Favorite blade steel?

Maximumbob54 said:
I feel like MagnaMax is going to make everything else feel inferior to some degree or other. Stainless K390? Just rub it all over my body 🤤
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MagnaMax seems to be a little better performing than K390 at low hardness but K390 is a little better at high hardness. K390 is actually spooky at high hardness. More data for MagnaMax is needed to confirm this.
 
I’d say M4 and SR101 are the two. You give up some rust resistance, but you get great edge retention and plenty of toughness. Plus, SR101 is cheaper than INFI. I’ve used steels like 420C, AUS8/10A, D2, M390, 3V, Mangacut, V4E, S600, N690 (Co), 52100, DC53, 5160, VG10, VG7, and so on. Out of all of those, these two are my favorites. And for me, being easy to sharpen is also a big deal.😁
 
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Steel usually doesn't factor in to a knife purchase for me unless the steel is some kind of Chinese alphabet soup!!!!!

However, I do feel like S35vn behaves, to me anyway, like carbon steel with its sharpening attributes..👌...
Nice and easy to sharpen and lasts a hell of a lot longer..😁.

Different strokes!!!!! ..Right WILLIS....😜
 
As a hamon specialist, W2 steel is one of the best choices 😁😁
But rare Daido YK4 produces the most beautiful hamon contrast.
It’s easy to sharpen, holds an edge for a long time, but rust is its biggest enemy.
 
1095. It's simple and when the blade developes a good, natural patina, it seals it as being uniquely mine. No tradesies. There are many better steels and, I know there's a flaw in this logic but, it's what many settlers and mountain men likely had in their hands and they made it work.
 
If we're going by which steel has the greatest representation in your collection I think it's probably 440A for me lol. I'm getting newer knives now maybe D2 will edge it out. I am not discrete enough to tell the difference in performance between good knife steels, I find if I make them sharp enough the performance follows. My current favorite knives are in M390, S35VN, and 440A.
 
Grip said:
Wouldn't kick CruWear out of bed for eating crackers. Great balance of toughness and edge retention. Easy to sharpen and takes a wicked edge.

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I honestly never thought I would say this but I am going to FINALLY try some Cruwear .
The last couple of years I have been chasing the "superest" of the blade alloys (Maxamet , 15 V and REX 121 ) . Sure I reprofiled them and got them all silly sharp .

Honestly though I am tired of chasing Diamond stones and stropping diamond stuff .
Tired of all the some what disapoiinting scratchy diamond films and matrix stones that are finikey about what steel one is taking it to . Sure it's great on Max and 121 but it leaves marks on other lesser "high vanadium" blades .

Sheezzz .

What I am saying is I miss the days of using Shapton Pro and Shapton Glass stones and getting really clean and beautiful mirror bevels , even the Norton stones up to the yellow 8,000 water stone .

Boy those were the days I really enjoyed producing sharp edges . Not so many Vanadium blades breaking down to a "working edge" but more crazy sharp edges that eventually got less crazy sharp .

Sure I used to bang the table about M4 being the best alloy on the planet for me (and it probably will turn out to be so ) but I am looking forward to an adventure with Cruwear which should be about like 3V and ZDP-189 as far as the final edge . As far as I have read . I LOVE sharpening those and how they turn out . No diamond need apply .

So . . . a long answer but now I just need to figure out which first Cruwear to buy . If I could get a normal size Spyderco Stretch 2 in Cruwear I probably would but the XL is too long for me in handle and in blade .
Plus I would like some jimping on the spine of the handle . The Manix is looking pretty good to me . . .
I'll probably end up buying a Para 3 which , these days , is a very handy size for me and I like it a lot more than I ever imagined I would .
Problem is I have a bunch of them including a REX 45 which is going to be kind of like the Cruwear . . .

Any other brands I should look at for a Cruwear knife around the size of the Manix or Para 3 ? Spine jimping prefered rather than smooth.
I hate swoopy finger grooves .

Thanks .
 
Synov said:
K390 is a little better at high hardness. K390 is actually spooky at high hardness.
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Yes !
I have a thinned Endela , if you can imagine .
I was cutting through quadruple wall corrugated cardboard the other day and it was kind of crazy easy . . . other knives I have to put a fair amount of force into the handle , these are all thin blade , many of them fixed blade think Morakniv Carbon or Mora Flex . . . "normal" knives like a Shaman just say : HELL NO ! STOP THIS ! NO MORE ! Can't we go do something easier ? ? ?

The thinned , reprofiled , polished edge K390 Endela was like : Lets do some S curves this is fun !
Remarkable .
See image Here (the Endela) frightening isn't she ?
 
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lastknives said:
As a hamon specialist, W2 steel is one of the best choices 😁😁
But rare Daido YK4 produces the most beautiful hamon contrast.
It’s easy to sharpen, holds an edge for a long time, but rust is its biggest enemy.
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I'd luv to see what you can do with that Daido stuff......😉.........Definitely like W2..👌
 
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