1095 vs. D2

R

rfleming

Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
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Alrighty, normally I am a lurker but...,

I am not sure of where the best place to post this question is but I think I am in the right spot...

What are the pluses and minuses of properly heat treated larger blades made in 1095 Vs. D2.

We are assuming that the knives are NOT forged but blanked.

I am specifically interested in comparisons of Newt Livesay's HKR in 1095 Vs. D2 (I have one in 1095 on order...but was wondering about D2) but I will take whatever comparisons I can get :D

Thanks in advance,

-Rob
 
These are two very different steels, pretty much night and day in properties. D2 is an extremely high alloy steel with a huge wear resistance and low toughness, while 1095 is a plain carbon steel with a very high toughness and low wear resistance.

Thus D2 can be expected to stay sharp much longer when cutting abrasive materials, and will take a more aggressive edge, the additional aggression however depends a lot on how you sharpen. 1095 is a much more rugged blade steel and the knife will tolerate a lot more pounding.

Neither are that corrosion resistant, D2 will tend to handle surface corrosion better, but tend to pit deeper than 1095 when it does rust.

-Cliff
 
yeah leave it to cliff to give those short to the point answers. Just dont let him near any of your knives :D
 
I have an Air Assualt that has proven itself to be a very good knife for an everyday beater.

Here in Arizona I haven't had any problems with rust either, even though I do very little maintain this blade.

The way most of Newt's knives are ground, I doubt you would break the knife in normal usuage whether D2 or 1095. If you want to use your knife to spark a fire, 1095 is the way to go. In a knife like the Air Assualt used more for normal knife duty, the D2 is an attractive option but, the 1095 rarely needs edge restoration. For the $75 difference, your half way to your next purchase from Newt.

I'd say kick in another $75 with the up charge of the D2 and buy another knife to compliment the Hunter-Killer-Retreiver.
 
d-2 is much harder, much harder to sharpen, will retain an edge much better, but 1095 is easier to sharpen, more impact resistent.
 
rev_jch :

d-2 is much harder
Click to expand...

D2 has an as quenched hardness of 63-64 RC and drops to 62 for its maximum tempering hardness. 1095 is ~66RC as quenched and can retain this hardness when tempered at 300F. Thus inherently 1095 is harder than D2.

Which is harder from blade to blade depends on how it is heat treated. I have seen specs on D2 as low as 55 RC. It is usually ran at 58 - 62 RC which is where 1095 usually falls as well.

-Cliff
 
Not being a metallurgist nor blade steel review specialist I will only impart my own personal experience...I live in an extremely dry climate...1095 rusts here...D2 does not...I can only imagine what a 1095 blade would look like after exposure to the humidity in Houston, for expample.
 
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