D2 Steel?

In my limited experience with it, I’ve found it to have better edge holding than 8CR and have not seen any of the increased risk of corrosion compared to 8CR. But I take care of my knives and have not exposed them / left them exposed to the elements. I also live in a dry climate. Still a budget steel. I’d buy again with confidence.
EDIT: I guess D2 is considered a mid-range steel, not a budget steel.
 
Try a rat1 in D2.

You get a lot of knife for the money. Fairly slim, FFG blade. Great slicer.
D2 in general - I love this steel. It performs great. After the initial hair popping edge wears down, it just keeps cutting. It has good corrosion resistance, especially if you take care of it.
BK24 for a fixed blade option.
 
Last edited:
To get this out of the way, a lot depends on HT (heat treat) and because D2 is so old there are a few different variations and quality levels of the steel. Reputable knife makers use the good stuff only, from what I've seen. I believe Sleipner steel is a European equivalent and PS27 is powdered metallurgy equivalent.

General thoughts on the steel, it's one of my favorites. It is NOT the best at anything except given pretty decent edge retention, appreciable stain resistance, and enough toughness at a value. Don't get D2 from Benchmade because they charge extra for it over better steels, not sure why (maybe it's one of those better grades I was talking about?).

D2 tends to take a toothy edge, giving kind of the feel of a micro-serration. This is not achieved if you run a very polished edge. It's known for taking a lousy edge and holding it forever, but that has changed since the spread of harder sharpening tools like diamond plates. Get the diamond stones if getting D2 because it makes things a lot easier.

So, D2 has a reputation for being fragile and that means it can chip at the edge if abused. I've never seen this personally but I don't skin game anymore, so I'm not around bones much, and I don't have a D2 chopper. For EDC, it's a non-issue with me. I guess cutting around steel wires or cement could be an issue, like in construction. One big thing is that the hardness makes a big difference, and thus why HT matters. Some companies run it under 60 rockwell hardness so it's a bit tougher but doesn't hold an edge as well but I think running it over 60 to get a good hardness is the best method, and then just make sure you use it as a knife instead of a maul. I had a buschraft knife from Ontario knife company in D2 for a while, and I think they tend to run their steels soft to minimize breakage and warranty claims, and it held up really well to mildly abusive use for a year or two until I passed it on. I received it used as well so I don't know how much actual use it got.

Keep in mind, this is simply my opinions. I think it's a great steel for the money and if a good knife maker is using it then the steel's real potentials are opened up. Jay Fisher has a good description of it on his website. It is not the best steel, by far, so I would not pay a premium for it unless it was something like an LT Wright or Bob Dozier custom, because they know how to get a lot more out of the steel than any manufacturer's D2 that I've used.
 
Yes, the maker is a very important factor. I would never hesitate to buy a D2 knife made by Bob Dozier or Hiroaki Ohta. D2 is sensitive (in a way) to acidic stuff (had one badly stained after it sat for a night in a puddle of wine, I know, sigh...). Otherwise, if kept clean and dry, it behaves as a true stainless and holds an edge really well. I currently have several small folders with D2 blades, rotating through my daily carry (one year, more or less), and I hadn't yet to sharpen them. And I'm picky on sharpness !
And, yeah, pictures never hurt...
This one below by Hiroaki Ohta (two years of light EDC use) :

bnvN3JD.jpg


The upper one in the picture, by Junpei Makkari (Kotoh Knife Works) :

OSAS4bM.jpg


That's D2 for you !
 
Last edited:
Comeuppance said:
Yes, but that’s kind of backwards. I think the person would have to buy the knife first and then give you the review.
Click to expand...

I didn't catch that, I wonder if it was a mistype or if English isn't a 1st language and they got some things turned around in translation?

I just read it like they were looking for knife recommendations for them to buy, not us to buy and review.
 
bikerector said:
.... It is not the best steel, by far, so I would not pay a premium for it unless it was something like an LT Wright or Bob Dozier custom, because they know how to get a lot more out of the steel than any manufacturer's D2 that I've used.
Click to expand...
Maybe one of these days I'll break down and get a LT Wright. Doziers I have!

My sense is that if you stick with US manufacturers, the steel is going to perform the way it should. If you go with Chinese, the HT may come into question and performance may or may not be what you expect.

I have a BK-24 in D-2. It has been a source of frustration to me getting it as sharp as I would like. If you use D-2, I would certainly purchase diamond sharpeners. I like DMT stuff in general.
 
Silver Stag looks like an OK business. I appreciate the use of shed NA antler and the overall proximity to the customer ("send us your antler, we'll put a blade on it", very cool). I would give it a try, especially if the price is reasonable. 60 RW sounds reasonable, too. I wouldn't use such a knife for chopping (especially sharpened at a "slicing" angle), but it should make for a great everyday cutter.
 
^I agree with this. 60 RW is usually a good number for D2. I've never heard of them but it seems like, superficially at least, they know what they're doing in terms of making knives.
 
D 2 is the main steel that Medford Knifes uses, and he has sold many of his high priced knives and i don't read of people being unhappy with their performance.
 
herisson said:
Silver Stag looks like an OK business. I appreciate the use of shed NA antler and the overall proximity to the customer ("send us your antler, we'll put a blade on it", very cool). I would give it a try, especially if the price is reasonable. 60 RW sounds reasonable, too. I wouldn't use such a knife for chopping (especially sharpened at a "slicing" angle), but it should make for a great everyday cutter.
Click to expand...
I agree and it is USA made per one of the knife dealer's specs. I'd buy it if I were interested. As far as chopping goes, I would go easy with it but I would chop if I felt like it.
 
No it's not chopping knife, more of a small Bowie to have in your belt just in case. But at .5 thickness it seems better than others I've seen that size. The blade is just under 6'' and the handle a little bigger. I just love the look of the thing, it works out about $200..Not bad for a good knife that should last years. The other I like is made in Germany by Linder "The old western" about the same price 420 stainless steel?? Thanks Rich.
 
D2 any time over 420. Unless you're hell bent on having first of all a rustproof blade. Linder and Puma have a strange (IMO) liking for 420 and 440A steel. Sure, it's about as stainless as it gets but it also doesn't get much sharper than butter knife grade, or loses its sharpness as quickly as it's been sharpened. If going Linder (and they have some nice knives), I would at least stick to their 440C blades. Good steel, done for ages by the German cutlers.
 
Tomahawkdick. said:
No it's not chopping knife, more of a small Bowie to have in your belt just in case. But at .5 thickness it seems better than others I've seen that size. The blade is just under 6'' and the handle a little bigger. I just love the look of the thing, it works out about $200..Not bad for a good knife that should last years. The other I like is made in Germany by Linder "The old western" about the same price 420 stainless steel?? Thanks Rich.
Click to expand...

Skip the Linder model if your choice is between the 2 you mentioned.
 
herisson said:
D2 any time over 420. Unless you're hell bent on having first of all a rustproof blade. Linder and Puma have a strange (IMO) liking for 420 and 440A steel. Sure, it's about as stainless as it gets but it also doesn't get much sharper than butter knife grade, or loses its sharpness as quickly as it's been sharpened. If going Linder (and they have some nice knives), I would at least stick to their 440C blades. Good steel, done for ages by the German cutlers.
Click to expand...

I have to think Linder would do the 440A pretty well, but 420 is hard to do right with and Buck is the only one doing it well but there are still some sacrifices it takes for getting the hardness so high on their 420HC (not same steel as 420 from Linder, presumably). It seems like some of the cool stuff you can get with AEB-L you could get with 440A if it's good quality with good HT, but since it's like many older steels with a wide allowable spec range while still being 440A, I feel like the tops and bottoms of the allowable range could give very different results, given a range in carbon of 0.6% to 0.75% and 14-16% chromium per AKsteel spec sheet.

It could be a really nice, tough stainless that could hold a respectable edge if done well. I also have to think that with such a range of specs, getting a consistant HT could be tough as each batch could be different enough that the steel could act different. If that were a simple carbon steel, it would be crossing into both the 1065 and 1075 range, 1065 being basically an axe steel and 1075 being a common machete steel at lock rockwell and fair knife steel at the higher hardness.
 
D2 can be as good or bad as any other steel depending on the heat treatment, as others have said. Done well, D-2 is a very good steel for almost any job other than chopping. Silver Stag has been around for quite a while, and they have decent designs and pretty good fit and finish. As was mentioned, and in my opinion also, if you choose Linder, you'd be doing yourself a favor by getting one of their 440C blades. I am partial to the Linder Kentucky Bowie myself...
 
Last edited:
It's just that steels with so little carbon (440 A, 420 HC, 440 B,...) will not dramatically improve with any heat treat. Yes, I know, Buck is famous for doing a great job with 420HC. I have one Buck and one Condor in 420 HC and I can say, they do not disappoint, in any way. On the other hand, I wouldn't say they are in any way in the same league as 440C, AEB-L, ATS34 or VG10. Just to name a few. Choices have widened so drastically, that today you can have high hardness, high toughness and stainless all in one. Almost....
 
In D2 avoid these cheap knives most likely poor heat treatment and D2 is tricky to treat well. Best D2 Ive had was in a Benchmade Adamas
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top