Carbon steel

It’s going to depend on what you use your knife for and the materials you are cutting.

Yes carbon steel can be sufficient for ordinary usage but when you get into more demanding use and harsh environment not to mention harsh materials it makes a big difference. There will be some hard core carbon steel enthusiasts who will argue that good, well done carbon steel it is all you will ever need. Really? Id like to know how they came to that absurd conclusion.

There’s a reason and purpose for everything. Wouldn’t you think there’s a reason why people a long time ago chose to switch from rock and sharpened sticks to iron or copper? I would think so, for the same reason why I switched from carbon to stainless and then to the higher performance super steels. They perform much better in all environments and conditions.

I don’t have anything against a person using carbon steel but to argue that the current supper stainless steels aren’t any better than carbon steel is nonsense. They just aren’t being honest with themselves.
 
Here are some easy to read guides for steel and what's good about a particular flavor.

www.bladehq.com

Knife Steel Guide - Knife Life

In its most basic form, steel is just iron and carbon, but people have been studying, experimenting with, and perfecting steel with other elements for specific applications for millennia. The study of steel is now so complex and nuanced that one can acquire a graduate degree in the subject and...
www.bladehq.com www.bladehq.com
 
Silent H is only wrong about ONE thing;
Ole Slabsides is STILL the greatest handgun ever! 😁👍
 
True. Or you could hold hard, make every shot count, and think, “If I can’t solve this problem with 6 rounds of .45 Long Colt, maybe it’s not a handgun problem.”

Parker
 
Danke42 said:
Here are some easy to read guides for steel and what's good about a particular flavor.

www.bladehq.com

Knife Steel Guide - Knife Life

In its most basic form, steel is just iron and carbon, but people have been studying, experimenting with, and perfecting steel with other elements for specific applications for millennia. The study of steel is now so complex and nuanced that one can acquire a graduate degree in the subject and...
www.bladehq.com www.bladehq.com
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No offense, but that guide and most like it are not accurate at all. I wouldn't put any weight on the ratings on that link.

Just a few examples: it rates "sandvik steels" at 4/10 for corrosion resistance when they are one of the best in this area. Not to mention the fact that they are different steels bunched together as if they all perform the same.

It rates M390 as tougher than LC200N, and D2 is even tougher? Really?

It rates CTS-XHP as equal to S90V, and 1095 as equal to VG10 in edge retention???

It seems like they used a random number generator to me.
 
Alberta Ed said:
I have several100+ year old wood chisels, all carbon steel, and they still hold a wonderful edge under hard use.
Click to expand...
I don’t know if there is some reason for it, or if it is all just in my head, but there is just something about the way carbon steel FEELS when cutting wood (when compared with stainless) that makes me prefer it for whittling and carving, particularly with harder woods.

Since my knife use these days is mostly just a hobby, I feel like aesthetics and my subjective experience are more important that any metallurgical explanations of what is best for any given use. For those who like to nerd-out over steel types - if that’s where their interests lie then more power to them.
 
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