H1 Stainless Steel for Knife Blades
Myodo Foundry H-1 Stainless Steel
Manufacturer: Myodo Foundry
H-1 is a precipitation hardened steel, using Nitrogren to harden the steel instead of Carbon. This allows the steel to reach a hardness of RC 57-58, which is quite remarkable given the steel has very little carbon in it. Spyderco's H1 reported hits hardnesses of RC 65 on the edge according to Cliff Stamp.
With the introduction of H-1 knives, Cobalt Chromium alloy knives have mostly disappeared from the market. H-1 offers all the corrosion resistance of Cobalt Alloys without the added expense of material and production. H-1 is quite a revolutionary steel.
H-1 was introduced into the market by Benchmade in 2003, and quickly followed by Spyderco. Spyderco uses H1 extensively in it's SALT line of knives, which are designed for use in salt water. Though the steel is an excellent performer for such a corrosion resistant knife, it still does not compare with S30V or VG-10 when it comes to wear resistance but will perform just as well as lower end stainless steels such as 440A.
Composition
| C | Co | Cr | Mn | Mo | Ni | P | Si | S | W | N |
| 0.15 | - | 14-16 | 2 | 0.5-1.5 | 6-8 | 0.04 | 3-4.5 | 0.03 | - | 0.1 |