154cm vs D2 for survival Knife

if you are doing any taype of hacking go with the 154 its much less brittle than the D2, but if you wang great edge retention and don't mind a bit of chipping and somthing a bit harder to sharpen go for the D2, I would.
 
Show me one D2 blade with a chipping problem, I have a kershaw outcast in D2 and have done more chopping with that than I have with most Axe's. I would be more concerned about the 154cm chipping.
 
If you must have a Benchmade get the CSKII. Otherwise spend the extra money for something like a Busse.
 
for a nimravus try to get an m2 if possible. itll be hard to find but its your best option. if you cant find one definitely go with the 154cm. d2 is a poor survival steel, very brittle and extremely hard to sharpen in the field.
 
Why Benchmade does not put a good handle on that blade is beyond me. It will tear up your hand during hard work.
+1 for the M2 plain edge. Then, have a good maker put some decent scales on it.

I'll second the request to see a D2 blade that has chipped.
 
I would stay away from both of those steels in a chopper. Both are prone to chipping, but if used properly on even the hardest woods I doubt you'd have a problem with either. I wouldn't mind having either steel in a small folder, however 154cm would be my first choice.

For chopping I recommend SR101, and INFI.

Edit:
I recommend SR101 and INFI for everything, 1095 too.
 
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1095, O1, A2, M2 and properly heat treated D2 are fine for hard use.
 
What makes everyone think d2 is brittle, do you have proof?
 
knifenut1013 said:
Show me one D2 blade with a chipping problem, I have a kershaw outcast in D2 and have done more chopping with that than I have with most Axe's. I would be more concerned about the 154cm chipping.
Click to expand...

I have chipped the edge of my Outcast. I can be done. I don't consider D2 as "prone to chipping", however.

I thinned the edge quite a bit (40-degrees at the edge, convexed back), and hit rocks. The blade can chip, but not in an unexpected way. The chip was small and easy to sharpen out.

I'm using CPM D2 in my "survival knife" and believe it was a good choice.

Phillip
 
Yeah, I've chipped my outcast too hitting rocks but its not a chipping problem its something that would happen with almost any steel.
 
Regarding tougnness, it really depends on the heat treat. At RC 58, 154CM will be the tougher material. At RC 60, D2 will have better toughness than 154CM (According to Crucible, D2 attains peak toughness at about RC 60).

I have NOT used 154CM to chop/baton through wood, but I have used a RAT-7 in D2 (RC 58-59) to baton through dry oak (very dense wood by the way) and the knife held up fine against it.

I did manage to damage the tip of the knife when it when it penetrated the rubber mat I had the log on, and went right into the concrete below. I have a feeling most knives would sustain damage when driven tip first into concrete :D. Anyway, it wasn't anything I couldn't fix with a coarse diamond rod. Whatever knife you choose, test it in your backyard first before taking it out into the wild. Cheers.
 
horse a piece. The 154cm will sharpen easier and get sharper, but the D2 will hold an edge better. D2 will rust easier, but its not like a carbon steel by any means.
 
Of the two steels D2 would last longer but 154cm is much easier to touch up in the field. But overall for a chopper, I'd prefer something more in the 1095 carbon steel range.
 
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