Black blades?

[ed dixon]

BT-2 (Teflon?) looks cool on some knives. Does it do anything else? Is it durable? Do you like it or deliberately stay away from it?

 

[Drjones]

Coatings generally help prevent rust, at least until they wear away, as all coatings will do with use.

Some hold up better than others.

Sorry I can't be more specific, as it really depends on the type of coating and the type of use it is subjected to.

If you got, say, a black Strider, that black would not wear off as it is a residue left over from the heat treating process and is not simply some coating that can rub off. It's more part of the blade.

 

[Snowdog]

Never another teflon coated blade for me. The teflon on my Benchmade Stryker is wearing off in certain places. Now, it has seen tons of use over the 4 years I've owned it.

What irks me is that the rest of the knife looks like new... the G10 scales, titanium liners, everything but the blade.
Functional as ever, the ATS34 blade has held up respectively, but not the finish.

I've always loved matte (or otherwise subdued) finishes, so maybe something with a nice bead-blasted stainless blade will be my next purchase.

BTW, Benchmade Strykers are excellent knives.

 

[Don Gwinn]

The black from heat treating will wear off eventually if you use the knife, but it's a lot more durable than applied coatings which have to adhere to the metal surface. On the other hand, it doesn't really add lubricity or corrosion resistance; it just looks dark.