Comparable stainless steel to D2

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Brutus013

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What stainless steel is roughly comparable to D2 carbon in edge retention and how fine an edge you can put on it?
 
I think S30V is "roughly" comparable and probably better all-around. Certainly, for me, I can get a much better edge on S30V. I have a difficult time getting a fine edge on D2.....no, an impossible time. It's large carbides and grainy structure, and especially its hardness, make diamonds a must. Kudos to those (and there are many in here) who can bring out the best in D2.

Another roughly comparable steel might be M2, but I don;t own a knife in that steel. Nor do I own any ZDP... or VG-10 steels, but someone may have info that they are similar to D2 in some ways or others.
 
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I wouldn't compare S30V to D2 its just not fair. D2 is much tougher with far better edge retension though it won't take a nice polish like S30V will. I can't really think of a stainless that would compare, it is a tool steel after all.
 
StretchNM said:
I think S30V is "roughly" comparable and probably better all-around. Certainly, for me, I can get a much better edge on S30V. I have a difficult time getting a fine edge on D2.....no, an impossible time. It's large carbides and grainy structure, and especially its hardness, make diamonds a must. Kudos to those (and there are many in here) who can bring out the best in D2.

Another roughly comparable steel might be M2, but I don;t own a knife in that steel. Nor do I own any ZDP... or VG-10 steels, but someone may have info that they are similar to D2 in some ways or others.
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M2 is also a Tool steel, not stainless steel.
 
knifenut1013 said:
I wouldn't compare S30V to D2 its just not fair. D2 is much tougher with far better edge retension though it won't take a nice polish like S30V will. I can't really think of a stainless that would compare, it is a tool steel after all.
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D2 isn't any tougher, and the edge retention isn't any better.
 
CPM-D2 is awesome stuff.

I can get a great edge on the stuff and it holds it very well.
 
Never seen it anywhere but isn't there something called 440XH that's supposed to be basicly stainless D2. It's in the steel charts but I've never seen any in 30 years or more of collecting knives. Joe
 
StretchNM said:
Certainly, for me, I can get a much better edge on S30V. I have a difficult time getting a fine edge on D2.....no, an impossible time. It's large carbides and grainy structure, and especially its hardness, make diamonds a must. Kudos to those (and there are many in here) who can bring out the best in D2.
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Glad to know I'm not the only person on BF who can't get D2 super sharp. The edge I put on my D2 knife is sharp enough, and does stay that way for a long, long time, but I like 'em hair-poppin. My Sharpmaker and/or my skills just don't seem up to the task with D2.
 
Brutus013 said:
What stainless steel is roughly comparable to D2 carbon in edge retention and how fine an edge you can put on it?
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ZDP 189 with the right heat treat and geometry is comparable, even beats D2 in edge retention. I've been able to put very fine, polished edges on both with no problem - using my Edgepro, which some might consider cheating.... :D
 
Maybe D2 is a well known steel that it's heat-treatment process
is perfectly known, which means we can consistently hope D2 to
be tempered successfully. Steel performance heavily dependent on
how well heat-treated.

Same thing can be said about M2 which is not so popular among
we knife fans but very popular in industrial machining.
 
Brutus013 said:
What stainless steel is roughly comparable to D2 carbon in edge retention and how fine an edge you can put on it?
Click to expand...

Any top stainless steels starting from CPM S30V is much better in edge retention then D2. In particular BG-42, 154CM, CPM S30V, CPM S60V, CPM S90V, ZDP189...

Thanks, Vassili.

P.S. Here Crucible data:

CPM-06.jpg
 
nozh2002 said:
Any top stainless steels starting from CPM S30V is much better in edge retention then D2. In particular BG-42, 154CM, CPM S30V, CPM S60V, CPM S90V, ZDP189...

Thanks, Vassili.

P.S. Here Crucible data:

CPM-06.jpg
Click to expand...
Sheer wear resistance is not the same as edge retention. INFI debunked this old myth already...
 
Keith_H said:
Ive got to try some of that 9v stuff...
Click to expand...

Well, later about year after they release this picture, they post maximum hardness on 9V - it is like 52HRC or something... So it is not really knife steel.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Brutus013 said:
What stainless steel is roughly comparable to D2 carbon in edge retention and how fine an edge you can put on it?
Click to expand...

In terms of wear resistance (not edge-stability) it should first and foremost be compared to other coarse-carbide steel grades. 154CM, ATS34, 440C, AUS 8 (to some extent), 8Cr13MoV and VG10 should be fairly similar in behaviour.

If you add toughness and edge-stability or corrosion resistance the list will be quite different. The Crucible data shows D2 as having the lowest toughness of all steels on that list. Our experience (I represent Sandvik) is similar, where in our impact resistance machine D2 showed very low values of absorbed energy before breaking. That means that it requires relativly little bending force to break a D2 blade into two pieces.

I personally think conventionally melted D2 (NOT CPM-D2, thats powder technology and very different) is as bad as a knife steel gets it terms of talking a sharp edge. Re-gringing this steel razor sharp really requires it's man.

Regards
//Jerker
 
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