Am I nutts for liking softer steels?

fulloflead

fulloflead

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May 3, 2002
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Am I nutts for liking softer steels?

I'm the kind of guy who doesn't mind sharpening my knives. Therefore I don't mind the softer steels like the ones that CRKT, SOG, etc uses. I just got a Ka-Bar and I loved the way I was able to sharpen it up.

I know that the current trend is toward ATS-34 and similar edge-keeping steels, but I just don't get that excited about those. I have to work my Arse off to sharpen an ATS-34 blade to hair-poppin' sharp; while it takes MUCH less work to get there with an AUS-6 or AUS-8 or GIN-1 other blade or something like that.

I totally don't mind sharpening knives so I'd rather spend 10 minutes sharpening one of the softer steels every two weeks than sweat over an ATS-34 knife once every two months.

I also feel that some of the softer steels respond to sharpening and stropping better than the harder steels.

Am I nutts for prefering the softer steels?
Does anyone else like some of these softer steels?
 
I do.

I'm very, very fond of three steels: AUS-8, VG-10, and Rostfrei. I don't know if soft is the right word to describe the first and the last -- I imagine you could make them all as hard as you wanted, via heat treating -- but those two are very easy to sharpen but don't hold an edge as long, which is what I think you were getting about.

VG-10 is the only steel I've found that does both, at least in my experience. That's why that one's in there too.

But given a choice between 440V and AUS-8, disregarding everything except sharpenability and edge holding, I'll take AUS-8 pretty much every time.
 
I think that way to much emphasis is placed on having the next greatest steel in your new knife. Especially with EDC folders. Knives are cutting tools not hammers and by it very nature a folding knife is not a hard use tool, yes, yes, I know that your Sebenza will cut a car clean in half and your Strider will pierce a tank.

A softer steel does indeed sharpen quicker and unless you need to pierce car doors everyday I don't see anything wrong with carrying it.
For those individuals here whos job or hobby includes piercing car doors, by all means test and experiment until you find the perfect steel.

I use my EDC knives for opening mail, cutting ropes, trimming a broken finger nail, so steel selection is never a concern of mine when buying a new Spyderco, SOG, or Al Mar. As for my EDC knives, a few passes across ceramic and I'm good to go.:)
 
Well I can't say I'm a fan of the AUS 6M variety from CRKT but both my AUS 8's on my Spyderco Endura and my CRKT C/K Pro have given me good service.

They are not the 'supersteels' like some of the other blades I own but they hold a decent everyday utility edge for me and they are dead easy to sharpen on the 204.

I'm actually pretty sure that my Endura will be the 'last man standing' in my collection years and years from now.
 
"softer" steels. They open the mail, cut threads, packing tape and the occasional bagel. They'll even open a soup can in extremis. They wont shave after a soup can, but hey, I have a Mach III for that;)

Frank
 
Really good and fresh perspective and you make a good case for yourself. You're sure to raise eyebrows from the die-hards who find some Zen "oneness" in spending time putting that edge on the knife. It's part of being a knife nut.

But I know what you mean. I don't have a lot of time nor patience to spend honing and honing. I often think I'd sooner have a knife that won't last as long but I can sharpen quickly on the fly. I've thought about buying a small Old Timer, or Victorinox Swiss Army, as a back up EDC.

And truthfully, I don't need a knife that will last me a lifetime. Just long enough until the next cool one comes out! ;)
 
Originally posted by Full Tang Clan

And truthfully, I don't need a knife that will last me a lifetime. Just long enough until the next cool one comes out! ;)
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True That :)
 
You're not nutts at all.
You know what works for you
Try this (with your favorite steels) strop them on a cardboard box after you use them. It works great on my AUS 6 CRKT and the old carbon steel slip joints too.
 
I love AST34/154CM and 1095 carbon steel, both great for using and the 1095 is the sharpest steel i know of and stays sharp a long time, both with the proper heat treat of course and yes the AST34 stays sharp longer then 1095 but i sure don't care because like i said i love them both!

James
 
nothing wrong with that!!!
I do say that I like sharpening a kabar!! real quick!!!

my high end folders with ats-34, vg-10, gin-1, 154cm, ect need the ceramics to get to par, but thats ok!!! once the edge is there, its there for a while!!!!
 
After everything I have tried, I find I like simple carbon steels the best. So it rusts, you just have to maintain it and that is part of the fun for me. It has the best cross of sharpening ease and edge holding I have found, very important for me as I mostly use my knives for whittling.
 
With all the steels that are available, nothing cuts better than my Victorinox SAKs.

Paul
 
I like simple steels best as a rule myself. Oh, I get all excited and usually buy a knife with the latest and greatest steel when it comes out, but usually trade it off and get my old Schrade-Walden Stockman out again.:)

I do like VG-10 the way Spyderco does it, and I'd like to try some 3V.

But in general, for knives I'm going to use a lot, give me 1095, 52100, 1084, or something similar. I don't have 10 pages of scientific data defending my choice, and I don't care. I just know what I like.
 
I enjoy sharpening. I find it a relaxing past-time.

But, it's not so relaxing if you have to stop a job to sharpen a knife.

I do like some "soft" steels - AUS 8, for example. But, I think I could live without AUS 6.

ATS 34 can be a b$%$# to sharpen. That's why I try to stick with VG10. :)

-- Rob
 
Originally posted by Quiet Storm
"Rostfrei" is not a steel, it´s the German term for "stainless".
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Of course. But as far as I can tell, it's the accepted shorthand for "the steel that Victorinox uses with Rostfrei written on the blade." Like Kleenex or Xerox or yo-yo.

In case anyone didn't know to what I was referring, well, there you go.
 
Originally posted by JamesA
Of course. But as far as I can tell, it's the accepted shorthand for "the steel that Victorinox uses with Rostfrei written on the blade." Like Kleenex or Xerox or yo-yo.
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The steel in the SAK's is just fine; lots of Chinese and Pakistani junk knives also say "Rostfrei" on them.
If a knife says "Stainless" on the blade, will you buy it?
There's no difference.
I also like the Victorinox steel. It cuts well and holds an edge for the uses I put it to. If you go to their web site they have some information on it.
 
yields no real usable information on the type of steel they use. However, seeing as almost every German maker uses one of the incarnations of 440, as does many other european makers, I would suspect that Victorinox falls into that category.
 
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