Best Hard use/Camp/Bowie Knife Steel

[Cobalt]

ok, these are tough steels you like or I like to use in a large camp knife or bowie knife.

1095/1084
W1/W2
L6
A2
S7/SR77
CPM3V
INFI
VG10 San Mai
5160
52100

there is obviously much more than this, but these are the typical ones

 

[psy-ops]

Before I vote, Is the VG10 san mai a reference to cold steel or Fallkniven?

CS uses VG1 and Fallkniven uses VG-10 laminate

Thanks

 

[Cobalt]

Before I vote, Is the VG10 san mai a reference to cold steel or Fallkniven?

CS uses VG1 and Fallkniven uses VG-10 laminate

Thanks

trust me Cold Steel is not even on the radar. It is Falkiven, but you answered your own question as Cs claims VG1 not VG10 and I stated VG10

 

[macgregor22]

sr77 surpasses infi in impact strength

 

[psy-ops]

Thanks for clearing that up. The san mai threw me off.

INFI is going to win this one as it did on my poll.

 

[Cobalt]

Thanks for clearing that up. The san mai threw me off.

INFI is going to win this one as it did on my poll.

I would have expected cpm3v and S7 to be up there as well. also 1080 series is quite popular for camp knives and I am surprised there isn't more voting on those.

 

[007 Agent ZZero]

I voted A2 because it's a personal favorite. If I voted objectively then it would go INFI first followed by CPM3V. I think it would be a better idea to list only steels widely available to the open market. INFI is kind of a rare breed, being a proprietary steel, although I don't see SR101 or SR77............. It doesn't seem accurate judging generally available generic steels to a specifically engineered super steel, especially since there is not a steady market of availability for knives in this steel in all styles.

 

[Cobalt]

I voted A2 because it's a personal favorite. If I voted objectively then it would go INFI first followed by CPM3V. I think it would be a better idea to list only steels widely available to the open market. INFI is kind of a rare breed, being a proprietary steel, although I don't see SR101 or SR77............. It doesn't seem accurate judging generally available generic steels to a specifically engineered super steel, especially since there is not a steady market of availability for knives in this steel in all styles.

there is only room for 10 items in a poll, so I could not list all. However, SR101 is close enough to 52100 that you could call it that and SR77 is so close to S7 that you could call that one the same for these purposes.

 

[Elen]

INFI gets my vote. I haven't met another steel that takes a pounding like INFI and still managed to hold an edge, but then, I'm not a real steel nut. After INFI, I'd probably go with 5160. Not because it's tougher than everything else (which it isn't, although it's pretty darn tough), but because it's a nice mix of the right qualities at a really low price.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

No love for O1?

 

[Cobalt]

No love for O1?

nope, never met one I liked

honestly, I did not have room for more, but the O1 knives I have had in the past have chipped quite readily compared to even my quality 1095 blades. So I am no fan of O1. but that is just my experience.