Western Active Honey Badger
8Cr13MoV vs D2 Steel what’s the difference?
A lot has been written about 8Cr13MoV vs D2, here we try and demystify things a bit. Reading the information on our knives you will often see a reference to the type of steel that the blade is made of. There are many knife steels out there. Honey Badger Knives launched using only one knife steel called 8Cr13MoV.
The 8Cr13MoV vs D2 debate
8Cr13MoV is comparable to the Japanese AUS-8 but containing slightly higher carbon content. Working closely with our factory the heat treating of this steel has been perfected resulting in excellent performance for the price. This steel is quite corrosion resistant and sharpens easily. Our customers have told us that it holds an edge really well and it is easy to restore the edge when it finally dulls.
Some folks look down upon 8Cr13MoV due to it’s prevalence in affordable knives, but the fact of the matter is that for the price, it performs well and above what might be expected specially when correctly heat treated at the factory. The reason it is so prevalent is that it does a good job. Certainly you can find cheaper steels, but for performance per dollar 8Cr13MoV is one of the best options. As the name implies it has 0.80% Carbon, 0.40% Manganese, 13% Chromium, 0.20 Nickel, 0.10% Vanadium, 0.15% Molybdenum, and has a typical Rockwell of 58-59.
By using 8Cr13MoV we have managed to produce a range of feature rich knives at very affordable prices.
See all of our 8Cr13MoV knives here.
D2 steel is a tool steel often referred to as “semi-stainless” as it falls just short of the required amount of chromium (13%) to qualify as full stainless yet it still provides a good amount of resistance to corrosion. On the flip side D2 steel is much harder and as a result holds its edge a little better. That said, it’s not as tough as many other steels and is tougher to sharpen. The only reason we started producing select models using D2 steel is that many of our customers requested the same knives but using a higher end steel.
See all of our D2 knives here .
Which should you choose? It comes down to personal preference. We have very large numbers of very happy owners across both steel types. Our D2 models are quite a bit more expensive than their 8Cr13MoV counterparts. Only you can decide which offers better value.
How to Tune Your Honey Badger Knife
If you’re a first time buyer then you probably would not notice any difference in performance between the two. In this instance maybe a plan would be to get yourself one of the 8Cr13MoV models and then if you like the look and feel of the knife make your next purchase one in D2.
The D2 blades hardness is approximately HRC 59-60.
The 8Cr13MoV blades hardness is approximately HRC 56-58.
Only handled one and it was a great blade!
I had to leave a review. They are a knife company
Superb Craftsmanship and design, Excellent EDC Knife!
Honey badger has some great knives give them a follow on instagram too.
The large drop point is my jam!! How perfectly this knife is engineered and appointed is almost an enigma to me! How did they get it to be so good and so budget friendly?
Honey Badger Knives are top notch for quality.
I do not own a a Honey Badger knife at the moment but I’ve heard nothing but good about these guys! I’m a beginning knife enthusiast and I live for the more budget friendly and on the occasion one that is more expensive for my collection. I’m adding all knives from different brands and if I won a knife from Honey Badger then they will have a spot in my collection and hopefully grow with the other brands I have now. Here’s to winning giveaways 🤘
I live in south Africa and love the Honey Badger knifes, excellent product competitive with ANY top tier name brands, parts and warrantee available easily. I will NEVER buy another top tier knife from abroad!!
Great quality at a great price point, replacement parts and ways to customize your knife. What more could you ask for?
honey badger has really good high quality knifes. i was gifted one, and since then i have it in my pocket all the time. once i lost it, so i told my family that who ever finds it gets 20 ILS
I love honey badger knives design.
Very nice nkife
Best pocket knife I’ve owned. Have carried all the major brands for years. And great options in other brands, but what impressed with this brand is truly the quality of the blade, fit and finish. This is a gentleman’s/grown up’s knife though. Thin super sharp blade. If you use a knife as a screw driver and to jam into hard things, look elsewhere.
Just bought the honeybadger knife HB1017 flipper medium and I am well satisfied with it except for the lock bar. When you close the blade the release nub has a sharp edge that hits the end of your thumb. I filed the edge off without a problem but I feel this should be addressed by the designer.
Nice looking knife!
Great knives at a reasonable price
Honey Badger knives are obviously built from quality, reliably sound materials to withstand vast and rugged conditions while simultaneously flaunting a full array of blade/handle shapes and designs ranging from more tried and true classic looks to more unexpected, innovative and eye-catching, yet still finding itself repeatedly snug in that go-to, forget-anything-but-this-one, even-running-way-too-late, oh-no-H0£¥ §H%actually-all-those-knife spot
Excellent quality and value!
Great looking knife
Awesome knives
Une marque vraiment originale et de qualité 👍😉
Good knives that you can beat up and still have the cutting edge
I have had a Larger Honey Badger Drop Point Flipper pocket knife for several years as my everyday carry knife. It sharpens easily, holds an edge and has worked flawlessly. Until I accidentally left it in my pants and washed it. The agitation flung it around in my washer & I didn’t hear it until late in the cycle. Inside the washer, my knife was open and after retrieving it, it wouldn’t close. The blade was bent and upon further review, I found the blade was broken up near the hole through the blade. I knew Honey Badger sold parts to their knives so I thought since it was my fault, I’d just order another blade. However, I couldn’t find any blades for sale. So I sent an email to their customer service and got a reply that day. I explained what I’d done and asked if I could buy a blade since this was my abuse (that I figured wouldn’t be covered by their warranty). They asked me to send them pictures to determine the specific knife I had and so I did. To my surprise, I got an email back that day saying they were sending me a new knife! I received it and couldn’t be more pleased. I don’t know if I’m more impressed with their knives or with their customer service but I would highly recommend Honey Badger knives!
Awesome!!
Have yet to use or own but seen these and wanting to see what the buzz is about
Quality products. Either way im definitely buys one!!
Quality knifes
Have a small drop point tan. Very smooth action, sharp blade. Well made.
The Honey Badger Knife is a solid choice for those looking for a budget-friendly, dependable everyday carry (EDC) knife
well built sharp out of the box
I own 2 of these knives and love them
Best durability I've had out of local made knife
Great knives that are cost effective and get the job done! Nice assortment of blades & handle colors!
Очень удобный маленький,легкий нож на карман.
Honey badger might just be the best every day working knife on the SA market. I've had my Honey Badger for 4 years now and I use and abuse it on my daily farm routines, and man this knife has surprised me with it's durability. I would recommend any one get themselves a Honey badger, whether it's for hunting fishing or just normal farm work. You won't regret buying the Badger.
I needed a knife that was competitively priced and easier for me to use one handed. I ended up buying the Honey Badger Wharncleaver Knife in the Large size. What a joy this knife is to use and to look at. It is a good solid knife that deploys easily but stays securely shut while I’m my pocket. It uses only ball bearings on the pivot, no spring assist, but the ball bearings are so smooth that it opens like a a spring assisted knife. It has a generous flipper which really helps me unlike other deployment types. This knife has good solid build, good fit and finish and a great price. It had replaced my Benchmade as my every day carry and I will most likely by another.
I just ordered a med drop blade in tan. Very excited
Got my first Honey Badger thru Blade HQ about a month ago which I ordered the medium leaf blade shape with black handles and WOW!!! I freaking love this knife so much I ordered 2 more. Another medium clip point blade w/ blue handles and a large tanto blade w/od green handles. I'm very impressed with this knife and just found out that I can customize one on their website!!! 🤯 OMGosh 🤯. If you're into flipper knives you should check out a Honey Badger, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Ease of use and convenient size are top reasons to get one
Amazing knives, outstanding valeu for the price
I received a honey badger as a gift from my brother and it replaced my old EDC instantly. The look, feel, and utility of the blade is unmatched
Very high quality knives!
I have few of their knives. They have a great value for Money. Great buy.
Quality knifes
Love the give away opportunity.
Great value and love the interchangeable handles
Honey Badger knives are really good! Solid build, good in the hand, razor sharp, and fit in the pocket nicely.
I bought a small tanto in south Africa to take it with me to the bush. It's an awesome knife can perfectly cut meat/any food and carve wood its overall just good quality. Would recommend honey badger Knifes to anyone!
These seem to be an awesome knife at a good price. A decent steel that is stainless and a unique handle. What could be better?
Great budget edc knife. Carrgot my forst Honey Badger carry it everyday now
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