Anyone else start their knife habit in stainless steel but prefer carbon now?

Z

Zero_Time

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I started collecting knives a while back, and of course, preferred stainless steel, as my first gerber was.

Now, after years of collecting, using, and sharpening, I find that I lean towards carbon steel.

I've just found that I prefer the simplicity of carbon, the character, ease of sharpening, and general edge stability they bring to longer blades/less relative chipping. I still have and appreciate stainless, especially when it comes in a well-executed knife design (folders), but in general, my preference is for carbon.

Am I the only one?

Zero

*Note: I did just get my first douk douk, and I may have a little crush on it, so this may be part of it.
 
Years ago, when a knife was offered in a stainless steel, my first thought was it must be better. Have learned a lot since that time. I prefer carbon steel overall, but I do like to try out some of the new steels which are stainless. The rust issue was never one of my real concerns. My first stainless steel knife might very well been a Gerber too. I went through a period where I used the Gator as a hunting and field knife. That was after carrying a larger Schrade (250T) for years. Like that knife a lot.
 
Started with stainless, added some carbon steel, find that I like both pretty well. It's a little easier for me to get a really good refined edge on the carbon but not enough to make a big difference. In general usage I carry stainless more often than carbon.
 
I started with Carbon and later got stainless. I still prefer good carbon steel for most applications. Quality carbon steel is easier to sharpen, cuts a little better, and holds an edge very well. Stainless is good, too, and is easier to care for in extreme conditions, but the quality stuff is harder to sharpen than the carbon steel.
 
I started with carbon steel, having been allowed by my Dad to adopt an old pocket knife from the tool drawer in the late 1950's.

I have long since learned to prefer stainless, but I still carry a fair number of carbon steel knives.
 
Stainless for EDC
Carbon for innawoods

I have a bad habit of "neglecting" my EDC so having corrosion resistance is important to me. That little shortcoming doesn't extend to my woods blade.
Besides, carbon is much easier to sharpen
 
knarfeng said:
I started with carbon steel, having been allowed by my Dad to adopt an old pocket knife from the tool drawer in the late 1950's.

I have long since learned to prefer stainless, but I still carry a fair number of carbon steel knives.
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Knarfeng, you're quite knowledgeable on the subject of steels, and frankly one of the people I hoped would comment.

What are your preferred steels, and why do you prefer stainless? I find especially when someone asks for a knife or steel recommendation, I tell them if they can live with the patina and not let their knives soak, carbon will be a better blade for them.

Zero
 
Most of my favourite knives are in carbon, but that is only because they are not available in stainless (except for a mistake I made in ordering...). Carbon blades are easier to sharpen with stones, because they don't carve into the stone and deform its true flatness (I sharpen in a stroke paralell to the edge, which tends to eat grooves into stones): Flatter surfaces allows finer edges. Since diamond hones have been available, that argument is dead (around 30 years now), and there is no real reason for carbon blades to exist (other than ease of manufacturing), as stainless blades of equivalent quality are better in every respect. Bernard Levine said it best, quoting in agreement a knife company president:

"The president of a major knife company put it very well when he said to me that preferring carbon steel knives over stainless steel ones is like preferring vacuum tube radios over transistor ones."

Gaston
 
I started with carbon...have a collection of various stainless, both folder and fixed. The longer I'm into knives, the more I appreciate the subtleties of a prime carbon steel. A few varied cases in point:

The 1095 of my '60's Schrade-Walden Deerslayer, full flat grind.

The Hitachi White 2 center of my BK-11 san mai. convex grind.

The Nordic steel of my long-time leuku. sabre grind.​

I like the way good carbon sharpens (in fact I think it's the most fun to sharpen of all steels), the edge it will take, its toughness and the way you can let it age or keep it new-looking. Rust has never really been a problem for me. IMO carbon steel makes a "real" knife.

And Gaston, a good tube set DOES sound better than a transistor radio.
 
Rather than side-track the thread, I sent you an email, Zero.
 
I can't really say I have a preference one over the other. But my last three purchases have been handmade 1095 fixed blades. :D
 
While I prefer a carbon steel for fixed blades I like the balance of stainless and carbon that D2 brings to the table for folders. It's the best of both worlds in my opinion when heat treated correctly. I do prefer a carbon steels in traditional's however. D2, A2, and 1095 are my all-around favorites for everything.
 
I have enough problems with stainless steel rusting as it is that I don't think I'll ever use carbon steel in any of my knives.
 
I have carbon steel in most of my fixed blades, my folders are mostly all stainless.
 
In my mind, stainless vs carbon is the wrong distinction. Better to distinguish between fine and high carbide steels. IMO, things really changed with Schrade's heat treatment of 440A and Buck's heat treatment of 420HC.

I grew up with carbon steel Ulster BSA knives, and with family made carbon steel kitchen knives. Patina is what a knife should look like in my mind's eye.

In high school, I got a Buck 110 with 440C steel. Took many years to figure out how to sharpen it. Huge difference between 440C and 1095.


As I see it, there are 3 major groups of steels:

COURSE/MEDIUM CARBIDE STEELS - As Frank says, come to the dark side. We have carbides. 440C, D2, 3V and so on. Better edge retention, more work to sharpen unless you a) are good or b) have decent stones. [insert perennial debate on ease of sharpening here]

JUNK FINE CARBIDE STEELS - This is the early stainless that gave stainless a bad name. Nameless "surgical steel", poorly heat treated Inox (yes, Victorinox, you) and 440A, 420J2. The stuff is soft and gummy, wears down fast, rolls easily... blech.

GOOD FINE CARBIDE STEELS - Heat treated in the 56Rc and up range, and often in the 58Rc range. Buck's 420HC. Schrade USA's 1095 and 440A. Opinel's 12C27. Mora's 12C27 and carbon.

I honestly can't tell the difference between Buck's 420HC, Schrade USA's 440A, Schrade USA's 1095, Mora's Carbon and Opinel's 12C27. All are heat treated to around 58Rc. All are very tough. All take a very fine edge. All are very easy to sharpen and touch up.
 
Hi All,
Just joined the forum today but have been reading it alot lately but maye not enough. Good stuff here. After reading this thread I realized all my folders are SS and my fixed is 1095. Do they even make any 1095 folding knives? Just wondering... HAHA never mind, founs ALOT of them duh :-)
TIA
evs
 
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DocT said:
I started with Carbon and later got stainless. I still prefer good carbon steel for most applications. Quality carbon steel is easier to sharpen, cuts a little better, and holds an edge very well. Stainless is good, too, and is easier to care for in extreme conditions, but the quality stuff is harder to sharpen than the carbon steel.
Click to expand...

+1 ... pretty much sums up for me as well.
 
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