Pattern Welded Steel... How Much is Just BS?

[RayClem]

Some pattern welded blades are made to have a mono steel edge. Just sayin'.

I have one of Vic's (Bluesman) San Mai pattern blades. It is a three layer pattern, so the edge is a single steel that takes a great edge. The layered pattern gives the blade an attractive look, but it shaves quite well.

I had a friend who purchased a blade that had a "Damascas" type pattern. I do not know what steels were combined, but he never could get a shaving edge from the blade, so he had to return it to the craftsman for a refund. Not all steels blend successfully.

 

[Clay S]

Hair dryers and BBQs? I guess that's easier than 55-gallon drums and either canister vac exhausts or leaf blowers.

 

[Gamma]

I don't recall anyone telling me their Damascus blades took better edges, or that those edges lasted longer. And I don't recall anyone with a known artisan's PWS blade having edge issues. So I can't relate to the inferred b/s aspect of the poll.
Some PWS blades have a cool look, but usually not my style. I would like a Zowada Timagahane though, but it's outta reach.
On another note, I'd believe that tool steel in the wrong hands can make a bad razor, and PWS in the right hands can make a good razor.
As for cost - I don't konw why people go there. Everyone's wallet is different and some have deeper or shallower pockets than others. No one is better or worse for spending less or more on anything. I dislike the superiorty complex some people get into from taking one position or the other.
Buy what you want, be happy.
Stop being concerned with what other people buy, and be even happier.

 

[Dzaw]

There is one additional benefit to a well made pattern welded steel blade. It is, in some circles, a badge of mastery on the part of the blade smith.

Take, for example, Tim Zowada’s razors. This man is a living god of bladecraft. He makes all his own Damascus, and it is a part of his being at the pinnacle of the craft.

With a well executed Damascus blade, there is an increase in confidence that the smith who made it had better control over his heat treating.

Blades are made in the heat treat. Temperature and soak ore hardening, quenching medium and speed, tempering temperature and cycles, the heat treat is really where a blade is made.

1084 could be made into a really excellent razor with a good HT. Super exotic powder stainless mega steel could be junk if not give a proper HT.

Smiths who have a really really solid handle on their HT tend to also be the same Smiths who are able to consistently execute a well welded Damascus billet with the confidence that there won’t be scale inclusions or cold shuts that would be big visible flaws in a finished blade.

So, no, given equally optimal heat treatments, the pattern welded blade won’t be any better, but if a blade maker uses their own Damascus for their blades, it can be a sign that they have a better handle on that all important step.