52100 or 1095

J

jawilder

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
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I am wanting to do a run of several kitchen knives. Not that I have any particular fondness of them, but it is one way to make a knife without feeling compaled to make a blasted sheath.

Aldo has both 52100 and 1095 ground to .110/.120 in stock and I'm on the fence as to which to get.

I know that 52100 is on high demand right now but also know that 1095 has been a go to steel for kitchen knives for decades.

52100 may be a bit more corrosion resistant, but 1095 can produce a hamon

Both require exact temps to HT but there seems to be less steps involved with 1095

Is there anything I'm missing?
Thanks,
Jason
 
I seem to remember that 52100 has slightly better edge retention. Besides, the patina that the 1095 will eventually get will cover the hamon to some point, and so that becomes less of a factor.
 
W2 would be a better selling option than 1095 if you wanted the hamon. Aldo is supposed to be getting more "skinny" W2 in the next month or so.
 
Appearances aside, I'd take 52100. It's a direct upgrade to 1095 in performance, though it's more expensive. Why are there more steps with 52100, especially if you want a hamon on your 1095?
 
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