Titanium For Knife Blades

Is titanium right for you?

That depends on what you plan to use it for. I'm not big on one sided marketing to sell products, I prefer to point out both the good and bad and let customers decide if its right for them.

The two sides of the argument are either "titanium is an exotic alloy that won't break, and will never rust...its a great blade material!" and on the other side of the spectrum "titanium sucks for blades because its too soft, and won't hold an edge!"

The truth is somewhere between the two...titanium has both pros and con, and can either be a great blade, or a horrible one depends on its use. 

Titanium pro's: Does not corrode, very light weight, very tough, can be colored

Titanium con's: It's soft so the edge dents easier, doesn't hold an edge as long as good steel

The edge retention can be offset by carbidizing the blade. This is a process where a very thin carbide layer is welded to one side of the blade. Since carbide has a very high hardness, it helps offset the low hardness of the titanium. It also creates a jagged edge that works like serrations and excels at slicing. You can read more about it here: https://www.ecosknives.com/pages/info-carbidizing . With carbidizing the blade will cut *much* longer than without it.

Unfortunately the titanium itself is still soft, so edge denting when cutting hard materials is still an issue.  Also; yes it can be broken, its not adamantium, but it is tougher than most steels.

I feel titanium is best suited for slicing activities on softer materials. Cutting rope, boxes, meat, etc....it does good with that.  I'd go with steel for cutting harder materials like hardwoods, bone, etc. 

For years I've used a titanium knife in my daily edc rotation, and also a backup knife when hiking, and like them quite a bit, however I would definitely not use a titanium blade for a large chopper. It's all about picking the right tool for the job.