ApexUltra - I wish I knew this before I bought one!

The golden standard for all knife steels - the ApexUltra!
ApexUltra: www.apexultrasteel.com/
BUY Apex Ultra steel: www.knifematerial.at/en/colle...
Tobias Hangler website: en.messerschmiede-hangler.at
Instagram: messerschmi...
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#knifegrinding #apexultra #kitchenknifesteel #knifesteelnerds #knifesteel #bestchefknife #chefknife #chefknifesteel

[@RedBeardOps]

Yep, I'm going to have to try this stuff!

[@UKBladeshow]

Would love to see you make a review on it too bud - let us know what you think! Thanks for watching!

[@RedBeardOps]

@@UKBladeshow Man keep up the content! I made a work rest jig like the one used by Tobias in the last video... looing to try it out today

[@UKBladeshow]

Coolio! Let us know how you get on bud! If you ever post it, please feel free to tag Tobin Machines on the vid for anyone who may want to buy the jig. Thanks for the feedback again!

[@ChateauBeaufort]

CONGRATS TO YOU TOBIAS, & LARRY THOMAS: GREAT STEELS YOU CAME UP WITH… AMAZING.

[@UKBladeshow]

Thanks for the feedback! I’m sure Tobias and the ApexUltra team will also appreciate your comments! Cheers!

[@WessexBladesHandMadeKnives]

One of my "go to" steels is 52100 for specific composition, homogeny, toughness, ease of polished micro bevel for my wood carver, outdoors knives, using fluidised sand kiln and then partial bainite in sodium, to see a "tweaked " version for knife making rather than "this ball bearing" stuff works great is very interesting

[@UKBladeshow]

Thanks Scott! It looks very promising and the fact that it was designed by knife makers (as much as they are metallurgists) makes it even more exciting!

[@WessexBladesHandMadeKnives]

@@UKBladeshow I can imagine a 62 HRC bush crafter being a real animal!!

[@riverrazors7915]

I’ve gotten some very good results with it on razors, the only thing which makes it difficult to work with for razors is that if you are making a full hollow and you have to grind a few mm thickness after the heat treatment it takes very long and many belts will die during the process. Either than that i got excellent grain and flex on my razors, on a very thin cross section the razor rings like no other steel I’ve ever worked with almost like a church bell when you pass your nail across the edge. The shaves are excellent and sharpening time was not more than other steels I’ve worked with. I’ve got my first order for a custom in apexultra last week so i guess i’ll be able to spend some time working with it in the next few days.

[@UKBladeshow]

Yay! Thanks for sharing River Razors! Glad to hear you’re getting great results on the ApexUltra like everyone I have spoken to! Thanks again for the feedback! I’m sure Tobias will be delighted to hear this too!

[@GemAppleTom]

For me this is great. I don’t often get to hear what thoughts went into the design of a new steel by the metallurgists actually involved. Well done Vinz and Tobias 🎉

[@tobiashangler]

Thank you, i am glad you enjoyed it despite it's length!

[@GemAppleTom]

@@tobiashangler it’s the type of thing that’ll keep my interest - you and Vinz have put together a really well made and thought out series. Thanks. Out of interest (since you mentioned the hardness/toughness balance) has anyone looked at something like a TRIP steel for knife making? It’s got the toughness and some of the newer generation have decent strength to start off with and the surface gets very, very hard if it transforms. It’s used as rail steel occasionally but I’ve never heard of it as a knife material.

[@johannsenblades8344]

Keep the videos coming! Lotsa love from the southwest US!

[@UKBladeshow]

Thanks Johannsen Blades! Great to hear that you’re finding value in our content! Cheers! - Vinz

[@s3b_Leney]

Great video. I can't wait to get my hands on some of this stuff

[@UKBladeshow]

Hi seb! They are available through knifematerial.at or the links are in the description of the vid! Thanks for watching! - Vinz

[@thiago.assumpcao]

Great to see low alloy getting some love. For culinary knives high hardness, high toughness and low carbide is the way to go. Considering Larrin's last article on Nickel steels I wonder if there is room for improvement on steels capable of 65HRC with nickel addition

[@UKBladeshow]

Interesting question - maybe we can have that as another topic in the near future?

[@joecaca4136]

Great and informative video that any knife enthusiasts will enjoy, subscribed!

[@UKBladeshow]

Cheers Joe!

[@messerschmiedeguldimann874]

Great job guys!

[@UKBladeshow]

Hi Marco! Thanks for watching! 🤩🎉💪

[@krissteel4074]

I only heard about Apex Ultra late last year and it had basically sold out by christmas everywhere I looked, hopefully I'll have the cash on hand when it comes back in to the suppliers. Very keen to try it out though, my go-to for low alloy carbon steels has been 26C3 for some time now and its been pretty good for the most part when it came to getting a very fine edge.

[@UKBladeshow]

KnifeMaterial.at have them in stock now bud. I’d suggest to get them whilst stocks last!

[@krissteel4074]

@@UKBladeshow That will depend on how well last months sales went :) I've got a plate of Sheffcut and a large plate of A8-mod to chop up and grind through this month. So hopefully I'll find a provider willing to ship it down to the absolute bumhole of the world for a reasonable price.

[@bigernbladesmith]

Very cool! Would you say it has similar edge retention as 3v, but lower toughness?

[@vegoil]

This is amazing!

[@UKBladeshow]

Thanks!

[@Dyshof]

Excellent video, thanks.

[@UKBladeshow]

Thanks for watching Dyshof!

[@DarthKuz]

Somehow, he reminds me of will stelter. I think a colab with him would be a cool thing!

[@UKBladeshow]

You’re the second guy who said it now haha! Thanks for the comment!

[@nahte123]

Can Tobias give his specific heat treatment regimen? I've got two knives forged out ready to harden that I've been putting off. I read the Knife Steel Nerds article, and although it provides a lot of great info, it's a little too objective when I'm looking to be told what to do.

[@laforgeduronin1597]

Very hard to forge by hands but very good for cooking knife

[@luceatlux7087]

too bad corrosion resistance is so high priority in general. i know this attribute detracts from other positives. but corrosion resistance is really paramount. there is enough to do in life without having to clean and oil your knife before and after each use.

[@thomasmurray4717]

I know very little about knife steel, but I saw your video and I am interested in buying a blank for my grand son to make a hunting knife with. Any ideas or suggestions? Yours is a very good video. Thanks

[@greekveteran2715]

Best steel I've used, and the only steel that made a steel snob, was ballbearing steel. That's the answer I got, when I asked the maker. So, I guess, maybe 52100? It hold it's edge somewhere between Elmax and Vanadis 4 Extra, it has THE best edge edge stability and the best edge retention ease of sharpening ratio I've seen, because it sharpens relatively fast and easy, compared to any other steel, that can hold it's sharpness that long. The steel that doesn't dull or get's any damage on the edge, no matter what you do to it!! Best steel for fixed blade knives for outdoors use In my opinion.. As for Super steels, Vanadis 4 Extra is my easy choice.

[@UKBladeshow]

Hi Greek Veteran thanks for the comprehensive feedback!

[@mikafoxx2717]

There's a niche or alternative viewpoint from a bunch of knife people that high carbides aren't all what they're cracked up to be. They often argue in favor of steels with low carbides with plenty of toughness at their hardness so it can hold a shallower angle, which can make a massive difference in edge retention. if D2 can't hold an edge below 15 degrees, but an HRC 64 52100 or such can hold 11 degrees, it'll probably at least double the edge retention if not triple. It's better for knives you like to keep at a more than "working" edge, and will be much more performant at cutting. AEB-L and 14c28N also have good properties for this despite being stainless, since the carbide is low enough that it can diffuse in the steel during heating cycles to make them tiny.

[@greekveteran2715]

That's true! One more reason, I love ballbearing steel, is the fact that ut's both gard and tough without sacrifising anything other than stain resistance,however even with that, I njever had a blade rust on me and I use my knives! As for the Sandvik stainless they are tough indeed,just not as hardd! One use my outdoor knives see a lot, is gathering wild edible from the ground.There, stain resistance is welcome, hoewver hardness and toughness, is more important, because the knife digs into the ground, to remove some wild edibles,so it has to be both tough and hard,more than it has to be stainless! Glad that are still people, who really know steel,.I see a lot of misnformation around KZbin and that's a shame,because that comes mostly from KZbinrs, that claim to be experts or knowledgable, when they are neither in many cases..

[@fyreantz2555]

Do you sell posters with all of the blade grinds and angles? That would look uber kewl in my shop...

[@tobiashangler]

I do not yet but I will look into that 🙌

[@fyreantz2555]

@@tobiashangler SWEET!!!

[@chriscramer3706]

Apex Ultra is definitely great for forged blades, but IMHO magnacut stands above AU as the golden standard for knive making, especiallyfor kitchen knives. As it was already mentioned, corrosion resistance is critical for a high quality knife. Not only is magnacut very corrosion resistant, it also has an excellent balance of hardness and toughness. Laren's records of toughness at a high hardness of 65 RC is just as high as Apex Ultra, along with excellent corrosion resistance.

[@UKBladeshow]

Hi Chris thanks for your input! MagnaCut seems to be an extremely popular choice as well for a variety of makers!

[@jack75ish]

ApexUltra is FANTASTIC for straight razors ! At 66HrC I am still getting fantastic edge flex and a super fine edge !

[@UKBladeshow]

Hi Jack! Thanks for sharing! Would love to see what you make! If you’re on IG, please tag us so we can also reshare for you! @ukbladeshow - Vinz

[@jack75ish]

@@UKBladeshow, thank you , i did tag you in a couple of posts . @jack_connan

[@adamgal2265]

Yesterday I ordered te same steel , so this steel suitable to making scandi grind knives?

[@Slipsch]

Would apex ultra be a good metal to make a sword? Specifically a long sword? I'm not blacksmith, just wanted to order one.

[@Oleepete125]

can I get some in 1/16" thick stock? I have been making friction folders, do hamons show up on this steel?

[@joecaca4136]

I've been hearing about this stuff and would like to see how it compares to something like Rex121. High speed tool steels are very interesting but too expensive on the market. Maybe this is the ticket🤔

[@Dash199t]

Literally completely different steels. Cannot really be compared. But you can look at the graphs of knifesteelnerds

[@andyc750]

Sounds pretty awesome to me, how does it tolerate coal forges ?

[@UKBladeshow]

Hi Andy! Good question. I personally cannot think of an issue why it wouldn’t work on a coal forge but at the same time, Tobias did say that it does present some challenges on forging. I’ll see from Tobias if he has a response on this but he’s currently away on holiday I believe.

[@tobiashangler]

Hey so if youre careful with your heat it will work but the steel really does not like to be overhead (upper limit is 1120°C) so be careful!

[@bryantjeremy1]

When are they going to get a decent enough supply for us to use it?

[@UKBladeshow]

Hi Jeremy. The steel is currently had the second shipment available in the time of writing so should be OK for stock (check links in the video description). As Tobias mentioned, upscaling is not a straightforward task but they have the third batch already being made as we speak!

[@tobiashangler]

We do our best, the second batch is moving to retailers right now, the third one is being produced right now too and will become available around July

[@RobanyBigjobz]

I've been really enjoying the series with Tobias. ApexUltra sounds like an interesting option for a stock removal guy like me. How does it compare to working with the high alloy PM steels for stock removal? Is it firmly in belts-per-knife territory or closer to long established fine carbide steels like AEB-L?

[@tobiashangler]

It depends a bit on the hardness your going for but i would say it's nit too far from aeb-l grinding wise definitely a quite significant step up in wear resistance compared to 52100

[@RobanyBigjobz]

@@tobiashangler Thanks :)

[@jusme8060]

Make sure you have a power hammer. Very tough to move for me.

[@UKBladeshow]

Thanks for sharing!

[@RogerF]

What does this video have to do with hand grinding?

[@WessexBladesHandMadeKnives]

maybe uploaded with a default title...

[@RogerF]

@@WessexBladesHandMadeKnives Not really a fan of the bait and switch.

[@UKBladeshow]

Sorry Roger, it wasn’t a clickbait or anything, it was purely a technical error from my end (it recopied the title of the last video I uploaded). Sorry.

[@WessexBladesHandMadeKnives]

@@RogerF A default or forgot to amend the last title template is simply a mistake, not necessarily a move to deceive

[@RogerF]

@@UKBladeshow Ahh. Thanks for replying. I was deeply saddened when I realized I’d have to keep grinding by hand :(