Am I a steel snob?

Lapedog said:
@Insipid Moniker I’m starting a new type of steel snob movement for people who think the “good ol’” 154cm, Ats-34, 14c28n, Vg10 and n690 tier of steels is number one. It’s called “Steel Hipsters.”
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You named two of my all time favorite steels but also my least favorite. I love 154cm and 14c28n but don’t care much for VG10.
 
Sharps77 said:
While I may have numerous knives of various construction and steel types, I catch myself gravitating toward the higher end powdered "super steels". To many times, as of late, I see a knife that I am instantly attracted to and feel as though life will end if I don't possess said knife. Then, as I research the knife, I find that it is 440c or 14n28 for example, and I immediately get turned off. Now I know that these steels can, will, and have served many for previous years and for many years to come. Hell, one of my favorite knives is made from O1. So why has my preference become somewhat grandiose? I am fairly certain that I could never use 3V (without trying) to point of failure, so why should it matter, right? I'm not sure that it does, but that's just the way my mind has been working lately. I'm sure that I am not the only person experiencing this, am I?
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I think one is a steel connosouir to prefer a better steel, but a steel snob to scoff at steels perfectly capable of doing a task. If you can sharpen, it's all the same as long as it can retain the edge till Im home. I use a sharpmaker, so better steel just takes longer to dull and sharpen so the ratio of use to sharpening is the same, it's just frequent touch ups vs less frequent sharpening but more time to do so. That said, I am not a tradesman who is hard on their pocket knives daily. Also, my favorite steels are cuts xhp, zdp 189 and my new m390 is growing on me quickly, but not gunna need to sharpen it for a while i predict. But my 8cr13mov does everything the better steels do.
 
It's fun to try new steels out and see how they perform. Go for it! I myself don't limit purchases to just super steels though. I want to know about them all!
 
I am definitely not a steel snob, as some of my most beloved knives are Victorinox SAKs.

But most of the "nicer" knives (fit and finish, quality of materials, quality of construction, attention to detail, handle and blade design, customer service, etc...) tend to use a more premium blade-steel.

And I do appreciate the performance of the more premium steels.....
so long as they are not too much of a PITA to sharpen.
And If it's a wilderness survival blade, it must be able to be sharpened with just a smooth stone IMHO.
 
Sharps77 said:
While I may have numerous knives of various construction and steel types, I catch myself gravitating toward the higher end powdered "super steels". To many times, as of late, I see a knife that I am instantly attracted to and feel as though life will end if I don't possess said knife. Then, as I research the knife, I find that it is 440c or 14n28 for example, and I immediately get turned off. Now I know that these steels can, will, and have served many for previous years and for many years to come. Hell, one of my favorite knives is made from O1. So why has my preference become somewhat grandiose? I am fairly certain that I could never use 3V (without trying) to point of failure, so why should it matter, right? I'm not sure that it does, but that's just the way my mind has been working lately. I'm sure that I am not the only person experiencing this, am I?
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There's nothing wrong with liking super steel,heck there's nothing with premium steels...and there's nothing wrong with traditional steel either. Unfortunately there's a pack of steel snobs that'll try to pitch premium and try to say traditional steel is crap.It'll dull out cutting 5 pieces of rope or won't hold up dig weed roots from the dirt...something they'll say to the average user to make them think they need premium despite limited use.I'll give a good example...CRKT back in the mid 90's to early 2000's and their AUS-6 Stainless Steel for most of their knives.Dig up some old threads and you'll find a gaggle of people talking it down while a few say it performed fine and wasn't junk.

Here's AUS-6 by CRKT in action...

There was nothing ever wrong with AUS-6 by CRKT and most of the negativity was pitched by two kinds of people.Steel snobs that don't like any brand that's not USA made to cater to the average user...they'll stoop as low to bash Taiwan.People that had one of the few models by CRKT in AUS-8 and dramatized the edge retention differential with AUS-6 as being awful.

Can't trust a identified 'steel snob' because they're dishonest and part of that whining flock that could never be happy with any mass production brand.These people I'd say jumped into interest on modern knives in the early 2000's and are truthfully under 30 years old.Do the math-if I'm wrong on age these people have such demanding taste then Schrade,Buck,Camillus,Imperial,or even CRKT couldn't have even made them happy.They have no business talking about the 'good old days' because there was no steel grade offered that could satisfy them.
 
I am in the same boat, Spyderco got me with all their super steels and special release. My favorite is maxamet, and I would have trouble coming up with many reasons why... oh well, I’m having fun so no worries.
 
Nothing wrong with being a steel snob.

Does HC Steel or 440C adequately perform the functions of a cutting tool? Sure they do, but the search for more wear resistance, better corrosion resistance, more toughness (etc, etc) is what drives the knife industry to find and present materials that may never otherwise get looked at.

I am a steel enthusiast, and enjoy making knives with more advanced materials.
 
Lapedog said:
@Insipid Moniker I’m starting a new type of steel snob movement for people who think the “good ol’” 154cm, Ats-34, 14c28n, Vg10 and n690 tier of steels is number one. It’s called “Steel Hipsters.”
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I'm a fan of ATS-34 (I like Japanese steel) and BG-42...I'd say the hipsters are pushing the powder steels and would consider my taste outdated.I use ATS-34 in my job...but I like to carry traditional steel in my personal time.I just don't need the high wear resistance rather than the sharpening ease and higher level of sharpness.I work as a service tech and we have clients in downtown Asheville...nothing but dumb hipsters and liberals spouting praise of Karl Marx in conversations of their rainbow colored society.

I go into one of the restaurants a few years ago on a job and see the bartender with a Benchmade Gaucho. 'Coexist' and Hillary Clinton campaign bumper stickers for sale at the cash register.Some little hipster bartender with a pony tail,castro hat,and glasses where I'm working.Cuts open a case of local/micro-brew beer and is stocking it.Another hipster employee comes and they start talking and shows them his knife and starts talking up the steel.He says 'man this M4 is awesome...I broke down 8 cases of beer with it and it's still razor sharp'.I couldn't help but think about what a moron that guy was.He probably ran home to use M4 to cut open his shipment of tofu and Starbuck's coffee and considers it 'heavy use'.One of the types of 'steel snob' posters here that pitches super steels yet probably never owned a knife before.Very light users with overkill steel that they wear at their ANTIFA rallies.

They have no yard with Wisteria to cut down.They have no small game on their property to kill,clean,and eat.Most of them dwell in the city and don't river fish.Yet these are the kind of people pitching super steel to people or so called enthsiasts?...hipsters are embarrassments to the male species.
 
Frotier76 said:
I'm a fan of ATS-34 (I like Japanese steel) and BG-42...I'd say the hipsters are pushing the powder steels and would consider my taste outdated.I use ATS-34 in my job...but I like to carry traditional steel in my personal time.I just don't need the high wear resistance rather than the sharpening ease and higher level of sharpness.I work as a service tech and we have clients in downtown Asheville...nothing but dumb hipsters and liberals spouting praise of Karl Marx in conversations of their rainbow colored society.

I go into one of the restaurants a few years ago on a job and see the bartender with a Benchmade Gaucho. 'Coexist' and Hillary Clinton campaign bumper stickers for sale at the cash register.Some little hipster bartender with a pony tail,castro hat,and glasses where I'm working.Cuts open a case of local/micro-brew beer and is stocking it.Another hipster employee comes and they start talking and shows them his knife and starts talking up the steel.He says 'man this M4 is awesome...I broke down 8 cases of beer with it and it's still razor sharp'.I couldn't help but think about what a moron that guy was.He probably ran home to use M4 to cut open his shipment of tofu and Starbuck's coffee and considers it 'heavy use'.One of the types of 'steel snob' posters here that pitches super steels yet probably never owned a knife before.Very light users with overkill steel that they wear at their ANTIFA rallies.

They have no yard with Wisteria to cut down.They have no small game on their property to kill,clean,and eat.Most of them dwell in the city and don't river fish.Yet these are the kind of people pitching super steel to people or so called enthsiasts?...hipsters are embarrassments to the male species.
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You will be assimilated.
 
I'm the opposite of the OP. I own enough knives made of expensive supersteel. I don't need any more. When I see a new knife I like, I look at the "supersteel tax included" price and roll my eyes. Sadly the knives with the best fit and finish etc. are only available in supersteels, which makes no real sense.
 
Understood...let's keep this on topic.

But for the record I didn't see anything humorous about that comment.
 
Frotier76 said:
Understood...let's keep this on topic.

But for the record I didn't see anything humorous about that comment.
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It was a reference to the Borg.

"You will be assimilated" and "resistance is futile" are fairly common phrases generally uttered towards those that are thinking about stepping or diving into the deep end of a hobby. It's a sort of way to say welcome to the craziness that is knife collecting.

"Steel Hipsters" was fairly clear jest about the topic of steel snobs and not a commentary about "hipsters" in our culture. That's why I saw "You will be assimilated" as a comment towards your steel preference and not about your political analysis about "hipsters".

 
Would it help if I used a homemade pot-metal shiv to take the plastic off a copy of Murray Rothbard's "The Ethics of Liberty"?

Seriously though, "hipster" and "steel snob" are pretty broad categories that get tossed around with little regard for degree. Different steels have different properties. These properties can be compared. There are ways in which one steel might be better than another. How is recognizing that a bad thing? How is technological advancement a bad thing?

Maybe we should be looking at the knife steel Luddites around here instead...
 
I have the same problem with finding sweet knives with crappy sheaths. Though much easily remedied with an aftermarket.
 
benchwarmer380 said:
It was a reference to the Borg.

"You will be assimilated" and "resistance is futile" are fairly common phrases generally uttered towards those that are thinking about stepping or diving into the deep end of a hobby. It's a sort of way to say welcome to the craziness that is knife collecting.

"Steel Hipsters" was fairly clear jest about the topic of steel snobs and not a commentary about "hipsters" in our culture. That's why I saw "You will be assimilated" as a comment towards your steel preference and not about your political analysis about "hipsters".
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Have to say that I like the term "Steel Hipsters". Don't think I ever noticed it until this thread. It's okay to like the newer powdered steels. The "old" stuff works too. But new is fun. Resistance IS futile for sure if you like knives.

This assumes you have the money to support the hobby.
 
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