best steel for easy sharpening and good edge retention

D2 *is* hard to sharpen. D2 is *very* hard to sharpen. That's a GOOD thing.

I loves me some D2. It's worth buying diamond hones if you didn't own any, or paying to have the work done if you refuse.. they often need reprofiling and seldom are finished to their potential. Hardly anybody BOTHERS with a high polish edge on D2 cause when you get close it'll cut, toothily.. . . and it stays there a long time.

But if you DO take it to the limit, massage it with fine grit waterstones and patience, you'll be able to forget sharpening a WHILE.. and a couple licks on a diamond rod to reset the edge is all you'll need for a Long Time..

Easy to sharpen means easy to dull. Compromise means it doesn't do anything especially well. I like Aus8 just fine, but I take D2 to the woods.. and a DMT hone.
 
easiest to sharpen, especially to learn on would be a simple carbon steel heat treated to the middle to low 50's.

The Okapi, the various Opinels, the Douk Douk, various carbon steel lockbacks and slip joints and sodbusters by names like Boker, eye brand, case( CV models), imperial, and numerous others. For Stainless the INOX victorinox & wegners are about as easy as stainless steel can be, followed upwards in difficulty by 12C27, 13C26, Bucks 420HC etc, etc.

The carbon steels are still the easiest to get shaving sharp in a few strokes of the sharpener. A douk douk is probably the easiest due to it's low RC. Joe
 
me2 said:
Edge thickness and geometry have at least as much influence on ease of sharpening as steel type.

Dont forget the part abrasives play in sharpening. If you use arkansas stones on S30V, it will take a long time to sharpen
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Great points - A Phil Wilson knife with high wear resistance CPM-10V steel is easy to sharpen with a diamond plate, due to the thin geometry he uses to optimize it for cutting.
 
3 of my favorites pretty much in order
1095
aus 8
D2

all simple steels that do the job very well.
 
Case Chrome Vanadium
1095 Carbon
01

Boker for instance still has a ~ 4" Carbon Steel Stockman.
Internet sources for Old Timers , Camillus would be good.

I take a Norton India or Crystalon coarse/fine stone (no bigger than 4") and freehand sharpen, dry stones, and strop on cardboard, or my jeans.

How raised - what you do.

Steve
 
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