Favorite blade steels?

Currently I'm most enamored by CTS-XHP, ZDP-189, Aogami Super, Blue #1, and Konosuke's "mystery" HD2 steel. I've been trying to like S90V more - which I admit holds a coarse working edge for a very long time - though I tend to prefer more polished edges.
 
My favorite steels are carbon ones. 10XX, 52100, L6, Super Blue and M4. L6 is pretty badass. I have a hawk and a Puukko in L6 and dig what they can do.

Stainless, well price performance like Cold Steels AUS8 is pretty damn good. I can get it scalpel sharp easily and it holds it long enough for what I do. ZDP-189 is great also, as long as you maintain it and not let it get too dull. But if I could only have one stainless....S30V or VG-10 would be a toss up. Only one carbon.....L6.
 
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I have really grown to like CPM154. I have not had the experience of the high end stainless but hope to soon. For tool steels I have M4 and M2 but have never put them through their paces so I have no real life data on them.
 
This thread needs more pictures. :D

I just picked up another piece of XHP and it's turning into one of my favorites. M4 is pretty high on my list as well as Super Blue.

My newest XHP after a little polishing. Not quite there yet but it's good for a working edge.
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For me it's not so much that there is one steel type that I like, it's more that I go for steel types that are above average and uncommon. For example, I've probably bough knives with S30V the least out of all steel types, it's a great steel, but was so widely adopted by the industry that I didn't particularly care for it. Right now I've got a hankering for some more BG-42, or the powder equivalent CTS-B75P.
 
I generally prefer finer-grained, easy to sharpen steels.
So I like, in no particular order: Aus-8, 14C28, 1095 and whatever Victorinox uses.
Would love to try 52100, if only Swamp Rats were easier to obtain here :sigh:
 
I like any steel that's hardened right. Microtechs s30v, s35vn and Elmax are incredible. Most 154's I've come across are nice. My Davison in ats-34 is incredible. I just picked up a couple Shirogorovs in cronidur 30 after reading about it. Should be a great steel as long as treatment is right.
 
Böhler M390 & CPM 3V coated.

M390 on folders; 3V coated on fixed blades.
 
CPM 3V - Takes a super keen edge, sharpens up easily, holds and edge for a reasonably long time, stain resistant (although I've read it pits when it does rust - But I've never seen it myself). I love it on folders and fixed blades. Similarly I love Zwear, CPM Cruwear and PD-1.

To me, any of those are a one steel solution - YMMV

M390 is a nice too. I like but don't love the higher carbide steels like S90V, S110V since they don't take as keen an edge as M390 and 3V although they will maintain a working edge forever and then some. I'm sure there will be folks that refute my keen edge comment - to each his/her own.

CPM-M4, ZDP189 and Super Blue are nice if you like to grind your knives thin. Stays sharp as long as I don't roll the edge (read: don't abuse the edge).
 
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3V has served me very well in the last few years (Koster flat ground Bushcrafter). Not bad to sharpen and holds an edge longer than many of my other knives. I can also rest easy knowing that it's up for anything I dish out and then some.

VG10 is another favorite. I've got a number of knives in this steel and I love how it is easy to sharpen, takes a very fine edge and holds it quite nicely. My kitchen knife in VG10 is a favorite.

I've got a great smaller-sized custom by Big Chris in S90V and it is wonderful to use. It holds an edge and keeps holding it. Sharpening hasn't been too difficult with Congress MoldMaster stones and the thin edge Chris ground this down to.

Lots of choices out there!
 
I like a lot of steels but if I had to choose a few then,

Non stainless: cpm cruwear/3v/pd1/z wear are about the same steel, really tought, take a very keen edge which I like and hold it respectively well. Cpm m4 same as 3v but it patinas really easy. Super blue, great steel if you want a very fine keen edge. Love my strech in it. Im getting a custom made in 10v and I hear amazing things about it so im sure I'll be impressed.

Stainless: elmax, just about a perfect steel, stainless, tough, good wear resistance and its not too hard to sharpen. M390 a less tpugh but more wear resistant elmax, whats not to love. Cts xhp, easily one of my favorite steels, eady to sharpen, great wear resistance, very keen edge and fairly tough for stainless. S110v, so far the best wear resistance I experienced BY FAR. I was amazed how much cardboard it cut and still sliced phonebook paper. Its a bare to sharpen but you dont need to sharpen if as much as other steels and its still easier than s90v imo. N77, just a fantastic steel, shame its not being made anymore. Its pretty much rust proof due to low carbon and high nitrogen, very tough and malleable, very easy to sharpen, takes the sharpest edge I ever got, I could not touch it without it cutting skin, it cut paper towels, tissue paper, hairs just fell alart from touching the edge, it cut hair by just sliding it on my leg without touching the skin, just insanely sharp. Im looking for a vanax 35 knife now to see how it does.
 
I'll go with 440c, ATS-34, M4, ZDP-189, VG-10, S90V, which are all old favorites. Some of the new steels look good, just haven't used any.
 
Ive used Aus8, 8Cr13MoV, 14C28N, S35VN, and Elmax.

Unsurprisingly out of my experience, Elmax is my favorite.
 
I am a huge fan of D2, in my experience, it has always taken an amazing edge and been able to hold it as long as I needed it. Regardless of its "semi-stainless" properties, it's a great steel when heat treated correctly.
 
As a bladesmith I don't believe there is any single perfect steel for every task and that any steel is only as good as the smith/knife maker that works it.
The edge holding ability of a blade is only vaguely linked to the steel it is made from. Much more importantly is how it was heat treated.

Having said that my personal preferences are as follows.
For performance cutters a simple carbon steel. Anything from 1075 up will obtain a 60+ rockwell, which is as hard as one would want, to avoid chipping. From that point hardness is controlled in the tempering process to obtain desired performance characteristics.

For larger blades (swords, machetes, etc) that will take a lot of abuse I like L6. Its lower carbon content makes it only marginally less hardening than a pure carbon steel (ie 58rc), which is fine for bigger field blades, but its high nickel content make it more impact resistant... 5160 is good too but tends to be red hard... and since all my blades are forged I tend to stay away from it.... for stock reduction it is excellent though.

I have no use for stainless except in cutlery...

Just my 2 cents.
 
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