Blade steels that have given your best edge

For stainless

12c27 and other sandvik steels seem to take a screamin’ edge very readily.

I also like 154cm. M390 is good stuff at the higher end. Also have to agree that m4 seems to take a nice crisp edge too.

I don’t have that much experience with carbon steel but 1095 did ok. However semi stainless d2 seems to be able to be finished to a beautiful clean edge.
 
Obsesionado con los bordes
Cada vez que hago una cuenta de los favoritos que se obtienen reduciendo la geometría del borde y luego descubriendo (con el tiempo) que tipos de abrasivos funcionan mejor con el acero que estoy afilando; especialmente al final de las cosas. Independientemente del tipo de acero, este enfoque siempre me ha funcionado.

Solía pensar que los verdaderos acerbos eran "mejores" que otros, y que a veces son en algunos aspectos; eso solo depende de cómo uno definir "mejor" en primer lugar. Pero eventualmente, descubro cómo obtener los mejores resultados de los que antes me gustaban, y eso cambia completamente mis percepciones. Decidió que es mejor mantener la mente abierta y seguir probando diferentes enfoques para descubrir qué funciona mejor. Luego hazlo de nuevo. Siempre hay algo nuevo que aprender.

+1
 
Alberta Ed said:
It's easy to get a hair-popping edge on "lesser" stainless grades like 12C27 and subsequent variations, which at one time was lauded as one of the best cutlery steels available (and still is IMHO).
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P.J. Tomes, (master smith), would use (cryoed) 12C27 as the stainless alternative to his forged blades offered in 52100 because he felt it offered similar performance and characteristics.

And apparently Sandvik has continued to evolve the steel:

Sandvik 12C27™ is our main knife steel for hand-held knives, high-end ice skate blades and ice drills. Continuous improvement over a period of 45 years has evolved it into the high performing steel grade it is today. The composition is tighter, the purity level is much higher and the fine carbide microstructure of today is far from how Sandvik 12C27™ knife steel of the sixties looked.

With a hardness range of 54-61 HRC, high toughness, scary sharpness and good corrosion resistance, Sandvik 12C27™ is the recommended grade for hunting knives, pocket knives, camping knives, high-end chef's knives and tactical knives.
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420hc in a vintage Buck 110 got wicked sharp for me. 1095 is great to sharpen, and my zdp189 endura is a total bitch to sharpen, but when you get it bang on, it's scary.
 
it's true that sandvik stainless steel almost sharpen by itself, cpm-3v, 154cm, VG-10 need more patience but no problem getting as sharp. D2 like 1055, 1095 CroVan needs more love to get that Razor sharp because it gives toothy edges so i don't bother with those i give them a good edge and work them like that.

But in therm of pure sharpness, I would choose 12c27 and 14c28n because they are easy to get hair whittling sharp.
 
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I bought an Mora scout knife in 12c27, I cut myself giving it`s first coating of oil, fresh out of the packing and i did not even feel the cut, and i have been collecting knives for years and rarely if ever cut myself.
 
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Maxamet is very impressive
 
You can sharpen almost any decent steel to an extremely high level of sharpness. The question is how easy you can get there. For me, it is any good carbon steels ( Hitachi blue, white and Sandvik).
 
M-S-T said:
You can sharpen almost any decent steel to an extremely high level of sharpness. The question is how easy you can get there. For me, it is any good carbon steels ( Hitachi blue, white and Sandvik).
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^That's what influences my choice of 'best', more than any other factor.

I don't care so much about uber-wear-resistant steels holding an edge forever; instead, I tend to favor those that respond quickly and easily to most any available sharpening means. So, well-heat-treated 1095 can be very good (Schrade USA's older blades), Case's CV is extremely easy, Sandvik steels (Opinel's 12C27Mod) are very good, and Victorinox's stainless gets as consistently sharp as can be, no matter what means I've used to sharpen it (diamond, AlOx, SiC, Arkansas stones). I like steels that get sharp with a minimum of fuss or worry about whether I have the 'right' sharpening media at hand for the job. That's what matters to me.

More depends on manufacturing process (i.e., steel purity; think Sandvik, for example, and I'm betting Victorinox fits there as well) and heat treat (Schrade USA is my favorite for that), which make a bigger difference than any one steel type can do by itself. The best and absolute worst examples of sharpenability I've ever seen were both in 1095, for example, which illustrated to me how important the processing and heat-treat of the steel is.

Many other steels can get wickedly sharp with the 'right' gear doing the sharpening. But figuring out what's 'right' for the steel sometimes takes a while. Some iterations of S30V are stupid-simple with a single diamond hone and nothing else, the grit chosen according to user preference; but S30V can otherwise be a disappointment and/or just a huge PITA if I don't have a diamond hone at hand. Same goes for some versions of D2 or VG-10, which can be very fussy in getting them done 'right'. They're great cutters when you finally get 'em there. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with such steels, and usually don't carry or use them so much anymore, as I tend to cringe a little bit when they come due for a full resharpening.
 
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maximus83 said:
And so are those pics, and your edge. Nice!

Do you mind sharing the sharpening progression you used to get there?
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400 CBN waterstone, 1500 CBN Waterstone, 1um diamond strop, 0.5 um, 0.25um, 0.10um, 0.05um

It can pop and split hairs at 1um and feather them a bit. But the progression to 0.05um makes it easier and more consistent to feather the hair.

The secret is off the stone, the edge has to be consistent, deburred of the stone without crushing or rounding the apex Apex and refined with stropping. If the edge doesn't come up it's back to the last stone.

Stones create, strops enhance
 
Two things to state plus a counter question...

*Traditional stainless steels like AUS-4 to AUS-8,420HC,440A,Sandvik grades...all these respond well on a stone.In fact Sandvik I'd probably rank the highest because they take a very toothy feel like plain carbon steel.

*Bevel width and geometry also plays a vital role and I'm a factory edge and grind nut...major pet peeve I have on sharpening ease and cutting quality.I literally don't mind buying a knife in low end steel as long as I like the handle design,blade shape, and it has a great edge.Some may not like this comment but the expensive knife brands vary on their edge presentation just as much as the common fare you'd find in a K-Mart for $20.Even with terrible edge geometry though you'll get the cheap steels noticeably sharper.

Forgive me Kent for asking this counter question as I don't mean to come off as rude in any way but I'm pretty frank.Did your interest in knives begin literally with buying a knife in S35VN?I ask because this is the kind of question someone would ask who has never used the standard steels nor sharpened them.Because if you have used them... then your question would be a rhetorical one and my response would be redundant.

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