Is Nitro-V better than N690?

Nitro-V VS N690 is a tough competition, having similar qualities and standing high on the ladder. You can go with Nitro-v if you are concerned about toughness and if you are concerned about edge retention go with n690. But there are those differences that get knife connoisseurs even more puzzled. What is it that makes the other stand out more? Well, knife lovers, let’s get to the bottom of the well, shall we? Let’s find out which steel gets the throne!

Nitro-V vs N690 | Quick Comparison Chart

Nitro-V Steel Overview

Nitro V is an upgrade of AEB-L that the New Jersey Steel Baron company manufactured. It sets an extraordinary standard with premium steel quality. The steel can also be formed with the customer’s interest, however. The integrated Nitrogen and Vanadium in Nitro-V improves its edge retention and hardness. It is even more corrosion-resistant than before, so longevity isn’t an issue here.

If you want to know more details about nitro v like heat treatment or other details, then read what Larrin Thomas says about nitro v steel.

N690 Steel Overview

N690 steel is Austrian steel. Bohler created this steel with an increased amount of carbon and chromium. The manufacturers also supplemented the steel with cobalt, which helps form a more stable consistency. It’s stainless while pretty grainy, which keeps it sharp for a long time and long sessions.

Differences In Speciality

Nitro-V steel consists of carbon, chromium, nitrogen, manganese, silicon, and the special touch of vanadium gives it superior wear resistance while making it harder to corrode. The abundance of Chromium in the steel also gives it more tensile strength.

N690 steel assimilates Carbon, Chromium, Manganese, Silicon, Nitrogen, Molybdenum, and Sulfur. In the end, the two compounds mentioned respectively make the steel more machinable and hard.

Hardness

N690 steel has a hardness of 55-60 HRC on the Rockwell scale. High carbon content in this range makes the steel very hard. The exceptional hardness of N690 blade steel makes it ideal for usage in hunting and camping knives.

Nitro-V has a hardness of 58-62HRC. The final product’s hardness varies widely since it depends on the heat treatment used during production. This steel’s high hardness allows for the creation of very sharp blades, making it ideal for slicing knives.

Edge retention

Edge retention is one area where Nitro-V steel is hoped to improve over AEB-L. When compared to other high-end stainless steel, its edge retention is poor. In no way does this imply that Nitro-V has poor edge retention. It will last a long time before dulling.

N690 is steel with the edge retention of a premium knife.

Bohler N690 works excellent for heavy-duty hard stuff. It cuts fast and stays blunt for the longest time. I would compare N690 with VG-10 and CPM-154 steel for its impressive edge retention.

Toughness

Toughness is a higher caliber in Nitro-V. It can easily stand against and even knock out other steels like M390 and CPM-154. It is, therefore, quite heavy-duty.

N690, on the other hand, is both challenging and rigid, which Nitro-V doesn’t provide. It is not so tough, but it works. It is tough enough to withstand heavy-duty applications.

Corrosion resistance

N690 is quite rust-proof due to its large chromium composition. The chromium composition naturally used in materializing stainless steel is not used for N690 steel. It consists of more than the usual percentage.

Nitro-V is rife with chromium and nitrogen. These two components in the composition make for an uncorrodable substance. Even in salt water, you won’t find them rusting. They don’t rust, so washing and drying them before you set them out helps them last longer without scratches.

Wear resistance

Nitro-V doesn’t wear fast. Its alloy is of an upgraded version. Yes, it still wears at a moderate pace; however, deforming is out of the question.

N690 has improved wear resistance over other premium steels because of the incorporation of cobalt. These knives have been shown to outlast their stainless steel counterparts when subjected to the same levels of wear and tear, including frequent sharpening.

Ease of sharpening

Nitro-V is easy to sharpen despite its hardness. This ease makes it ideal for beginners who are still not ripe at sharpening. They quickly get to the sharpest edge.

N690 is similar to Nitro-V in sharpening because it is just as easy to sharpen, and you won’t need to use any fancy kit to sharpen this steel.

Conclusion

N690 has an increased amount of silicon, making it less likely to break and heat. It also has a slight composition of sulfur which is excellent for machinability. However, Nitro-V takes the cake in terms of corrosion resistance and toughness.