D2 or CPM 154 for Skinning/Cleaning

D

doubledges

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Feb 6, 2012
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I'm looking to put together a custom knife for hunting, fishing, and general outdoor use (primarily for skinning small game and cleaning fish). I'm considering D2 or CPM 154 as those are both offered at a good price by the best online custom knife parts seller I've found so far. I would like it to have the best edge retention possible since the AUS-8 blade I've been using dulls so quickly cleaning fish and I'm getting tired of having to touch it up at camp every time I clean a batch of fish, so for that reason I'm leaning towards D2. Does D2 have good enough edge retention to get through a week of cleaning 10-15 fish a day with no resharpening? Is there any reason why CPM 154 would be better? Is there another steel I can get for close to the same price ($30) that would be better?
 
I think D2 will have the best edge retention, but will be more difficult to sharpen. CPM154 is also very good steel and what's on my EDC fixed blade (when I carry it). I basically view it as a toss up for your use.

You might be better off with a separate fishing knife, probably a typical filet knife such as a Rapala brand. It depends on the size of the fish you are talking about.
 
Of all the CPMs S35VN is my favorite but they're all excellent. D2 has large carbides which , wear well ,will break loose and give you a 'micro serrated' edge .In addition the D2 because of the large chromium carbides cannot be made as sharp as CPM154. Sharpness is defined as what is the minimum radius you can get on the edge. CPM steels win on that one ! I'll always take a CPM.
 
22-rimfire said:
I think D2 will have the best edge retention, but will be more difficult to sharpen. CPM154 is also very good steel and what's on my EDC fixed blade (when I carry it). I basically view it as a toss up for your use.

You might be better off with a separate fishing knife, probably a typical filet knife such as a Rapala brand. It depends on the size of the fish you are talking about.
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Trout, brim, bass and catfish. Usually pretty close to a foot long for me to keep them. I think the part that dulls it the most is scaling a trout, which I'm sure I could use a different blade for if I choose. Kind of hard to chop the head off a large fish with any filet knife I've ever handled and I would rather not carry more than one fixed blade and my multitool if I can help it. I expect that D2 will be harder to sharpen, my 154CM Benchmade (not the same as CPM154, I know, but it's similar) is very easy to sharpen, probably even easier than AUS-8 imo.
 
mete said:
the D2 because of the large chromium carbides cannot be made as sharp as CPM 154
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Peak sharpness is definitely of importance to me here, because I need this thing to be as sharp as possible for cleaning small game.
 
I can get CPM steels much sharper than tool steels, especially D2. Also, CPM-154 is going to be a little more corrosion resistant than D2. Although there is a guy who used a Benchmade 710 (uncoated) in D2 in and around the water (fresh and salt) and other than some mild patina, it did just fine (and still is as far as I know. He posts/ed here).
 
Sulaco said:
I can get CPM steels much sharper than tool steels, especially D2. Also, CPM-154 is going to be a little more corrosion resistant than D2. Although there is a guy who used a Benchmade 710 (uncoated) in D2 in and around the water (fresh and salt) and other than some mild patina, it did just fine (and still is as far as I know. He posts/ed here).
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Rust resistance isn't much of a priority for me, I don't think any steel is going to rust on me if I dry it off and put a little gun oil on it no more than a week or so after using it in a high moisture environment. Sounds like I should probably go with CPM154 though, at least for skinning. If it was only for cleaning fish I think D2 would be sharp enough and the edge retention would be worth the trade-offs.
 
doubledges said:
Peak sharpness is definitely of importance to me here, because I need this thing to be as sharp as possible for cleaning small game.
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You can get D2 plenty sharp, and it works great with a slightly toothy edge. Thats the type of edge you want for cleaning game.
My favorite makers of Hunting knives uses mostly D2. Bob Dozier, Gene Ingram, and Charles May.

That said, any really good steel will work just fine, and most couldn't tell the difference in use.
 
doubledges said:
Rust resistance isn't much of a priority for me, I don't think any steel is going to rust on me if I dry it off and put a little gun oil on it no more than a week or so after using it in a high moisture environment. Sounds like I should probably go with CPM154 though, at least for skinning. If it was only for cleaning fish I think D2 would be sharp enough and the edge retention would be worth the trade-offs.
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Gun oil on your skinning knife? It's usually bad to consume that.
 
AlexWitte said:
Gun oil on your skinning knife? It's usually bad to consume that.
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I wipe off as much excess oil as I can before storing it then rinse it with water and wipe it off before I use it on anything I'm going to eat. Realistically, there's not much of a chance of you getting any significant amount of oil from your skinning blade into the meat and consuming it anyway but it's a good safety precaution.
 
I tend to "saw" the head off a fish rather than chop it off unless I'm back at "camp" where I may have a larger knife or hatchet to perform this task. It is all kind of relative, a few fish, really doesn't matter. Hundreds of fish and it matters a lot.

No need to scale a trout as they do not have scales. But it has been a long time since I kept one and didn't release it.

I think you will be pleased with CPM 154. I envision a small fixed blade (birde & trout size) rather than some sort of "chopper".
 
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They are both good steels, but d2 holds an edge longer. (But not as good an edge) however, my dozier has developed some small rust spots just from yard work so I would worry about working near the water all day. Cpm154 is a great all around steel from my uses.
 
If you strop your knives after basic sharpening, you should have an edge that will cut you and you won't even realize it until you see blood with either steel. The whole concern is a bit overstated from my point of view as mentioned above.

You can also use vegetable or olive oil on your knives if regular petroleum based oil is a concern. It isn't for me.
 
22-rimfire said:
If you strop your knives after basic sharpening, you should have an edge that will cut you and you won't even realize it until you see blood with either steel. The whole concern is a bit overstated from my point of view as mentioned above.

You can also use vegetable or olive oil on your knives if regular petroleum based oil is a concern. It isn't for me.
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fzla226 said:
It's all a bit overstated. You can get D2 screamingly sharp if you know what you're doing.
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From my experience, anything relating to blade steel comparison is easily overstated, but this is the one area of my knife usage I really want to get right. I'm sure I'll be happy with either one. And I do prefer gun oil, it's easily accessible for me and it provides high level rust protection. Not at all worried about getting it in my food.
 
doubledges said:
I wipe off as much excess oil as I can before storing it then rinse it with water and wipe it off before I use it on anything I'm going to eat. Realistically, there's not much of a chance of you getting any significant amount of oil from your skinning blade into the meat and consuming it anyway but it's a good safety precaution.
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Alright, well that's good to know. I just didn't want a fellow knife fan doing damage to themselves. You might wanna check out Frog Lube - it's a CLP that was designed for guns, but I use it on my knives because it's edible, food safe, etc.

I won't put a paste in my guns (I use MPro-7), but Frog Lube is awesome on my steel.
 
If the maker can get the CPM154 to a Rc 62 that would be the way to go. It's a different steel at that hardness.
 
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