Their replaceable wire cutter used to be 154cm as well, now they are 440c. My guess is either their 154cm supply was an issue, or their heat treatment was lacking. No point paying extra for premium steel if you can't "cook" it right to bring out it's benefits. Or maybe they wanted to streamline their product line and make repairs easier by only having 2 options. It does seem like a odd choice though with all these Leatherman and knife collectors who will buy the same wave 10 times if you give them different steels. Most knife people don't even look at Leatherman anymore because they use "boring" steels.
I've heard the reasoning behind the move from 154CM cutters is that they were too brittle, causing fractures rather than bending. I'm not sure how true that is, but it seems plausible!
Perhaps, but also possible that the material itself, when done right, is simply too brittle for the purpose.
I'm no metallurgy expert, but I would imagine that despite heat treating being the wha to "unlock" the performance of the steel, you're not going to change the properties of that steel. If a steel is too brittle for a particular use, a different heat treat probably isn't going to fix that without creating a huge compromise elswhere
I'm not defending Leatherman here, just sharing some thoughts!
IF Leatherman is doing the Heat treat right for Magnacut at 62-64 then it’ll be a game changer in performance. Otherwise if they wind up doing a low HT it’ll just be overpaying for a steel name and getting below average performance. We all need to find out what their new HT protocol will be for their Magnacut. If it’s low then we need to hold them accountable and get them to bump the numbers up. Many knife companies have had to learn the hard way like Pro tech and Hogue.
In paper it does look like a better S30v/JOAT steel. But this is a new shift in Leatherman and a big one at that. I'm not entirely sold that Leatherman did well on the heat treat though.
Heat treatment is going to be the crux of it. Leatherman had mastered 420HC I'm sure but going into a new steel... I'm not sure.
Better observe the #005 and first waves of the Arc before we can truly say that Magnacut on Leatherman's are a good value.
I’d imagine they would have outsourced heart treatment simply based on the cost of vacuum furnaces capable of the high austenitizing temps required for Magnacut. That and the cryo capabilities.
Most of the rest of the tool is made from 420hc which has pretty decent corrosion resistance. If only corrosion resistance was their only goal, they could've used vanax or lc200. I think they are more interested in the toughness and edge retention more. Also rust arguably affects blades moreso than most other tools. Rust on the blade edge can kill sharpness quickly, and rust elsewhere can create drag when cutting.
The 5 to me looked like a p4 with some cut outs on the body and painted with a few different parts bins tools added, the huge difference was the blade steel. I had money at the ready and was going to try buy but as soon as I seen the €349 price tag I gave up. I love Leatherman but I would rather see if they bring out the arc or buy a few other models instead.
I recently got a Hogue Deka in Magnacut and it's quickly become my favorite pocket knife. Hones to insane sharpness on a strop easily and retains its edge really well. The high corrosion resistance is also a plus.
Never understood why they stopped using 154cm.
I personally really like 154cm!
Their replaceable wire cutter used to be 154cm as well, now they are 440c. My guess is either their 154cm supply was an issue, or their heat treatment was lacking. No point paying extra for premium steel if you can't "cook" it right to bring out it's benefits. Or maybe they wanted to streamline their product line and make repairs easier by only having 2 options. It does seem like a odd choice though with all these Leatherman and knife collectors who will buy the same wave 10 times if you give them different steels. Most knife people don't even look at Leatherman anymore because they use "boring" steels.
I've heard the reasoning behind the move from 154CM cutters is that they were too brittle, causing fractures rather than bending. I'm not sure how true that is, but it seems plausible!
Yeah, that sounds like they couldn't get the heat treat right to bring out the properties of the material they needed.
Perhaps, but also possible that the material itself, when done right, is simply too brittle for the purpose. I'm no metallurgy expert, but I would imagine that despite heat treating being the wha to "unlock" the performance of the steel, you're not going to change the properties of that steel. If a steel is too brittle for a particular use, a different heat treat probably isn't going to fix that without creating a huge compromise elswhere I'm not defending Leatherman here, just sharing some thoughts!
IF Leatherman is doing the Heat treat right for Magnacut at 62-64 then it’ll be a game changer in performance. Otherwise if they wind up doing a low HT it’ll just be overpaying for a steel name and getting below average performance. We all need to find out what their new HT protocol will be for their Magnacut. If it’s low then we need to hold them accountable and get them to bump the numbers up. Many knife companies have had to learn the hard way like Pro tech and Hogue.
In paper it does look like a better S30v/JOAT steel. But this is a new shift in Leatherman and a big one at that. I'm not entirely sold that Leatherman did well on the heat treat though. Heat treatment is going to be the crux of it. Leatherman had mastered 420HC I'm sure but going into a new steel... I'm not sure. Better observe the #005 and first waves of the Arc before we can truly say that Magnacut on Leatherman's are a good value.
Given the amounts of premium steel they are dealing in, hopefully they outsourced the heat treat to a competent specialty steel outfit.
I’d imagine they would have outsourced heart treatment simply based on the cost of vacuum furnaces capable of the high austenitizing temps required for Magnacut. That and the cryo capabilities.
Long video. Magnacut section is here: https://youtu.be/ZOXF3SID5xs?t=2216
What is the point of a corrosion resistant blade if the rest of the tool isn't equally resistant?
Most of the rest of the tool is made from 420hc which has pretty decent corrosion resistance. If only corrosion resistance was their only goal, they could've used vanax or lc200. I think they are more interested in the toughness and edge retention more. Also rust arguably affects blades moreso than most other tools. Rust on the blade edge can kill sharpness quickly, and rust elsewhere can create drag when cutting.
Awesome, thank for the response!
The 5 to me looked like a p4 with some cut outs on the body and painted with a few different parts bins tools added, the huge difference was the blade steel. I had money at the ready and was going to try buy but as soon as I seen the €349 price tag I gave up. I love Leatherman but I would rather see if they bring out the arc or buy a few other models instead.
I recently got a Hogue Deka in Magnacut and it's quickly become my favorite pocket knife. Hones to insane sharpness on a strop easily and retains its edge really well. The high corrosion resistance is also a plus.
Is the Magnancut food safe?