440C vs D2

verisharp

verisharp

Joined
Jan 15, 2011
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what do you prefer? i'm lookin at the benchmade rant... they offer it in both d2 and 44C. I've heard D2 is extremely tough but is prone to chipping. 440C is softer that D2, but is easier to sharpen... is that statement correct, and what steel would you choose?
 
I have a D2 Bone Collector with a 10 degree per side (20 degrees inclusive) edge. No chipping issues and I use it from food prep to cutting irrigation pipe.

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No issues.

The biggest thing that one should consider is if you want stain resistance. 440C is more stain resistant the D2. D2 will darken over time and needs light maintenance. I have done some crazy things in some humid environments without any rust issues.

D2 is more time consuming to sharpen yes, not harder, only more time consuming, but the edge retention is better then on 440C in my experience and I have 440C heat treated by a custom maker. It is a good steel yes, both old steels, but I prefer D2 since for my purposes it can take a much finer edge and hold it.
 
marthinus said:
No issues.

The biggest thing that one should consider is if you want stain resistance. 440C is more stain resistant the D2. D2 will darken over time and needs light maintenance. I have done some crazy things in some humid environments without any rust issues.

D2 is more time consuming to sharpen yes, not harder, only more time consuming, but the edge retention is better then on 440C in my experience and I have 440C heat treated by a custom maker. It is a good steel yes, both old steels, but I prefer D2 since for my purposes it can take a much finer edge and hold it.
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Well... I don't know how to say it any better than that! I think it is interesting that 440C is staging a bit of a comeback, even among certain custom knife makers. Both are fine steels.

I too would give the edge to D2, (no pun intended!) on the sharpness, and even in my sweaty jeans pockets I have had little or no problems with rust. That is amazing to me since the carbon content is so high.

I have 7-8 knives in D2. They are small folders from Queen, large work knives from Kershaw, and large fixed blades from Ontario. Never once has one of those knives chipped an edge, no matter what I do to it, not even when using it badly during my construction day.

Either of those steels should suit you fine.

Robert
 
d2 is my pick.
it will hold an edge alot longer than 440c, but is prone to rust without care.
I hear alot about d2 chipping but I have never had a problem with it.
here is the kicker d2 is a pain to sharpen if you dont know what your doing, and if you are new to sharpening I would go with the 440c model.
 
I have the Rant in D2 and realy like it. Holds an edge forever. Get diaond sharpener and no problems. If D2 rusts, it does not do it much.
 
I have owned a Benchmade 201 with D2 steel and it was extremely sharp. I sold it off to a friend and he's been enjoying it very much. It was extremely sharp out of the box!
 
While D2 is reputed to be relatively brittle, it is actually not more brittle than 440C while being more wear resistant. Of course 440C is more stain resistant.
 
Depends on if you favor a slight gain in stain resistance versus a slight gain in edge retention. I favor the latter so I would choose D2...but 440C is a good blade steel nd nothing to sneeze at.
 
D2 not to bad for vintage tool steel:D and unlike 440c you can get it to take a forced patina.
 
softrockrenegade said:
Can you please elaborate in this statement ?
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I'm guessing he's referring to BM's tendency to underharden their steels with their HT. They work well, but they don't hold an edge quite as long as the same steel from a different manufacturer.

Out of the two, I'd definitely chose D2.
 
I actually think both of these are underrated, but I always pick D2--but then, I don't use it on food and I live in a dry area so for me it's a no brainer.
 
440C, any day of the week, from most manufacturers, and definitely from a custom maker who knows what he's doing.

From Benchmade? 440C.

I look at it this way, after using a crap-load of knives in steels including:
AUS-6
AUS-8
VG-10
A2
D2
M2
440V
440C
S30V
ATS-34
ATS-55
GIN-1
1095
L6
O1
Sandvik 12C27
420HC
MBS-26

and a couple of mystery steels like are used in Moras, Erickssons, Jarvenpaa, and a couple other Nordic makers.

Anyway, after using knives in all those steels, i've come to the conclusion that every knife I'm ever going to buy is going to get dull sometime. When that happens, I want to be able to bring it back to razor sharpness in a reasonable amount of time. Balancing the duration of edge holding with the duration of re-establishing the edge after it inevitably dulls, and factoring in any concerns for corrosion, 440C easily ranks in the top 5 on my list, along with 1095, VG-10, AUS-8, O1, in no particular order.

And to be quite honest, having knives in D2 from a couple of WELL KNOWN and LIKED custom makers, as well as Benchmade, it ranks well down on MY list, although probably in the top 50%.
 
verisharp said:
what do you prefer? i'm lookin at the benchmade rant... they offer it in both d2 and 44C. I've heard D2 is extremely tough but is prone to chipping. 440C is softer that D2, but is easier to sharpen... is that statement correct, and what steel would you choose?
Click to expand...

I have several knives in both alloys.
D2 will hold an edge significantly longer.
440C is significantly more corrosion resistant.

I find neither is particularly prone to chipping if used for cutting.
Neither is an alloy I would pick for a chopper.
 
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