At nearly 69 years old - I've learned you can't beat...

I’ve came to find 52100 is one of my favorites for the reasons you have said. Super steels are nice but you really can’t beat carbon steel for a long lasting reliable cutting tool,(with a little maintenance).;) I’m 63.
Hal said:
a good old fashioned carbon steel blade.

Stainless is ok - if you want something that resists moisture.
But, if you want a sharp blade - with minimum effort going into keeping it that way - you just can't beat "rusty steel".
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There is a reason why the USA Old Timers in carbon steel remained in the pockets of everyday people,for everyday jobs. Thanks for stating what my wife's grandfather used to tell me. They just work, no fuss, ready to,go...just a little maintenance.
Just to try something different, I got a Douk Douk Squirrel and a Svord Peasant to try basic carbon steel, solid inexpensive knives to see how they work.
 
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Also, from what I have seen, 3V has the same ease of sharpness as 154CM, but it has a better edge retention and is much tougher.
 
High carbon steels are great, but some of the new powder steels take an edge quite easily (on diamond hones, anyway). My Spyderco Mule in 20CV, for instance, although the geometry may have something to do with that. Looking forward to my Gayle Bradley 2 in CPM-M4 when it arrives next week (early Christmas;)). From what I've read it gets scary sharp like 52100 but holds an edge significantly longer.
 
You guys are mostly on the same page as the OP.
3V and M4, while modern high performance steels, are nonstainless "carbon steels". I like them both a lot. I have actually come back to A2, a relatively basic carbon steel, since it is dirt cheap to buy and takes a great edge. I made kitchen knives from A2 in 2005 and they have yet to rust away.
 
Lee D said:
My years at deer camp say otherwise.
Seemed like the older vets I hunted with spent more time touching up their knives, and I wasn’t using anything overly modern.
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I'm not sure if it was because the blades were in need of touching up, or, if it was more the ritual of touching up that's responsible for that ;).

Really - if 99% of us fessed up to it - I'm sure a lot of us "touch up" our EDC blades on something (me personal choice is a Sharpmaker) even if we haven't used them and/or used the just for a cut or two.
 
Hal said:
Really - if 99% of us fessed up to it - I'm sure a lot of us "touch up" our EDC blades on something (me personal choice is a Sharpmaker) even if we haven't used them and/or used the just for a cut or two.
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Count me in as part of the 1%... I'm content to leave my blades alone until they need some attention. That doesn't necessarily mean they're dull; but I'm guilty of that, sometimes, too.
 
I disagree. 1095 carbon steel is not very hard, (Rc 53?) though it is easy to sharpen. For the money, you can get an entry level stainless that is very nearly as easy to sharpen, harder AND stainless. (AUS8 @ Rc 57, for example)

Yes, there's a certain charm to carbon steel, but it's not anything related to edge retention or ease of sharpening. The charm is that it stains and doesn't always look surgically clean. The staining often makes it as smooth as a high-polish stainless, but without the fingerprinting.

One parallel I would draw that is more favorable to the old tech is cast iron cookware vs. aluminum non-stick: I just recently got a ceramic-coated skillet. The main advantage is how quickly it heats up and how little oil or fat it takes to cook with. Cleaning is actually harder: no soap is needed for cleaning cast iron, and abrasives can be used on the cast iron. (I use a stainless scrubby and a plastic scraper) Then, put it over the fire to dry it for next time. It also sears better.
 
Lee D said:
My years at deer camp say otherwise.
Seemed like the older vets I hunted with spent more time touching up their knives, and I wasn’t using anything overly modern.
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I love seeing knives that other guys carry at hunting camps! Most of them look like they’ve been totally beat to hell, not cared for (like the old Westerns, Schrades, Bucks, Case), or they’re cheaper knives they got from Sears or other hardware stores, not to mention Walmart and now to include Cabelas/Bass Pro, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that at all! But I’m a knife snob who loves customs, so I like to check out the cheaper and well used stuff too. The knives are usually in fair shape but could use TLC.

The other thing I see is if they are new knives, the grinds and edges suck.

All those guys are starting at a disadvantage to our knife nut care, attention, sharpening, and money spent. But it really doesn’t have much to do with inferior grade of steel. I’ve sat at hunting camp and sharpened knives all afternoon after killing a deer. The guys with the older Schrades and such were amazed their knives got that sharp.

They suck at sharpening, or don’t care to refine an edge. Those knives then cut great in the field and you wouldn’t see any difference using some “super steel” because it’s a normal everyday task that isn’t intentionally hard on the knife.

I got a knife from Rick Menefee in ATS34 and field dressed, skinned, and help bone out and butcher 7 deer in one evening. Never touched the edge once to see how it would do after that use. It shaved hair off my arm still at the end. I have carbon steel blades that have been through the same scenario, A2, to be exact.

The differences on paper can be argued, real use proves something different in that those steel differences almost become a moot point. (Shredding cardboard for the simple reason to use your knife because you’re a nerd, isn’t really standard use to me, everyone knows it’s basically cutting a different form of sandpaper. Show your knives some respect lol. )
 
Smaug said:
I disagree. 1095 carbon steel is not very hard, (Rc 53?) though it is easy to sharpen. For the money, you can get an entry level stainless that is very nearly as easy to sharpen, harder AND stainless. (AUS8 @ Rc 57, for example)

Yes, there's a certain charm to carbon steel, but it's not anything related to edge retention or ease of sharpening. The charm is that it stains and doesn't always look surgically clean. The staining often makes it as smooth as a high-polish stainless, but without the fingerprinting.

One parallel I would draw that is more favorable to the old tech is cast iron cookware vs. aluminum non-stick: I just recently got a ceramic-coated skillet. The main advantage is how quickly it heats up and how little oil or fat it takes to cook with. Cleaning is actually harder: no soap is needed for cleaning cast iron, and abrasives can be used on the cast iron. (I use a stainless scrubby and a plastic scraper) Then, put it over the fire to dry it for next time. It also sears better.
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This isn't correct. 1095 is still popular and some use it to create a hamon effect. It can easily be hardened above 60 HRC. You guys should look at the knifesteelnerds website to see properties and heat treat protocols for a variety of steels.
 
I'm a sucker for the latest and greatest. I can't help it. I have always loved knives and it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to pick up the newest version of my favorite model(s).

To think it all started back in the 70s with a Buck...
 
If you have a limited usage in work or lifestyle you won’t know any different. The real difference is when you have to use a knife in more demanding type usage where moisture isn’t the only problem. Corrosion is my concern from the elements I work around and some of the abrasive materials. I hate to burst your bubble but yes carbon steel can be beat. I have used some good carbon steel and yes it’s easy to sharpen. I also use cpm154 that does real well, s30v, S35vn and 20cv that keeps an edge in hard use several times longer than the carbon steel. The 20cv is very corrosion resistant and abrasion resistant. There’s a reason for everything just like the reason why our ancestors switched from using stone to bronze and then to steel because of performance and maintenance. Yes some people can get very good usage from their carbon steel blades because they don’t have the same requirements as others do.
 
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