Medford Knife & Tool / Custom knives

Custom Medford
Knives

Browse custom finishes, limited runs, and singular Medford knives. Find a piece, then open its full record.

143Public records
1Years represented
Browse custom knives

Custom knives index

Browse the one-offs

Every card opens a verified Custom Knives record. Newest records appear first.

Black Lightning Praetorian Ti 001 CUSTOM

Black Lightning Praetorian Ti

2026 $1535
Custom Green to Violet/Blue Lightning Genesis Ti 002 CUSTOM

Custom Green to Violet/Blue Lightning Genesis Ti

2026 $1495
Predator Acid Distressed Praetorian Ti 003 CUSTOM

Predator Acid Distressed Praetorian Ti

2026 $1500
Bronze Stained Glass Genesis Ti 004 CUSTOM

Bronze Stained Glass Genesis Ti

2026 $1495
Bronze Lightning Genesis Ti 005 CUSTOM

Bronze Lightning Genesis Ti

2026 $1495
Radius Contour Vulcan Praetorian Ti 006 CUSTOM

Radius Contour Vulcan Praetorian Ti

2026 $1560
Bronze Moon Crater Praetorian Ti 007 CUSTOM

Bronze Moon Crater Praetorian Ti

2026 $1545
Acid Etch Blue Praetorian Ti 008 CUSTOM

Acid Etch Blue Praetorian Ti

2026 $1545
DLC Gator Belly Praetorian Ti 009 CUSTOM

DLC Gator Belly Praetorian Ti

2026 $1545
Bead Blast Silver Armadillo Praetorian Ti 010 CUSTOM

Bead Blast Silver Armadillo Praetorian Ti

2026 $1535
Bead Blasted Hammered Praetorian Ti 011 CUSTOM

Bead Blasted Hammered Praetorian Ti

2026 $1535
Auqa Bronze Falling Leaf Praetorian Ti 012 CUSTOM

Auqa Bronze Falling Leaf Praetorian Ti

2026 $1495
DLC Warp Speed Jimped Blade Praetorian Ti 013 CUSTOM

DLC Warp Speed Jimped Blade Praetorian Ti

2026 $1560
DLC Diamondhead Praetorian Ti 014 CUSTOM

DLC Diamondhead Praetorian Ti

2026 $1585
Teal Violet Dragon Skin Praetorian Ti 015 CUSTOM

Teal Violet Dragon Skin Praetorian Ti

2026 $1545
Tumbled Peaks and Valleys Praetorian Ti 016 CUSTOM

Tumbled Peaks and Valleys Praetorian Ti

2026 $1500
DLC Stained Glass Praetorian Ti 017 CUSTOM

DLC Stained Glass Praetorian Ti

2026 $1585
Bronze-Rose Sunset Praetorian Ti 018 CUSTOM

Bronze-Rose Sunset Praetorian Ti

2026 $1595
The General 019 CUSTOM

The General

2026 $795
Black & Silver Praetorian Ti 020 CUSTOM

Black & Silver Praetorian Ti

2026 $1565
Fallout Proxima 021 CUSTOM

Fallout Proxima

2026 $795
Stained Glass Magnacut Marauder-H 022 CUSTOM

Stained Glass Magnacut Marauder-H

2026 $995
Fallout Midi Marauder 023 CUSTOM

Fallout Midi Marauder

2026 $800
Sponge Ano Titanium Grenuckles 024 CUSTOM

Sponge Ano Titanium Grenuckles

2026 $400
Bronze & Blue Titanium Grenuckles 025 CUSTOM

Bronze & Blue Titanium Grenuckles

2026 $400
High Caliber Vulcan TFF-4 026 CUSTOM

High Caliber Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Sculpted Texctured Black & Blue Grenuckles 027 CUSTOM

Sculpted Texctured Black & Blue Grenuckles

2026 $450
Blue with Bronze MKT Logo Grenuckles 028 CUSTOM

Blue with Bronze MKT Logo Grenuckles

2026 $400
4 Star General Vulcan TFF-4 029 CUSTOM

4 Star General Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Silver Predator TFF-1 030 CUSTOM

Silver Predator TFF-1

2026 $840
Single Stack Mag Vulcan TFF-4 031 CUSTOM

Single Stack Mag Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Grenade Fighter Flipper 032 CUSTOM

Grenade Fighter Flipper

2026 $915
All-Titanium Black Fallout Smooth Criminal Flipper 033 CUSTOM

All-Titanium Black Fallout Smooth Criminal Flipper

2026 $700
Old School Bronze Vulcan TFF-1 034 CUSTOM

Old School Bronze Vulcan TFF-1

2026 $740
Black Edition Fallout On Belay 035 CUSTOM

Black Edition Fallout On Belay

2026 $840
Silver "Predator" TFF-1 036 CUSTOM

Silver "Predator" TFF-1

2026 $850.00
BlackRose “Stained Glass” TFF-1 037 CUSTOM

BlackRose “Stained Glass” TFF-1

2026 $875.00
“Bouncing Grenade” TFF-4 - War Series 038 CUSTOM

“Bouncing Grenade” TFF-4 - War Series

2026 $700.00
BlackOut Infraction 039 CUSTOM

BlackOut Infraction

2026 $765.00
“Billowing Flag” Smooth Criminal Ti (Automatic) 040 CUSTOM

“Billowing Flag” Smooth Criminal Ti (Automatic)

2026 $610
Black G10 187 Flipper 041 CUSTOM

Black G10 187 Flipper

2026 $500.00
Fallout Midi Marauder 042 CUSTOM

Fallout Midi Marauder

2026 $800.00
DLC Tanto Gentleman Jack-2 043 CUSTOM

DLC Tanto Gentleman Jack-2

2026 $550
DLC Dragonskin Magnacut Infraction 044 CUSTOM

DLC Dragonskin Magnacut Infraction

2026 $895.00
"A-10 BRRRT" TFF-4 - War Series 045 CUSTOM

"A-10 BRRRT" TFF-4 - War Series

2026 $700.00
"Soldier Memorial" TFF-4 - War Series 046 CUSTOM

"Soldier Memorial" TFF-4 - War Series

2026 $700.00
Black & Silver Praetorian Ti 047 CUSTOM

Black & Silver Praetorian Ti

2026 $1565
Golden Peaks & Valleys Magnacut Marauder 048 CUSTOM

Golden Peaks & Valleys Magnacut Marauder

2026 $1155
Black & Silver Genesis Ti 049 CUSTOM

Black & Silver Genesis Ti

2026 $1505
Black and Silver Full-Sized Marauder 050 CUSTOM

Black and Silver Full-Sized Marauder

2026 $1115
BB Bronze Gator Belly Praetorian Ti 051 CUSTOM

BB Bronze Gator Belly Praetorian Ti

2026 $1535
Blue-Vio Predator Micro Praetorian T 052 CUSTOM

Blue-Vio Predator Micro Praetorian T

2026 $855
Damascus Fallout Micro Ti 053 CUSTOM

Damascus Fallout Micro Ti

2026 $2400
Damascus Nosferatu Auto 054 CUSTOM

Damascus Nosferatu Auto

2026 $1885
Blue Predator Arktika 055 CUSTOM

Blue Predator Arktika

2026 $1050
General 056 CUSTOM

General

2026 $800
PVD Arktika 057 CUSTOM

PVD Arktika

2026 $925
PVD "Dirty Vulcan" FUK Flipper 058 CUSTOM

PVD "Dirty Vulcan" FUK Flipper

2026 $985
Black Edition Fallout Custom TFF-4 059 CUSTOM

Black Edition Fallout Custom TFF-4

2026 $725
Radius Sculpted Drop Point Praetorian Ti 060 CUSTOM

Radius Sculpted Drop Point Praetorian Ti

2026 $1650
Old School Satin FUK Flipper 061 CUSTOM

Old School Satin FUK Flipper

2026 $910
Copper-Rose Slim Midi 062 CUSTOM

Copper-Rose Slim Midi

2026 $795
Fallout Praetorian Genesis T 063 CUSTOM

Fallout Praetorian Genesis T

2026 $830
Fallout Sculpted Midi Marauder 064 CUSTOM

Fallout Sculpted Midi Marauder

2026 $800
Damascus All Titanium Smooth Criminal Flipper 065 CUSTOM

Damascus All Titanium Smooth Criminal Flipper

2026 $1220
PVD FUK Flipper 066 CUSTOM

PVD FUK Flipper

2026 $935
Old School Violet Nosferatu Flipper 067 CUSTOM

Old School Violet Nosferatu Flipper

2026 $805
Copper Cobblestone TFF-4 068 CUSTOM

Copper Cobblestone TFF-4

2026 $765
American Flag Slim Midi Drop Point 069 CUSTOM

American Flag Slim Midi Drop Point

2026 $635
Black Blade Fighter Flipper 070 CUSTOM

Black Blade Fighter Flipper

2026 $890
Bronze Fighter Flipper 071 CUSTOM

Bronze Fighter Flipper

2026 $900
Blue with Bronze Fighter Flipper 072 CUSTOM

Blue with Bronze Fighter Flipper

2026 $915
"Terminator" Fighter Flipper 073 CUSTOM

"Terminator" Fighter Flipper

2026 $840
"Black Creek" Damascus Genesis T 074 CUSTOM

"Black Creek" Damascus Genesis T

2026 $1625
Blue with Bronze Armadillo Vulcan TFF-4 075 CUSTOM

Blue with Bronze Armadillo Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Fallout Fat Daddy 076 CUSTOM

Fallout Fat Daddy

2026 $1000
Valley of Gold Vulcan TFF-4 077 CUSTOM

Valley of Gold Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Copper Damascus Praetorian FAF 078 CUSTOM

Copper Damascus Praetorian FAF

2026 $2000
MagnaMax DLC Predator Marauder 079 CUSTOM

MagnaMax DLC Predator Marauder

2026 $1225.00
All Titanium Terminator 187 Flipper 080 CUSTOM

All Titanium Terminator 187 Flipper

2026 $525.00
PVD 187 Flipper 081 CUSTOM

PVD 187 Flipper

2026 $625.00
Blue Valleys, Golden Peaks Fat Daddy 082 CUSTOM

Blue Valleys, Golden Peaks Fat Daddy

2026 $1075.00
Phoenician Craters TFF-4 083 CUSTOM

Phoenician Craters TFF-4

2026 $700
Blue with Peaks and Valleys Vulcan TFF-4 084 CUSTOM

Blue with Peaks and Valleys Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Gator Belly Vulcan TFF-4 085 CUSTOM

Gator Belly Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
"Tye-Die" Vulcan TFF-4 086 CUSTOM

"Tye-Die" Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Distressed Black and Bronze Vulcan TFF-4 087 CUSTOM

Distressed Black and Bronze Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Blue Scorch Vulcan TFF-4 088 CUSTOM

Blue Scorch Vulcan TFF-4

2026 $700
Acid Etched Magnamax "X" Marauder 089 CUSTOM

Acid Etched Magnamax "X" Marauder

2026 $1225
Blue Edition Fallout Full-Size Marauder 090 CUSTOM

Blue Edition Fallout Full-Size Marauder

2026 $1000.00
Black & Blue "Stained Glass" Marauder-H 091 CUSTOM

Black & Blue "Stained Glass" Marauder-H

2026 $995.00
PenFlame "Predator" Fighter Flipper 092 CUSTOM

PenFlame "Predator" Fighter Flipper

2026 $1115
Blue Diamondhead Marauder-H 093 CUSTOM

Blue Diamondhead Marauder-H

2026 $995.00
Custom Jimped Vulcan Sculpted Marauder 094 CUSTOM

Custom Jimped Vulcan Sculpted Marauder

2026 $1195
DLC Magnacut Lightning Fade Marauder 095 CUSTOM

DLC Magnacut Lightning Fade Marauder

2026 $1135
Vulcan Warthog Micro T 096 CUSTOM

Vulcan Warthog Micro T

2026 $850
Vulcan Satin Stained Glass Micro T 097 CUSTOM

Vulcan Satin Stained Glass Micro T

2026 $890
Vulcan Bronze Dragon Scales Micro T 098 CUSTOM

Vulcan Bronze Dragon Scales Micro T

2026 $930
Vulcan Brushed Lightning Micro T 099 CUSTOM

Vulcan Brushed Lightning Micro T

2026 $940
Vulcan Bronze Rose Stained Glass 100 CUSTOM

Vulcan Bronze Rose Stained Glass

2026 $915
CuRose Moon Craters Micro Ti 101 CUSTOM

CuRose Moon Craters Micro Ti

2026 $1560
Vulcan Golden Predator Micro T 102 CUSTOM

Vulcan Golden Predator Micro T

2026 $930
Vulcan Aqua Brushed Bronze Predator Micro T 103 CUSTOM

Vulcan Aqua Brushed Bronze Predator Micro T

2026 $915
Blue Bronze Peaks & Valleys Micro Ti 104 CUSTOM

Blue Bronze Peaks & Valleys Micro Ti

2026 $1495
Vulcan Hammered Fade Micro T 105 CUSTOM

Vulcan Hammered Fade Micro T

2026 $915
Vulcan CuRose Peaks and Valleys Micro T 106 CUSTOM

Vulcan CuRose Peaks and Valleys Micro T

2026 $930
Vulcan CuRose Dragon Skin Micro T 107 CUSTOM

Vulcan CuRose Dragon Skin Micro T

2026 $925
Black with Bronze Predator Micro Ti 108 CUSTOM

Black with Bronze Predator Micro Ti

2026 $1470
Vulcan DLC Flamed Hardware Micro T 109 CUSTOM

Vulcan DLC Flamed Hardware Micro T

2026 $830
Bronze "Peaks & Valleys" Infraction 110 CUSTOM

Bronze "Peaks & Valleys" Infraction

2026 $820
Blue Predator Marauder 111 CUSTOM

Blue Predator Marauder

2026 $1075
"Multicolor Predator" Praetorian Genesis Ti 112 CUSTOM

"Multicolor Predator" Praetorian Genesis Ti

2026 $1450
Attic Find "Bronze" Oxide Blade Arktika 113 CUSTOM

Attic Find "Bronze" Oxide Blade Arktika

2026 $900
Attic Find TFF-1 114 CUSTOM

Attic Find TFF-1

2026 $685
Praetorian Genesis TiG 115 CUSTOM

Praetorian Genesis TiG

2026 $675
Distressed Peaks & Valleys Infraction 116 CUSTOM

Distressed Peaks & Valleys Infraction

2026 $865
Sponge Anodized TFF Fat Daddy 117 CUSTOM

Sponge Anodized TFF Fat Daddy

2026 $1250
"Diamondhead" Midi Marauder 118 CUSTOM

"Diamondhead" Midi Marauder

2026 $825
Flamed Fallout Full-Size Marauder 119 CUSTOM

Flamed Fallout Full-Size Marauder

2026 $1050
Silver Lightning Praetorian T 120 CUSTOM

Silver Lightning Praetorian T

2026 $985
Carbon Fiber Burung 121 CUSTOM

Carbon Fiber Burung

2026 $650
Bronze Stained Glass Midi Marauder 122 CUSTOM

Bronze Stained Glass Midi Marauder

2026 $825
Silver Predator On Belay 123 CUSTOM

Silver Predator On Belay

2026 $815
Silver Frag Micro Praetorian T 124 CUSTOM

Silver Frag Micro Praetorian T

2026 $885
Diamond Gator Belly DLC Marauder 125 CUSTOM

Diamond Gator Belly DLC Marauder

2026 $1140
Vulcan "Craters" Marauder 126 CUSTOM

Vulcan "Craters" Marauder

2026 $1110
Satin Magnacut Micro Ti 127 CUSTOM

Satin Magnacut Micro Ti

2026 $1450
Peaks & Valleys 187F 128 CUSTOM

Peaks & Valleys 187F

2026 $715
Tremors 187F 129 CUSTOM

Tremors 187F

2026 $700
Diamondhead Micro Ti 130 CUSTOM

Diamondhead Micro Ti

2026 $1545
Damascus Lightning M48 131 CUSTOM

Damascus Lightning M48

2026 $1245
"Attic Find" NP3 STA Sniper 132 CUSTOM

"Attic Find" NP3 STA Sniper

2026 $450
"Attic Find" Jungle Fighter 133 CUSTOM

"Attic Find" Jungle Fighter

2026 $500
Vulcan CuRose Predator Micro Praetorian Ti 134 CUSTOM

Vulcan CuRose Predator Micro Praetorian Ti

2026 $1545
Helicopter Damascus Nightstalker TFF-4 135 CUSTOM

Helicopter Damascus Nightstalker TFF-4

2026 $1250
Automatic Damascus Laser Lights Smooth Criminal 136 CUSTOM

Automatic Damascus Laser Lights Smooth Criminal

2026 $700
Green&Violet Diamondhead Micro Praetorian Ti 137 CUSTOM

Green&Violet Diamondhead Micro Praetorian Ti

2026 $1545
PenFlame "Twisted Predator" TFF-1 138 CUSTOM

PenFlame "Twisted Predator" TFF-1

2026 $920
Attic Find Praetorian G 139 CUSTOM

Attic Find Praetorian G

2026 $700
Black CuRose "Twisted Predator" Marauder 140 CUSTOM

Black CuRose "Twisted Predator" Marauder

2026 $1160
Aqua Bronze Diamondhead Marauder 141 CUSTOM

Aqua Bronze Diamondhead Marauder

2026 $1160
Dark Violet Twisted Predator Marauder 142 CUSTOM

Dark Violet Twisted Predator Marauder

2026 $1160
Blue-Vio Fade Bronze "Diamond Gator Belly" Marauder 143 CUSTOM

Blue-Vio Fade Bronze "Diamond Gator Belly" Marauder

$1160

Availability and final sale details are shown on each individual custom knife record when available.

Medford Knife Steel Guide

Medford Knife Steel Guide

Medford Knife & Tool · Steel Philosophy

The Medford Knife
Steel Guide

How Greg Medford thinks about steel — and why he picks the ones he does.

Tap to unmute

Reading Your Blade

Blade Steel Marking Guide

Curious what those blade markings are on authentic Medford Knives? A small letter or number stamped near our logo indicates the steel type the Medford Knife factory used to make that blade.

D Photo Coming Soon
Mark: D D2 Tool Steel
S Photo Coming Soon
Mark: S S35VN Stainless
4 Photo Coming Soon
Mark: 4 S45VN Stainless
3 Photo Coming Soon
Mark: 3 CPM 3V Tool Steel
M Photo Coming Soon
Mark: M MagnaCut Premium Stainless
9 Photo Coming Soon
Mark: 9 S90V High-Vanadium Stainless
V Photo Coming Soon
Mark: V 20CV High-Alloy Stainless
5 Photo Coming Soon
Mark: 5 1095 Cro Van Carbon Steel

Questions About Your Blade?

If you have questions about the steel on your Medford, contact the factory directly.

✉ support@medfordknife.com

Greg's Framework

The Steel Triangle

Toughness

How much shock, smack, pry, and displacement can the steel absorb — and still spring back or hold its shape?

Hardness

Can we get it hard enough to hold a great edge — but not so hard the end user can't sharpen it themselves?

Abrasion & Corrosion

How resistant is it to wear, scratches, and oxidation — especially at the microscopic level of the edge?

You can't get any one of those three really high without sacrificing the others. Max hardness means toughness degrades. Max toughness means softening something elsewhere. The job is to find the right balance for the application — and Greg reverse-engineers from the end use of the knife to get there.

At Medford, every steel is hardened way above the target range in-house, then tempered back to the sweet spot — 59 to 61 HRC. Hard enough to maintain a great edge. Not so hard you can't put an edge back on it yourself. "61 is getting to be almost too hard," Greg says. "57 is a little too soft."

Because Medford knives are built thick — nominally over a quarter-inch for folding blades — geometry makes up for a lot. Greg doesn't have to chase the penultimate molecular strength out of the steel. He can focus on the intersection of toughness, hardness, and corrosion resistance rather than maxing one at the expense of the others. When the end use demands something specific, he picks the steel to match it.

The Materials

The Steels We Use

The knives currently offered in each steel — and where the philosophy came from.

Tool Steel

D2

"It's not the best at anything, but it's really good at everything." D2 hits the intersection of corrosion resistance, toughness, and hardness — and it gives one of the easiest, most predictable heat treats in Greg's lineup. Reaches 65–66 HRC in treatment, drawn back to 59–61.

Made in D2

Stainless

S35VN

Greg's choice for Naval and marine environments — anywhere the knife's design makes it hard to access and clean internal parts, or where the knife lives in a saline environment. High corrosion resistance with vanadium carbides that grind smoothly. Greg's freehand process means the S30/S35 grinding difference doesn't apply here — the corrosion resistance is what matters.

Made in S35VN

Stainless

S45VN

Available in select current Medford models.

Made in S45VN

Tool Steel · Upcharge

CPM 3V

"The stuff's unbelievably tough." For customers who need the penultimate tough knife. Doesn't get quite as hard — Greg brings it to 58–59 HRC — but the toughness is exceptional. Requires expensive post-processing for corrosion resistance. Available as an upcharge option on select models.

Made in CPM 3V

High-Vanadium Stainless

S90V

Available as an upgrade on select models. Contact Medford Knife for current availability.

High-Alloy Stainless

20CV

Available in select current Medford models.

Made in 20CV

Premium Stainless

MagnaCut

Available on select models. Contact Medford Knife for current availability.

Shock-Resistant Tool Steel

S7

Used when toughness and spring qualities take priority over corrosion resistance. Greg's pick for machetes and heavy blades headed into demanding environments — less concerned with corrosion protection, more concerned with absorbing impact, flexing, and coming back. Also used for Naval and marine applications where the design allows for proper care.

Made in S7

Watch The Full Breakdown

Metallurgy 101
with Greg Medford

19 minutes of unscripted metallurgy talk — from how heat treat actually works to why Greg picks the steels he does and how to think about the tradeoffs.

Greg's Full Philosophy

How to Think About Knife Steel

Not All Steel Philosophy Is Equal

There are wonderful knives made out of the most primitive metals on earth. And there are crappy knives made out of some of the best metals walking the planet — with a whole lot of everything in between. The steel you choose doesn't automatically make a good knife. Greg Medford has been making knives long enough to know that the conversation about steel is rarely as simple as "this one is better than that one."

The Application Drives the Choice

Every time you make a decision about the steel you choose to make knives out of, there are pros and cons. The right steel for a professional kitchen is not the right steel for a heavy tactical fixed blade — and neither is the right steel for a machete going into a saltwater marine environment.

A kitchen knife is going to be used more than a tactical knife will ever be used — every single day, around water, salty fluids, and blood from meat, by people who will set it on a ceramic plate or a stone countertop without thinking twice. That pushes you toward a steel that's corrosion resistant and sits on the softer side of the hardness range, because it'll be honed or stropped regularly and sharpened a couple of times a year.

A big, heavy, utilitarian tactical tool — the kind of knife Greg makes — is a different animal entirely. Greg reverse-engineers from the end use: what is this knife going to be asked to do, and what does that demand from the steel?

"I try to look at the end application of the knife and I kind of backwards end up — I reverse engineer to end up at what the best deal is for that application."

— Greg Medford

The Three Things You're Actually Balancing

Greg keeps a mental triangle when he talks about steel. Three properties — toughness, hardness, and abrasion/corrosion resistance. Every steel sits somewhere on that triangle. The problem is that you can't push any one of them to the extreme without sacrificing one or both of the others.

Toughness is how much shock, smack, pry, and displacement the steel can take — and still spring back or hold its shape. How much can you displace it and have it permanently deform? How much can you bend it back and still have it function? Hardness is whether you can get the steel hard enough during heat treat — and then draw it back to a point where it'll hold a great edge without being so brittle a guy can't resharpen it himself. Abrasion and corrosion resistance live in similar territory at the microscopic level: how well does the steel resist being worn down, scratched, or oxidized — especially at the edge where the knife is most exposed.

The job isn't to find the steel that wins in one of those categories. The job is to find the steel that lands in the right place on all three for the way the knife is going to be used.

The Hardness Sweet Spot — and Why Extremes Fail

Greg tests every knife, every batch, on the Rockwell scale. His target landing zone is 59 to 61 HRC — regardless of the steel. "61 is getting to be almost too hard. 59 is great. 58 it's okay. 57 is a little too soft in my opinion."

The upside of a really hard knife is that it'll hold an edge. The downside is that when you inevitably make it dull — and you will — it's genuinely hard to put an edge back on. There are knife companies that make steels so hard you have to send them somewhere to get sharpened once a year. That might work if the knife is going to be used gently and carefully for the rest of the year. For a working tool that's going to see real use, it's a problem.

"You don't want to make a knife so hard that a guy can't resharpen it. We need it in that kind of sweet spot of 59 to 61."

— Greg Medford

Heat Treat Is Half the Equation

Choosing the right steel is only part of the story. How you heat treat it matters just as much — or more. What temperature do you heat it to? How long do you soak it at temperature? How do you quench it — salt bath, oil, vacuum, air? Do you quench in Inconel or out of it? At what rate? When do you begin warming it back up to temper? How many times do you temper it, and at what temperature?

All of that is worked out in a recipe by the original engineer who designed the steel — but how the knife maker actually applies that recipe in his shop is his part of the metallurgy equation. Greg does all heat treating in-house. Every steel he works with gets hardened well above the target zone, then tempered back down through multiple cycles to land in that 59–61 HRC sweet spot. The harder you make it, the less tough it becomes. So you go high, then you carefully bring it back.

The more exotic and high-performance a steel gets, the narrower the margin of error on temperature, soak time, and handling becomes. That's one of the things Greg weighs when he decides whether to work with a given steel. A steel that requires exotic post-process treatment — vacuum chambers, specialty handling that has to go somewhere else — adds cost and complexity to every single knife that goes through it.

Knife blanks being loaded into the heat treatment furnace at Medford Knife and Tool Phoenix Arizona
Every batch goes through in-house heat treatment. Temperature, soak, quench, and temper cycles are all controlled at the Phoenix factory.

Why Geometry Changes the Math

Medford knives are built thick — nominally over a quarter inch for folding blades. That changes what you need to demand from the steel at the molecular level. When your geometry is doing structural work, you don't need to chase the penultimate strength out of the material itself. You can pick for the intersection of all three triangle properties rather than having to sacrifice two of them to get one really high.

Guys who make dainty knives are often picking for much more constrained requirements — they can go to a very different building material than a guy making big, heavy, utilitarian tools. Greg makes knives that are meant to be worked and used, by people who may use them for everything they need out in the field — prying, chopping, slicing, and everything in between. The geometry is designed with that reality in mind.

Why D2 — and What "Good at Everything" Really Means

D2 is a tool steel that's been around a long time. Ask any old-timer who makes knives about D2 and they'll tell you it takes a great, predictable heat treat. It's one of the easiest metals to heat treat really well. The more exotic and high-performance a stainless steel gets, the harder and harder it is to get a good, predictable heat treat out of it — you can do it, but the margin of error on temperature and timing gets narrower and narrower.

D2 sits at the intersection of corrosion resistance, toughness, and hardness. "It's not the best at anything, but it's really good at everything." Greg typically gets D2 to 65–66 HRC in treatment — he's seen it hit 67 — and then draws it down to 59–61 during tempering. Consistent, reliable, repeatable.

D2 steel stock labeled D2 207-227 on the factory shelf at Medford Knife and Tool Phoenix Arizona
D2 tool steel stock on the Medford Knife & Tool factory shelf — labeled, tracked, and ready for cutting. The label reads D2 207–227.

Why CPM 3V Exists in the Lineup

CPM 3V is a different animal. It never gets quite as hard in Greg's process — he brings it to the 58–59 HRC range — but the toughness is exceptional. "The stuff's unbelievably tough." For customers who specifically need the penultimate tough knife, CPM 3V is the answer.

The trade-off is corrosion resistance. If Greg makes a really tough CPM 3V knife, he's got to do expensive post-processing to make it corrosion resistant — and then once you polish the edge, the edge can rust. It's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation for most customers, who need a tough knife that is also reasonably corrosion resistant. For the subset of customers who have read every steel comparison ever published and specifically want 3V, Medford offers it — with an upcharge that reflects the extra cost of running a different steel through the production chain.

Why S35VN for Corrosion-Critical Applications

When Greg is making knives for Naval and marine applications — environments where the knife is going to live in a saline environment, or where the design of the knife makes it hard to get in and properly clean internal parts — he reaches for S35VN. The corrosion resistance is the primary driver.

On the S30VN vs S35VN debate: the two steels have essentially the same corrosion resistance — the five-point vanadium difference in S35VN was engineered for a practical commercial grinding reason, not for performance. On a production grinder using a commercial grinding stone, the frequency of vibration in S30VN matches the density of the stone and it chatters. The vanadium carbides in S35VN shift the wavelength so it doesn't chatter on a Blanchard or Mattison grinder. Since Medford freehand grinds — no production grinders, no commercial grinding stones — the chatter issue simply doesn't apply. The corrosion resistance is what matters, and on that measure the two steels are nominally equivalent.

S45VN stainless steel stock labeled S45 140-156 on factory shelf at Medford Knife and Tool Phoenix Arizona
S45VN stainless steel stock — labeled S45 140–156 on the Medford Knife & Tool factory shelf. Tracked by batch, cut to order.

Why S7 for Machetes and Heavy Work

S7 is a shock-resistant tool steel — and that spring quality is what Greg values it for. When he's making machetes for customers going into places where corrosion resistance is less of a concern than raw toughness and the ability of the blade to absorb impact, flex, and come back, S7 is the material. The priority is different: it's not about holding a mirror-polished edge, it's about surviving hard use in demanding environments.

On Steel Fads and "Magic Superman Metal"

Knife magazines drive steel fads. If you're a large company and your products are uninspiring, you can sell the new greatest whiz-bang steel instead. Greg likens it to someone who says they know the death touch — you can't prove it or do it, but you can say it, and it trumps whatever the other guy has. "I've got the special steel. It's secret." It's a way to compete on marketing rather than on design.

"If you don't have a new inspiring design or you don't have a new product that people really want, maybe you can sell them that it's got some metal — some magic Superman metal. And I don't want to buy it."

— Greg Medford

The Bottom Line

Greg has landed on a handful of steels he considers the best bang for the buck — the best performance for the dollar, and the best end usability for the customer. Not getting too crazy and exotic. Not being so rigid that he thinks one steel is better than all the rest and everything else is wrong. He doesn't think that way.

He thinks: I'm making a tool for this kind of use. Here's how I know guys actually use knives. I don't want to make safe queens. So he picks the steel that serves those guys — the ones who'll work the knife, use it for everything they need, and want to be able to sharpen it themselves when the edge comes off.

That's the whole philosophy. Not the most exotic steel. Not the hardest. Not the one with the most syllables in its name. The right one for the knife, the use, and the person who's going to carry it for the next twenty years.