# Opinions on stainless clad vs iron clad knives?



## lagrangeL2 (Sep 1, 2017)

Hi Folks,

I don't have a preference for stainless clad over iron clad Gyutos or vise versa, but I know that some do. I was wondering why?


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## mikaelsan (Sep 1, 2017)

just visual stuff as far as i am concerned?

my limited experience is that iron clad = easy to get a nice polish/finish on, stainless clad = easy to maintain/maintenance free (untill you start scratching the finish on your knife), so i guess it depends on how you like to use your knife, how often you sharpen and even how you sharpen. 

I cant decide what i like better myself, today i think i am leaning towards iron clad. 
I do kind of regret that the two only Damascus knives i have are stainless clad because with an iron clad you can bring back out the damascus in a nice way with the right stones, with stainless its trickier


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## Barmoley (Sep 1, 2017)

Stainless clad gives you easier maintenance. If you don't like patina it is much easier to keep these looking nice and food discoloration, taste alteration is often times caused more by the cladding than the core. Iron cladding I would imagine is easier to thin, even though both are soft.


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## StonedEdge (Sep 1, 2017)

Some stainless cladding can lead to the knife being time consuming to thin when time comes. Iron cladding is reactive, requires different care...although if the core steel is not stainless it becomes a moot point


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## valgard (Sep 1, 2017)

StonedEdge said:


> Some stainless cladding can lead to the knife being time consuming to thin when time comes. Iron cladding is reactive, requires different care...although if the core steel if not stainless it becomes a moot point



not quite a moot point. Cladding is usually more reactive than core, and has larger surface so more chances for oxidation.


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## StonedEdge (Sep 1, 2017)

Very true, but I figure if you have to wipe and dry the knife immediately after use because the core is carbon steel, you might as well count the entire knife as being carbon from a practical standpoint as I'm sure nobody would simply wipe and dry the very edge of the knife even with stainless cladding...if this makes any sense


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## Pensacola Tiger (Sep 1, 2017)

When it comes to iron cladding, reactivity can be a dealbreaker. Some, like Will Catcheside's clad blades, are hardly reactive. Others, like Shigefusas and Katos, are reactive even after a patina has formed.


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## Ruso (Sep 1, 2017)

No real preference here. As long as I like how the knife handles and cuts the clad type does not play a role much.
If I would live in more tropica/wet climate, stainless clad could be more of a preference.


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## Dave Martell (Sep 1, 2017)

I like the taste of rusty blood in fresh fruit so iron clad is best.


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## K813zra (Sep 1, 2017)

Hum, I guess I don't have a preference. I actually prefer mono carbon, though. I like patina so given the option I would go with iron cladding. However, if I knife I like only comes in stainless cladding then I would still get it.


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## foody518 (Sep 2, 2017)

Trending monosteel carbon and stainless clad - the reactivity issue. The iron claddings on knives I've had thus far are much more rust prone than even low alloy carbon core steels like white #2


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## K813zra (Sep 2, 2017)

foody518 said:


> Trending monosteel carbon and stainless clad - the reactivity issue. The iron claddings on knives I've had thus far are much more rust prone than even low alloy carbon core steels like white #2



Maybe I am just lucky with what I buy but I don't find iron cladding to be all that rust prone. Reactive, sure but not rust prone. No orange or brown if it is wiped clean between product changes. Then after the patina stabilizes, nothing, well maybe some color change from blue to yellow and back again depending on what I cut. 

Speaking of reactivity, SK-4/5 is wildly reactive but I have not found it to be rust prone either. The reactivity is different too. While I get some blues it likes to turn grey right quick. Some staining on red onions for the first few but nothing else. 

White and blue don't seem all that reactive. Some american carbon like 1075 might actually be as bad as iron cladding, in my experience. Stinky!!


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## aaamax (Sep 2, 2017)

Not a metallurgist, but I remember something about not wanting to use stainless and carbon steel together, especially when welding. Then galvanic corrosion or sensitization can be an issue. I suppose as long as everything is kept dry the reaction won't be significant.


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## labor of love (Sep 2, 2017)

My fave knives so far have all been San mai, and about 80% those were San mai carbon. It's a bummer as I struggle with the reactivity working in hectic kitchens. It seems sometimes like the best I can do is track down nice KU San mai. Anybody know where I can get a KU shig 240 gyuto? &#128526;


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## Dan P. (Sep 2, 2017)

aaamax said:


> Not a metallurgist, but I remember something about not wanting to use stainless and carbon steel together, especially when welding. Then galvanic corrosion or sensitization can be an issue. I suppose as long as everything is kept dry the reaction won't be significant.



This is it; Stainless with a carbon core and the core becomes more reactive. M/s, iron or wrought cladding with carbon core and the cladding becomes more reactive.
Galvanic corrosion.


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## panda (Sep 2, 2017)

labor of love said:


> My fave knives so far have all been San mai, and about 80% those were San mai carbon. It's a bummer as I struggle with the reactivity working in hectic kitchens. It seems sometimes like the best I can do is track down nice KU San mai. Anybody know where I can get a KU shig 240 gyuto? &#128526;



$1000 will get you the answer


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## Meesterleester (Sep 3, 2017)

Does a 240 Shig KU gyuto even exist?


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## Anton (Sep 3, 2017)

panda said:


> $1000 will get you the answer



I was waiting for when even questions for shigs will cost us, like a head hunter fee


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## Kippington (Sep 3, 2017)

Dave Martell said:


> I like the taste of rusty blood in fresh fruit so iron clad is best.



LOL :lol2:

I want my citrus segments to look like blood orange without settling on a premium, so iron clad is best.


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## Ltj1121 (Sep 3, 2017)

For high paced kitchens I generally reach for a stainless clad. Other than that it's iron clad all day


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