Do the folks on the porch pay attention to blade steels ?

[Hickory n steel]

In general I don't really pay attention to anything other than weather or not my blade is carbon or stainless Steel.
With some of my favorite knives I have no clue what the blade steel is, I just know that whatever it is it takes a great edge and sharp is sharp in my book.
I've noticed that people here on the porch don't really seem concerned with blade steels, and many I'm sure are like me who carry and enjoy knives with completely unknown blade steels that they've never even thought to identify.
I'm just curious how many others there are out there who just use and or buy knives without worrying about what the steel it.

 

[Railsplitter]

I voted Yes. I pay attention to the blade steel but rarely is it a deciding factor on whether or not I buy the knife. I do like higher end steels like 154CM, ATS-34, D2, etc. but I don't require that a knife have those steels.

I have a few knives, although not many, that I've carried in which I don't know what the steel is. It's never been a problem but yes, I do pay attention.

 

[idahoguy]

Yeah, I can't help but pay attention to the steel in a knife. I like sharp knives that are willing to stay on the job with me and get the job done. I was cutting old strips of sheets off of tomato cages left over from last year. I was using an old carbon steel Imperial, shaving sharp. It worked for a bit, but lost it's fine edge fairly quickly. I pulled out a Queen Country Cousin in D2 and amazed myself with the difference between the two steels.
I just bought an old Winchester Coffin Jack made by Queen, in 1095 steel. I love the knife, and got it good and sharp, but haven't had a chance to put it through it's paces yet.
I have a small collection of knives that I've been attracted to, but I use them all. I'm not a steel snob, but I can't help but appreciate good components in a tool. Fortunately, I like sharpening knives. Like the incident above though, I sure want a knife that doesn't require sharpening too often.
Good subject.

 

[Travman]

Of course. I don't need the lastest and greatest, but I definitely don't want super soft unknown mystery steels. I do really well using and sharpening GEC's 1095 and 440C. Actually 1095 from any of the manufacturers has always been good. I was really impressed by CPM-154, it does hold the edge for a long time and sharpens easily almost like an old-fashioned carbon steel.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Voted 'Yes', in the sense I like being aware of what's there. That can sometimes make a big impact on how best to go about sharpening it, with which media (natural stones, AlOx/SiC, diamond, etc).

More importantly though, I'm interested in how well the manufacturer did with processing/heat treating it, regardless of the type. Even 'cheap' steels in carbon or stainless can perform well, if the manufacturer cared enough to handle it right in heat treat/tempering. And I tend to believe, if the manufacturer actually identifies a specific steel type beyond 'high carbon' or 'high carbon stainless', then I can begin to believe they care at least a little bit. If they don't state what it is, or worse, don't seem to know when asked, that's a bad sign. That, in itself, is a good starting gauge of whether I'm going to consider buying a particular knife at all.


David

 

[Buzzbait]

Yeah. The steel is important to me. While I dig the performance of 1095, I really do appreciate higher end stainless and semi-stainless.

As a scout pattern collector, it's very hard to find anything better in stainless than 440A or 420HC. And when you do, you're paying a considerably higher place for that privilege. But I do it just the same.

 

[Peregrin]

I do and I prefer stainless steels that will give me a good edge that lasts awhile. Crucible CPM steels and ATS-34, D2, 154-CM, S-30V are probably what I have most of. I don't have a lot of non-stainless blades, except in hand made fixed blades and some Damascus.

I grew up with carbon steel and had a lot of pepper spotted and rusty knives. When stainless got good I jumped ship and really haven't looked back.

 

[black mamba]

Yes, I prefer higher edge-holding stainless steels. You don't find any of the real "super steels" in traditionals, but if they were available, I'd be in. Queen's D2 and ATS-34 have been around a while, and are still as good as anything available in traditionals, but now we're starting to see some of the powder steels showing up. It's always seemed odd to me that as much as traditional knifers like 1095 for it's fine edges, we don't see stainless offerings in 13c26/AEB-L for the same reason.

 

[boy&hisdogs]

I always make a point to know what the steel is, but I'm not too picky. I do generally prefer carbon over stainless though and tend to avoid 440A and mystery steels.

 

[yablanowitz]

I don't spend a lot of time on the porch anymore, and I am a steel junky. Yeah, the old carbon steels are nice, but having whittled with some of the modern supersteels I would love a stockman or whittler in Maxamet or 10V.

 

[Bigmikebass]

I pay attention to steel for sure. I like simple and easy to sharpen like 1095, but can also appreciate a nice high end stainless super steel. I also avoid some, namely D2. I have a tough time getting a good edge on that stuff. And, for what I've heard of maxamet, I would love a nice barlow or stockman in that! Does it develop a patina?

 

[jc57]

people here on the porch don't really seem concerned with blade steels

Part of the reason is that the small number of manufacturers of traditional-style knives don't really provide us with much choice.

Also, people in this sub-forum are only allowed to talk about traditional knives, so there's not much to talk about, steel-wise. That's why it may appear that nobody is concerned about it.

 

[blademan 13]

While I certainly am aware and care what steel I am buying, I can't say as the steel was ever the sole deciding factor in whether I bought the knife or not. Aesthetics, build quality and blade grinds are far more important to me than the steel used when purchasing a knife. I really like Queen's D2 when it is ground thin and it is pretty much my benchmark for traditional knife steel based on my limited experience. I am quite excited to try CK's new Lionsteel euro-Barlow in M390 and just hope they grind it real thin to get the most out of the steel. Regardless of how nice everything else my be on the knife, a thick edge is an absolute deal breaker for me.

 

[afishhunter]

I think the majority of the "big names" both domestic and off shore that make a traditional knife do a good job on the heat treat, and for the most part, the grinds of the "traditional" blade steels.
Obviously, some, like Case, may run their blades a little "softer" than the competition, but that does not mean a whole lot. They all seem to sell as many knives as they can make of the various patterns.
As long as it is a quality brand (of which I include Rough Rider and the off shore Schrades) I don't teally worry about what class the steel is. I know it will work for what I need to do.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I should say that I'm not blind to knife steels I just don't consider the steel when I buy a knife.
To me the Steel a company uses doesn't mean anything if it's too soft, so I just let the Steel speak for itself and not the name it's classified by because not all are equal.
For example Victorinox Steel is good steel, knowing what it is doesn't do me much good if another company treats it differently.

 

[totkst1]

I pay attention to all aspects of any knife I want to buy. If it looks good and the company has a reputation for bad results with a specific steel then I shy away from that piece. But other than how (media to use and edge angle) I maintain the edge the type of steel doesn't make or break the knife for me. Knowing the steel also can give you an idea of how long the knife will stay whittle sharp and if you can give it a patina too!

 

[eisman]

In 50 years I've only worn a couple blades down to the point where I've thought about how a different steel might have held up. Maybe I'll worry about that a bit more for the next 50 years.

Probably not...

 

[Halfneck]

I pay attention, but in the traditional knives I like my choices are 1095, 440C, CV, & Tru-sharp. I'd love to see some different steels like AEB-L, Sandvik 14, CPM154, CTS-XHP, and such. That said, for what I use my traditional knives for, I've never needed the higher end steels.

 

[meako]

Whether the wether can weather the weather.
D2... if I had to pick.

 

[Whetstone39]

The edge geometry is more important to me, but I do not ignore the steel. I prefer the thin blades of most traditional folding knives to their modern descendants. However my favorite scout knife, for
example, is an AG Russell premium scout in 154cm. While I don't shy away from carbon steel a good stainless with a decent heat treat is my preference by far.