Old Hunter
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Knife Steels to Avoid
There are some red flags that should steer you away from certain blades when selecting a knife. One big red flag is non-specific labels such as “surgical stainless”, “stainless”, “damascus”, or “high carbon.” You’ll see these labels in marketing materials or stamped on blades. These catch phrases mean next to nothing and generally point to a maker wanting to appear to have quality when there is little to be found.
There is no designation or metallurgical recipe for “surgical stainless”. It just sounds good because it has surgical in the name.
Damascus is another label that can be misleading because there are wide ranges of Damascus quality. If a knife is inexpensive and claims to be Damascus, I’d be skeptical. True Damascus is made by layering steel of different properties, which creates a unique pattern when etched. Skilled makers can produce intricate patterns with this technique and while there isn’t a performance benefit, there’s no denying the beauty. Cheap imitations of this are usually laser etched patterns or made of inferior materials.
Another red flag is a knife where there is no information to be found on what steel is being used. If a maker is using quality materials, they will be listed, usually prominently. A total lack of information is a common way to keep a buyer’s mind off the subject.
My Top Picks
Different steels are good for different tasks, so my top picks are based on the primary purpose of the knife.
EDC Pocket Knives: S30V
S30V is my favorite all-purpose pocket knife steel because it has the ability to hold a good working edge for quite some time, isn’t too difficult to sharpen, and it’s tough enough to withstand some abuse and side loading. S35VN and S45VN can also be put in this category.
Fixed Blade Hunting Knife: Magnacut
Magnacut is an amazing blend of corrosion resistance, edge retention, and toughness, and remains fairly easy to sharpen. For a backcountry hunting knife, Magnacut is perfect because you don’t have to worry about it rusting, even if you leave it wet for days, and it holds its edge well enough to skin and break down game without needing a touch up.
Survival Knife: CPM-3V
3V is the king of toughness. With the right heat treat, 3V can take serious abuse without breaking, and in an emergency situation, you may need to ask more from your knife than you normally would. 3V also has good stain resistance, and respectable edge retention.
Tactical/Defensive Knife: CPM CRUWEAR
Cruwear is one of my favorite all-around steels, and is well-suited for a tactical blade that needs to be tough and still hold a good edge and not let you down. Cruwear is not very stain resistant, but nearly all companies put a coating on these blades which mitigates rust. It also tones down the shine of bare steel. Both are good attributes in a tactical blade.
Bushcraft Knife: A2 and CPM-3V
There are two schools of thought on bushcraft knives, and so I’m choosing a steel for each one. For those who desire easy field sharpening, I have chosen A2 which is perhaps my favorite simple steel. If you have a strop, you can easily bring A2 back to hair-popping sharp very quickly, and it is fairly tough and holds up well to batoning and chopping. For those who don’t want to sharpen or maintain their blade, 3V is a great choice because it’s tough and fairly corrosion resistant. If the need does arise, it is still fairly easy to maintain in the field.
Budget Blade Steel: D2
D2 is now widely available in many budget friendly knives from pocket knives to big choppers. While it isn’t the best in any category, it might just be the best choice when the budget is tight. It’s pretty middle of the road on all performance metrics, and many companies use it because it’s inexpensive, and can be used for a wide variety of blades.
Final Thoughts on Knife Steel
There are dozens of knife steels on the market today, and while this guide is far from exhaustive, it will at least get you pointed in the right direction, and give you some good examples to keep an eye out for. Some of these steels will cost significantly more than others, but that usually comes with a big bump in performance. I have found that it’s better to have a “buy once, cry once” approach to knives.
Drew Conover is a contributor at Outdoor Life. He writes mostly gear reviews and how-to articles on survival and navigation. He lives in Upstate New York with his wife, two daughters, and a goofy dog.B
There are some red flags that should steer you away from certain blades when selecting a knife. One big red flag is non-specific labels such as “surgical stainless”, “stainless”, “damascus”, or “high carbon.” You’ll see these labels in marketing materials or stamped on blades. These catch phrases mean next to nothing and generally point to a maker wanting to appear to have quality when there is little to be found.
There is no designation or metallurgical recipe for “surgical stainless”. It just sounds good because it has surgical in the name.
Damascus is another label that can be misleading because there are wide ranges of Damascus quality. If a knife is inexpensive and claims to be Damascus, I’d be skeptical. True Damascus is made by layering steel of different properties, which creates a unique pattern when etched. Skilled makers can produce intricate patterns with this technique and while there isn’t a performance benefit, there’s no denying the beauty. Cheap imitations of this are usually laser etched patterns or made of inferior materials.
Another red flag is a knife where there is no information to be found on what steel is being used. If a maker is using quality materials, they will be listed, usually prominently. A total lack of information is a common way to keep a buyer’s mind off the subject.
My Top Picks
Different steels are good for different tasks, so my top picks are based on the primary purpose of the knife.
EDC Pocket Knives: S30V
S30V is my favorite all-purpose pocket knife steel because it has the ability to hold a good working edge for quite some time, isn’t too difficult to sharpen, and it’s tough enough to withstand some abuse and side loading. S35VN and S45VN can also be put in this category.
Fixed Blade Hunting Knife: Magnacut
Magnacut is an amazing blend of corrosion resistance, edge retention, and toughness, and remains fairly easy to sharpen. For a backcountry hunting knife, Magnacut is perfect because you don’t have to worry about it rusting, even if you leave it wet for days, and it holds its edge well enough to skin and break down game without needing a touch up.
Survival Knife: CPM-3V
3V is the king of toughness. With the right heat treat, 3V can take serious abuse without breaking, and in an emergency situation, you may need to ask more from your knife than you normally would. 3V also has good stain resistance, and respectable edge retention.
Tactical/Defensive Knife: CPM CRUWEAR
Cruwear is one of my favorite all-around steels, and is well-suited for a tactical blade that needs to be tough and still hold a good edge and not let you down. Cruwear is not very stain resistant, but nearly all companies put a coating on these blades which mitigates rust. It also tones down the shine of bare steel. Both are good attributes in a tactical blade.
Bushcraft Knife: A2 and CPM-3V
There are two schools of thought on bushcraft knives, and so I’m choosing a steel for each one. For those who desire easy field sharpening, I have chosen A2 which is perhaps my favorite simple steel. If you have a strop, you can easily bring A2 back to hair-popping sharp very quickly, and it is fairly tough and holds up well to batoning and chopping. For those who don’t want to sharpen or maintain their blade, 3V is a great choice because it’s tough and fairly corrosion resistant. If the need does arise, it is still fairly easy to maintain in the field.
Budget Blade Steel: D2
D2 is now widely available in many budget friendly knives from pocket knives to big choppers. While it isn’t the best in any category, it might just be the best choice when the budget is tight. It’s pretty middle of the road on all performance metrics, and many companies use it because it’s inexpensive, and can be used for a wide variety of blades.
Final Thoughts on Knife Steel
There are dozens of knife steels on the market today, and while this guide is far from exhaustive, it will at least get you pointed in the right direction, and give you some good examples to keep an eye out for. Some of these steels will cost significantly more than others, but that usually comes with a big bump in performance. I have found that it’s better to have a “buy once, cry once” approach to knives.
Drew Conover is a contributor at Outdoor Life. He writes mostly gear reviews and how-to articles on survival and navigation. He lives in Upstate New York with his wife, two daughters, and a goofy dog.B
I very much like the 440C Bucks too (I have a 110, 112, and 501 and hope to acquire more). Since I'm not a "hard user" maybe that's more for the nostalgia than the performance, though. At least I finally figured out how to get it sharp!
