D-2 or ATS-34 for field knife?

Woodtroll

Woodtroll

Joined
Oct 15, 2001
Messages
193
You guys are a wealth of information, and I have really enjoyed reading through this board. I am considering having the Pattons build me a 5" camp/field knife, and would appreciate your knowledgeable input on steels. My knife will be routinely used for food prep, game dressing, cord and rope cutting, fuzz-stick-making, etc. However, I may occasionally have to hack a bone or knotty hickory stick, and would hate to live in fear of chipping the edge. Chopping is reserved for a heavy knife or light axe. I don't make it a habit of abusing my knives, but occasionally use them hard.

I will carry it camping, hunting, and canoeing. I love carbon steels, but with canoeing and hunting in all-day rain sometimes the knife will be wet and without proper care for a while, so I feel some rust-resistance is necessary.

Given these tasks, which steel do you feel is most appropriate for my do-it-nearly-all knife, D-2 or ATS-34? And, if you feel so inclined, why?

Thanks very much to all who I have learned from so far! Take care, Regan
 
To tell you the truth........ It really sounds like you should be looking at talonite or BG-42. D-2 isn't very rust resistant, and ATS-34 might not be all you're after. Talonite and BG-42 are both quite tough and very stain resistant.

For small knife use in a camping and canoeing environment, it's hard to beat BG-42 or talonite. Either that or a specially coated carbon steel.
 
Woodtroll :

However, I may occasionally have to hack a bone or knotty hickory stick, and would hate to live in fear of chipping the edge.
Click to expand...

This seems to suggest something like 5160. You should be able to get a decent hardness so as to avoid excessive compaction and distortion, and at the same time the necessary impact toughness and ductility to prevent chipping, combine all of this with a relatively acute edge geometry and thus high cutting performance because of the abilities of the steel.

The only downside is that you will see problems with corrosion, however these will only be mild (light discoloration), unless you don't make any effort to protect the knife, and leave it in very corrosive enviroments (salt water) for extended periods of time (hours).

-Cliff
 
I never really put a specific task with a certain steel, but between D-2 and ATS-34, I liked D-2 the most. I held an edge longer, and just seemed to have "teeth" if you will, no matter what the material was the D-2 just cut right through it. Now outside of those two, BG-42 with the proper heat treatment, is an awesome steel. My AR has a blade made from it, and its performing great. Never used Talonite, heard great things, but no experience to offer...
 
You probably saw my Patton non-tactical Field Unit in ATS-34. I've carried it a fair amount, but I haven't really "used" or "abused" it much. It's my favorite fixed-blade, based on looks, fit and finish, heft, size, etc. I can't comment on performance though.

I just ordered a TTKK and went through the same dilemma -- BG-42 -vs- D-2. Everyone told me to go w/D2, so that's what I did.

That said, I'm glad my Patton is stainless.

Mike
 
In that size and for those applications, I'd also give some thought to a Busse Basic 5 with the modified Infi steel. They have been discontinued but there are still some floating around.
 
Thanks, guys, for the comments so far- this is just the kind of input I was looking for. My current knife is a Cold Steel Master Hunter Carbon V that I put a brass gaurd and stag handle on. I blued the blade to hold down rusting, and so far have been able to maintain it well this way. However, I have always favored the blade shape and grind represented by the Patton knife Michael Aos posted here- I saw that picture and thought immediately "that knife is ME". (Thanks,
Michael!)

So, although not true stainless, D-2 may do well for me with similar treatment. I'm looking for more opinions on BG-42. Anyone here used it extensively in the field for routine camp chores yet?

Thanks again to all of you, I hope I may return the favor someday. Take care, Regan
 
In my opinion either one of these steels will make a fine knife for your purpose. They are both very good and heat treated properly will make great using knives. I personally like D2 very much, but it is a little lower in chromium and is not considered a true stainless steel. This does not bother me since I tend to prefer carbon tool steel to stainless anyhow.
 
I've used BG-42 quite a bit in the field, ala Sebenza and PCKS Buck 110. It's a great steel. IMHO, it blows the doors off of 154CM, ATS-34 and 440V. It's also proven to be VERY stainless, and sharpens up reasonably easy.

The BG-42 Buck, with Paul Bos heat treat, has been used quite extensively while camping. I routinely use it to make fuzz sticks and shave down tree branches for hiking sticks. I've also used it to clean walleye and largemouth bass. I'm very impressed by how it's held an edge, despite the walleye scales. Those walleye scales are positive edge dullers!!! It's like sawing through rock.

In all fairness, I've also used a Dozier K-4 with D-2 steel. Dozier's D-2 is beyond belief!!! I'd say that it outpeforms BG-42 in the long run. It's not stainless, but a pure cutting machine. If you don't have many worries about rusting, it's a great steel.
 
Woodtroll,

Ignore the subliminal message above :) If you hang out on the forums for very long, you will probably wind up with at least one knife in BOTH materals!!

As far as D2 not being classified as a stainless....... I use my D2 knives around EXTREME salt water conditions OFTEN!! With very minimal care, I experience very few problems with corrosion. What does show up is more like a slight discoloration and that comes off easily with WD40 or a Tuff Cloth. The only time I've seen D2 actually rust to the point of leaving pits was on a knife that was left for a long time in a wet leather sheath.



Neil
 
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