About Titanium Knives
Knife-making is a relatively new use for titanium, and titanium knives offer distinct advantages for certain applications. However, the popularity of titanium hunting and kitchen knives owes more to titanium's reputation as an especially strong metal than it does to the usefulness of this material in knife blades.
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Misconceptions
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Titanium is best known for its use in orthopedic implants and military applications. It is used in the construction of airplanes, missiles, naval ships and space shuttles. Because of these uses, titanium is often thought of as a near-indestructible material. However, titanium is far from indestructible, and is actually weaker by volume than steel. Titanium's main advantages are its resistance to corrosion and light weight. While it quite strong for its weight, titanium is soft and does not hold a cutting edge well.
Applications
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For certain applications, titanium knives may be the best choice. Diving knives are often made from titanium, because it is one of the few metals that can hold up to repeated immersion in salt water. Titanium is also completely non-magnetic, which makes it safer for use around explosives than materials traditionally used to manufacture knives.
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Construction
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Few titanium knives sold for general use are made from solid titanium. Most are titanium-clad, or have a titanium edge. These knives do not have the advantages solid titanium knives offer, and tend to be of poor quality. A few specialty knife manufacturers make solid titanium knives, but several different alloys and manufacturing techniques are used to make the blades. The only truly useful titanium knives are made from unusually strong hardened titanium alloys.
Considerations
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Titanium knives are rarely a practical choice, except for divers and those who work around explosive materials. Titanium kitchen knives, in particular, tend to be of little practical use except to outfit a boat's galley. Titanium cannot achieve a very sharp edge, and requires much more frequent sharpening than knives made of steel. Titanium knives should not be used for prying, because the metal is inflexible and tends to snap unexpectedly.
Maintenance
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Titanium is a "gummy" metal, which means that it tends to rub off and clog up grinding wheels if they are used for sharpening. Coarse- or medium-textured diamond sharpening tools are usually used to sharpen titanium by hand. Titanium knife edges tend to roll when sharpened because of the metal's softness. Most titanium knives require frequent sharpening to maintain a useful edge.
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