Carbon steel vs stainless steel

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marius rsa

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Jun 3, 2013
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Educate me, why do so many guys use high carbon steels or tool steel over stainless steel for me it just make sense to use stainless because it does not rust?
 
marius rsa said:
Educate me, why do so many guys use high carbon steels or tool steel over stainless steel for me it just make sense to use stainless because it does not rust?
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That's how I feel. Over time I've learned some guys prefer steel that is not shiny and like the staining that happens with carbon. Carbon is also much easier to sharpen. I also think some guys grew up with stained blades as the norm so anything with a shiny blade is an abomination to them.
 
They both possess certain properties that appeal to users and makers. Each group has their reasons for choosing one over the other and many are happy using both. I lean toward carbon steel because stainless wouldn't work for my chosen style and process. There are a few other reasons but admittedly, they are not something most others would consider a deciding factor.

I think it is great that we have choices!
 
Generalities about stainless versus carbon steel don't hold much water these days.

There are plenty of very good and very expensive steels in both categories.



The beauty of simple carbon steel is great performance at very reasonable prices on a steel that is fairly easily heat treated and sharpened.




Big Mike
 
When it comes to custom handmade knives, the difference in price becomes negligible, IMO. I have yet to see a practical performance evaluation where either group clearly excelled because of material choice, alone.

It used to be that stainless was looked down upon, performance wise... now, it seems to be leaning the other way. Who knows what future knives will be made of?

It's all good, if you ask me.
 
Google Knife Steel FAQ. Joe Talmage's FAQ is the most useful I have come across. It has a tremendous amount of information on all kinds of steels, alloying properties, classifications and comparisons of various cutlery steels.
 
I love the idea of giving a blade some patina or adding a hamon to give it that interesting look but at the end of the day rust will rune your blade if you don’t look after it
 
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I see it as a greater number of knife makers like the ability of heat treating their own steels, hig carbon tool steels lend themselves to simpler HT methods, including hamons, than stainless steels do. The added cost of stainless foil, quench plates, closer temperature tolerances makes it tougher for some knife makers.

As far as "does not rust" I have yet to find a iron based alloy that doens not rust. It is stainless not stain proof. Leave standing water on a 154cm blade for a few hours and it will rust. Not to the extent of carbon, but it will. Cobalt alloys do not rust (no iron), but they don't make very good fine edge knives. Fine for rope and coarse cutting needs, but no kitchen knives and slicers.

All steels need to be stainless just like all wood needs to be stabilized, it just isn't the case.


-Xander
 
Once upon a time a statement like, "carbon cuts and stainless lasts." would have answered your question, but today it is far more complicated. The main need is to match the steel to the task. Below are some examples:

Fine edge slicer kitchen knife for meat and fish - high carbon with small carbides - 52100, 1095, W2
General kitchen knife with good edge retention - Stainless steel that forms fine carbides - CPM 154, CPM-S35VN, AEBL, etc.
Camp knife for general use and chopping - Medium carbon, high alloy steel - 5160, CPM-3V, D-2, A-2. O-1
Wet use or salt water use general purpose knife - High alloy stainless steel - CPM-S30V, CPM-S35VN, etc.
Hunter/Skinner - Either the fine grain stainless or the high carbon steel, according to preference. These need hard edges and high wear resistance along with a very fine edge ability.
 
Forget your prejudices. Consider task. Determine geometry required. Think through desirable attributes such as wear-resistance, corrosion-resistance, toughness, etc. Choose steel and HT. Develop techniques/abilities to match requirements, not vice-versa. Win!
 
Yeah, well, my wife has been using a carbon steel kitchen knife for about a week and it's already rusty.

I'm just sayin...
 
Carbon steel is not maintenance free. I use nothing more than soap, water and a dry cloth on my 1095 kitchen knife. There is a patina but no sign of rust. You can't cut a bunch of tomatoes and leave the blade sit until after dinner, that's for sure.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Yeah, well, my wife has been using a carbon steel kitchen knife for about a week and it's already rusty.

I'm just sayin...
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The only arguement I've heard for stainless over carbon is in the kitchen where acid exposure is frequent since nearly all foods are acidic. A carbon steel knife will have the edge etched by the acid over time and will not be able to retain a fine edge as a result. This is likely rather dependant upon the particular alloy though.

More convincing to me is that at some point I'm going to slice up some limes for a batch of margaritas and be too trashed to take care of it propery. Call me lazy, but I'd rather not have my choice in steel get in the way of my drinking :D

-Sandow
 
I make knives from both stainless and carbon steels. My preferences aside, I do my best to learn what the customer will use the knife for and how they intend to use it. Then, I make a recommendation. A good percentage of my customers are serious hunters, but not "knife guys" per se. They tend to want a knife they can use to skin deer and leave in their hunting bag until the next season. I always go stainless for those types of users. When it comes to hunters, I also try to learn what kind of game they intend to harvest and what their method of dressing the game is. This helps me determine what kind of blade length, geometry and grind will work best for them. Understanding how often the customer intends to use the knife and his/her sharpening skills further help me with the steel decision.

Kitchen knives are almost the opposite. Serious (aka pro) chefs tend to want carbon blades. They are not worried as much about edge retention because honing and sharpening knives is a regular part of their job. Their desire seems to be focused more on being able to easily maintain/restore an edge. For the home chef's, I end up using more stainless steels for the kitchen.

Either way, getting to know the customer and understand their intended use for the knife is one of the most important things to me. At the end of the day, I'm just happy to be making and selling knives.
 
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