Carbon vs. Stainless for a pocket folder.

[allenC]

I prefer a knife to be as maintenance free as possible.
So, I have to go with stainless steel.

I also don't like the taste that carbon blades impart to food.
And I like to be able to take a dip in the ocean or lake without worrying about my knife.

I only use my knife for average mundane daily cutting choirs so edge retention is not the end all be all.
I also don't think that impact strength is that important in a folder with a blade less than 5" in length...it's not like I'll be chopping with a 4 inch, 3oz. zytel handle lock-back.

My EDC is a Pacific Salt with rustproof H-1 steel. :thumbup:

 

[Myal]

I have had some stainless folders , and some carbon steel folders .
The stainless knives that actualy held an edge tended to get reground regularly as the tips broke off or the edge chips out .
The carbon steel folders , as yet , havent broken a tip , chipped out an edge or snapped a blade .
My opinel did bend several times at the tip , and roll the cutting edge , but compared to the broken blades the of stainless knives in the same $$ range , having to peen out an edge is a minor problem .
I do favour carbon steel , over stainless , for a knife Id want as an EDC/ Survival knife , but only because I tend to do some minor prying and prising , like getting shelfish off rocks and opening oysters etc .
Rust isnt an issue , I have sweated the chrome of the metal inlay on my Okapi , but the blade I keep wiped with just a bit of veg oil every couple days . They go grey as carbon steel does , but thats it , unless Im realy lazy and forget to clean them up after fishing or something , then it gets ugly ...

 

[RobbW]

Blades can rust from body sweat?? You guys must be sweating a whole lot. I can't imagine my sebenza rusting from being in my pocket.

It's not the amount of perspiration, it's the acidity. Some people have very acidic perspiration and things seem to rust quickly in their pockets. On the other hand, I go running with knives clipped to my waistband and have never had a speck of rust develop, despite drenching the blade on every run. What might work for one won't work for another, even in the same conditions.

 

[Vivi]

Blades can rust from body sweat?? You guys must be sweating a whole lot. I can't imagine my sebenza rusting from being in my pocket.

Yep. I distinctly remember having my Opinel #10 in my pocket at a Death Metal show last winter and this happened. 2 hours of headbanging and air guitar produced a lot of sweat, which led to a line of small rust spots where the blade is left exposed from the handle. Still works just fine, I didn't even take off the rust spots. They've blended into the est of the patina by now.

Carbon steel just seems to have better edge retention and more overall durability in my experience than most stainless steels. Much easier to sharpen and quicker to reprofile. However, I haven't tried certain SS like ZDP189 for instance. My most commonly EDC'd knife is a stainless one though, SAK Farmer. Just the most practical for my uses, which I think is more important than what steel a knife uses. Honestly, every steel I've used from a large-name company, whether it be 420 hc, 1095, S30V, VG10 or AUS8 has preformed good enough for me. The only steel I've used that I didn't like was S30V, because it took an obnoxious amount of time to reprofile, takes about double the time to tune up the edge after use and I've not experienced any significant edge-holding abilities compared to 400 grade stainless steels. If the knife design is something I like though, I'll still use it (In this case, it's a Buck Hartsook Neck Knife).

I agree though with the statement that SS is more practical for folders and Carbon for fixed, assuming the environment you're in goes well with the latter. If not, there are plenty of great stainless fixed blades to choose from.

 

[michelle9]

Thanks. One of the big factors, aside from ease of care, is weight. The Benchmade is listed at 1.70oz. There's no documentation on the Moore Maker, but I'm assuming it's going to be at least double that...probably more.

 

[WadeF]

I'd also like to see more carbon steel folders on the market. The problem is the masses would buy them, have them rust, and get upset. If you get the carbon knife just pick up a Sentry TUF-CLOTH or Marine TUF-CLOTH and wipe the blade down from time to time. You can also get Tuf-Glide to lube the inner workings of the knife and also help protect against rust. However, if you are using it on food you may not want to use these products. If you want to use it on food you'd probably be better off going stainless.