Alternative to VG-10 steel for horticulture?

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gomipile

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Apr 17, 2010
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I'm helping someone design a custom knife for pruning and splicing plants. I know VG-10 is one of the best steels for this, and I think I heard that it was designed for this purpose. However, I do not believe that VG-10 is available outside Japan in stock form that we could provide to a local custom knifemaker.

So, what is an equally good or better steel for horticulture that I can order a bar of?
 
N680, N690, and N695 are said to have quite good corrosion resistence and decent edge holding capabilities and would be suitable for horticulturing IMO. Ive also heard that CTS XHP has similar characteristics as VG10. If looking for a comprimise between edge holding and corrosion resistence Elmax is quite good.
 
ELMAX is another highly corrosion resistant steel with realy good edge retention.
 
RevDevil said:
ELMAX is another highly corrosion resistant steel with realy good edge retention.
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Yes it does. :)

Also N690 very similar to VG-10 performance and corrosion resistance and it's very widely used over in Europe.
 
I'm actually more concerned about the fineness of the edge than edge retention per-se. Do those steels take as fine or finer of an edge as VG-10?
 
That's good, because it looks like I can get Elmax bar stock at a very, very reasonable price.
 
gomipile said:
That's good, because it looks like I can get Elmax bar stock at a very, very reasonable price.
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ELMAX will take a very, very fine edge, it's 3rd generation PM Technology and VERY clean.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Sandvic 14C28N has similar properties to VG-10.
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EXCUSE ME???

14C28N can be tempered to good hardness and is quite stain resistant. But 14C28N has no carbides and does not have anywhere near the wear resistance of VG10.
 
I don't understand the rankings of steel in some of the threads in the forum. For example, I have used VG10 for some time in the kitchen, and it has much better wear resistance, by far, than 440C. I would estimate 3X the time between sharpening with similar use. In one thread, I saw VG10 in the same "category" as 5160 and AUS8. I haven't used my blades in 5160 much, but the steel has the reputation of being tough, but not especially good for edge holding. The 5160 steel has much lower carbon content than 440C, VG10, or even AUS8. I doubt that AUS8 is going to do better than VG10 in edge holding.
My experience has been that I have gotten similar performance from 154CM and ATS 34 as my knives in VG10. I don't know why, but I have always found it easier to sharpen VG10.
 
While ElMax would be my first choice, I think you'd find CPM 154 to handle your needs quite well, too.
 
I would also go with CPM 154 at a high hardness. Grafting wood doesn't sound terribly abrasive, if it is you may as well go with S35VN (it can go a little harder than S30V).

All of Crucible's powder steels should take an equally fine edge, which steel to use depends on how much abrasion resistance you want.
 
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I'll second CPM 154. It seems to sharpen up to an incredibly fine edge easily, especially when you take it up to the finer grits. Not only that, but it's easier for custom makers to get a hold of and work with than a lot of comparable stainless steels.
 
arty said:
I don't understand the rankings of steel in some of the threads in the forum. For example, I have used VG10 for some time in the kitchen, and it has much better wear resistance, by far, than 440C. I would estimate 3X the time between sharpening with similar use. In one thread, I saw VG10 in the same "category" as 5160 and AUS8. I haven't used my blades in 5160 much, but the steel has the reputation of being tough, but not especially good for edge holding. The 5160 steel has much lower carbon content than 440C, VG10, or even AUS8. I doubt that AUS8 is going to do better than VG10 in edge holding.
My experience has been that I have gotten similar performance from 154CM and ATS 34 as my knives in VG10. I don't know why, but I have always found it easier to sharpen VG10.
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Your experiences are similar to mine. I went so far as to do some comparison testing and generate a chart. The chart is based on my testing, but the results also mirror my observations of real-world use.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...tainless-alloys-using-a-visual-inspection-tec

RelativeRetentions-2.jpg
 
Interesting that VG10 and 154CM are so comperable. I would have thought 154CM was a more robust steel all around. Thanks for doing the legwork and sharing that, it's fun learning about this stuff. :thumbup:
 
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