Blade steel is becoming less important to me

Cementite said:
Interesting, I would have expected overheating of the edge to cause the edge to get "softer"/more ductile/less chippy but I guess maybe super steels behave differently...or maybe I'm not thinking about it right. (Maybe overheating right at the edge creates a "quenching" effect where the body of the blade, by soaking up the heat, quenches the very edge, making it harder rather than softer...maybe?)
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I hope someone knowledgeable will chime in.
 
Almost 40 years ago, in a conversation with Blackie Collins, he opined that there's really no such thing as a bad blade steel. If it can be hardened to above about 55RC, it can be made into a perfectly serviceable blade, ASSUMING the maker knows what he's doing with regard to design and execution. This also assumes you're not trying to chop a frozen deer hindquarter with a 6" slicing knife. In most cases, any perceived shortcomings of the steel can be overcome simply by adjusting one's cutting technique.

I'm not a steel snob. I like carbon for choppers, stainless for folders, EDC fixed blades get most of my attention. I have an assortment of steels, in both carbon and stainless alloys. I buy knives because I like the knife, not because of the steel used. That said, I'm currently carrying a Magnacut fixed and an M390 folder, just because those were the steels available when I wanted those particular designs. OK, I really did want to try Magnacut, so finding a design I like in that steel was fortuitous.
 
DocJD said:
If it makes you feel better about paying a 3X+ premium over already very durable steel , but unless you are doing huge amount of tough cutting or just over- sharpening , IMO it's denial . ;)
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Sorry, but my math is flawless! :cool:
 
I think a lot of the “super steel” hype is just that. Hype.

As I said in a previous post, I really like S35VN. Beyond that, it just seems like a waste of time to try and keep up with the newest trends. Heck, I’m perfectly happy with D2, or 14c28n.

I would rather have toughness than super edge retention any time.
 
Blues said:
Creeping incrementalism is the greatest threat to Western civilization. Stop it now...for the children.

(I'll admit that I like having some of the latest and greatest, while still enjoying the old carbon steel classics. There's room for all, IMHO, but yeah, there's a lot of good steel out there which will satisfy the needs of 99% of us.)
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“Creeping incrementalism”. Wow!

First time Ive heard that term. Interesting concept. 👍
 
whp said:
“Creeping incrementalism”. Wow!

First time Ive heard that term. Interesting concept. 👍
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Thanks...but it wasn't intended, (here), as anything but some tongue-in-cheek humor.
 
I like all the modern steel pretty much ~ It's much stronger than wood and sure beats the hell out of trying to put an edge on a copper blade like the old timers did
 
Cementite said:
Interesting, I would have expected overheating of the edge to cause the edge to get "softer"/more ductile/less chippy but I guess maybe super steels behave differently...or maybe I'm not thinking about it right. (Maybe overheating right at the edge creates a "quenching" effect where the body of the blade, by soaking up the heat, quenches the very edge, making it harder rather than softer...maybe?)
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Messing up the heat treatment along the edge can cause a variety of problems. After exploring this, I'm convinced that there is usually some level of this with most factory edges. Some of it might get lost in the improvement from users putting on a better edge in the first place. Some of it is probably just minor enough not to notice.

Where I'm curious is to what extent this has played a role in both personal experiences and in generating community reputation for some steels. For instance, being chippy is a common complaint for S30V. According to Larrin, S30V is actually tougher than 440C, N690, M390, and BD1N but it has a notably worse reputation for this. (BTW, I also imagine that lots of production knives in S30V are run a little softer than some of us might see as ideal.) So is being chippy just a feature of the steel or is something else going on? What about people who have been using it without this problem (or who had noticed some degree of this problem only for it to resolve over time across multiple edges)?
 
ClickBoom said:
The copper age ~ This era was characterized by the remarkable discovery and utilization of copper, the first metal to be fashioned into tools, weapons, and other items.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ötzi
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Thank you. Very interesting. Usually when I have heard someone refer to "old timers" they meant someone old that they know personally, hence my inquiry.
 
I worded that wrong. I meant "someone older than themselves that they know personally"
 
Cementite said:
Interesting, I would have expected overheating of the edge to cause the edge to get "softer"/more ductile/less chippy but I guess maybe super steels behave differently...or maybe I'm not thinking about it right. (Maybe overheating right at the edge creates a "quenching" effect where the body of the blade, by soaking up the heat, quenches the very edge, making it harder rather than softer...maybe?)
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Have you ever tried to sharpen a blade that wasn't heat treated? I've run into that a couple times -- once trying to sharpen a craptastic Pakistani Damascus blade and once trying to sharpen a dough knife for my wife. Basically it's impossible to raise a burr because the steel just crumbles on the stone.
 
ClickBoom said:
The copper age ~ This era was characterized by the remarkable discovery and utilization of copper, the first metal to be fashioned into tools, weapons, and other items.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ötzi
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The guys with copper knives were probably annoyed when the bronze age kicked in and the greeks started pushing their fancy new bronze knives.
 
I am not sure that I can add anything to the conversation but the other aspects of a knife concern me more such as the handle shape and the locking mechanism ease of use, if it has a lock, are more of a concern for me. Ease of opening the blade is something that I find really important. My hands don’t work as well as they used to so I look for knives that open easily.
 
If it meets your need and you can put an edge in it, it is good. As long as design and edge geometry and of course the heat treatment is good too. But I am thankful for the choices we can make from so many available to just have fun using them. 😀 But my Opinel 6 still cuts too and is very easy to carry.
 
they didn't have the steel back then as they do now ans got along just fine with C75, opinels carbon, 1055,75,95
no one abused their knives then as they do now also
 
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I recall a pro knife maker I know saying that you can basically but an edge on just about anything, and it will cut (paper, aluminum cans, wood, plastic...etc) The key is how LONG it will cut. This is one of the reasons I like the high performance steels like S90V, 10V, S110V...etc, etc....they cut for a LONG time, I have no issues sharpening them with a modern pocket diamond or ceramic stone, and a knife is meant as a cutting instrument. Small blades are what I tend to make, designed to cut...not chop. If I was making something that chopped I would choose a different steel.
 
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