgy super steel with okay geometry versus a more traditional material with great geometry. The cream of the crop are high performance steels with outstanding cutting geometry.

When it comes to steel alone, the metrics to be concerned about are toughness, wear resistance (edge retention), and corrosion resistance. Historically you were picking two of the three at the expense of the other. As metallurgy advances and new compositions are explored, the performance of all three aspects can improve and become more equal with less sacrifice to any given metric.

As a side note for the steel nerds, some may know the Crucible Particle Metallurgy (manufacturer of Magnacut as well as many other super steels used in knife making) went bankrupt and was acquired by Erasteel of Sweden. Because Erasteel implements newer generation powder metallurgy technology, their Magnacut outperforms the Magnacut that was made by CPM. With more steels designed specifically for knives coming down the pipeline from Dr. Larrin Thomas, the performance will be pushed even further. MagnaMax is the next big one to be excited about in my opinion.

Don’t disagree with any of that. But the average hunter or knife user is not likely to be able to tell the difference between a lot of modern high end steels. For 99% of people, you're basically good with anything as good or better than D-2 with a good heat treat and temper. And most don’t have the ability or equipment to even sharpen a lot of “super steels”. I do love those steels that I only have to sharpen a couple times a year though.

 

[intunegp]

Don’t disagree with any of that. But the average hunter or knife user is not likely to be able to tell the difference between a lot of modern high end steels. For 99% of people, you're basically good with anything as good or better than D-2 with a good heat treat and temper. And most don’t have the ability or equipment to even sharpen a lot of “super steels”. I do love those steels that I only have to sharpen a couple times a year though.

The average knife user is not likely to be able to tell the difference between an Ozark Trail from Walmart and a decent knife. I tend to give hunters, and especially those into it enough to join Rokslide, a little extra grace as far as that expectation.

Personally in 2026 I can't understand why a guy buy any sharpening stone/device that isn't utilizing diamonds or CBN abrasives, but sharpening is a whole separate rabbit hole that seems to go beyond knives for most. Shocking how many guys will drop $500+ on a knife and ask who they can send it to when it needs a touch up. To me they go hand in hand.

 

[svivian]

The average knife user is not likely to be able to tell the difference between an Ozark Trail from Walmart and a decent knife. I tend to give hunters, and especially those into it enough to join Rokslide, a little extra grace as far as that expectation.

Personally in 2026 I can't understand why a guy buy any sharpening stone/device that isn't utilizing diamonds or CBN abrasives, but sharpening is a whole separate rabbit hole that seems to go beyond knives for most. Shocking how many guys will drop $500+ on a knife and ask who they can send it to when it needs a touch up. To me they go hand in hand.

Even worst is the guys who buy a $300-$500 knife to then use a carbide pull through sharpener