EPMAX mystery knife !

[old4570]

$8.02 Oz to my door ... = Cheap right ? ( $5.20 USD )
I mean what was I thinking ? ( Was I ? ) Hmmmmm .

Factory Edge was bad ! So I give it a quick guided re sharpen and hit the rope !
Big fail at 100 slices . Also such a small knife is Painful on the rope , Pain !

No I didn'y give up ! I gave the knife a 80 grit wet stone grinder - re sharpen !
ANd that factory edge was ( FUBAR ) .. Anyway , squeezed out some 300 slices !
Also that fresh re ground edge stropped back strong !

HRC was 55/50 , 55HRC bites & 50HRC skates . Why are so many knives 55/50 ?
Anyways , $5.20 USD to my door ( With GST ) .

 

[desert.snake]

HRC was 55/50 , 55HRC bites & 50HRC skates . Why are so many knives 55/50 ?
Anyways , $5.20 USD to my door ( With GST ) .

Relatively cheap steel, there is too little carbon to become harder, and heat treatment is also cheap, and the costs of machines and abrasives are also lower due to the softness of the steel. Most likely you have 420 steel or similar, very old, just last week I read about it here

Steel History - The First Stainless Steel was for Knives - Knife Steel Nerds

Update 7/23/2018: I added a small piece of new information on the development of 440C steel to the article. Thanks to Greg Hanson for becoming a Knife Steel Nerds Patreon supporter! The writing of this article was made much easier due to the existence of The History of Stainless Steel by Harold...

knifesteelnerds.com

And perhaps this is a tradition, stainless cutlery has been made from similar steel for more than 100 years, and the overwhelming majority of people are satisfied with this if the correct blade geometry is made

 

[old4570]

HRC .... Problem is ......... Even so called better steels , are done soft ( 55/50 ) !
I just received a ..................... RAVE Knife in 1095 ...... And .......... it's 55/50 or 55HRC file bites & 50HRC file skates !

First thing I did was check the HRC and then I had to clean up the poorly done factory edge . ( Rave Knives = ? )

But still , that $8.02 knife does not disappoint .

Mystery steel ? Is it CrMov ? Some sort of 420 , or maybe 440A ... I mean there is no claim what so ever !
So it could be some carbon steel .. I would bet on CrMov , maybe 3cr13mov or something .

It's when you spend $100 or more that disappointment becomes a more serious factor . $8 .......... ?
We are talking 2.7 cents a slice Australian or 1.75 cents American .

 

[Monocrom]

Knives are like lights, you usually do get what you pay for.
I'd rather have the real Spyderco than an $8.oo cheap knock-off.

 

[old4570]

Knives are like lights, you usually do get what you pay for.
I'd rather have the real Spyderco than an $8.oo cheap knock-off.

Yes ... I can understand that ....
But this purchase was made for Testing Purposes .
I already own hundreds of knives , I own almost every knife I want to own . ( Almost )
So now I buy what I want to Test ! Besides , Australia is prety much a No Carry Zone ( city limits - Car - train - plane etc )
So no matter how nice the knife is , it will never be EDC ! unless one chooses to be a criminal ! ( Australia )

Or you get the Socialist Dictators to make sensible laws ! ( hehehehehehehehe - that was funny ) . Sensible !!!!!!! Oh dear !
One may as well ask a Rabid Dog to sit ! Stay ! Roll over ! Good boy ! C19 showed everyone just how sensible some people are ! ( Not )

 

[Monocrom]

Ah yes, I understand.
I very recently purchased a $10.oo modern-day LED flashlight just to test it out for a review on my main YouTube channel. Now I get where you're coming from.

 

[letschat7]

They said I couldn't carry/own weapons and I wouldn't bother with carrying knives and had a Minimi and body armour.

I think some of these politicians may have seen a television show or a slasher flick and thinks knives are dangerous but you hear too much about people surviving knife attacks. Even when one of my friends attacked a federal employee with a 13 inch blade the guy survivied.

You are better off following the laws or getting something that gets the job done.

 

[old4570]

They said I couldn't carry/own weapons and I wouldn't bother with carrying knives and had a Minimi and body armour.

I think some of these politicians may have seen a television show or a slasher flick and thinks knives are dangerous but you hear too much about people surviving knife attacks. Even when one of my friends attacked a federal employee with a 13 inch blade the guy survivied.

You are better off following the laws or getting something that gets the job done.

I don't .................................
Nor do I condone breaking the law !

& When pocket knives were legal , I never carried for defencive purposes or otherwise !
They were tools & I took them to work to cut things ( rope / straps ) when needed !
When the Leatherman sprung to life , I emidiately got one and it became my EDC .
I think I used it 3 times , each time to fix my car !
But since it has a blade ? It is not legal to carry ! So for ? over a decade now is it , it has gathered dust !
They put in a ban to stop knife crime and knife crime is going up & up & up ! ( Stupid politicians )
Like making drugs illegal stopped illicit drugs ! ( Yeah , how is that going ? )

 

[Monocrom]

They said I couldn't carry/own weapons and I wouldn't bother with carrying knives and had a Minimi and body armour.

I think some of these politicians may have seen a television show or a slasher flick and thinks knives are dangerous but you hear too much about people surviving knife attacks. Even when one of my friends attacked a federal employee with a 13 inch blade the guy survivied.

You are better off following the laws or getting something that gets the job done.

Very last day of 2023, I used a canister of pepper-spray on the job against a ghetto thug who mistakenly thought he had a right to go anywhere he pleased. Even on private property. I politely and professionally asked him to leave, THAT set him off. After he started getting very aggressive and coming towards me, the pepper-spray came out. I told him to get the hell out, or he was going to get sprayed. Soon as he saw the nozzle, he started backing up; and I walked forward keeping pace until he was out of there. He still kept running his mouth. Trying to act tough. Clearly at one point, he must have had a run-in with someone who hosed him down. He knew better, now.

Another option, depending on what the laws are in your jurisdiction, might be Cap & Ball firearms. In Florida for example, those aren't technically classified as "firearms," and even convicted felons who have done their time can legally buy and carry them in public. Obviously you can forget about quick reloads under stress. Not happening. And each chamber would need a wax seal to prevent anything falling out while carrying. Such a revolver in single-action is far from ideal. But better than a spit-ball gun. Sizes don't have to be huge. Best part is, it doesn't have to be an antique gun to qualify for the exemption. In Florida, even a modern-day version is exempt. One successful businessman I interacted with last year online in several back and forth emails, carries a modern-day, reasonably sized .36 caliber C&B revolver concealed. In his heavily modified truck is a .60 caliber single-shot short rifle behind the driver's seat.

Those will be the two best options. C&B firearms or Pepper-spray.

Edit: Clarification.

 

[Monocrom]

I don't .................................
Nor do I condone breaking the law !

& When pocket knives were legal , I never carried for defencive purposes or otherwise !
They were tools & I took them to work to cut things ( rope / straps ) when needed !
When the Leatherman sprung to life , I emidiately got one and it became my EDC .
I think I used it 3 times , each time to fix my car !
But since it has a blade ? It is not legal to carry ! So for ? over a decade now is it , it has gathered dust !
They put in a ban to stop knife crime and knife crime is going up & up & up ! ( Stupid politicians )
Like making drugs illegal stopped illicit drugs ! ( Yeah , how is that going ? )

All I can say regarding a street-legal multi-tool where you live, there used to be three dedicated blade-less models out there several years back. Gerber had the best one with their MP600 Blade-less model. That's the one I keep in my work-bag, along with a full bit set. Instead of a blade, it comes with a Rem-grit saw. (More of an aggressive vertical file that can immediately be removed and replaced or discarded if needed.)

Another option is to get an inexpensive multi-tool and dremel the blade off. Carefully fold the stub down, and just leave it like that. Though if you're going to do that, would be best to use a multi-tool that has scissors or a great file feature.

 

[Fuzzywuzzies]

I have two scars on my hands that regularly remind me to buy the best quality tools I can reasonably afford - especially every-day use tools, like my knife and torch. (And to keep them sharp and charged at all times)

Also, do yourself a favour and go buy a GOAT modular multitool. They are the multitool to end all multitools! You can remove the knife blade in seconds with no tools, and they still have the best scissors out there for places where blades are illegal.

 

[old4570]

There was a moddular multi tool , but and it's a huge butt !
It was big and heavy + the cherry on top was expensive ! + The fact it had to be imported . ( Not available in Oz at the time )
The first Leatherman was reasonable ! Since then most have gotten out of hand . ( To me ) .
I would like to see people vote smarter and elect less stupid politicians ! ( hehehehehehe - Did I make another funny ? )

 

[letschat7]

I wish the Victorinox Swisstools weren't so much but I guess USD is weak versus CHF.

 

[Monocrom]

I wish the Victorinox Swisstools weren't so much but I guess USD is weak versus CHF.

I've got the one with the curved handles. Excellent M.T. but the handles are incredibly slippery, even when your hands are dry.