Case CV vs GEC 1095 vs Queen D2

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laturkeyhunter

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Oct 24, 2015
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Good evening everyone. I'm curious what everyone's experience with edge retention is for the three steels mentioned above. I have been a case fan since my early teens and I like the CV steel it's easy to sharpen and holds a decent edge I'm just wondering how well the other two steels hold an edge. I work maintenance in a paper mill and I use my knives for cutting rope, boxes, gasket material and anything else that can be cut with a knife. I have recently purchased three GEC knives two in the 1095 and one in 01 tool steel but haven't carried any of them yet. Just looking for opinions and experiences. Thanks
 
I bought a used queen slim trapper d2 from the bay. its been ridiculously sharpened by the previous owner and its still sharp after months of carry. In fact, i just got bit on the thumb the other week while cleaning it. Although I have a few GECs I have never used any of them to cut anything, nor have I carried them. My cases, i only have a few in the tru sharp ss, 2 mini copperlocks, 1 regular copperlock, 2 ss slimline trapper (extra bought by mistake), 1 regular trapper.
 
I'm not sure how CV stands vs. GEC 1095. I've never tested them side by side.
However, the D2 will keep cutting longer than either of the others, although the D2 will lose its razor edge faster than the others..
 
Queen's D2 is by far the best edge holder of those three. However, it is a devil to sharpen and will not take as keen of an edge as the other two. The 1095 is second in terms of edge holding, and it sharpens about the same (difficulty and sharp edge ability) as CV. Being semi-stainless, the d2 will also not patina or corrode nearly as fast as the other two steels.
You also mention o1, which is well done by GEC. If I were cutting lots of rope and paper products I would go for either the d2 or the o1.
 
I think for the media you are cutting, the carbides in GEC's 440C stainless would make it better than either CV or 1095, but not up to the D2 from Queen. Queen/S&M's ATS-34 should be neck and neck with the D2, and better even than the 440C. The fine edge of the 1095 makes it a better choice for wood carving.
 
My experience with the steels you mention is.
1095 is easier to sharpen than Case's CV, 1095 doesn't get a wire edge or burr as bad as CV.
GEC's 1095 also holds an edge a little bit better than CV as well.
I never sharpen CV or 1095 beyound 20 degrees per side or 600 grit diamond, if I'm cutting rope or cardboard. Going more acute or to a fine stropped egde CV & 1095 dull to quickly.

When I started using D2 I threw out every thing I thought I knew about sharpening and started over. Queens D2 is a whole different animal. It is a bear to reprofile but once done it's easy to resharpen provided you have the right tools. I use a KME guided system to reprofile or sharpen.
Which may sound like a pain except for the fact that between sharpening I can strop the edge back on D2. Where doing the same cutting it would have been necessary to sharpen CV or 1095 three times.

1095 will take a finer edge than D2 but 1095 just doesn't hold that edge very well compared to D2

A good steel you might want to consider is GEC or CSC's 440C, easier to work freehand than D2. Both will hold an edge better than 1095 or CV.
For cardboard and rope I think you will like 440C.
 
I felt the 1095 of GEC was better at edge retention (it also seemed harder) than Case's CV.

The D2 does hold an edge longer than either. But as others have said, it takes longer to sharpen and reprofile.
I've been able toget my D2 just as sharp as my 1095, and other steels. But I have a belt sander, wet/dry paper, a diamond stone and ceramic, plus loaded strop. It does take more work.
Once you get your edge set it is not bad.

I prefer both to the CV. ATS-34 has been a great user steel in my traditional that has it. It sharpens easier than the D2, more like the 1095, but does hold an edge better than the carbon steels. It seems to be near or at the D2, but I have never run calibrated "tests".
 
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I have no hard data, just an opinion.

I have knives in all three.

I utterly hate the Queen D2, but then I don't really need a blade that holds a mediocre edge forever.

I'd rather have a keener edge and have to sharpen it more frequently.
 
D2 WILL take as keen an edge as the other two mentioned, but it takes a lot longer, and requires a lot of patience to get it there. In terms of holding a razor-keen edge at higher polish, it may be my favorite of all; it still astonishes me at times. BUT, it will take a lot more time to make it that sharp the first time; subsequent maintenance on smartly-chosen tools, like diamond hones and HARD strops of wood or similar with AlOx or diamond compound, is very easy after the good geometry (thin the edge and grind behind it) and the finish are set in place the first time. Rounding off the apex during polishing stages on D2 is essentially a mandate to start over with the coarse hones, so you need to choose the finishing tools wisely and use them carefully. This means choosing abrasives aggressive enough to cleanly cut the large chromium carbides, and stropping/polishing substrates need to be very firm or hard, so the aggressive abrasives don't just round over the carbides at the edge.

The bigger difference between the three steels will be seen in how easily each steel is to sharpen and maintain, as opposed to how sharp they can be made. 1095 and CV are as easy as they come, in that regard, and can be fully sharpened and maintained with the simplest of tools, like natural/Arkansas stones, simple hardware-store stones, sandpaper, bare leather stropping and beyond.


David
 
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laturkeyhunter said:
That maybe what I do. I literally can not leave the house without my yellow handled cv trapper. If I do leave it to carry something else I feel lost all day
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My edc ever morning
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It all depends on what sharpening method/system you use. I have a wicked edge and with the diamond stones d2 isnt any harder to sharpen than other steels imo. May take an extra minute or tow but overall its not that bad. Obviously the more steel you try to remove the longer it will take so reprofile jobs will take some time. I have a Queen skinner fixed blade that ive used to skin two deer this year and I havent even stropped it yet. Still going strong. I love queens d2 but their quality control is hit or miss, but thats a whole other thread ;)
 
Couldn't you easily touch up the D2 as often as you would have to if it was 1095, if time allows. Save the longer edge holding and resulting longer sharpening time for when you need it.
 
On edge retention:
1. D2
2. 1095 especially GEC's
3. CV
Having said that I don't like the work required to get the D2 where I'm happy with it! I only have one D2 left and much prefer 1095 and CV as they will stay sharp more then long enough for me!
 
chickenfried said:
Couldn't you easily touch up the D2 as often as you would have to if it was 1095, if time allows. Save the longer edge holding and resulting longer sharpening time for when you need it.
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I would say yes! Maintaining the edge is key with d2. By not allowing the edge to get too far gone you can avoid some rather frustrating sharpening sessions. Alot of people are turned off by the reputation d2 has for being hard to sharpen. I feel more people should give it a chance. It really is great steel.:thumbup:
 
perchjerk said:
It all depends on what sharpening method/system you use. I have a wicked edge and with the diamond stones d2 isnt any harder to sharpen than other steels imo. May take an extra minute or tow but overall its not that bad. Obviously the more steel you try to remove the longer it will take so reprofile jobs will take some time. I have a Queen skinner fixed blade that ive used to skin two deer this year and I havent even stropped it yet. Still going strong. I love queens d2 but their quality control is hit or miss, but thats a whole other thread ;)
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My experience is a lot like yours, except I use a KME system, use the right tools and D2 is a pleasure to use. It does take a bit of work to re-profile the first time but once you get it where you want it, keeping it that way is easy.

I would say I spend less time touching up D2 with a strop than I use to spend sharping CV on a stone. I strop it from time to time, don't let it get so dull it needs to be sharpened and really don't use the KME very often.
 
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