The most important feature to be considered while buying a knife is its metal (steel) blade, Steel is just iron with carbon added to it. Knives with stainless steel are considered as the best knives. Other alloys are added to iron in order to get better performance. Some of these alloys and their performance characteristics are as follows:
- Carbon – Increases strength of steel. It is the most important hardening element in steel.
- Chromium – Improves resistance to corrosion. A steel with at least 13% Chromium is considered, “Stainless Steel”.
- Manganese - Contributes to the hardening ability of steel. Also helps in increasing strength and wear resistance.
- Molybdenum – Prevents brittleness and maintains the steel strength at high temperatures.
- Nickel – Provides added strength, corrosion resistance and toughness.
- Silicon – Like Manganese, contributes to steel strength.
- Tungsten – Increases wear resistance.
- Vanadium – Contributes to wear resistance.
If you know about the performance characteristics of each alloy you can make choice in purchasing knivesv easily. Simply ask the salesperson about the composition of the blade and you can decide for yourself whether it will be suitable for your need or not.
| January 27th, 2012 | Posted in Cooking |