November 10, 2023
"Solid" and "Clad"_Nenohi Record Vol_1
Knives can be categorized into two main "structures": "Solid" and "Clad".
Thinking of them as different "construction methods" might make it easier for users to understand.
These two methods have distinct differences and come with their own pros and cons.
【Solid】
"Solid" steel is only made of hard steel that actually becomes the actual blade(mono-structure)
Thinking of them as different "construction methods" might make it easier for users to understand.
These two methods have distinct differences and come with their own pros and cons.
【Solid】
"Solid" steel is only made of hard steel that actually becomes the actual blade(mono-structure)
<Pros>
-"Solid" has a higher level of performance compared to "Clad" if the same cutting steel is used for both
- The knife is less prone to deforming(distorting)
- Its resistance to bending enables a precise sharpening process, resulting in an effortlessly good sharpness.
- Due to the nature of the material, it can be sharpened to a very sharp edge regardless of how you sharpen it.
<Cons>
- Using of high-performance solid steel into a knife greatly increases the level of difficulty in production.
- Due to the nature of the material, it is really difficult to make a visual characteristic resembling the Damascus pattern.
【Clad】
Made from a combination of "soft steel" and "cutting steel." (semi-structure)
Common Damascus knives are also classified as Clad.
<Pros>
- Cost performance is generally excellent for a Clad steel
- Easy to make beautiful pattern on the knives, such as Damascus patterns.
- "Clad" is the best choice for single-edged Deba, for example, in terms of performance. (Thickness makes it hard to bend, easy to repair a chipped blade, etc.)
<Cons>
- Performance is lower than solid (Nenohi's comparison).
- The knives are prone to bending easily.
- A little bit of care is required to sharpen only the blade steel to restore the sharpness.
- Cost performance is generally excellent for a Clad steel
- Easy to make beautiful pattern on the knives, such as Damascus patterns.
- "Clad" is the best choice for single-edged Deba, for example, in terms of performance. (Thickness makes it hard to bend, easy to repair a chipped blade, etc.)
<Cons>
- Performance is lower than solid (Nenohi's comparison).
- The knives are prone to bending easily.
- A little bit of care is required to sharpen only the blade steel to restore the sharpness.
【Reference】
<Comparison Video>