A2 Steel or D2?

[Jeff Clark]

Thanks for the explanation omcjf, that makes a lot of sense. If you're chopping your way through tough material in an industrial environment softer makes a lot of sense.

 

[Foilist]

I just got my first D2 knife, a Queen gunstock slipjoint from Derrick - very nice (my other knives are all A2, 1095, or various flavors of stainless).

The overall quality if the Queen is excellent, but the blades' bevels are very lopsided. What is the best way to even them out and apply a really keen edge? At my disposal for sharpening I have a DMT medium grit, a ceramic dogbone, coarse, medium and fine stones, and some fine grits of wet/dry sandpaper. Would any combination of these do a decent job, or should I get something else?

 

[MORIMOTOM]

DOG PILE ON LYCOSA!!!!!





i like both a2 and d2. but my appreciation of the various steels is the result of the makers from whom i chose to buy. i dont seek out particular steels, only particular makers.

if a maker offers the same knife in different steels, i chose the one with which i have had the best experiences.

the only d2 knives i have owned have been from bob dozier. the only a2 knives i have owned have been from chris reeve. both take and hold an extremely sharp edge. i have not noticed any appreciable difference in these areas with these steels.

i can say that the knives i have gotten from dozier were sharper from the factory than those from crk. probably has nothing to do with the steel, but how sharp each maker choses grind their products.

oops. i have a d2 rat3, and a d2 busse filet. and an a2 busse. but the rest is accurate.

yes i quoted myself.

 

[omcjf]

Thanks for the explanation omcjf, that makes a lot of sense. If you're chopping your way through tough material in an industrial environment softer makes a lot of sense.

No problem at all and sorry if I was misleading. I appreciated your gentle correction of my line of thinking much more than others who simply want to take pokes at you, without knowing you from Adam, and give you the vast depth of knowledge that they have and think you want to know ( no names mentioned ). You, sir, are a class act.

 

[Ben Dover]

"much" in bold print. Is the difference really that noticeable?

I still like A2 because, try as I might, I cannot get D2 as sharp as A2, or as sharp as any other steel for that matter ( I admit this may be due to technique or lack of experience).

I can appreciate that some folks like D2 alot, but it no longer does anything for me. Now, IF I could someday get my RAT-3 *scary sharp*, I might be tempted to order a Dozier or other fine D2 bladed knife.

Stretch, it's very noticeable to me. Having said that, I dearly love my Bark River knives, especially the Notrhstar. But my Bob Doziers do hold an edge quite a bit better.

I like the convex edge of the Bark Rivers better than the hollow grind that Dozier uses, but I like Dozier's steel better.
So I did the only logical thing. I bought both!

 

[topher]

I am looking for a general purpose hunting/camping knife (not a chopper) and am trying to decide between A2 steel or D2.

Well, since you specifically say you're not looking for a chopper, I'd go with D2, hands down.

A2 is, in my experience, a "tougher" steel. Ideal for things like big choppers. However, it is very much a carbon steel (non-stainless), and that necessitates a little extra care. Edge holding is good, and sharpening is fairly easy.

D2 isn't quite as tough, and I generally wouldn't choose it for a larger knife or a chopper. However, it's almost stainless, and has great wear resistance. The edge holding is fantastic, although the same qualities that make it stay sharp for a really long time also make it a little harder to sharpen.

For a general purpose knife, D2 is one of my absolute favorite steels. I've had great experiences with it, the fact that it's almost stainless (D2 has around 12% chromium, and a steel is usually called stainless at 13% or higher (for reference, A2 has around 5%)) makes it a lot more care free than other non-stainless high carbon steels. A Queen slipjoint in D2 has been part of my EDC rotation for years, and I have a set of three custom woodcarving knives in D2 that I love whittling with.