Funny you mention special steel ....
One of these was in my Christmas stocking this year. A Vallotton sub hilt folder. Extremely well made.
http://m.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=668
The part that caught my attention was the steel used. Called CMPS30V ?
So I searched and found it to be some pressed powdered steel and I’m thinking piece’o crap etc ... Till I did some research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPM_S30V_steel
I like it ! Very sharp and already used to help butcher a friends deer this past Friday. Aka last day of deer season was Saturday here.
Razor sharp still. You ever hear of it ?
As to that Wenger .... I used to think that was what most owners did with it after they purchased it.
Wingers (pun intended) early variants were rough, hard to sharpen and keep sharp. Haven’t seen one in decades. If your looking for history there is a old colt butterfly knife in a field outside of Paw Paw Michigan that I lost in the snow when snowmobiling there in 1970 on a Rupp .Barry Woods design sold by Colt for just a few months. Uncle gave it to me, I lost it out running up and down the vineyards deep snow.
Looked for it for years .... Never located, never replaced. Was a very cool design.....
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-barry-wood-1970-colt-folding-hunter-knife-1
Enjoying this knife thread ..... Need more of this on FR !.....:o)
Stay safe !
Yeah, S30V is one of those semi-exotic steels like 154CM, N90, etc. They're usually difficult to work with, which slows down production and raises prices. Even then, the most elite steel in a blade costs only a few bucks, provided you buy five tons or more from the mill or the distributor. Often a big knife companies will sell 500 or 1000 pounds to a custom knife maker just as a courtesy so they can get those "tiny" amounts for custom work. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with plain ol' D2 tool steel.
I remember that Barry Wood Colt-marked folder! One sat in a display case at some mom-and-pop sporting goods store for years, with the original $20 price on it. I finally overcame my laziness and looked the thing up. I raced back to the store, and found that it was sold the day before. :(
Barry Wood also made a "gent's size" all-steel version of the knife. Nice and sharp, and very "pocketable". After I had broken-in mine, I could open it one-handed with almost no overt moves to give away how I did it. 90% of the guys who asked to try to open it couldn't figure it out, even after I showed them.
I collect weird-opening-knives, and will bring one out to mess with people's minds on occasion. :)