Best steels for pocket knife

D

Dadex

Joined
May 1, 2021
Messages
143
Hello,
This is my first post here in the forum. Ive had some pocket knives and usually had problems with corrosion and blade performance except for one gifted by my grandpa. It had more than 30 years of use and worked perfectly but lost it in my last travel by plane. Im now looking for a new pocket knife and would like you guys to recommend me a steel for the blade.
Thank you so much
 
Hi Dadex, welcome to BF. Sorry you lost your grandfathers knife. What everyone will tell you is that there are no “bests” at just about anything. That’s not a bad thing, it just means we have so many choices
available to us, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Sounds like your grandfathers knife was made from something stainless, and you liked how it performed. Stainless is pretty generic, there are many different types. It would help narrow the field considerably if you would describe the lost knife in some detail and give some idea of your budget range and intended usage. Otherwise brace yourself for a flood of suggestions that may or may not be helpful.
 
Blue Sky said:
Hi Dadex, welcome to BF. Sorry you lost your grandfathers knife. What everyone will tell you is that there are no “bests” at just about anything. That’s not a bad thing, it just means we have so many choices
available to us, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Sounds like your grandfathers knife was made from something stainless, and you liked how it performed. Stainless is pretty generic, there are many different types. It would help narrow the field considerably if you would describe the lost knife in some detail and give some idea of your budget range and intended usage. Otherwise brace yourself for a flood of suggestions that may or may not be helpful.
Click to expand...
I really dont know how to describe the blade because for me they all look the same except for damascus. 2 of the ones ive had recently were 1095 and D2 if im not wrong. They worked pretty good but still found problems in them and i would like to get something better. I know that there are many factors and that there is not a best steel. I usually used them for regular use like cutting paper, plastic, etc and also for mountain excursions and similar things. My budget is around 100 €.
 
As mentioned, this is a very subjective question and there is no right answer.

Are you willing to perform some minimal maintenance on your blade every couple of days? If so, then corrosion won't/shouldn't be a problem regardless of your choice of steel. Simply wiping the blade with lube every couple days is usually more than enough to keep corrosion at bay even on a high carbon EDC knife.

You would be better off spending some time searching this forum and Googling to see the dozens (hundreds??) of steel choices available. You should think of your intended application, then determine what steel you think would suit you. What will you be cutting? How often? Things like edge-retention, toughness (as in blade hardness) and ease of sharpening are points to consider.

I'm sorry you lost your knife. :(
 
Last edited:
shane45-1911 said:
As mentioned, this is a very subjective question and there is no right answer.

Are you willing to perform some minimal maintenance on your blade every couple of days? If so, then corrosion won't/shouldn't be a problem regardless of your choice of steel. Simply wiping the blade with lube every couple days is usually more than enough to keep corrosion at bay even on a high carbon EDC knife.

You would be better of spending some time searching this forum and Googling to see the dozens (hundreds??) of steel choices available. You are better off thinking of your intended application, then determining what steel you think would suit you. What will you be cutting? How often? Things like edge-retention, toughness (as in blade hardness) and ease of sharpening are points to consider.

I'm sorry you lost your knife. :(
Click to expand...
I use it for daily use. Cutting food, paper and sometimes electric cables, wood and things that i use when im working on radios. I also use it when i travel to the mountain and do excursions for cutting wood, shrooms.
 
Hello and welcome to BladeForums. There are tons of options out there that would work well for you. I recommend one of the Spyderco Salt series with H1 blade steel. H1 is basically rust proof, holds a decent edge similar to AUS8. and is super easy to sharpen.
 
How about blade size, number of blades, locks or no locks? Traditional or modern? There are several large on-line dealers, spend some time searching around and something is bound to catch your eye. Then go from there.
 
So it sounds like you need a jack-of-all trades knife.

I would suggest simply picking a knife that suits your budget and is pleasing to your eye. There are so many quality factory knives out there these days, it is staggering - especially to a new knife buyer. The world is your oyster!

As long as you buy quality, there is typically no such thing as "bad" steel. Some are just more application-specific than others.

Perhaps get a short-list of knives together that peek your interest and come back to us with that list? We might be better suited to help you select something if we get a feel for your taste in knives. :)
 
I think i explained myself wrong. Im gonna share a picture of what im looking for. I leave a link here because i dont know how to upload a picture.
gyazo.com

Gyazo

gyazo.com gyazo.com
 
First thing that leaped to mind after seeing that is the Lionsteel Gitano in Nialox. Not nearly as fancy as that but similar in style and well reviewed.
 
Blue Sky said:
First thing that leaped to mind after seeing that is the Lionsteel Gitano in Nialox. Not nearly as fancy as that but similar in style and well reviewed.
Click to expand...
I dont need a concrete model. Im asking for the blade because it is gonna be custom made.
 
Ah, now I understand. Custom, very nice. As a start, decent stainless (in no particular order) would include S30V, S35V, S90V, CPM-154, 440C, CTS-XHP. There are many others, and some people will take exception to my list, but it’s a start. And as jfk1110 mentioned, some makers work with certain steels only so we must factor that in too. Settle on a good maker and they might be very helpful in making your final choice.


Edited to fix an error, thanks kobold.
 
Last edited:
CPM-M4 is not stainless!

I would also add S110V, AEB-L to the list. Two very different steels.
 
Blue Sky said:
Ah, now I understand. Custom, very nice. As a start, decent stainless (in no particular order) would include S30V, S35V, S90V, CPM-154, CPM-M4, 440C, CTS-XHP. There are many others, and some people will take exception to my list, but it’s a start. And as jfk1110 mentioned, some makers work with certain steels only so we must factor that in too. Settle on a good maker and they might be very helpful in making your final choice.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. Thats what i needed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top