best all around steel

lepto said:
I'm no steel expert either but I sure do love the way the 1095 of my RC-4 goes from dull to razor sharp faster than a cat can lick his...well you get the picture! :D
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While the whole RAT series could use a tweak in it's heat treatment to avoid brittle fracture on the larger examples, the choice of 1095 was not at all a bad one. Production "uniform" temper being what it is, it will not equal an offering from a master smith, but for it's cost, it's probably "good enough."

-E
 
154CM. Nothing else comes close. Not even brittle S30V.

Companies that use 154CM:
Benchmade
Emerson
Microtech
MerkWerx
Spyderco
Kershaw
 
Wunderbar said:
154CM. Nothing else comes close. Not even brittle S30V.
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I bought a Manix2 with 154CM that I plan on giving a good workout this summer while fishing and hiking. I have a feeling I will be plenty satisfied.

I have a couple of old Phil Hoffman Condors made out of AUS 8A. These knives take a razor edge and have always been very easy to sharpen.

The only popular steels I will not buy is 440A and at the top of the list 420HC. In my opinion neither is suitable for knives.

Bill
 
Blop, I have bunch of Metal Ravne steels in the steel chart, but not that one, I couldn't find any source indicating it was ever used in knives.
I'll add that one today. Thanks for your info :)

P.S. If you don't mind looking over knife steel chart, if I am missing something else from Metal Ravne or anyone else, that'd be great.
 
154CM

--Sharpens well
--Maintain a decent edge after regular use
--less cost
--I've had no problems with rust or tarnish

Actually was thinking of this a fweqw days ago.
 
for a small knife I prefer VG10....but seldom use small blade

for all arround knife and bigger blade, i prefer carbon steel knife.....
 
You know now that I think about it I too am a huge fan of 154 cm. It was my first "super steel" and it has worked superbly since I started using it. It sharpens easily, holds a fine edge nicely and is very tough. Since that first knife I have owned almost all of the super steels currently on the market and I still have a very high opinion on good ol 154. I would like to give CPM 154 a try as well. By the way the 154 cm that I have used the most and recommend is made by Benchmade.
 
@gator97,

as i was looking for the "perfect steel" i came across those tungsten - alloys in the german speaking forums. Many hunters were pleased by the performance of those grades.

I never found that type of steel in serial knives but sometimes in custom knives or small series. Jürgen Schanz for example has made a bunch of WSK from it.
 
kgd said:
I think steel is about 20% of the story. From there, the maker is writing the script.
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Sounds like the steel companies should all stop wasting resources for innovation in metallurgy and invest in buying good maker's stock instead.;)
 
If you would have a look at Benchmade and how there edge qualities developed, your found, you´re right. Remember what was written about S30V.

Heat treatment and blade shape is the most important part of the whole blade.

A well treated bad steel is better than a badly treated good steel.

But you can´t change the steel grades properties that much, so you need the right grade for the intended use.
 
I have always liked 154CM. That's about as "fancy" a steel as I need. I've enjoyed excellent performance from knives with S30V and VG10 as well. I like H1 a lot too. The slight loss in edge retention brings a huge advantage in "unrustability". I wear a ladybug in H1 against my skin (around my neck) 24/7, and it's fantastic.

I have a bunch of knives in INFI, and it is indeed tough stuff. For big, brutish blades, it's great. I've found that it's run a bit soft for my taste on the smaller blades though. I find myself sharpening my Game Warden and Cultellus CONSTANTLY.

I don't like D2. That stuff rusts like crazy. In "borderline-carbon" steels, I greatly prefer A2.
 
I'd go with 154CM as well. It has great all around performance and seems to be a little less brittle than some of the other stainless while still holding its edge a long time.

Also like that it's an "industrial" steel. I'm an industrial kind of guy. Makes me think of rock crushers and bull dozers. :D
 
154CM = TOP-NOTCH
AUS8A = Best Quality/Price Ratio and is easy to sharpen
 
One knife, one steel? Whichever steel I can get sharp enough to slit my wrists!!! ;) :D

I'm going to assume optimal heat treat.

I'd probably go with 52100, but I'd be also happy with O1, 1095, 12C27, INFI, CPM M4, 50100B, and 420 HC. All good. There are many others I'd cry over no longer having...
 
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