The matte black coating on DRGSKL blades isn't decorative. Here's the engineering behind the look - and why it makes a better knife.
PVD Titanium Nitride Coating
Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is a vacuum coating process where titanium is vaporized and deposited atom by atom onto the blade surface. The nitrogen environment transforms it into titanium nitride (TiN), a ceramic compound with exceptional hardness. The coating is roughly 2-4 microns thick - thinner than a human hair - adding surface hardness of ~2,300 HV and dramatically improving corrosion resistance.
What It Doesn't Do
The coating is applied to the blade face, not the cutting edge. The edge geometry remains pure ATS-34 steel - that's what does the cutting.
