I wonder if sweating is the risk factor, since sweat contains salt. A few other people on BF have mentioned that D2 rusted easily in sweaty conditions. Perhaps some people have more salt in their sweat than other people do.
It is. I can tell you from 50 years of working in the trades that it stainless/stain resistant/inox/rostfrei/surgical stainless and on and on mean different things to different manufacturers. Back when I started in the trades I was doing heavy labor in hot conditions and found out my sweat drenched pocket would rust just about any steel; back when I had to do the digging and carrying of materials (manual laborer) I would sweat enough for long enough time to leave salt rings on my belts, pants and shirts. Every day. (I live in S. Texas.)
I am old enough that back in the early 60s I was taught that a knife required a certain amount of maintenance to keep it from rusting. So when I oiled up the garden tools after using them I swiped the old motor oil rag over my knife. When I oiled a machine, my knife got some "3-in-1". Checked the transmission? Wiped the knife with the same rag I used to wipe the dip stick. Still got some rust to be sure, especially if I forgot a couple of days in a row.
I have read with great envy here about guys that take their 1095 knives kayaking, fishing, hunting, and all manner of other things and all they do is wipe the blade on their pants and fold it up and it never, ever rusts.
I have tried all kinds of stainless once they started to really get a lot of usable metals out there a couple of decades ago. I found that it seems to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer on whether the same steel designations rust or not. I have had D2 knives have rust specks after 3 - 4 days in the jeans, but not my D2 Junkyard dog nor my RAT1. Some of my Chinese work knives with D2 blades seem to rust more often than others, but they never live up to the Kershaw D2, the Queen D2 knives I have or the RAT.
Working in and out of the rain in the middle of the summer, I had my Cold Steel SR1 S35 bladed knife get rust specs last year. It was in my pocket for a few days, soaked all day long. I think I can make any knife rust. On the other hand, when I know it will get exposed to my high acid, salty sweat, I just go back to what my Dad showed me and get some kind of petroleum product on it and all is well. My favorite now is the tool oil I use in my air nailers; it is really lightweight and blended to have no acids and I have to use it nearly every day on the nail guns.
As long as I take the slightest bit of care with my D2 knives (even the Chinese models) I don't seem to have any rust issues.
