So I am new around here, and really want to learn a lot more. Looking at steels can make your head explode! I have a few pretty decent knives, and use them quite a bit. I'm also a big hunter as well, which I happen to use a knife doing also. Here are some of my questions about steels.
Where or how would you group these steels together? Or how would you rank them? What are some of their characteristics of them? Like wear, hardness to sharpen, and such. Are there any I missed? Isnt there something like a T-Rex steel that is supposed to be the bear of all bears, in knife blade steel? Seems like I read something, but I may have the name wrong. Thanks for the help guys. I really hate to be uneducated on something,
V-10
CPM 154
S30V
S35VN
H-1
M390
ZDP 189
CRU WEAR
S90V
These are all tools steels right?
D2
M4
SV3
I realize that these are carbon steels, but what are some of their characteristics, on how they compare?
1095
5160
The Zknives links are great, I think it's the best resource for checking out and comparing steels. As others have said, HT and geometry are just as important, if not more important, than blade steel, but the limits of each alloy also play a large role.
As for the steels you mention:
VG-10, 154cm, s35vn and s30v are comparable in all aspects. S30V may be the most wear resistant (edge holding) and tough (resistance to chipping and breaking) , but not by enough to make a very large difference. The difference in S30v and S35vn to the user is that for a very marginal (<10%) loss in edge retention at a given hardness, S35vn gains some toughness and is slightly easier to sharpen. In use, there is little difference. I am very excited to see more Niobium alloys used in knifemaking.
H-1 is a nitrogen steel, which replaces almost all the carbon in the alloy with Nitrogen. This means that for hardenability and toughness comparable to mid-range stainless steel, you gain a complete resistance to corrosion and rust in normal conditions. This means that even for salt water boat knives or dive knives, you have zero worries with rust. H-1 has wear resistance about equal to 420HC, which is to say it is rather low, but an interesting phenomenon shows that when the edge is worked very hard or serrated, it can become very hard and wear resistant, outperforming steels that are ostensibly much more wear resistant.
ZDP189 is a Japanese steel that has few analogs from US or European markets. It's virtue is that it is a very high hardness stainless steel, with very good edge holding. Some have complained, however, that this hardness leads to a drop off in corrosion resistance and toughness that make the knives more delicate than they were first advertized to be. If corrosion is not a big issue and the blade is treated reasonably, however, it is an excellent steel.
M390 and S90V are near the top end of what is being offered in production knives today. Their wear resistance is very high, even higher than fully hardened ZDP-189 while at a at lower hardness. Their toughness is higher as well, making them suitable for larger fixed blades as well as small folders. S90V is somewhat more wear resistant, but at this level, you can't go wrong.
CRUWEAR is a relatively uncommon steel in knives today, but it offers an exceptional blend of toughness and wear resistance. It is definitely not stainless, rather it is a tool steel. It's virtue is it's high toughness even at higher hardness, which makes it a suitable choice even for very large knives. The edge-holding is not quite as high as S90v or M390, but it is still very good.
D2 is the tool steel that all others seem to be compared to. It is comparable in wear resistance to S30V, but slightly less tough. It is a very common steel in knives, especially hunting knives, because it takes an aggressive edge that will cut for a long time, while remaining relatively cheap. There are complaints about this edge, however, with some bemoaning the fact that it is very difficult to sharpen D2 to levels that other steels can achieve easily, due to it's larger carbides. For a tool steel, it has very high Chromium content, which makes it nearly stainless. In my experience, I've never had even a bit of corrosion on a D2 blade.
M4 is my favorite steel at present. It is very wear resistant, above S30V and CRUWEAR, but below S90V. It's virtue is it's toughness, which is higher than S90V and Cruwear even at very high hardness, but below that of 3V, a very tough tool steel that is very popular here on the forum. It is not stainless, but it is more corrosion resistant than plain carbon steels, and has proven easy to maintain in my experience. It is more rust prone than D2, but then again D2 is very nearly stainless. It is also very easy to sharpen, though it is wear resistant, it takes to a strop or ceramic rod very well.
1095 is a plain high-carbon steel. It is very rust prone, but a patina and regular use will make it much more resistant to corrosion. It is the steel most think about when they think of carbon steels. It's wear resistance and toughness can vary widely with heat treatment, but it is generally tougher than most stainless and less wear resistant than S30V class steels. It is used in everything from traditional slipjoint pocket knives to machetes, and is a suitable choice for almost any application in which rust is not a big issue.
5160 is a "spring steel" that is very similar to a plain carbon steel, with just a dash of chromium added. It is one of the toughest steels used in knife blades, outpacing all the above mentioned steels. It's wear resistance is fair, though it is usually ran a bit soft to maximize it's toughness, in which case wear resistance suffers. It is also rust prone, nearly as much so as 1095, so it is best suited for low-humidity environments. It is used in the deepest jungle in machetes, however, so take that with a grain of salt.
So there you go! I've not heard of SV3, so you're on your own, but for any more info, a forum search or a trip to zknives should be the answer, good luck!