D2 or S35vn

In my experience and usage the S35vn is far better overall. D2 is better than it was 10 years ago and I think most knife makers have all the steels dialed in pretty good now than a decade ago. I think it also depends on what it’s used for and resent D2 might be better for a particular use probably in a fixed blade. But as an EDC pocket knife I prefer S35vn. That’s just my experience.
 
Alberta Ed said:
Um, well... My Dozier K2 in D2 cuts like a miniature chainsaw with a coarse edge; my Sebbie 21 and Spydie Native 5 in S35Vn take a finer edge and are great slicers. A lot depends on blade geometry, heat treat and other factors, such as if whether they have been tempered in unicorn blood. Benchmade's D2 falls in between these... takes a very fine edge, referring to my Cabella's Gripppie and a 710.
Click to expand...

How about blades that were heat treated with dragons breath?
 
Do you want to take care of a potted rose, or a potted orchid?

although i am not personally qualified to address certain aspects of your question, OP--- what i do know is D2 is a tool steel, so if you don't mind having to stay on top of rust and pitting and you don't nitpick about patinas or discoloration, go with D2, if done right its an amazing steel, but if you want a knife that won't rust nearly as much or develop a patina, and you do a lot of "wetwork" and sweat like i do, then get S35vn,
something about going backpacking or hiking during the rainy season and not having to worry about rust really sets my mind at ease, i personally avoid tool steels like the plague --- all in all, first identify the what, why, and how
 
JFL, I cannot disagree with what you said but, as a carbon steel fan, I would like to respectfully suggest that those who settled the frontier and lived off the land did so with carbon steel knives - sometimes for a couple generations. Moreover, while not my first choice, many a KaBar MK1 (1095), Cold Steel SRKs and similar carbon steel knives have been in salt water doing or training to do things that most of us would never think of.

You are correct that stainless steel, like Apple stock money to Forrest Gump is just "one less thing" to worry about, carbon steels have been getting it done for a long time and D2 ain't your grandfather's carbon steel.
 
There are a lot of factors to consider but for me, it's a humid summer and I tend to sweat. I generally take care of my knives but D2 will rust on me. I'm fine with stainless steel. I like more stainless steels but even AUS-8 is okay. D2 is the only knife steel I use that I need to worry about. That's not something I love in an EDC knife.

Other people have discussed the importance of heat treatment. I mostly carry budget knives. If I'm going to spend more for a premium knife, I'll choose S35VN over D2 every time because of the corrosion issue. So that mostly leaves me entertaining Chinese D2. There seems to be a bigger gap in performance between "Chinese D2" and the S35VN used in Chinese Knives.
 
D2 rusts and pits and doesn’t polish up easily. D2 gives it best performance at 60+ hardness and often is run softer at 58. I’d go with polished S35 at 60 hardness.
 
Admittedly, I'm not a fan of D2, but S35VN is one of my favorite steels. In my experience it holds an edge longer, is less prone to chipping, and and (obviously) is more corrosion resistant than D2. I even feel comfortable using S35VN in mid-sized fixed blades. It is a great all-around steel even.
 
D2 is a solid workhorse steel. Edge retention is good, toughness is good, rust resistance is fair. S35VN will perform better in all three categories but is significantly more expensive. Consider S30V as well. Very close performance to S35VN but usually ends up being a bit cheaper.
 
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