Blade steel for edc

[helobite]

My biggest problem is blade steel. I’m painfully novice as far as sharpening which I know should probably play the largest role in my decision.

You have a problem. Advanced, modern, high carbon stainless steels are not going to be the answer to your fundamental problem: how to sharpen the knife. Even 14C28N may be too hard for you

I have been free hand sharpening my knives for, probably longer than anyone in this thread has been alive, and had real problems sharpening even Case stainless steels with carborumdum and arkansas stones.

This stone was not aggressive enough in altering a bevel.

way too smooth

the basic problem with modern, hard, stainless steels and the old time stones, is that instead of removing material and creating a nice flat bevel, instead, all I was doing was creating a rounded edge. Might as well have been trying to grind granite with a tooth brush and tooth paste.

It was not until I found DMT diamond stones that I was able to aggressively remove materials on modern, high carbon, high Rockwell, stainless steels. Then, I gently use a medium india stone to knock the burr off. By the way, that little magnifying glass is my most important tool in getting a blade sharp. Looking through it, I can see what I am doing to the edge. Knowing what is actually going on, down there, is very important.

With the tools you have, and the sharpening skills you have, until such time as you can really sharpen a knife, how about a nice 1095 bladed knife?. Or a Case Chrome Vanadium, or a Kabar cro van. Those steels are really outstanding in most categories, except rust protection, and you can sharpen the things. Once you grind the blade till the shape is almost gone, you might be getting good at sharpening, and then, a high Rockwell stainless could be the ticket.

That, or a razor blade knife!

 

[CHNeal]

Another vote for S35VN. Had it in my pocket for I guess 4 years or so. Great steel, holds an edge well and can be touched up on the bottom of a coffee mug or the edge of a car window and I’ve never seen it rust in the high humidity of the Midwest.

 

[AZWhetted]

I have both satin stainless and DLC blades. Corrosion resistance is low on my personal list of attributes, but the DLC blades are usually less noticeable/threatening to casual observers who may be frightened of a open flipper or other quick-opening knife. If you like the look then go for it. If not then there are other finishes available in the Spyderco Paras the OP is considering, or even aftermarket finishes if desired.

 

[dano]

Whatever you can afford. there's not a lot of difference...

 

[sharp_edge]

Since you mentioned other EDC options, I'd suggest you to also look at folders of axis lock or tri ad lock. Hogue Ritter has full size (about the size or PM2) and mini with 20cv steel at very reasonable prices. Benchmade griptilian is always a nice choice. Cold Steel Recon 1 with a nearly 4" blade of s35VN or American Lawman are among knives with the best value IMO.

 

[ron finkbeiner jr]

Hard to beat D2 or 154, affordable and easy maintenance.

 

[SCTorrero]

For readily available steel in those models, hard to beat S45VN for well rounded.

 

[Deino]

Now that D2 is mentioned and I think more about it. For EDC pocket knife(Like less than 4 inches blade), toughness is not big of an issue for most steels to be honest. They are just too small for a need of high toughness, and their supposed jobs don't require such high toughness anyway (my personal opinion).
I recommended the S45VN because I believe OP wants a good balance steel with minimal maintenance like cleaning and sharpening. It is also already available on Spyderco catalogue. Otherwise

If you look for "mid range" under 100$ knife from other manufacturers, most well heat treated 440C and its descendants, VG-10, 154CM/CPM154, N690/N695, BD1/BD1N, AUS-10, 9Cr18MoV, etc. Sandvik steels and D2/K110 tool steel all fit fit the criteria.

On "high range", The CPM S30V S35VN and S45VN brothers are equally good. S30V has longest lasting edge of the 3, S35VN is the tougher one (but again, not a big deal for EDC) and I hear that it is easier to resharpen, and S45VN is about in between but with corrosion resistance of 440 series. Most tools steels at this range also has superb edge retention and good rust resistance even if they are not stainless, basically upgraded D2.

The "premium" range, I personally prefer M390 (and whatever its other equivalent is)... because it is probably the bottom of this range, therefore I could affront one as my little shiny. The S60V, S90V S110V, K390, the ZPD-something, etc. are all great if you want to pay for them.

My EDC is SAK nylon scale and a QSP D2 beater.

 

[Boattale]

My favorite knives are still Case CV and now CS blades and Buck's 420 HC with their best heat treatment. I've got a lot of other knives with later developed steels and they're good too - better at some things than others. But overall for EDC, those ones are the ones that are carried most. A CV Case literally every day.

 

[studio]

It's not as sexy as a Spyderco but 14C28N has been real good to me. Seems to take a nice toothy edge quickly.

I will add Opinel to the mix for cutting and ease of maintainment. Good ol' Carbone' is tough to beat for me.

Did OP mention his regular cutting tasks? Food and packages VS. drywall and conduit might need something a bit different.

 

[Corton93]

If you ok at sharpening I would go with m390, 20cv, 204p etc. My most used edc's always happen to be 20cv, at the moment.

If sharpening may be an issue I would second s45vn. Good overall balance while still being easy to sharpen.

I've always had a soft spot for micarta myself, but I've been on a fat carbon kick here lately.

 

[ScarFoot]

Any thoughts on the para 2 crewcarta? I’ve had absolutely zero experience with that steel

That knife quickly became one of my favorites and has been in my pocket since the day I got it. I‘ve touched the edge up once since the initial sharpening a few months ago. It doesn’t seem particularly hard to sharpen or maintain and so far I can get that knife sharper than any of my others. No matter what steel you go with, don’t let it get super dull between sharpening sessions. Touch it up often and you generally won’t have to fight it to get/keep it sharp.

 

[Stockman]

OP -You cant go wrong with a Para 2/3 whatever steel it comes with. Personal preference is non coated on a stainless blade, no need for a coating.
I have a Para 2 in D2 Olive G10 for over 10 years, have beat up on this one real hard and its still in good nick with lots of battle scars that only adds character.
Most Spydies make exceptional EDC's.
You mentioned that sharpening was not your finest skill, so modern exotic Super steels might give you grief, maybe you should avoid them.
Saying that, Sharpening can be easily learnt, can be very relaxing and enjoyable and is a "life skill" worth learning.
I am old and old school, so my preference is freehand sharpening, but there are other methods that might suit you better.
Freehand sharpening does not need to be expensive, I've used the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup to quickly touch up an edge.
Knife ownership takes on a whole new level of enjoyment once you can effectively sharpen, being able to form an edge that suits your knife, its application or simply the type of edge you like use.

 

[AntDog]

M4. Takes a nasty light saber edge and holds it forever.

 

[Wandering_About]

For the Para 3, SPY27 is an excellent steel, if you're okay with the lightweight version of the knife. For the regular version, S45VN is excellent. Those will have the best balance of performance and worry-free. SPY27 in particular holds a great edge, and is relatively easy to sharpen. It's become a steel that I recommend a lot.

 

[Hashishiin]

That knife quickly became one of my favorites and has been in my pocket since the day I got it. I‘ve touched the edge up once since the initial sharpening a few months ago. It doesn’t seem particularly hard to sharpen or maintain and so far I can get that knife sharper than any of my others. No matter what steel you go with, don’t let it get super dull between sharpening sessions. Touch it up often and you generally won’t have to fight it to get/keep it sharp.

8 PM2s, some that I put hundreds of dollars into scales, and that dang Crucarta cannot stay out of my pocket.
If you value stainlessness, Cruwear is really almost stainless.

 

[Fred1950]

I mentioned s35vn earlier as an ideal steel, but other, older steels have been just fine, too. I've carried 1095, 154cm, D2, ATS34, Case stainless, and lots of others that I didn't even know what they were made of. Other than a few very cheap <$15 knives, all have performed the tasks required, with varied sharpening intervals. But I like to touch up my knives, so that's not an issue with me. I carried a little Cutco folder for several years on the job, it performed flawlessly, was pretty easy to get razor sharp, and I think it was a promotion given to me for buying a pair of Cutco scissors. I have no idea what steel it is, just some kind of stainless...

 

[DavidABQ]

There are a lot of great blade steels out there on the market. The type of steel used for the blade is a very important consideration but it is not the only one. Handle shape is also a huge consideration. If the handle is uncomfortable how much are you going to enjoy cutting anything? That also includes the handle material; for example, some people like aluminum or titanium handles and others find them slick to the touch and hate them.

Just keep the other aspects of a knife in mind when selecting an EDC and not just blade steel.

My EDC happens to use S35v blade steel; it is easy to sharpen using ceramics and does a good job of holding an edge. It is not necessarily the state of the art in blade steel but I love the rest of the knife and how if feels in the hand.

 

[rycen]

DLC is porous so don’t expect it to help with corrosion

 

[Hashishiin]

^ This is what I hear, but in actuality, I believe the DLC to help, if just in an asesthetic way. I carried a satin M4 Native in my pocket for a short hike and the color difference from sweat existing near it was obvious mid-hike. Non-knife girlfriend uses a DLC M4 Sage every day at work, by sweat, and it looks great.

YMMV, I like the DLC on M4 specifically.