Location
Vienna, Austria
Company Overview
Böhler is a well-known Austrian steel merchant. Albert & Emil Böhler established an “Offene Handelsgesellschaft” or an Open Trading Company in Vienna. This company was known for trading Styrian steel in 1870 and eventually branched out to other specialisations.
They also have a global reach, so their locations are widespread such as the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Böhler mainly focuses on specialised steel grades that require high strength, tight tolerances, and high quality. These all contribute to why Böhler kitchen knife steel becomes dominant in the industry.
Moreover, the company produces high-quality Böhler kitchen knife steels that combine a consistently high standard with excellent machining qualities. The Cross-rolling technology and cutting-edge manufacturing facilities they utilise ensure homogeneous material qualities and minimal machining allowances to meet the most strict requirements in the production and use of industrial knives.
Steel Types
- Böhler-Uddeholm M390
Böhler produces a high caliber of Böhler kitchen knife steel. One example of this is the Böhler-Uddeholm M390, one of the newest exceptional steels on the market. Crafted for kitchen knife blades, these steels are good corrosion resistant and high hardness for outstanding wear resistance.
Sharpness and edge retention improve with the addition of chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, and tungsten. Most carbides, unlike ZDP-189, are produced by vanadium and molybdenum, leaving more "free chromium" to prevent corrosion. M390 hardens to an HRC of 60-62.
This steel is also known as "Microclean" by Böhler and is famous for its authentic mirror finish. Sharpening is moderately challenging, although it won't take as long as S90V. M390 is also widely regarded as one of the most outstanding knife steels. High-end knives typically use this steel, so your expensive kitchen knife is likely made of this steel.
- Böhler-Uddeholm N690
This next one, Böhler-Uddeholm N690, is also one of the Böhler kitchen knife steels that are being embraced by many. This stainless steel is martensitic stainless knife steel that is corrosion-resistant and has outstanding edge holding properties—cobalt and molybdenum aid in maintaining high hardness, while chromium and vanadium improve edge holding capability.
Sharpening & Maintenance
Specialty steels, as they are known, Bohler creations are incredibly resistant to wear and tear. The sharpness of these steels will last a long time.
As a result, kitchen knife steels manufactured by Böhler will most likely stay sharp for an extended period. Naturally, you won't need to sharpen Böhler kitchen knife steels as frequently, which means your knife will last longer. Since the more you hone your kitchen knife, the quicker it will become dull.
