Best "Budget" Steel

I’d say 14c28n for stainless, and 1095 for carbon. However, we are seeing more and more higher end steels such as D2 and S35VN showing up in budget folders.
 
440a heat treated well, make for amazing just regular everyday day knives. 14c28n and 9cr18mov are also fine everyday steels. These steels get that screaming fine edge that ppl love.
 
DocJD said:
:) The real tricky part is to get a good consistent HT with your "budget steel" on a budget knife .
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mora pretty much defines this - it still amazes me how well they do HT of sandvik (both old style and 14c28n) and their carbon steel... like bos but before bos :)

speaking of which, buck does great ht with budget 420hc also
 
“Best” is a strong word.

I have had great experiences with 14c28n. It’s one of those middle of the road, do it all type of alloy.
 
Correct heat treating methodology + good grind + steel (14c28n, AUS10A, VG-10, D2 (American made), 420HC (heat treated by Buck is amazing!), CTS-BD1, 154CM, Chinese 9CR and above (don't go lower than 8cr13mov)) = happy sharp knife & Happy Knifeowner.

Avoid AUS8, AUS8A, Chinese 7cr etc junk steels and anything made in Pakistan (and labeled "Michael Smith Damascus" for $20 bucks).
 
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kylemiller said:
It's all relative man. Grind geometry is so much more important than steel in that price range.
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Add heat treat and I'm on board.

I have a few 8Cr13MoV knives that are great working knives after being reprofiled to my taste. More than sufficient edge retention for an EDC knife.
 
Echoing Pete’s (Cedric and Ada Youtube channel) opinion, I’d love to see CTS-BD1 on more budget models. Seems to have an excellent price-to-performance ratio.
 
Thanks for the replies. How do you know if the HT is good before buying?

Got my first D2 folder this week, a Steel Will mini cutjack. Found out I dont like flippers. Lol
 
that's actually a highly rated budget knife : ) it should grow on you, but if you just don't like the flipper there are many that make non-flippers

The best way to know if HT is good is the company history; they all have reputations... most of the ones you'll see mentioned on bf are known for fairly good HT

companies that are known to have quality control problems with HT are the cheaper brands: mtech, schrade, remmington, browning, etc etc
 
What is your definition of "budget" folder? $20? $50?

As others have pointed out, steel is part of the equation, the heat treat is another important part.

Ontario does a great job with their D2 in their Rat 1 & 2s and those are around $40.

Buck gets more out their 420HC due to Mr Bos and his crew.

If you don't like the Cutjack, try a Ontario Rat 1 or Rat 2 in D2. No flipper. Great knife.
 
simple6 said:
Thanks for the replies. How do you know if the HT is good before buying?

Got my first D2 folder this week, a Steel Will mini cutjack. Found out I dont like flippers. Lol
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"How do you know if the HT is good before buying?" Well that's where your trust and hope goes into brand logo and personally for me best defense against incorrect HT = Made in USA. 90% of my knives are Made in US, the rest EU, Japan and ColdSteel's Taiwan assembled knives. The trust in brand also comes with a price tag $$$.

May I please suggest -> you try Ontario Rat 1 Model 1 with D2 blade or if it's too long you could try it's smaller brother Rat2 Model 2 with D2 (avoid AUS8!!!!). Price is fantastic and the knife performs no worse than many of my Spydercos and other brands...
 
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Addicted_to_Knives said:
May I please suggest -> you try Ontario Rat 1 Model 1 with D2 blade or if it's too long you could try it's smaller brother Ra2 Model 2 with D2 (avoid AUS8!!!!). .
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I seem to remember a video going around years ago showing off a Rat 1 in AUS8 that had been sent back from Afghanistan, and it survived everything a soldier had thrown at it, so I guess I don’t understand the hate. The average Joe buying a “budget folder” isn’t gonna have much fun sharpening D2
 
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