I think I know the answer but can the AFCK 806 AXIS with the D2 blade and the AFCK 800 M2HS be swapped? I would like a M2 AFCK Axis as I can't sharpen D2 worth a damned. I am guessing that not much can be done to M2 after it is hardened as I have been told it wears tooling even before being hardened but I figured I would ask. Thanks!

No, you can't swap the blades.

Some custom makers will make an M2 blade for you, though. I think CHAX still does it, but I have seen others.

If you're having issues sharpening an 806, it might be one of the 'soft' ones. I've dealt with a couple of these, where the steel is softer than others I've dealt with.

There are people who will re-heat-treat the blade.

Or, look for one of the pre-production ones. I have yet to run into a 'soft' one of those.

M2 should hold an edge a bit longer than D2, but not necessarily THAT much longer. I have heard, however, that D2 is a relatively hard steel to sharpen, whereas M2 is a fairly easy one (well, for its durability). I'm not sure I'd seek out M2 for the extra edge retention, but there's a chance you might notice a difference in ease of sharpening over D2.

As orthogonal1 said, that swap won't work, and the 806 was never made with M2. However, there was an 805 limited edition with M2: the 805HSSR. Black coated, partially serrated blade, and wood insets in the black G10 handles. Its blade should be swappable with your 806, provided that both or neither are tapped for tip-up and tip-down carry.

The 805 uses the same handle as the 806, so what would be the point of a swap? To get rid of the walnut inlays (the inlays do pop out, though)?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: orthogonal1,

Hopefully when the upcoming 806 M4 comes out its blade will still swap easily with the 806 D2 and all of the 805's. I don't see any reason why BKC would change that.

-fj