Dura Coat...Making a Great Knife
Even Better!
by:
Major Ian Humphrey
I was recently able to test and
evaluate two
Relentless knives featuring the Dura Coat
finish. The first knife was my original M1i
Interceptor model that is now coated, and the second knife
is a working prototype of a possible
water/backpacker model. The Interceptor is made
from 5160
steel, while the prototype is L6. Both types of
steel are known for their durability and resistance
to shock and lateral force, great for a good
field knife, but they are also known to stain and
rust easily if not properly cared for. Now, with
the application of Dura Coat, you can have the
best of both worlds: high performance non-stainless
steels, with little to no maintenance to keep
them looking new. I of course needed to see just
how durable the Dura Coat was, so I took both
knives into the woods for a little testing.
The advantage of using the
Interceptor was
that I already knew how the knife performed. Dan
completely covered the blade, even the edge, with
Dura Coat. Despite the application, the knife
was still able to perform all the tests I
performed in the past. While the knife did not cut
free
hanging paper like a razor (I have a feeling the
Dura Coat created a “wire edge” along the blade),
it did cut the paper and had no issues with
chopping green or dried wood. Throughout all my
tests cutting rope, cord, paper, cardboard, green and
dry woods, and snap cuts and baton chopping, the
Dura Coat did not flake or come off in any way.
I was really surprised that the edge did not
peel away due to the force of chopping, etc. I
even drove the knife point first into a large log by
pounding on the butt of the knife. There were a
few “smudge” marks along the blade, but none of
the actual steel was exposed. The best part
about the Dura Coat was that the only “maintenance” I
did to the knife was wiping it dry with a towel
after pouring water on it. No stains and no rust
on the blade...perfect!
The prototype knife was put
through the same
cutting and chopping tests as the Interceptor
with similar results. The Dura Coat finish held up
to repeated stabbing, cutting, and chopping. I
even secured the knife to a branch for a
makeshift spear. Even after repeated throws into a
dead
tree, the finish showed no damage. I did perform
one additional test with this knife: I found an
old oil drum in the woods and used a rock to
pound the knife through the side. Once the knife was
inside the drum,
I twisted it
back and forth and
proceeded to cut the steel. When I pulled out
the knife, there were sections of the Dura Coat
that were pulled/rubbed off the blade. I will say
that this was an “EXTREME” test for the coating
and one that I did not think it would survive
intact.
The final test of the Dura
Coat finish was a
water submersion. I placed both knives into a
glass of water overnight. The next day I removed
the knives and examined the blades. The
completely covered Interceptor looked good as new.
No
rust, discoloring, etc. The prototype had some
surface rust along the edge of the blade (Dan did
not coat the edge like the Interceptor) which
easily wiped off. There was no rust along the areas
that were left exposed by the missing Dura Coat,
which makes me wonder if the application process
still left some protection on the steel.
All in all, I was very
impressed with the
Dura Coat finish. While the coating is not immune
to extreme abuse, it is made to add a measure of
protection to the blade while also allowing you
to customize the knife with different colors and
patterns. It is not cheap , but
if you go for this option you will find yourself
with a great combination of a high performance tool
with a considerable extra protection against the elements.
Dura Coated Knife
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M1 Interceptor with black Dura
coat
After lot's of wood cutting the
finish holds
Chopping....the Dura Coat still
holds.
Back Packer prototype with Tiger
Stripe Dura Coat Camo
DURA Coat failure resulting from Extreme steel on steel
abrasion
About Knife Coatings
by: Daniel.M. Certo
Coatings
on High Carbon steel knives, are very popular, yet I have resisted
them because rust can creep under the coating from the
exposed edge,
and result in
the
coating formed shell containing what looks like a steel knife, but is
actually a rust basin. resulting in failure ....and probably at a time
that you will be in need.
Dura coat is
a firearms finish, and slightly different from other coatings, it is
flexible.
This
flexibility is what attracted me to the finish, as should you have a
rust problem, you will notice a change in the surface of your knife and
not be unpleasantly surprised.
Of
course, if you properly care for your equipment, by keeping both high
carbon and stainless steel coated with a rust inhibitor like
P.B.
Blaster,
your
knife will never be faced with that problem. And from Ians initial
tests, it seems that Dura coat will make that job way easier.
Another
problem, is that unlike guns, knives are by nature subjected to
constant abrasion. so, there is only one answer to that , is the
coating tough enough to withstand this ....and if so, for
long enough
to make it worthwhile.
So far Ian's tests show great results., and I am Dura Coating knives on
a limited basis.
We are however still in test mode. If you own Dura coated knives let us
know your experiances.
Watch the Enews for futher testing on Dura Coat
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