DAMASCUS KNIVES

[ldnolan]

I have been dabbling in knives for a few years but am curious about Damascus knives. I see a lot of them and see them priced all over the place. Most don't hade any maker information that I can see. How do you figure out which are the good ones and which are the not so good ones? I mostly deal n made in U.S.A. vintage knives but they are getting harder to find good ones at a decent price. I am looking to broaden my interest but don't know where to start with the Damascus knives.

[Case XX 6383]

I bought a John lloyd damasus. I really like it.

[ldnolan]

Great looking knife.

[Reverand]

Many of the no-name Damascus knives that you see online are cheap imports. Oftentimes it is not even Damascus steel, but regular carbon steel that is etched to have a false pattern. Some is folded steel, but is too soft to hold an edge. Do not waste your money.
I bought a Bear and Son Damascus trapper last year for my Dad, and was very pleased with it. It has a good pattern, holds a great edge, and is all made in the U.S.
There are many other good brands, but that was my first Damascus knife, and I was very pleased with it.

[JonTerry]

Same as above, I only have two Damacus knives, one which my Dad bought for me, with "Mamouth handles?" which I think are camel bone tbh. So I have little faith that it is real Damascus also.

The other is a Buck 110 Stag and Damascus which I presume is real Damascus but have researched and found very little on the subject, only that another company had made the Blanks for them .

It's a bit of mine field in my opinion, I'd go for a trusted brand or bespoke maker that you trust.

What really is Damascus these days ??? I have read lots about it and in my summing up is it has to be folded not etched. Is it better that other steels ?? no I think not, it just looks pretty.

Cheers

JT

[Sharpnshinyknives]

There are blades out there that are Damascus on the outside and on the inside it’s not. These are called San Mai blades. Nothing wrong with them but many people will call these Damascus when in fact they are San Mai. Mcusta uses San Mai a lot. There are old Kershaw Double Cross knives that use it and I have one of those. Most of the San Mai from Japan has a VG-10 stainless core and they are great knives.
I have had Bear Damascus knives and they are good knives as well.
Case has used Devin Thomas Damascus and they are great knives as well.
There are a lot of fake Damascus and cheap Damascus from Pakistan that you should avoid. When you see a low priced Damascus blade you can just about bet it’s from Pakistan or China. Avoid those at all costs.
Jon gave you good advice, stick with a name brand that your trust.
I’m very partial to Japanese made knives and love their Damascus and San Mai blades. They aren’t cheap but they are amongst the best.
My favorite Damascus is Mokume which has different metals in the layers. Mokume knives are always expensive. I haven’t seen many go for under 600 dollars. They are beautiful blades and something to strive for in your collection.
Remember there are carbon steel Damascus blades and there are stainless steel Damascus blades. You have your choice of which you prefer. The stainless will cost you more than the carbon steel, but it won’t rust. I prefer stainless over carbon personally.

[Rookie]

Just posting a few of my Damascus knives from Tuna Valley (using Damascus steel from Devin Thomas). I've never saw a US made Damascus blade knife that didn't have the makers stamp on it. I would say if you are seeing Damascus knives with no marks, they are almost certainly imported.

[ldnolan]

Thanks for all the great information and advice. It sounds like if I use the same criteria with Damascus as with other knives I should be okay.

[OLDE CUTLER]

At a recent gunshow there was a guy with a table of Damascas blade knives. No markings on any one of them. They all looked like Stan Packys work to me.

[ldnolan]

I am thinking it may be best to stay out of the market unless it is clearly marked with solid information. One thing I learned in the Navy was "If you don't know what it does, don't mess with it". I try to use the same thinking with most things.

[GSPTOPDOG]

Just posting a few of my Damascus knives from Tuna Valley (using Damascus steel from Devin Thomas). I've never saw a US made Damascus blade knife that didn't have the makers stamp on it. I would say if you are seeing Damascus knives with no marks, they are almost certainly imported.

I go to guns shows and flea markets all the time and all the time guys (just this past weekend as a matter of fact ) have no maker mark Damascus knives that they swear were made "just down the road by 'Ol Smitty", but 'Ol Smitty, never puts his mark on anything etc... etc...blah blah blah... My rule is Damascus knives with no marks, they are almost certainly imported and by a guy named Pac E. Stan.

[GSPTOPDOG]

Hear is an example of a no maker mark Damascus knife from my stash.

[Erict64]

Most production Damascus blades of quality use a Damascus supplier like Chad Nichols or others.
One thing about production Damascus knives is if they don’t sell out the value drops. I bought a LionSteel Myto in Chad Nichols Damascus for $259. When they first hit the market they were over $500.

[GSPTOPDOG]

Most production Damascus blades of quality use a Damascus supplier like Chad Nichols or others.
One thing about production Damascus knives is if they don’t sell out the value drops. I bought a LionSteel Myto in Chad Nichols Damascus for $259. When they first hit the market they were over $500.

wow! That is nice! I am a big fan of LionSteel and $259 seems like a great price for such an awesome looking knife. I have a LionSteel in my EDC rotation and it one of my favorite knives for EDC. I wouldn't mind adding a LionSteel Myto in Chad Nichols Damascus to my stash.

[GSPTOPDOG]

Just posting a few of my Damascus knives from Tuna Valley (using Damascus steel from Devin Thomas).

Also... those are beautiful knives Rookie

[Dan In MI]

I agree wholeheartedly. There are some great-looking knives in this thread!

That said, I never expected to get real Damascus for $15. However, Alabama Damascus blade blanks have caught my eye. Does anyone have any experience with those?

[JonTerry]

This is the only one I own that I trust Damascus of some kind.............

Buck 110 in it

[dlr110]

I have several Damascus blade knives in my collection. I am curious though how do they compare as an EDC or a working knife? The reason I ask is I just carry and collect knives I don't use them as a tool like many of you might.

[Erict64]

I have several Damascus blade knives in my collection. I am curious though how do they compare as an EDC or a working knife? The reason I ask is I just carry and collect knives I don't use them as a tool like many of you might.

IMHO, a quality Damascus blade shouldn’t be a working knife as the price is high and marking up the blade kills the value. The worst any of my quality knives will see is stripping a wire as a last resort. I save my Damascus purchases for pocket or desk queens.
Then again, I know a guy who uses a Rockstead as an EDC general purpose knife, but he has more $ than I do.