Anyone ever 'regressed' where steels are concerned?

For me it is all about Money, If I have it I spend on higher end steels, soon my situation will change and If I buy at all will most likely be cheaper stuff, like 1095 steel blades.
 
I'd be happy with 1095 and a good HT for everything, although I do really like D2 and VG10. I use knives with A2, D2, S30V, 154CM, and CPM154 as well, but that's because of the knife, not the blade steel. I've also had M4, M390, ZDP189, CPM-D2, and BG42. Got rid of all of 'em. The only thing I still have is a ZDP189 Caly 3. I kept that one just to have a complete Caly 3 collection, I don't use her.

Extreme edge holding is overrated AFAIC. For my uses, I'd rather have a steel that really tough and fairly easy to work. I know how to sharpen and I know how to use a knife without doing unintentional damage to the edge, so toughness and workability are the most imortant things to me. Corrosion's a non-issue for me, even here in Georgia and using my stuff outdoors.
 
When I first started reading up on new steels I just had to had the latest and greatest and thought that anything else was a stupid waste of money. For a while there some folks convinced me that slipjoints were a huge safety hazard, even though I'd been getting along just fine with my SAKs for years.

Luckily I met a bladesmith that set me on the right track again. He made me a couple of fixed blades for a job I landed as a hunting/wilderness guide. He told me they were made out of some new alloy he was testing out, turned out one of them was 1095, the other was 5160. This was around ten years ago and he still jokes about it, I'll never hear the end of it.

I still like modern stainless steels. I live in a very humid coast city so my EDC is pretty much limited to stainless blades, but I've learned to love simple carbon steels for fixed blades and EDC folders in the colder months. I just love how well they perform, and how nicely they age. VG-10, S30V, 154CM, ATS34, I'll take any of those with a good geometry.
 
I have. I was very interested in hype and steels for a little while. Now I'm perfectly happy with 8Cr13Mov and D2 and 440C. For me the expensive steels simply don't warrant the price hike. As long as the stuff is good that's good enough for me. It doesn't have to be SUPER. Just Good will do me.

When MAKING though I have my preferences: Niolox (SB1) for stainless and 1.2519 for carbon. I've found these to be easy to work with, very flexible in application and very good in the edge retaining departement.
 
CPM-D2 is my favourite, not sure why but it just appeals to me. Being a grind monkey I dont look at ease of sharpening since putting a new edge is always "easy" with the sander + trizact belts. Love the polish VG-10 can take with relative ease, cant say I like S30V much...seems a bit plain for my tastes.

Cant say I have regressed or evolved, I have my preferences however edge geometry will always best steel (for me).
 
I like S30V's edge retention properties in my EDC folders as opposed to some of the other popular steels out there. 154CM, for as difficult as it is for me to sharpen, doesn't stay very sharp for very long. To me, it isn't much better than properly heat treated AUS-8 or 440C. D2 is really hard for me to sharpen and it doesn't outperform S30V enough for me to prefer it. The harder stainless alloys are too expensive for me, other than M390 and I've only just started using it so time will tell.

For my harder use outdoor knives, like my fixed blades, I prefer carbon steels like 1095, A2, O1, stuff like that works really well for me and is generally affordable.

I also like some carbon steels in folders, but they are hard to come by in the brands and designs I prefer.

There are lots I have no experience with and I'm no metallurgist so my findings are just based on personal findings, and actual use.
 
knarfeng said:
Come again?
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Ya know how Aus8 takes that really nice razor edge with little hassle , 154CM acts the same for me. As opposed to one of the fancier steels that requires more time and effort to acquire the same result.

See ?

Tostig
 
Blade geometry is more important to me than the differences in top-grade steels. However, in today's market, it's easy to have both. I really, really like 52100 by Bark River and Spyderco's M4 at 62HRc. In stainless, Benchmade's M390 is awesome. For the kitchen, an ultra thin blade of Super Blue Aogami at 64HRc is just plain fun to use.
 
I regressed. I have knives in vg10, D2, 154cm, s30v, ats134, and I use them. My edc nowadays is in 8Cr13Mov. Keeps its edge sufficiently long for my everyday chores and it is very easy to sharpen with a simple stone and strop.
 
I definitely agree with heat treat being the biggest factor. The best folding knife I have owned to date was actually a Buck Nobleman that cost $25. This little knife outperformed every other folder I have ever owned in terms of edge retention and ease of resharpening! And I'm guessing Pual Bos' legacy with Buck, not the 420 HC, was why. And the fit and finish were far better than 90 percent of them as well. And I'm talking high end Spyders, Benchmades, Cold Steels, CRKT, Kershaws, etc.!

As for all time favorite steel, Cold Steel's original Carbon V takes the cake, hands down. My Master Hunter is the only knife I've ever owned that could slice an X in the top of a coffee can, and not only escape undamaged, but still tree-top hair off my arm! :eek:

It pisses me off to no end that they do not offer this beastly material anymore. Remember the Trail Guide? This was the only simple carbon steel (Carbon V) one handed, clip mounted pocket knife i've ever heard of, and they discontinued that as well. I owned one for a day, but when i sent it back due to a defective crooked blade, I was informed they were no longer available! Wow was I mad! Those knives were perfect for me, and cheap as well.
 
I've also been using Case CV alot lately. I carry either a large or small Copperlock with CV a good bit, and it holds an edge well and is easy to sharpen. I've gotton D2, and 154cm on my last two custom slipjoints.
I've Been getting plain ole D2 on most of my fixed blades over the past two years, and love it.

On my modern folders that I carry the most( a carbon fiber spyderco military, and small regular sebenza), I've put the s30v's up and went back to BG42. I do like S30V, but like BG42 a bit better for a stainless.
 
harkamus said:
Now this surprises me considering the battery of tests you've conducted using different blade steels.

I'm a steel snob to some extent. It's just that my preference lies in a big pool. I've had anything from 1095 up to Elmax (well, technically I don't have Elmax yet since the knife isn't built yet).
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Don't know why it should, I have a large variety of steels yes, but I just find I use S30V more than the others, properly done S30V is excellent and works well with a variety of edge finishes. :)

I am a big fan of the V steels, love that working edge that just keeps cutting.
 
I am regular, but relatively light user. Being an engineer, super steels interest me somewhat, but in practice I like most steels well enough.
In fact I do have the impression that I like the "toothy" feeling of cutting with 440C more than the experience with hi-end steels.
 
the 154cm in my benchmade bedlam must have gotten a bad treat cuz i don't like it one bit... m390? i'll decide when i get the tsek reground and retreated. i really like the s30v in my sebenza, more so than others i've tried. i really like benchmade's d2, even though i don't have it anymore.
 
Jamesh Bond said:
Remember the Trail Guide? This was the only simple carbon steel (Carbon V) one handed, clip mounted pocket knife i've ever heard of, and they discontinued that as well. I owned one for a day, but when i sent it back due to a defective crooked blade, I was informed they were no longer available! Wow was I mad! Those knives were perfect for me, and cheap as well.
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Moore Maker lists a one-handed lockback with a clip in 1095, yellow handled Delrin. I do not know who makes it for them.
 
Interesting perspectives, especially on the newer steels. I haven't used S30V enough to have an opinion, but I've used several of the other mentioned here. I'll keep a few and use the ones I have left (there ain't many), but if anything, bladeforums has certainly helped me make some educated decisions in my knife buying & trading.

dalefuller said:
Extreme edge holding is overrated AFAIC. For my uses, I'd rather have a steel that really tough and fairly easy to work.
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I think this about sums up my thoughts on this topic. I'd rather have something that I can resharpen easily, and fix a ding in the edge if needed, with my simple tools & stones. I ground a home-made 'wave' out of an Endura (ground in by the previous owner) and it was a two-hour chore to make it look right.

~Chris
 
I've got a pretty good variety for the short time I've been "collecting", and I like learning the pros and cons to them all; but ultimately, the blade I prefer to carry at any given time will be based on what I plan to use it for, how long I plan to use it, and the environment in which I will be using it.

For example, I really like the 5160 of the RD 9 or the 1095 Cro-Van of the Becker BK9; but neither of those seem ideal in a situation where I (and the knife) are exposed to the elements for an extended period of time, with no way to maintain the knife.

In other words, if I'm stuck in or around water (especially salt water) a lot, and don't have access to oil or a sharpener, and I need something that can be dropped in anything and sharpened on a river rock, I'd prefer to have a knife made of plain Jane 440C or AUS-8.
 
orca8589 said:
In looking over my journals
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Ok Really.............a knife journal ? I can hear those reviting entries, "Dear Diary, things didnt go well today, chipped another one..."


Anyways, I find the diference between the steels at the top to be pretty minimal.

I tend to like O1 and A2 for work blades, edc with stainless.

Like has been mentioned I would bet grind (convex for me) and heat treat is overlooked more then the base steel
 
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