Hardness vs. Toughness - Get the best of both!

In the world of industrial cutting blades, hardness and toughness are desired qualities. The hardness of a blade has everything to do with how long it will hold its edge while toughness is desirable when the blade is likely to be heavily impacted. For years, we have been trying to find that magical blend of materials that will give the sharp edge of our blades a long life, while allowing the blade to be resistant to impact.

With steel, you can create ideal qualities by using different alloys. Putting together the right mix of materials is key, but just as important is the tempering process. Steel by its nature becomes harder and more brittle (less tough) when it is heat treated, so it will hold the edge longer but is more likely to fracture under stress.

We found that if we made our blades really hard so they stayed sharp, they were more likely to break. If we made the blade softer so they didn't break, they would not stay sharp. It seemed that no matter what combination of materials we used, you just couldn't have both hardness and toughness in the same blade, until now ...

Introducing the ULTRA GOLD® line of Handy Ring Knives!

Our newest offering is a Titanium nitride coated blade that we call ULTRA GOLD®. Titanium nitride (TiN) is an extremely hard ceramic material, applied as a thin coating on steel and other materials to improve the surface properties. TiN has an excellent combination of performance properties and safety. It's so safe that it meets FDA requirements for surgical tools and implants as well as being USDA approved for food contact. TiN is a coating that won't chip, peel or flake. It is self-lubricating/non stick, wear resistant as well as chemical and corrosion resistant. Further, it has a surface that is harder than tungsten carbide, and it has the appearance of bright polished gold - thus ULTRA GOLD®.

Now, if you still aren't convinced that you should give these a try - here is the best part. Our Titanium nitride coating extends the lifetime of these ULTRA GOLD® blades by a factor of three or more! Give us a call if you would like more information, or add a couple of dozen to your order and see for yourself. Now, with ULTRA GOLD® you CAN have the best of both!