Pearl Oriole Handmade VG10 Stainless Steel Folding Knife Rosewood Handle with Pearl Shell & Brass Bolster | Premium Folding Knife with Leather Sheath | BMK-715

Description

A three inch VG10 folder with a brass bolster and pearl shell set in rosewood. Stainless steel, a satin finish, and no pattern on the blade to distract from the handle.

Best suited to: anyone who liked the look of our Damascus folders but wants a blade they can close wet and forget about. Stainless is the low-maintenance option, and this is the dressed-up version of it.

VG10 is a stainless steel, and that is the point

VG10 carries around 15 percent chromium, which is what makes it stainless, plus vanadium for fine grain and cobalt for toughness. It takes a keen edge, holds it well for a folder this size, and does not spot when it gets damp. The trade is that it sharpens slower than carbon steel and it will not show a Damascus pattern. For how it measures up against everything else we sell, see the knife steel comparison.

Brass, not copper

The bolster on this one is brass, which reads yellow rather than pink and darkens more slowly than copper does. It is also harder, so it takes the knocks a bolster is there to take. Between the brass and the pearl shell bands, the handle is the piece that dates the design; the blade shape is entirely modern.

Getting the edge back

A folder ground at a shallow angle cuts better and needs attention sooner. Set your stone or guided system between 17 and 20 degrees per side and stay there; changing angle every time you sharpen is what eventually turns a thin blade into a thick one. Pocket knife bevels explained walks through the geometry. If one blade is not enough, the five blade pocket knife goes the other direction entirely.

Cobalt, and why VG10 costs more

The cobalt in VG10 is what lets the steel be hardened without the grain growing coarse, which is the usual penalty for pushing hardness up. Fine grain is what allows a keen, stable edge on a blade only three inches long. It is also why VG10 sits above the budget stainless steels on price: the alloy is expensive and it is harder on grinding belts.

Care: stainless does not mean maintenance free. Rinse the pivot if it has been near salt water, blow it dry, and put one drop of oil in the joint. The rosewood scales want a wipe of oil twice a year to stop them drying out and shrinking away from the shell.

FAQs

Is VG10 better than Damascus? Different. VG10 resists rust; Damascus takes a finer edge and looks like nothing else. Neither is a mistake.

Does the blade lock open? Yes, it is a locking folder. Release the lock before you close it rather than forcing the blade.

Why is the blade plain? Stainless does not etch into a pattern the way pattern-welded carbon does, so the finish is left satin.

Model: BMK-807A