Carbon or Stainless?

[Anarkistic]

Mainly ill be using it for hunting, fishing, camping, batoning, etc.. i dont want anything too heavy though since it will be with me rock climbing and hang gliding etc.. i just say something that has to be able to stand up to the elements should i get stuck in them but i do take really good care of my blades, though i live near the ocean. Im looking for something that holds an edge really well but isnt impossible to sharpen.

I'd recommend something like 1095. Maintenance is key, keep it clean and oiled - it won't rust, even in wet conditions. Its so easy to sharpen too, heck i could sharpen my esee 4 on a piece of rock, lol.
If your battoning you either want an esee or a becker - both carbon steel, full tang. You could beat the sh*t out of either without worrying about chipping.
I wouldn't ever recommend such hard use with stainless.

 

[goodeyesniper]

These responses are awesome, thanks. Its just all good info for me to absorb. From what i hear it seems like 52100 may be a great all around steel which is pretty much what im looking for. I dont plan on submerging the thing in saly water ever but thetes a chance it coukd end uosubmerged in fresh water briefly. Beyond that basically just seeing the moments and snow. I also live near the beach so theres salt in the air.

Wouod 52100 hold up to that if i kept good care of it and cleaned/oiled it after everyheavy usage?

yes, it would hold up no problem. remember people used to live on the sea with simple carbon steel weapons and tools.

not too long ago, navy issued diver knives were 1095 steel.

The only time I would ever oil a knife would be if it was going into storage for a week or more.

Mainly ill be using it for hunting, fishing, camping, batoning, etc.. i dont want anything too heavy though since it will be with me rock climbing and hang gliding etc.. i just say something that has to be able to stand up to the elements should i get stuck in them but i do take really good care of my blades, though i live near the ocean. Im looking for something that holds an edge really well but isnt impossible to sharpen.

tbh, grind geometry and quality are more important than steel for that. there are dozens of stainless steels that would undoubtedly hold up well to that use, just as carbon steel might.

there are differences, but they mostly come to shine as you refine your sharpening skills and figure out the specific direction you go with your knife. as a beginner you probably won't be able to pinpoint the difference in grit and edge angle in your edge, and how steel choice effects that.

IMO find a HANDLE that fits in your hand well for the job it will be doing, then look for blade profile and grind to do the same, steel should be the last thing as long as it is serviceable.

and the last thing, it takes mere seconds to clean up a few rust spots if you accidentally leave moisture on the blade. much less time than it takes to sharpen a knife. which is why it always confuses me why some people talk against a high quality carbon steel as being "high maintenance" and they'd rather have a low quality stainless, even though realistically they would spend way more time maintaining the edge on it. that said, there are countless great stainless steels to this day.

 

[Lone Fortress]

One can't go wrong with stainless and for the most part-it's only brittle if made brittle. One would be surprised at how tough stainless can be-especially those that are basically engineered for higher toughness such as the classic ats-34 or its cpm154 counterpart. It also usually has higher edge retention. So about just as tough (if not tougher depending on the steel), better edge retention and better corrosion resistance..I'd go with stainless.