Apologies and curiousity for stainless

I have both. I use both. I like both.

My son and I were standing at the counter of one of our favorite sporting goods purveyors this summer. My youngest took a look through the selections, and decided he needed a Mora Companion.

The lady told him that was a fine choice, and asked would he like it in carbon or stainless.

My son looked at me and asked which one. I told him either one would do just fine.

I honestly don't know which one he picked. But he'll be well served with it, whichever one it is. I should have bought him both, really. Then he can decide which he likes better.

Hmmm... now I'm going to go home and find out which he got.... and buy him the other one.
 
With similar grinds and edge angles, all stainless blades I've tried take on way more damage than a lot of non stainless ones I own, using them identically.
The only blades I've broken were stainless, doing way less than what I do with my non stainless ones.
I've tried several - some bought, some borrowed. It only takes a few minutes at work to know if they will hold up.

All my stainless blades sit unused and are eventually gifted to people who don't have a need to use them as I do, except for a zdp189 delica, which is presently dedicated to very light use. It will probably be gifted when the hap40 is in hand.

I would be thrilled with a stainless blade that could scrape corroded wire/connectors, cut through steel shielding, and separate electric motor leads while coming out as unscathed as M2 and M4 does, but have pretty much conceded that none exist.

So for me, it's non stainless all the way. But I will continue to search for that stainless grail, by trying new ones as the opportunities arise .
 
jpm2 said:
while coming out as unscathed as M2 and M4 does
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YMMV but IMO M4 is setting the bar pretty high. I have a Manix 2 with M4 and a Manix 2 lightweight with S110V. I have tested them side by side on thick heavy cardboard and my M4 did better, granted this is not a completely scientific test. I have read of similar comparisons by other people where S110V did better. This is basically in wear resistance, I'm not sure if they would compare so closely in toughness. So from my perspective M4 may be the best steel that you can get in a production knife, stainless or not, and it would take a very good stainless steel to equal it.
 
bdmicarta said:
YMMV but IMO M4 is setting the bar pretty high. I have a Manix 2 with M4 and a Manix 2 lightweight with S110V. I have tested them side by side on thick heavy cardboard and my M4 did better, granted this is not a completely scientific test. I have read of similar comparisons by other people where S110V did better. This is basically in wear resistance, I'm not sure if they would compare so closely in toughness. So from my perspective M4 may be the best steel that you can get in a production knife, stainless or not, and it would take a very good stainless steel to equal it.
Click to expand...

I'm sure there's a few stainless blades that will hold an edge longer than M4 when cutting rope and cardboard type materials, but everything changes when the edge starts contacting more destructive substances, and/or gets laterally stressed.

My knife use is far different than probably 99% of people who use knives. For me, it's a balance of edge retention, edge stability/strength, and toughness. I can deal with very minor edge rolling, chipping, and just wearing dull, which will happen with any steel. But all stainless blades I've tried for certain specific tasks, have become so badly mangled, they could not finish the job without excessive forces. If I continued to use them, they ended up with huge chips or rolls in the edge, requiring a lot of time, and metal removed to repair them. This just hasn't been the case with my high speed tool steel blades. Even lessor steels like 51200 end up in better shape than stainless ones doing these tasks. Its only down fall is edge retention - it does dull noticeably quicker.

I presently have the cpm 4V mule #21 that'll eventually be tested at work. It's not a high speed steel, but I expect it to do reasonably well.
 
I don't give a dang for Stainless because I don't have rust problems. Most of my cutting is on dry stuff or I can wipe the knife dry right after cutting food etc.
BUT
I live in the high desert of "The Wild, Wild West" so it is pretty dry here on average.
I enjoy the patina of the rustable stuff and putting that brilliant 8000 grit polish right down there on the edge for a nice contrast.

My main peeve with some stainless is the nearly insurmountable super fine wire edge that just about refuses to abrade away. For instance and especially on A2. I realize I can strop it off and or break it off but I am not a stropper boy. I am obsessed with taking it off with progressively finer flat stones.

Sick huh ? ? ?

Well that's me.

In the same breath I have not had much trouble with Cases's SS; it is quite friendly to sharpen.

Speaking of Case my latest small pocket knives that I have been actually using the heck out of as opposed to just collecting are the two in the photo :
1. The blue Case Swayback in SS
and
2. The Red Case medium Stockman in CV
Between these two I find the SS to hold a shave sharp edge longer than the CV.
Just today I left the house with the two small blades freshly sharpened through these grits (Norton water stones for the most part) 700, 1200, 4000 and 8000. Mirror finish / hair wittling.
After only a couple of corrugated boxes (and not dirty ones) only the SS still shaves some what; the CVs are still box cutting sharp but will not shave without really scraping.

I'm not disappointed or saying it is a bad knife. It's just the facts.
Partly depends on how the carbon steel is heat treated also.

Now talking woodworking hand plane blades verses Case's CV it is interesting to see what one company calls carbon steel and the other does. For instance I have plane blades that start to show very obvious red rust in the time it takes for the steel to go from a hot water rinse under the tap to a towel and then to the work bench. (no tomatoes or apples needed).

Then the Case CV just laughs at water and only "turns" when I subject the steel to tomatoes and apples and only turns dark or gun blue but still doesn't really show red rust.

Hmmmmm . . . life's little mysteries.
anyway generally I go for the best cutting steel and gladly give up stainless characteristics.

 
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