Old Hunter
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2012
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Stainless Steels
420HC, 420J2, 400 Series
Common Use: Budget folding/EDC, outdoor, and survival knives
Toughness: 7/10
Edge Retention: 2/10
Hardness: 56-58HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
These series of steels represent an entry point for stainless steel blades. There are other 400 series steels (440A, 440B, 425m), that are mostly similar in that they have low carbon content, and therefore can’t be hardened very high. It makes them very tough and hard to break, but they don’t hold an edge well at all. However, Buck and Leatherman make the best of these cheap steels. They have solid heat treatment procedures and get as much as they can from the 400 series steels. The only 400 series stainless that actually has solid performance is 440C, which has more than double the carbon of the others. Even for a budget blade, the 400 series steels are the bottom end of acceptable performance.
AUS-8
Common Use: Budget folding/EDC knives
Toughness: 6/10
Edge Retention: 3/10
Hardness: 56-58HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
The AUS series steels are a step up from the 400 series steels with some added ingredients to give them better edge retention and maintain toughness. AUS-8 is the most popular of the series, and gives a decent performance in edge retention and ease of sharpening. This is another budget steel that can work for pocket knives that don’t see frequent use.
H-2
Common Use: Folding and fixed blade dive knives
Toughness: 6/10
Edge Retention: 3/10
Hardness: 56-58HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 10/10
This is an excellent stainless that is almost impossible to rust. It’s used in saltwater dive knives and stands up to prolonged saltwater exposure very well. It does not hold an edge all that long, but isn’t too bad to sharpen. It’s fairly tough. If you need a blade that will not rust, check out H-2. H-1 and LC200N are also great choices for extreme corrosion resistance.
VG-10
Common Use: Folding/EDC, general purpose outdoor knives
Toughness: 4/10
Edge Retention: 5/10
Hardness: 58-60HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
VG-10 has much better edge retention, but is not as tough as the previous stainless steels. When it came out, it was considered a super steel, but lands solidly in the middle of the stainless steel spectrum these days. VG-10 is a solid choice when high corrosion resistance is desired, such as in kitchens and wet or salty environments.
154CM, ATS 34
Common Use: Mid to High-end folders/EDC, mid-high end kitchen/butchering knives
Toughness: 5/10
Edge Retention: 5/10
Hardness: 58-60HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
These two are essentially the same steel from different companies, and both are solid performers. Expect good edge retention, decent toughness, and good corrosion resistance. 154CM is a solid choice for pocket knives and hunting knives. It holds a good edge, but, unlike some other stainless steels, isn’t too hard to sharpen.
S30V, S35VN, S45VN
Common Use: Prevalent in many quality folders and fixed blades
Toughness: 5/10
Edge Retention: 6/10
Hardness: 58-60HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
These three steels are similar, and are great all-round stainless steels. They all bring very good edge retention and are still not too bad to sharpen. They perform well in folding knives and fixed blades as well. Once sharpened, they will only have the super fine edge for a short while, but they retain a good working edge for a long time. S30V is my favorite steel for EDC knives. S35VN improves on S30V for toughness and has shown to be tougher than S45VN. The next evolution S45VN, has better edge retention and corrosion resistance. One note is that while S35VN and S45VN are technically better than S30V, knives made in those steels typically cost more than S30V counterparts.
MAGNACUT
Common Use: High-end folders/EDC, and fixed blades
Toughness: 7/10
Edge Retention: 6/10
Hardness: 60-64HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 9/10
This is the latest, greatest stainless knife steel to hit the market. The good news is that it actually lives up to the hype. Magnacut was developed by Dr. Larrin Thomas and produced by Crucible as a knife steel. It wasn’t borrowed from another industry. It offers excellent edge retention and good toughness, and somehow it’s still fairly easy to sharpen, unlike the other stainless steels in this range. Magnacut is being adopted by several big makers, which is good for consumers. This is a do-all stainless, and perhaps the best all-round knife steel for the outdoors.
M390, 20CV, 204P
Common Use: High-end folders/EDC knives
Toughness: 4/10
Edge Retention: 7/10
Hardness: 58-62HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 9/10
These three are metallurgically the same steel from different companies. If you are looking for a steel to hold an edge for a long time, these would be excellent choices. Expect very high wear resistance, but the steels tend to be more susceptible to chipping. These steels are mostly found in higher-end folding knives, and not too often in fixed blades where toughness is more important. There will be some effort needed to sharpen these steels since they are so wear resistant.
S90V
Common Use: High-end folders/EDC, high-end hunting knives
Toughness: 4/10
Edge Retention: 9/10
Hardness: 60-62HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
This steel can be made very hard, and has very high marks in wear resistance and edge retention. Because of this, it’s lower in toughness, and takes a lot of effort to sharpen. Regular stones don’t sharpen S90V well, so if you want this steel for superior edge retention, plan on buying diamond stones to sharpen it when it finally does go dull.
420HC, 420J2, 400 Series
Common Use: Budget folding/EDC, outdoor, and survival knives
Toughness: 7/10
Edge Retention: 2/10
Hardness: 56-58HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
These series of steels represent an entry point for stainless steel blades. There are other 400 series steels (440A, 440B, 425m), that are mostly similar in that they have low carbon content, and therefore can’t be hardened very high. It makes them very tough and hard to break, but they don’t hold an edge well at all. However, Buck and Leatherman make the best of these cheap steels. They have solid heat treatment procedures and get as much as they can from the 400 series steels. The only 400 series stainless that actually has solid performance is 440C, which has more than double the carbon of the others. Even for a budget blade, the 400 series steels are the bottom end of acceptable performance.
AUS-8
Common Use: Budget folding/EDC knives
Toughness: 6/10
Edge Retention: 3/10
Hardness: 56-58HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
The AUS series steels are a step up from the 400 series steels with some added ingredients to give them better edge retention and maintain toughness. AUS-8 is the most popular of the series, and gives a decent performance in edge retention and ease of sharpening. This is another budget steel that can work for pocket knives that don’t see frequent use.
H-2
Common Use: Folding and fixed blade dive knives
Toughness: 6/10
Edge Retention: 3/10
Hardness: 56-58HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 10/10
This is an excellent stainless that is almost impossible to rust. It’s used in saltwater dive knives and stands up to prolonged saltwater exposure very well. It does not hold an edge all that long, but isn’t too bad to sharpen. It’s fairly tough. If you need a blade that will not rust, check out H-2. H-1 and LC200N are also great choices for extreme corrosion resistance.
VG-10
Common Use: Folding/EDC, general purpose outdoor knives
Toughness: 4/10
Edge Retention: 5/10
Hardness: 58-60HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
VG-10 has much better edge retention, but is not as tough as the previous stainless steels. When it came out, it was considered a super steel, but lands solidly in the middle of the stainless steel spectrum these days. VG-10 is a solid choice when high corrosion resistance is desired, such as in kitchens and wet or salty environments.
154CM, ATS 34
Common Use: Mid to High-end folders/EDC, mid-high end kitchen/butchering knives
Toughness: 5/10
Edge Retention: 5/10
Hardness: 58-60HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
These two are essentially the same steel from different companies, and both are solid performers. Expect good edge retention, decent toughness, and good corrosion resistance. 154CM is a solid choice for pocket knives and hunting knives. It holds a good edge, but, unlike some other stainless steels, isn’t too hard to sharpen.
S30V, S35VN, S45VN
Common Use: Prevalent in many quality folders and fixed blades
Toughness: 5/10
Edge Retention: 6/10
Hardness: 58-60HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
These three steels are similar, and are great all-round stainless steels. They all bring very good edge retention and are still not too bad to sharpen. They perform well in folding knives and fixed blades as well. Once sharpened, they will only have the super fine edge for a short while, but they retain a good working edge for a long time. S30V is my favorite steel for EDC knives. S35VN improves on S30V for toughness and has shown to be tougher than S45VN. The next evolution S45VN, has better edge retention and corrosion resistance. One note is that while S35VN and S45VN are technically better than S30V, knives made in those steels typically cost more than S30V counterparts.
MAGNACUT
Common Use: High-end folders/EDC, and fixed blades
Toughness: 7/10
Edge Retention: 6/10
Hardness: 60-64HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 9/10
This is the latest, greatest stainless knife steel to hit the market. The good news is that it actually lives up to the hype. Magnacut was developed by Dr. Larrin Thomas and produced by Crucible as a knife steel. It wasn’t borrowed from another industry. It offers excellent edge retention and good toughness, and somehow it’s still fairly easy to sharpen, unlike the other stainless steels in this range. Magnacut is being adopted by several big makers, which is good for consumers. This is a do-all stainless, and perhaps the best all-round knife steel for the outdoors.
M390, 20CV, 204P
Common Use: High-end folders/EDC knives
Toughness: 4/10
Edge Retention: 7/10
Hardness: 58-62HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 9/10
These three are metallurgically the same steel from different companies. If you are looking for a steel to hold an edge for a long time, these would be excellent choices. Expect very high wear resistance, but the steels tend to be more susceptible to chipping. These steels are mostly found in higher-end folding knives, and not too often in fixed blades where toughness is more important. There will be some effort needed to sharpen these steels since they are so wear resistant.
S90V
Common Use: High-end folders/EDC, high-end hunting knives
Toughness: 4/10
Edge Retention: 9/10
Hardness: 60-62HRC
Corrosion Resistance: 7/10
This steel can be made very hard, and has very high marks in wear resistance and edge retention. Because of this, it’s lower in toughness, and takes a lot of effort to sharpen. Regular stones don’t sharpen S90V well, so if you want this steel for superior edge retention, plan on buying diamond stones to sharpen it when it finally does go dull.